Spring Ahead

The weekend has been packed full so I have not had time to write but I was able to get 14 miles in the books.  We also sprung ahead which means it will be darker in the morning when I run.  It was a beauty of a weekend though and was able to get a lot of chores done both inside and out.  I always feel better doing yard work because I am able to stretch ways that I normally don't.  That stretching generally has me feeling better on the next day's run.  Spring ahead is a good metaphor for getting your spring racing into gear.  You can run with less clothes on, people are in better moods with a lot more activity, and your body just wants to move faster.  I'm still on the road to Bataan and looking forward to this challenge.  It will be such an honor to run with the military and meet the survivors of Bataan.  For now, spring ahead one step at a time!  Spring is a time for new life, trying something new or improving on something of old.  Spring ahead!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Yesterday and today Days 67 and 68: 4 and 10 miles: 2014: 371 miles

Hamster Dance

I think there is an actual dance called the hamster dance.  I sort of felt like a hamster today as I ran 5 miles at the YMCA on an indoor track.  There are 17 laps to a mile so there are a lot of sharp turns - 85 laps and 340 right hand turns.  Today, everyone was running/walking clockwise, opposite of racing a car on an oval.  I should have switched every mile to give my right leg a rest but people kept coming onto the track and going in the same direction.  One of the songs that played on my shuffle had lyrics like " Round and Round and Round."  How appropriate is that?  I guess I could have climbed onto the treadmill and ran nowhere for 5 miles.  Of course, running in a climate-controlled environment on a soft surface without and wind or hills makes for a speedy (relative of course) workout.  There are indoor marathons of this nature.  I just wonder what the time differential would be running in a controlled environment vs. outside.  I suspect mentally, for 26.2 miles, it would be harder indoors.  It would probably drive me batty running 445 laps slowing down out of boredom.  Give me the hills, the elements, the trails, the road, whatever to keep me engaged in the run.  Of course, now I wonder whether I would rather run on a treadmill or the indoor track.  You go nowhere on the treadmill but can vary the workout with speed and incline. You go somewhere on the indoor track but it turns out to be nowhere.  You do get to pass people on the track, but mostly lapping walkers.  I think I have only run inside 4 times in the last 5 years so I really shouldn't be thinking this hard about it. 

Today Dave 66: 5 miles:  2014: 358 miles

March 6, 2000

Fourteen years ago today, my Mom quietly passed to a more peaceful and pain-free life.  After years of smoking and battling COPD and Emphysema, she succumbed to the disease.  Each day of running brings a myriad of thoughts, some that you just want to wrap up and store away forever and others that you want to bring to the forefront.  Depending on which thoughts are conjured up, they can be intensely good or intensely bad.  This is because running intensifies thoughts.  My thoughts of my Mom have always been good except when I put them into the context of my own failures.  Of course, maybe that is true of all thoughts - the good, bad and ugly.  In longer runs, most notably ultras but also the later miles of marathons, the mind becomes clouded, jumbled and sometimes unable to discern thoughts.  I also understand that the later miles of ultras can also provide some interesting hallucinations.  In these cases, the runner may have been running overnight where sleep deprivation starts to play tricks on him.  I hope to run a 24 hour race at some point in the next couple of years, maybe 2014.  Unfortunately, they fill up quickly.  My Mom was at my very first distance race in West Windsor, NJ in 1993.  Here is a throwback Thursday special. Notice all the hair I have and my svelte body and my shorty shorts.  I cherish this picture.  When I run these days, I often think that I am taking all the breaths that she couldn't take and all the breaths that my father couldn't take.  He died of Lung cancer.  There are a lot of runners who have given up smoking and other addictions and now live through their running.  I'm glad that I have running.  It keeps me grounded in the rest of my life.  It allows me to moderate on everything else.  I'm not convinced I will live longer through it but I am convinced I will live better.  What a great picture.

Today day 65: 4 miles: 2014: 353 miles

Going Bananas

Nope, not going crazy or nuts.  Well, I guess that is debatable!  But going bananas?  It appears that this is what we all need to do. Before a marathon, I always have two bananas, 1-2 cups of coffee and either bagels or pop tarts.  So, I just read this article about bananas.  I will paste it here so that you don't have to deal with all of the extra crap that appears on a web page and so the page doesn't put tracking cookies on your computer to understand where you shop for your bananas and other life's pleasures.

Today Day 64: 4 miles: 2014: 349 miles

This is interesting. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.  But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION:

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:

Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

BLOOD PRESSURE:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER

200 students at a Twickenham school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

HEARTBURN

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

MOSQUITO BITES:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chroniclercases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR TIMES the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE TIMES the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A BANANA a day keeps the doctor away!’

No Pain, No Gain

This is not entirely true.  one must discern the type of pain it is to determine whether the pain is from injury or from work.  There is no question about it, marathons are painful - during and after.  What's new to me is running the days after a marathon.  Except for my last two marathons, I have taken the days (at least 2, sometimes 5) off after the marathon.  Pain generally sets in during the later miles.  At that point it is necessary to understand the type of pain.  Muscles acquire tiny micro-tears the more pounding they take and the more work they do, especially on hard surfaces, concrete being the worst.  Road marathons can sometimes be worse than trail ultras do to this fact.  With three times your body weight pounding on each strike of the foot, there are a lot of little tiny explosions in your muscle fibers.  Taking the time off after a marathon allows those muscle fibers to heal.  However, all of the lactic acid build-up remains in place and doesn't allow for a quick recovery.  Since I am trying to run everyday - which I have (sort of - see earlier post about Heathrow), i have run the days following the Miami marathon and now the Umstead marathon.  There is no question that running the first few days after a marathon is painful.  It really hurts (but I'm not complaining as this is something I choose to do) but I find that 1) it helps with recovery breaking up the lactic acid 2) it mentally prepares you to run those later miles where there is fatigue and pain and 3) it keeps you grooved and doesn't allow you to get lazy.  I'm managing taper and recovery better than expected while continuing to run everyday (including longer runs on weekends) and I know sometime this year I am going to have a couple of peak marathons.  It won't be Bataan due to the nature of it.  It might be Flying Pig but it could be Salmon Marathon in Alaska.  I think I am gaining but proof will be in the watch.  I think the best way to train for marathons anyway is to run marathons as long, supported training runs.

Today Day 63: 3 miles: 2014: 345 miles

My Strength

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26

This was the verse of the day on March 1, the day of the Umstead Marathon.  I read it first thing in the morning.  How appropriate it was for God to reassure me that I could draw upon Him for my strength that day.  I don't mean to be melodramatic although the movie Son of God did premiere on my birthday.  The name Michael from Hebrew means, "Who is like God?" a rhetorical question implying no person is like God.  It was certainly a day where my flesh and heart could fail.  It is hard to run a marathon where something does not fail at some point.  Where does my strength come from?  You can reach down deep inside to find mental and physical strength but at some point you require help.  Sometimes, God puts another runner close by, sometimes a cheering fan, maybe a downhill, or an aid station.  But sometimes, you must rely on that single awe-inspiring power of God.  Its not just true in running.  It is true in life and it's important for us to recognize those times when God intervenes.  He's there to move us through the tough times onto smoother roads.  My strength comes from the One who has given me eternal life 26.2 miles at a time.

Today Day 62: 4 miles: 2014: 342 miles

Year of the Caterpillar

In the 11 years  of the Umstead Trail Marathon, the shirt logo and finisher's pint glass has some animal/insert on it representative of Umstead Park.  This year was a caterpillar and although they indicated the kind of caterpillar, I failed to read the description.  Here is the logo.

It has a bit of a Rastafarian look to it.  On Friday, taking the day off for my birthday, I drove to the Great Outdoor Provision company for packet pickup.  It's a great store for outdoor adventures mostly for hiking, camping kayaking, fishing and clothes. Here is a picture of the swag.

Check out the number! 262.  I just need to put a period in it to make it 26.2.  How appropriate being my 75th, 26.2 and I have a license plate TWNTY6.2.  They had boxes of Smartwool socks to choose from.  I chose a pair that Cynthia would like.  The hat was $10 but one can never have enough hats.  At the top is Burt's Bees lip balm, headquartered here in Durham.  The little plastic thing is a cup.  More races are going cup free.  I carried a handheld bottle so I didn't use it but it will come in handy.

I arrived at the park around 7:30 to get to Lot A, the 4WD lot.  It was a perfect parking position because it was just below the race headquarters and the start/finish line at Camp Lapihio.  Simple logistics.  Here is a picture of the drive in meandering through the pines.

The start/finish is located at Camp Lapihio.  The last time I was there was for the Umstead 100 miler where I only completed 50 miles.  My nephew Shawn was with me and although I didn't finish the 100 miles, it brought back great memories.

This is the camp.  This race is in stark contrast to Miami 3 weeks ago.  Miami had 20 thousand lined up in the starting corrals (half-marathoners and marathoners).  We lined up 200 here.  I much prefer this crowd and community.  This was, in essence, an ultra community.  People you can sit down and break bread with.  People who are always encouraging you.  People who are hard core runners and don't shy away from the hard challenges.

Inside the camp is a stone fireplace with wooden picnic tables along with a full kitchen.  The race organization was phenomenal, not only at the lodge but with friendly and catering volunteers throughout the course. 

We started right on time.  Unlike Miami where it took me 20 minutes to get to the starting line, I was off in 5 seconds.  The first part of the race was on single track trails - the first 5/6 of 8 miles.  Although I have run the Loblolly trail in Umstead, I have run the ones today.  The trails are very similar.  The challenge on these trails were mostly roots along with some rocks.  It was a good mix of hills and flats but laying over most of the surface were pine needles making for a soft run if you could avoid the roots.  There was a lot of hopping around.  I tried to take some pictures being careful not to fall.

Th course in this section looks tame and it is but other sections were not so tame.  As one volunteer put it, "you only have another mile of hopping around."  I wore my Montrail Baja's, a low profile, light trail show.  Since 18 of the miles were on bridle trail, I figured that I would not need the knobby tread for most of the run and less weight would help on the hills.  However, I also found them to be more responsive on the single track.  The other show is my bronzed walking shoe from when I was a baby - maybe my first running shoe.

Once off of the single track trail, next came the undulating and hilly bridle trail, all 18 miles of it.  Normally, when I run at Umstead, this is the trail that I run for hill workouts.  It is challenging,  Here is a profile that I took from someone else who has run the race.

Here are a few pictures on the bridle trail.

No, once 14 of those miles are out of the way, you descend down Cedar Creek Trail to the bottom.  And, using the word "bottom" means you have to ascend back up to the top.  These are miles 22-24.  At this point the quads are screaming from the downhills and the hamstrings are screaming from the uphills.  Here is Cedar Ridge.

After Cedar Ridge, there is still a 3 mile climb back to the start/finish area.  I was all positioned to take a picture at the finish as I crossed but I dropped my camera, ugh!  So, I will have to rely on any photographers around.  All told, it was a wonderful, challenging day.  The weather was perfect.  The organization was great and the volunteers were friendly and helpful.  I had the runner's high for at least a few hours afterward and this time I could really feel it, like I was on cloud nine, a bit light-headed in a state of exhaustion.  I had a bite to eat with another marathon maniac from Asheville.  I chatted with her and another maniac at the start.  This is a race with a strategy.  I ran 5:10 and honestly was pleased with that.  I knew how challenging the course was going to be.  When I completed my application I put my expected finish time as 5:30, so, I was pleased.  3:01 won the event which is just crazy talk.  Interesting enough, the top 3 finishers were in their 40's including the third place female, who lead much of the way.

And, here is my prize!  Any empty pint glass, beautiful as it is!

Yesterday Day 60 and 61:  28.2 miles: 2014: 338 miles