Choosing My First 100 Miler

May 17, 2013

I've spent much of this spring (if you can really call it that, we're supposed to be getting 3-6" of snow tonight) thinking about which race I want to run for my first 100 miler. As I've written before, I had been leaning towards Javelina Jundred in Arizona in October. More recently, my thinking has changed, leaning instead towards the 100 miler right in my own backyard, the Resurrection Pass 100.

I kept going back and forth in my mind about which one I wanted to run. They both have their pros and cons. At a certain point, I just got tired of thinking about it, so last week I sent the Res Pass RD an email saying count me in the for the 100!

There are definitely a number of pros to running Res Pass:

  • It's a cheap race to run. It's a very low-key race with no registration fee, and I don't have to fly anywhere. It starts at 3pm on a Friday, so I don't even have to drive down the night before and camp out.
  • I'm already familiar with the course, having run the 50 miler last year. The 50 miler is a point-to-point from Cooper Landing to Hope. The 100 miler is an out-and-back of the 50 miler course, starting and ending in Hope.
  • I'll have company. My buddy Ray that I ran the 50 miler with last year is also running the 100, so it will be nice to have some company, especially while running through the night in the middle of bear country.

Res Pass is not without its' cons, however:

  • It's a largely self-supported race. The only aid stations are at mile 12, 50, and 88. In between, you're on a remote wilderness trail with no access. This makes it very hard to drop, at say, mile 65 if things aren't going well – this could be good or bad, depending.
  • Access to water. With so few aid stations, you're mostly on your own for carrying water, and refilling in streams as needed. Of course, that comes with the need to filter or purify the water, if you don't want to end up with Giardia. At the 50 miler last year, I carried a hydration pack with 70oz of water, which I only had to refill once. Though I found that refilling a hydration bladder from a stream can be a pain, especially when you're tired. And by the end of the 50 miles, the pack was really starting to weigh on my shoulders. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the 100, but I've been experimenting on my longer runs.
  • No belt buckle. Small race = no swag. Most "big" ultras like Javelina give out belt buckles to the finishers. It's an odd tradition, but I've got to admit that I want one.

The race is still almost 3 months away, but I'm getting really excited. My training has been going well so far. I've been consistently running 50+ mile weeks, usually with a 20+ mile long run on the weekend. I've gotten up into the 60's once so far, and hope to reach the 70's a few times before race day.

I've heard it said that even though a 100 miler is twice the distance of a 50 miler, it's way more than twice as hard. For better or worse, I'm eager to find out for myself! I know that this will likely be the hardest things I've ever done, and that there will probably be times that I want to quit. I'm going into this race the same way I went into my first 50 miler last year: with the attitude that I will finish, and not even letting the thought of not finishing enter my mind.

And who knows, depending on how things go at my 100 mile debut, I'm thinking that I may still sign up for Javelina in October – I'll get that belt buckle yet!

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How to Train For an Ultramarathon and Still Have a Life

May 8, 2013

Last winter, when I first told my wife that I wanted to run an ultra, her first concern was the amount of time the training was going to take away from the family. I had the same concern, but promised to both her and myself that I wouldn't allow the training to take up all of my spare time, and that I'd still have plenty of time to spend with the family.

After finishing my first 50 miler last year, my wife confessed that she was surprised/impressed with how little the added training had affected our family life. I had to remind her of this last fall when I first expressed my desire to run a 100 miler this summer.

With the summer quickly approaching, I'll soon be getting into the thick of my training. I've already logged some of the highest mileage training weeks I've ever done, and I'm happy to report that family time is firmly intact.

How have I managed it? Let me count the ways…

  1. Be flexible – I recently postponed a planned run to take my daughter on a bike ride (instead running on the treadmill later that night). Last week I took 3 unplanned rest days while I dealt with a flooded crawl space (does digging a 3 foot deep hole for a sump pump count as cross training?). Did I let these things stress me out? No (well, yes I did stress out about the flooded crawl space, but not because it caused me to miss a few runs). Life, as they say, is what happens when you're making plans. I've yet to follow a structured training plan for a race. I have little doubt that I would be more successful if I did, but I also know that it would make running less enjoyable, and feel too much like "work". My "non-plan" leaves me with much greater flexibility, allowing me to take my runs as they come. I still have to work hard to get my mileage in for the week, but I'm not stressed over missing a scheduled tempo run.
  2. Make friends with your alarm clock – The majority of my runs these days are done either early in the morning or late at night after the kids are in bed. This has meant embracing my alarm clock and making friends with the wee hours of the morning. One of the best pieces of advice I've read on this is to abolish the snooze button. It's far too easy to fall into the trap of hitting snooze 3 or 4 times to get just a few more minutes of sleep. The reality though is that this isn't quality sleep at this point. The only thing you're doing is making yourself late getting out the door for your run.
  3. Involve your family – Running doesn't have to be a solitary sport, get your family involved! As the warmer summer months approach, I'll be doing more of my runs with the kids in the jogging stroller. In addition to being a harder workout, it makes for great family time! I'll usually run a few miles over to a local playground, let the kids play around for a bit, then run back home in time for dinner. Sometimes I'll pack a picnic dinner and we'll eat there. If your kids are a bit older, invite them to ride their bikes along with you for part or all of your run. Other times my wife will come along as well, and we make it a family affair!

Most importantly, we talk to our kids about why it is that we run. We explain to them how it's important to be active and healthy. It's my hope that they grow up viewing this type of a lifestyle as "normal", and that they don't make some of the same mistakes I did earlier in my life, in terms of unhealthy eating habits coupled with a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

So far I think we're on the right track. They talk about wanting to go running with us, and keep asking about when the next kids' race is going to be.

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The Long Winter

March 22, 2013

Tagged as: Winter

Now that we’re nearing the end of March, the end of this winter is finally in sight. As much as I have embraced running through snowstorms, icy sidewalks, and sub-zero temperatures, it’s around this time of year that I’m reminded how much I miss running outside without multiple layers of clothing and having to worry about my water freezing.

There’s a cruel back-and-forth that inevitably happens this time of year. One day, I’ll go for an afternoon run with the temperature in the high 30′s. The sun is shining, I’m wearing my sunglasses, and the snow is melting. I’ve got a big smile on my face, optimistic that spring is just around the corner. Then, like an angry splash of cold water to the face, I’ll wake up for an early morning run, and it is 5 degrees, or there are 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground.

This is one of the most difficult times to run outside in Alaska. It is a time of year affectionately referred to as “break up”, when the ice and snow are literally breaking up from the warming sun during the day, only to freeze back up as the temperature drops at night. This freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle leaves the roads a treacherous battleground of jagged ice and slushy puddles big enough to swallow a small car.

During these last few weeks, I’ve done more runs on the treadmill than I have in the past year – something that I typically avoid at nearly all costs, even on the chilliest of winter mornings.

Even with fresh snow being forecast for this weekend, I’m ever hopeful that spring really is just around the corner. I look forward to once again feeling the sun’s warm glow as I run, needing to wear nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts.

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Interviewed by The Beer Runner

February 11, 2013

I was recently interviewed by The Beer Runner over at Draft Magazine. We talked about beer, running, and my weight loss – check it out!

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I’m an Altra Ambassador for 2013!

January 25, 2013

Tagged as: Altra

I’m excited to announce that I’ve been selected as an Altra Ambassador for 2013!

Altra Zero Drop Ambassador

If you haven’t been paying attention, I absolutely LOVE my Altra Zero Drop shoes. I currently do 95% of my running in either their Instincts when I’m on the roads, or their Lone Peaks on the trails. Since transitioning to their shoes at the beginning of last year, I have had no foot problems or other injuries whatsoever. That’s right – not a single blister or black toenail to be found here! I’ll tell anyone and everyone who is willing to listen about how great these shoes are.

So when I heard that they were taking applications for their 2013 ambassador program, I knew I had to apply. While I was on vacation with my family in Florida to run the Disney World Goofy Challenge, I got the magical email telling me that I had been accepted.

So what does this mean for me and my blog? First of all – no, this isn’t going to turn me into some corporate shill, where every post is an ad for Altra. I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t truly love and believe in this brand. I have been wanting to get back into blogging at least a little more regularly, because I do miss it, and I believe that this opportunity will give me some extra motiviation to do so, whether I’m writing specifically about Altra or not.

Who is Altra, Anyway?

If you’re not familiar with the Altra brand, they’re a small independant running shoe company based in Utah. The specialize in “zero drop” running shoes, meaning that there is no difference in height between your heel and toe, whereas the average running shoe is somewhere in the 12mm range. This barefoot-like feel helps to promote a more natural running form, similar to something like Vibram Five Fingers, but with padding to offer your feet more protection from the ground.

My favorite feature of their shoes is the wide toe box, allowing your toes to splay out more naturally, instead of being crammed into a pointed end like most typical running shoes. Previously, I had problems with getting blisters between my toes from them rubbing together. Since moving to Altras, I have been completely blister free. The same goes for getting black toe nails – they are not a runner’s badge of honor, they are a sign that your shoes don’t fit properly, that your toes are being jammed into a narrow toe box.

My Altras are, far and away, the most comfortable running shoes I’ve ever worn.

Thanks so much to Altra for giving me this opportunity. This news makes me even more excited to see what 2013 has in store!

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