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100 Mile Echelon

15 Saturday Aug 2015

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intajuice in bedThis was big.  Running the Boulder Marathon in September will feel anticlimactic.  I’m even willing to admit I scheduled that run simply as an excuse to run 100 miles in one week as training.  I’ve always wanted to attempt a massive mileage training plan and now I’ve done it.  The higher distance weeks – 90 and 100 miles – were easier than I expected.  I started at 60 miles and climbed my training echelon with 10 mile steps until I reached 100.  I lost confidence somewhat between 70 and 80 but suspect that was heat related.  The standard advice is to increase your distance every week by 10%, which mirrors my plan.  I won’t have a sense of how effective uber distance training is until I run the marathon.  I’m not expecting to run faster, rather hoping to run more comfortably.  Specifically over the final 10K.  If you’ve ever run a marathon, then you know how unpleasant those last six miles can be.

The waiting period between ending my massive mileage training plan and determining the results feels miles long to me.  I’ll have to find something else to blog about for the next four weeks.  My taper plan isn’t nearly as well defined as my uber distance plan. The actual miles will be serendipitous, 35 to 50, and ideally faster.  Likely 8 mile runs on weekdays rather than 12.  I won’t bother making up lost miles when I miss a workout due to a long work day.   I’m not concerned with losing my conditioning.  As for the weekends, I’ll be hiking Longs Peak with my neighbors.  And I have a trail relay coming up.  There’s always something.

My feedback on having trained massive miles is the following.  I suspect most of the fatigue I felt was due more to the summer heat than lack of recovery.  I felt great on cloudy days.  With that said, running Saturday mornings after a late Friday afternoon run was always my most difficult workout.  So hard for an older man to sufficiently recover with less than 24 hours.  My best guess is I averaged a 9 minute mile pace; a bit slow for me but fine for my objective of distance over pace.

I also have a sneaking suspicion I’ve become addicted to the endorphin effects from running.  I certainly have not experienced euphoric highs.  Running is not morphine.  For me it’s more of a calming and analgesic effect.  I hesitate to say addicted, but the thing is, despite some brutally painful runs in the heat, I totally look forward to my daily runs.  People have commented to me they are so impressed with my motivation to keep going but honestly, it’s become a fast moving train that’s hard to jump off.  I’ve subconsciously prioritized it above so many likely more important things.  Ultra distance running is quite possibly a disease.  I’ve also become addicted to fruit popsicles.  There are no popsicle guidelines published online but I suspect four after dinner is too many.  I have no plans to abate my consumption but I do recognize the problem.

I believe I’ll see the benefit from running two to three hours at a stretch in my form.  The repetition leads to optimal form.  I imagine the opposite could be true.  If I had a serious defect in my form, the longer runs would have quickly led to injury.  Question is, will I be faster or slower?  My stride length is set in concrete now.  My cadence varies based on the heat index.  Sort of wish I would have worn my Garmin during this training program.  I didn’t see the need since I knew my distance and wasn’t expecting fast times.  Pace wasn’t and still isn’t a goal, but I’m a bit interested in terms of expectations.  I’m certain I’ll be able to run the marathon under four hours.  Hope I run under 3:45.  I recall my last Boulder Marathon being around 3:55.  It’s a slow course.

Finishing up my 100 mile week with a 20 mile run was less than glorious.  Combination fatigue from Friday afternoon’s 12 miler and this mornings’ heat.  I walked a bit.  The cold water irrigation ditch where I typically dip my hat with 3.5 miles remaining was dry.  Started vomiting at 19 miles.  Scared Karen after I dropped to the kitchen floor with cramping thigh muscles and screaming.  I diffused that situation by sending her on an IntaJuice smoothie run.  This photo is me afterward recovering in bed with my banana-strawberry smoothie.  Mostly better now.

Grand Lake

09 Sunday Aug 2015

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north inlet trailThe last thing I remember Friday night was looking up at the stars, undiluted from urban light sources, high in the Rocky Mountains outside Grand Lake.  Sleeping cowboy style, I dodged fallin’ stars aimed straight at me.  I finally tucked inside my tent after midnight once the temperature dropped.  Rob and I camped out here to hike a 25 mile segment of the Continental Divide Trail.  The accuracy of CDT maps are specious as my Garmin captured 29.5 miles.  Fortunately the weather was cool, between 40° and 60° so that our water lasted through those final four unplanned miles.

Grand Lake sits at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and is also part of the headwaters to the Colorado River.  A quaint mountain town with wooden boardwalks and expensive but good restaurants, it’s worth a stop if you’re near Rocky Mountain National Park, or the Winter Park ski resort.  Grand Lake anchors the southern end of Trail Ridge Road.  Rob and I ate surprisingly good Mexican food at El Pacifico.  After two large margaritas, I was seeing stars.

Flat Top MountainThe 25 (29.5) miles would complete my 90 mile running week, for a total 510 miles of my massive mileage Boulder Marathon training plan.  I run 20 miles today to begin my 100 mile week – the final week before I begin my taper.  I can still report no muscle strains or injuries.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  I’ll start some strength training and work on my pace once I cut my miles by half.

We got some decent running in Saturday on the trail.  This section of the Continental Divide Trail is a loop that begins and ends at the North Inlet Trailhead outside Grand Lake.  It’s contained within the southwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, so permits are needed for camping.  We stealth camped, setting up our tents shortly after dusk to avoid the Park Rangers.  We encountered a number of group backpackers who camped along the trail.  One father was trekking his kids on a 3 day outing, targeting 8 mile days with their heavy packs.  There is a Big Meadow trail that shortcuts the CDT, forming a slightly shorter 24 or 25 mile loop.  Sporting light packs, we ran about two miles worth of the big loop.  The coolest part was running across the alpine tundra among the rock cairns above 12,000 feet.

burn zoneAnother cool section of trail was this burn area on the northern part of the loop.  Would have been hot without shade but we benefitted from partial clouds and 60° temperatures.  I’m happy mixing up hiking with my running.  I count the miles toward my training plan because hiking with Rob at high altitude is little different than running.  We maintained a 3 mph pace for essentially a 50K ultra.  Ascending above tree line had my cardio going.  I imagine I burned well over 3000 calories over the ten hour hike.  Once I finish my coffee this morning, I’ll set out on a 20 miler on the LoBo Trail to begin my 100 mile week.

Anniversary Workout

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

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Rychie and SteveYou would think I might go the day without training to celebrate my 28th wedding anniversary with Karen.  That’s not how a runner thinks.  I managed as many miles during the week as possible, 72 miles, leaving only 8 more miles for Saturday.  Then I ran earlier in the morning than typical with my running buddies while Karen was out teaching her aerobics class.  My second 80 mile week is now complete.  I then carried on with the day’s scheduled events.  Lunch with Karen, a couple’s massage, and a movie – Mission Impossible.  That massage complimented my training nicely.  This photo captures Rychie and Steve as they descend the Betasso Link Trail.  We ran both loops for a 9 miler.  This was their first time running Betasso and they loved it.

Six weeks of my Boulder Marathon training plan are now behind me with 420 miles.  My running buddies asked me how much weight I’ve lost since starting.  Two pounds.  That hardly seems right does it?  Granted, I’m not trying to lose weight but I did expect it.  I’ve more than doubled my weekly mileage.  I can only assume I’m eating more calories.  I’m guessing it’s all the smoothies and fruit popsicles.  Real fruit contains real sugar and that’s been an addition to my diet since I started this plan.

Tomorrow begins my first 90 mile week.  I’m still planning to only run 90 miles for one week and then jump to 100 miles the following week.  Then start my taper two weeks early.  This modification to my plan has two benefits.  It reduces my chances of repetitive muscle injury or stress fracture.  Some people can train hard for years on end.  I know my body and I’m not one of those people.  Quite frankly I’m surprised that I don’t feel any strains yet.  Could be I’ve improved my running form well enough.  Or could be because I started out in fairly good shape.

The second benefit of ending my massive mileage plan in two weeks is I’ll have more weeks to work on my pace with the shorter runs.  The fatigue from these long runs has dramatically slowed my pace.  It takes me four to five miles to loosen up whereas I generally find my stride after two miles.  I’m running so slow right now I risk toppling over in strong winds.  I haven’t been timing myself but I can feel the pace.  Once I return to 8 milers I intend to drop my pace back down to under 8 minute miles.  I’m so close to completing this plan, I’m excited to see the results in September.

Massive Mileage in Moderation

25 Saturday Jul 2015

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GTI was drinking beers with a couple of my running buddies Thursday at The Well – conveniently located two blocks down the street from my house.  Our conversation turned to my Boulder Marathon training plan, AKA the massive mileage training plan.  My friends think I’m nuts, although they are impressed my body is holding up to the stress.  So am I.  I completed my first 80 mile week today with an 18 miler on the LoBo Trail.  I’m feeling the fatigue.  Sometimes my knees buckle from weakness on my initial steps after standing up from a chair, but nothing feels on the verge of injury.  More difficult than the physicality of running the extreme distance is making the time. I can squeeze in 60 miles easily enough but 80 miles is where time becomes a real factor.  Thankfully Karen is cooking most of our dinners.  I just show up hungry.

Steve asked me what my objective is with this massive mileage.  I get the sense everyone thinks I’m still pushing myself as compensation for my cancer last year.  I don’t think so.  I did initially, consciously.  I set my first race to be a marathon in order to have a meaningful challenge.  And I had a little something to prove in the Bolder Boulder since my surgery caused me to miss the 2014 event.  But I’m happy with my recovery and I’m over it.  And I’m not trying to set some speed record.  In fact, I suspect this distance is slowing me down.  I do hope to run in the top of my range – 3:30 to 3:45 – but I’m not trying to PR.

I have two reasons for this plan.  The first is that I recently read Running with the Buffaloes.  That CU Cross Country team put in massive miles.  Adam Goucher ran 100 mile weeks and went on to win at the NCAA Nationals.  I wouldn’t call that book a great read, in fact it reads about like this blog.  Chris Lear simply captures every workout of the season.  But I have a tendency to get excited by sports stories.  Shoot, I’m easily influenced by books.  I do have some discipline.  I read both Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto in College.  Despite the liberal college setting, I thought they were both full of shit.  Maybe it’s just sports stories that get me so excited.  I made my plan immediately after reading about the CU Cross Country team.

My goal, my second reason, is that I hope this mileage will make me feel comfortable running the entire marathon distance.  I begin to fade around 18 miles.  Or 2.5 hours. Quick marathon math has you burning 3000 calories over the course.  The typical marathon runner probably can’t store more than 2000 calories.  Likely much less but this gives you around 1000 calorie deficit.  And trust me, you can try eating ten 100 calorie gels during the race but your stomach can’t process that much in such a short time.  So 18 miles, give or take, or 2.5 hours, is when many runners tend to bonk.  I’ve bonked as early as 16 miles.  My hope is that my body will adapt to the distance with this massive mileage to burn calories more efficiently during the run.

My previous training focus has been on nutrition and getting in at least one super long run (18 to 20 miles) on the weekend.  I’ve had success with both.  But running massive weekly mileage is something I’ve never done, not even back in college.  I worked myself up to 70 mile weeks the summer before my final season and experienced decent success from that.  I’ve always been smitten with the thought of running a 100 mile week.  Problem is, I’m starting to doubt I can hold this plan.  I just completed my first 80 mile week today with an 18 mile run and I’m exhausted.  I’m not sure two weeks at 90 and then two weeks at 100 is viable.  But I really want to try, I’m so close.

I’m thinking of modifying my plan.  I’ll do 80 again next week per plan.  Then only run a single week at 90 and a single week at 100 – rather than two weeks for each.  After that, drop all the way back down to 60.  This might keep me alive for race day.  As much stink I raised in a previous blog challenging U-Curve studies, I actually believe in  them.  Drinking, running, everything in moderation.  I saw my Chiropractor yesterday. I didn’t have any issues for him, and he didn’t find any, but this was a proactive, preventive maintenance component of my training plan.

Today’s run was brutal.  18 miles in blistering heat.  I saw Jabe, Eve and Susan on the LoBo Trail around 3 miles.  And Spot.  Not sure how far they ran but Spot was feeling it.  I drove directly to Inta Juice afterward and downed two 32 ounce smoothies with protein for an 800 calorie liquid lunch.  I followed that up with a pedicure.  Two absolutely brilliant post-run decisions.  This photo above is of me last weekend on the CDT with Gray’s and Torreys in the background – which Brittany just summited yesterday.  An active summer for all the Mahoneys.

The Route

19 Sunday Jul 2015

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narrow topThe Continental Divide Trail isn’t as well marked with signs as the Colorado Trail, and much of what I hiked this weekend with Rob wasn’t marked by trail at all.  The CDT along the mountaintops above Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon and Keystone is essentially a route.  So few hikers travel this twenty mile section of alpine tundra that there is no trail.  The entire width of the mountaintops define the path.  Where I’m standing in this photo, the route is about as wide as the length of a football field.  Clearly, it narrows across that hill behind me.  This photo captures the pathless trail and general conditions above 13,000 feet as Rob and I hiked from Argentine Pass to Georgia Pass Saturday.

snow fieldWe didn’t have much snow to worry about.  This photo shows one of the larger snow fields we encountered, but we were able to hike alongside its edge.  Good thing as I wore my running trail shoes for this effort rather than hiking boots.  I wanted to test out my trail shoes, even though I knew they would fatigue my feet much more than boots.  The Salomon Speedcross trail runners are awesome.  I don’t think they have a rock plate, but their sole is strong enough to step across sharp rocks and their tread never slipped once for me.  I did notice some hot spots, but this was after 8 hours of hiking.  We completed the twenty-plus mile jaunt in 10.5 hours.

wide topEverything was so green, even above treeline where the ground oftentimes turns to moonscape rock.  The Cushion plant moss was easily 3 inches tall in places.  The Alpine Sunflowers and Forget-me-nots were thick, and the Marmots were quite fat as well – presumably from eating the lush grasses and flowers.  This photo captures Rob in a mountaintop field of Alpine Buttercups.

top viewI can’t say enough just how stunning the views were on this hike.  We spent at least eight hours hiking above treeline.  I applied the 20 miles to my weekly running goal, giving me 70 for the week and a total of 260 miles toward my marathon training plan.  We hiked an additional six miles this morning which I’ll apply to this coming week’s 80 mile goal.  74 more miles to go over the next six days.

190 Miles

11 Saturday Jul 2015

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Audubon TrailI completed week three of training for the Boulder Marathon with 70 miles, bringing my total up to 190 miles.  Surprisingly, the wheels haven’t started to fall off yet.  I have another six weeks before I reach 100 weekly miles though, so I can’t say I’m there.  This week almost felt easy until today.  I kept all my runs at 12 or less miles but ran 16 today in some tough heat.  The most difficult part might be running in the morning after a previous late afternoon run.  Not enough time to recover.  So I maintained a slow pace today, which was likely smart in this heat.

I also got in a nice 6 mile hike on Audubon Trail, in the Brainard Lake area on Thursday.  I took the day off to spend time with my niece Jessy who drove in from Iowa.  She’s in Vail now for the weekend with her boyfriend Brian and Brittany.  Always nice to have family visit.  Nicer still to get in my first mountain trail hike of the season.  I have some more aggressive hikes planned later this month and for August, including Longs Peak.

Finished the day on the front porch.  Goddard came over and drank beers with me.  Until we ran out and switched over to Brittany’s apple cider.  Quite refreshing and 5% alcohol.  Who knew?

120 Miles

03 Friday Jul 2015

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fatigueThis photo from the 2015 Bolder Boulder captures how I’ve been feeling during my 120 miles worth of running over the last two weeks in the summer heat.  I completed another 60 mile week today – week two of my 13 week plan training for the Boulder Marathon.  I had to squeeze in 60 miles in only four runs since Sunday.  I had to commute to Denver for training Monday and Tuesday which didn’t leave time for working out.  Then Karen and I are spending the weekend in Denver to see Wicked and the Denver Art Museum.  And possibly the Botanical Gardens.  Ran 21 Sunday, 10 Wednesday, 14 Thursday and 15 today.  Hope I don’t have these sorts of time challenges going forward when my mileage increases.  I like long runs, but not every time.  This photo also captures how my left foot turns outward when I’m fatigued.  Not very pretty form but I’m working on it.

I saw Dave and Amy biking on the LoBo Trail after two miles.  Apparently they don’t spend the first hours of the morning drinking coffee and reading the paper like me as they were just finishing their ride.  I also saw Steve on my return in nearly the same spot, maybe a mile further between Ogallala Road and 83rd.  Steve was running with his dog.  They have similar form.

My body is holding up fairly well after two 60 mile weeks.  It’s fatigued but I can’t point to anything that feels like a pending injury.  Haven’t lost any weight.  I’m good at replenishing lost calories.  Karen is worried about me wearing myself out.  Along with my mom.  Karen had her dad talk to me about the health benefits of ultra distance running.  Basically, there aren’t any, but I know that.  I don’t do this year long, only to prep for marathons.  I’ve never put in this many miles though, assuming I complete my plan.

The medical studies, which my father-in-law pointed out to me, fall into two areas.  The first are studies that suggest ultra endurance training, coupled with your genetic makeup, can lead to a higher incidence of heart disease, such as cardiomyopathy or enlarged heart.  This is what killed Caballo Blanco (Micah True), the famed ultra distance runner from Boulder.  I don’t tend to run over 35 miles a week, at least not for prolonged periods, so this is not something I worry about.

The second set of studies suggest a U-curve graph around the negative health benefit of running less than or more than 35 miles per week.  Or in that range.  I find the symmetrical nature of U-curves specious, suggesting inherent sample bias.  The studies I’ve read in the paper or have been able to google don’t have control groups.  They simply record results from volunteers.  They have many less results from people running much longer than 35 miles because really, how many nut jobs do you know who run 100 miles per week?  Sample bias is when smaller sample populations appear as outliers because the larger sample essentially establishes the average.  I’m not a scientist and I failed college statistics, but I have friends who are scientists, so I’m like one degree of separation away from knowing what I’m talking about.

I’ll take this further.  Correlation is not causation.  You can show that people who run less than the average runner or more than the average runner live shorter lives, but you can’t say it is due to the miles.  Figure people running less are possibly more obese.  Anyone running 100 miles a week is clearly obsessive and likely displays many more characteristics that could just as easily be responsible for their shorter lifespan.  They likely drink more, experience more dramatic weight loss and gain, get more speeding tickets and have more sex partners.  They are doomed to a shorter but highly satisfying life.

Part of Karen’s concern for me is that I look so bad after finishing some of these long runs.  Click on that picture to enlarge it and you’ll see the pain in my face from fatigue.  Anyone who hikes or runs with me knows how I grunt loudly and am generally highly expressive when I hurt.  It’s part of my pain management routine, but it doesn’t mean I’m dying.  Just sounds and looks like it at times.  I did well today staying hydrated during my 15 mile run and am doing everything possible to recover for our weekend stay in Denver.  I drank a protein smoothie after my run.  And just dropped 10,000 IUs of vitamin D and 20 mg of Cialis.  I’m expecting fireworks this weekend.

13 Weeks

27 Saturday Jun 2015

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BB KickBeginning this past week, I have shifted gears from speed to distance.  Speed being a relative term, my focus on interval training paid off in the 2015 Bolder Boulder as I ran a personal best.  I even displayed a strong kick in Folsom Stadium, pictured here.  I feel this was my best success at improving speed since I got back into road races six years ago.  That said, I’ve dropped to 28th place on the Shoes & Brews 800 meter beer board.  So it’s time to give up on speed and turn my focus to miles.  This plan will prepare me for my next scheduled race – the Boulder Marathon in September.

I’ve established a 13 week mileage plan that begins with 60 miles per week and reaches 100 miles before tapering back down to 60.  I hit my first 60 mile target today with a 12 mile run on Betasso Trail.  This is a good plan considering that I am starting out already in really good shape.  And because running extensive distance like this is a proven method to prepare for a marathon.  Running 26.2 miles after training this arduously will be almost a non-event.  There will be no nervousness at the starting line after completing this training plan.

If there’s any weakness to this plan, it’s that I’ve never run more than 70 miles in a single week – in my life.  And I find that the wheels tend to start falling off if I run any further than 45 miles in a single week.  Honestly, 35 miles is my sweet spot.  The challenge then will be avoiding injury. I won’t hesitate to scale back the miles given sufficient pain. I’m no hero. And I’m not stupid. Can’t run if I can’t run. But I’m actually quite interested in my ability to manage these training challenges. I’ve learned tons in terms of stretching and exercises to mitigate muscle overuse injuries. Ironically, I learned much of this from my cancer physical therapy last year. My Physical Therapist, Jennifer Davia, taught me the importance of adductor and abductor exercises to keep the muscles in balance that connect the hip to the knee.  The focus of that physical therapy was to be on pelvic floor recovery, but I leveraged Jennifer’s knowledge of running injuries and have performed these routines since last summer with good results.

My next concern is with recovery.  Even if healthy, will I have the energy to run the next day?  This week, the answer has been no.  It’s possible I’m not acclimated to the heat.  Colorado went from a cold spring of 70° days to 90° days literally overnight.  I haven’t been timing myself but I’ve been dragging with these back-to-back, 8 mile runs.  I expect to have trouble recovering after my longer weekend runs but am a bit surprised I can’t recover better after 8 milers.  Hoping it’s the heat.  I should probably start to consider supplements.  I do take supplements that focus on electrolytes (sodium, potassium and magnesium) but have never experimented much with muscle-related supplements.  Not sure I want to but might have to keep an open mind.

My final concern regards having the time for this.  I don’t generally run every day because, between work and personal obligations, who has the time?  I have to commute to the Denver Tech Center twice next week, so I’ll need to adapt for that.  I’m disciplined enough to average 5 days per week, but there are even times I’m too busy to run on the weekend.  I’ve always made concerted efforts to dedicate myself when training for marathons.  Running 26 miles is just too painful unprepared.  I do have some hiking and backpacking planned for this summer.  I’ll count mountain hiking miles as running miles.  I think that’s fair since I typically find myself pushing my aerobic threshold as hard hiking as I do running.

My training plan consists of two week segments.  The first two weeks will target 60 miles per week.  Then 70, then 80, 90 and finally 100.  That will consume 10 full weeks.  Then I taper down to 80, then 60, and then whatever I decide to run the week of the marathon for a total of 13 weeks since signing up last weekend.  I’ll keep my daily runs at 8 miles for 4 weeks, and then only add 2 miles per week to 10, then 1 mile to 11 and another mile to 12.  I add the bulk of the distance increases to my weekend runs.  I won’t have time to run longer during the week.  And I strongly believe in the need to work myself up to 20 mile runs to condition my body for 26 miles.  This might also play into my ability to avoid injury by keeping my daily runs manageable.  I believe I have the experience to pull this off.  But “it’s not the years darling, it’s the miles.”