Training for an Ultramarathon

I’ve always enjoyed running. Not in a competitive, have to beat everyone every time sort of way, rather, in a this is something that is some of the best therapy in the world sort of way. If you don’t get that feeling in my humble opinion, you’re either running too fast or too slow or you never have. If you are going with the flow of how your body feels on a given day it is the most incredibly rejuvenating experience you can have.

That does not mean that I don’t want to compete or improve. What it does mean is, if I did not first and foremost gain true pleasure from my running, I simply would not do it.

One thing I realized very early on in my running life is I am not that fast. That meant that while I enjoy participating in 5ks and 10ks, I was never going to find real satisfaction in them because they are not much distance to me and although I could improve my speed somewhat, I was not going to be finishing at any level of notoriety in any of the races I did. Not a big deal and yet, if the distance isn’t a challenge for me then what’s the point?

As long as I can remember, I was intrigued by running a marathon. That intrigue finally lead to my completing 4 of them. Again though, I’m not that fast and also I know that pretty much any day of the year I can walk out the door and run 26.2 miles. I have always been curious as to the boundaries of human capability.

In 2004 my brother shared an article in the Los Angeles Times about a guy nick-named "TheUltramarathon Man". His real name... Dean Karnazes. After reading the article I immediately went out and bought a copy of his book of the same title; Ultramarathon Man.

I was hooked! The things he did and continues to do, running through the night, running relay races intended for teams of people as a solo participant absolutely captivated me. I mean, if he could walk out of a bar on his 30th birthday and run 30 miles into the night, why couldn't I?

At that point I still had not finished a single marathon. Four years later and four marathons later, at the age of 45, I had a heart attack. Seems the "best laid plans" has more truth to it thanI had ever realized. I had pushed myself through marathons with little or no actual preparation. Utilizing not much more than sheer human will power to complete them. In fact, I completed my fourth marathon just two months before my heart attack.

Life became a little more serious for me after that point or at least my health did. I found a renewed love of running and an even greater desire to become an ultra-runner. This time though it would not be a simple case of show up at the starting line a go. This time around I would be prepared.

Oddly enough, more for environmental reasons than for health reasons I had gotten rid of my car even before my heart attack. I became a run-commuter! Very cool. I would run to work 10 miles round trip 5 days a week. Then on weekends, I would throw in some longer runs.

Still I didn't have a real plan.

Sometimes life has a way of presenting opportunities when you least expect them. I recently made the move across country from Southern California where I have lived for the last twenty years back to Michigan where I was born and raised. A million reasons: family, friends, change of venue amongst a few.

This leads me to where we are right now...

It is my hope that I will be able to share some of what I have learned about one of the most humanly natural activities... running. More specifically: ultra-running. I will bring you all of the best and latest information on running and fitness in general. From technique to fueling to hydration to gear to personal anecdotes to profiles of the best in the sport to reviews of races and I am hoping to eventually bring an ultramarathon to western Michigan more specifically Holland and I will share my experiences in the creation of just such an event.

If you're just interested in running a 5k or maybe a marathon or perhaps even just walking a race in your local community, its likely that you will find tidbits of info that will be useful for you as this all unfolds.

I chose running ultras for the love of running, an improved lifestyle and the outright sense of freedom that comes from walking out the door and running as far as I want. I also want to know the outward limits of my physical capabilities and this is a sport that will certainly give me that experience and... it is an activity that I will be able to do for the rest of my life if done right.

Whatever your personal reasons I hope you enjoy this blog as an entertaining and informative resource.

A Change of Venue

Sometimes, even in a place as big as Southern California, you feel like your runs are all the same. I mean... how many ocean front runs can one person handle! (its tough to deal with)

The one thing we lack unless you drive away from the westside is trails. By trails I mean the kind that wind through woods and fields not the paved kind that stretch for miles along the ocean.

With that in mind, I am looking forward to a change of venue as I venture back to Holland Michigan (my hometown) in about a week. Pretty much every run of more than three or four miles can include trails of some sort.

I'm looking forward to the deep forest trail runs that take me through a world full off fall colors the likes of which I have not seen in years. I'm looking forward to the muddy trail runs in a downpour of rain. I'm looking forward to running in the rain (something we see very little of here in Santa Monica).

A change of venue like this usually makes me run faster, something I can really use right now! Even though I grew up there, it will be like a giant exploration of place that even though familiar now somehow now seem new.

The adventure begins on September 17th... I'll keep you posted!

What's your favorite trail run?

After a Week

Week one of the run-commuting is on the books.

I have to say it was great and at the same time exhausting. Twice a day running with 11 hours of stand on your feet working is harder than I thought it would be.

That being said I did not add a lot of mileage this week simply because when I was done running home after work... I was pretty much toast! I did get in about 9 miles of walking with the team I train on Saturday and then managed to eek out a 5 mile run on Sunday before I got some quality beach time!

All in all, week one was a success and I'm looking forward to the expanded mileage as I get used to the split running routine.

Week two will be six days of run-commuting as I work on Saturday as well.

Stay tuned!

Insanity Begs for an Opportunity!

OK, so I've been itching for the opportunity to get out there and go the distance so to speak for quite some time now!

I guess, ever since my 24 hour treadmill run for charity was cancelled last January, I've just been looking for the chance.  I'm in training for an ultra marathon next January of 50 miles, but I really wanted to get out there and test my legs, so to speak and maybe see what I'm really made of.

When A friend who plays in a band, sent an invitation to hear them perform at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Culver City, a little switch went on in my head.  You know the switch?  The one where sanity meets its alter-ego.

How perfect an event.  First it is for a great cause; the American Cancer Society and since my Dad and younger brother have both had Melanoma operations I'm a big supporter.  Second it is a walking event around a track (easy to support).

Its Wednesday and the event is Saturday so there's not a lot of time for preparation.  Fortunately, my training has been "spot on" lately and the mileage has been very strong!  Fundraising - Thank God for Twitter, Facebook and a heavy email contacts list!  And thank goodness, I am not one of those people who ask folks to donate all of the time so I can call in a few chips.  The ink was barely dry on the first email before the donations started coming in!

I have awesome friends!

Other prep - Supplies like water, Gatorade, Clif Bars!  Since it is a walking event, I think the North Face Arnuva Boas(all 4 pairs) will probably get the nod over the Sauconys.  A lawn chair, a donation sign, other creative stuff for fun!  Most of the teams will have tents and such for the times when their members are not on the track however, since Team Tim is a one man show, I don't really see much need.  Maybe an easy-up if I can get my hands on one before the event.  Oh yeah and I get to try out my Black Diamond headlamp (very cool)!

Training schedule change - maybe a couple of quick 3-milers tomorrow to keep the legs loose and then rest on Friday.  Get good sleep on Thursday, since I will be pretty nervous on Friday night.

This is really cool!  I know there are those who might think this is insane or nuts, but I never really claimed to be otherwise so... OK!

I'll of course give you the full report after its done!

What Defines You?

Hard to believe, I've had a love/hate relationship with running for nearly thirty years now.

One thing I know to be true about running or any other form of exercise for that matter is; there will be plenty of days when its easy to get out and get moving. The longer you are involved with running or jogging or walking or strength training or whatever other activity you choose the easier it becomes to consistently get out and do it. In fact it becomes a regular and hopefully enjoyable part of your healthy active lifestyle.

The other thing that I know is, although there will likely be more good days than bad, there will be plenty of bad days. And, its not the good days that define who you are. Rather it is how you handle the bad days that build the real foundation for creating a healthy lifestyle.

It is in those moments when you really would rather not get out and train that you determine who you are, not just as an athlete but also as a human being. Do you push forward and through or do you allow yourself to be derailed by every little obstacle real or imagined that comes along?

I had one of those days yesterday. My training has been going quite well lately. But yesterday, I really wasn't feeling it. I procrastinated through most of the day before finally pushing myself out the door.

By the time I got out on the road it was pretty warm and I wasn't feeling too great to boot. About halfway through my run I started getting stomach cramps and my legs had been aching almost from my first step. Now I was faced with a decision. I could stop running and walk home or I could keep running. Walking would have certainly meant some relief for my aching legs and yet I found that as I slow to a walk for a couple of minutes my stomach cramps actually got worse. The thought then occurred to me: If this was mile 35 of a 50 mile ultra marathon who would be there to help me through this?

The answer was simple. The only person who could make me go on is me. No amount of encouragement from anyone else could have made me run through the soreness. If I was going to finish this run or finish an ultra marathon, it is up to me to dig deep inside of myself and find the strength to go on.

And so I did push on. This was not a particularly long run for me but it was perhaps one of the best 6 mile runs I've completed in a while. Not the fastest or strongest performance, but great because when it came down to decision time, I made the right choice. The fact that I chose to push on will carry with me throughout other areas of my life.

Today is going to be a much, much longer run, but something tells me its going to be one of those days where its easy to get myself out and moving. After all, I've already proven to myself that I have what it takes when things get tough.

What do you do in a similar situation? Do you persevere or do you fold? The choice is yours and making the right one can take you to a totally different level!

Have an awesome day and go get active!

Should you run/walk?

Training for an ultra marathon brings in a whole new level of training.  I love running and its mostly that love and the pure joy I get from it that keeps me going on the long runs.

But my long runs aren't 10 miles any more.  They're substantially farther.

The more I study and learn about ultra-running the more I hear the topic of run/walk method.

For some runners, its a simple matter of run until you can't and then walk for a while until you can run again.  For others its a much more methodical approach where walk breaks are integrated into the run right from the start

While I'm much more familiar with the first approach (most of us have been there at some point), I'm more interested in the latter method.

There is lots of information out there about the run/walk method.  Perhaps Jeff Galloway's marathon training program is the best known.  After a fair amount of research, I've begun experimenting with my own version of the run/walk, beginning fairly early in the run and continuing all the way to the end and I have to say that I have noticed an improvement.

I am not a speed demon and yet I find my self constantly improving with time.  As a big, relatively slow runner, I am doing my short runs of 5 to 6 miles in the 8 to 9 minute per mile range.  Once I would get beyond 10 miles my times would drop into the 11:30 to 12 minute per mile pace.

Today, I did a 11.5 mile run using a simple run 20 minutes, walk 5 minutes method and my pace improved to 10:26 per mile overall.  That's a significant improvement especially considering the fact it was hot, I was out of fuel and I was out of water (never a good combination).

I'm going to keep experimenting and reporting the results because I believe there can be some significant benefits for everyone from the beginner to the experienced.

I definitely think the planned intervals of run/walk are much better than the run until you can't method and today's results certainly point in that direction.  The other concern I have with the unplanned walking is that if you really run until you can't before you walk, it is all together possible that you may not be able to start up a consistent run again.

We shall see!

Stretch before or after?

While there is no disagreement that you should stretch, there are still two schools of thought on when. Is it best to stretch before or after your run or walk?

The advice from this trainer? If you already have a routine of stretching that works for you... don't change it! If aren't currently in the habit of stretching I recommend doing it immediately after your workout session.

Doing flexibility training after you regular workout can reduce the risk of damaging muscles that is associated with stretching cold muscles before a workout.

That being said, its important to warm up your muscles before doing your training and a slow five to ten minute walk will allow you to get the blood flowing and reduce the risk of injury.

So why stretch at all?

Flexibility training (stretching) gives you a couple of benefits. First, it allows for a greater range of motion about a joint. A greater range of motion means less chance of injury to the joint. When the connecting muscles, tendons and ligaments are too tight, the joint is not free to move in its optimal motion and thus often causes grinding of bone on bone as the joint is pulled out or causes tearing of the tissues surrounding the joint.

The second benefit of stretching is the increased blood-flow to the exercising tissues. Any aerobic exercise requires great amounts of oxygen. The better your body is at delivering blood to your muscles and the connective tissues around your joints, the more oxygen is capable of being delivered and the more efficient the body becomes at utilizing its available energy stores which require oxygen to burn.

All of that put together simply means... stretch! If you're set in your ways and stretching before you run, keep it up. If you haven't been stretching, get a good warm up beforehand and stretch afterwards.

Stretch! You'll be glad you did.

Always Learning

If you are striving to be a better all around athlete, you need to pay attention to all of the details.

Being competitive is more than just making yourself a little faster. Its about physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. And its about improving in all of those areas.

That's a hand full and requires patience and time (something most of us wish we had more of). In my quest for an ultra marathon next January, I've started looking at all of the areas that need improving. I then begin working on them as time permits. Time does permit, its just up to you and I to decide; at that point we'll find a way. Many years ago I made a commitment to myself that I would read, just twenty minutes a day. I was constantly complaining that I didn't have enough time, but twenty minutes seemed doable and so I began.

I have likely read over a thousand books in my lifetime, most of them since I made that decision just a few short years ago.

My point there is; you have time if you're committed enough.

The last few days I have been really focused on my walking form (yes, there is such a thing). I love walking, almost as much as running. Walking can be critical for an ultra runner and as such needs to be part of your training. What I found though was that after a two or three hour walk, I would be more sore than after a run of the same length.

How could this be?

The answer; form.

I've done a lot of reading and research on the bio mechanics of walking and running, which I won't get into here, but I will over the next few days share some of my observations as to what I changed and how.

I can tell you that some of the small changes I have made so far have removed most of the post walk pain and at the same time made me faster when I want to be.

I'm heading out now for a two hour "experimental" walk. I'll let you know how it goes!

Who ever thought at 45, I would be learning more than I did at 18?

Never Ever Stop!

Its raining outside right now. I know you may be thinking "Big Deal", its snowing here! We don't get a lot of rain in Southern California. For me it is an incredibly refreshing thing. I actually plan my runs so that I can get out and get wet.

It seems to me though that I hear lots of folks talking about how the weather gets in the way of their training.

If you'll stop training because of the weather, you'll probably stop for any other little reason you can come up with.

The question really is... how bad do you want it? If you don't find a way to get out and train, you're not really that committed to it! Whatever it is that makes you move is not as strong as whatever it is that's keeping you from getting out there. And that, is a problem!

Now before you go and get all offended because I said you weren't committed and I don't even know your circumstances, remember one thing...

This is my blog and its about the mindset behind getting extreme performance out of yourself. You don't have to agree with everything I say and you don't have to read if you are offended. All I'm really saying is that if you want to be healthy and vital, set a new P.R., complete a triathlon, run a marathon, walk around the block without losing your breathe... whatever it is you want you have got to go for it rain or shine.

If you shy away from training when the weather isn't perfect, I challenge you to get out in the rain or the snow. You may find that the variety is just what you needed to spice things up and at the very least, you will be proud of yourself for never ever stopping when others do.

That's all! My rant is over for now!

Now get out there and do something!

Miles, Miles, Miles!

This is building up to be a great year!

With my primary goal being to prepare for the Buffalo Run 50M next January in Catalina, I'm looking forward to a lot and I mean a whole lot of distance this next year.

I've set up a pretty intensive training program with loads of speed work and a lot of recovery runs to keep the volume up. I am also going back to strength training probably three days a week. It will be a test of my commitment and I am really looking forward to it!

I had been feeling a little flat since my 24 hour treadmill run got canceled and had kind of floundered around with my training for the last month. Now with a new plan in place, I'm re-focused and ready to roll.

I sold my mountain bike which means I am now completely one hundred percent a pedestrian. (I got rid of my car Feb. 2008) I can't run everywhere because... well quite frankly, I can't show up sweaty all of the time! In lieu of the run, I have been working on my walking form which I think will likely come in handy in the future with my ultra marathons.

Its about quality and quantity and I'm excited!

Watch the miles tick up on the sidebar! I know I will be!

Time to focus and Rock-n-Roll for 2009!

Something Big for the Mental Game!

I am to say the least a firm believer in the power of the mind over the body. I have had things happen in my life that can only be explained by the overwhelming ability of my mind to push beyond my perceived physical limits.

I could, if that were the focus here, list multiple incidents where I was able to do or overcome things mentally that were clearly not within my known physical limits. That, however is not the main focus here and so I'll leave that discussion and its details for another time.

What is the focus is my challenge to myself or my experiment over the next year. The more I study and learn the more I believe we have just barely even scratched the surface of what the human mind and body are capable of.

I believe that the limits as we know them today are a result largely of the collective knowledge we all deal with and then our observations of our world as compared to that collective knowledge.

In other words, if I were to set out to train for an ultra-marathon using collective knowledge, I would research everything that has been written on training for one, perhaps talk to some ultra runners and maybe even hire a coach to put me through a training program based on my current perceived level of fitness.

The traditional collective knowledge of sports training says that this is the best way to do things. That assumes that you and I believe that everything there is to be known about sports training and performance has already been learned and therefore we should just work within that collective knowledge base.

And of course if you know me, you're quite aware of the fact that I have a hard time excepting that as the truth. If I simply say that everything we know about running an ultra-marathon has already been learned, then quite frankly the goal I am about to share with you will seem absolutely ludicrous and ridiculous.

The goal?

• To run the Catalina Buffalo Run (50 miles) in January of 2010.

• To complete the run in under 8 hours.

If I was already running marathons in sub four hour times, it would seem like no big deal, right?

Tomorrow, I'll discuss why this is something you probably won't believe I can do and why I believe I can.

See you then!

Conquer Your Demons!

There are times in your life where no matter what you do something seems to be holding you back. Maybe it's a belief that you have or a habit or simply a lack of motivation. Whatever it is, you know that it's keeping you from "Going for it" a hundred percent.

If you're like me at some point in time you're finally going to say; enough is enough!

You're either going to beat this thing down and rise above it or its just going to consume you.

When I had my heart attack back in May of 2008, I was on a route to my brothers' dealership some 21 miles from my house. I was not running, I was on my bike and still there was this route.

Since that time I have tried on several occasions to get myself to run that distance down to see my brother. Trust me when I say it was not the distance that was bothering me.

That particular route goes south from my house. I have run north towards Malibu and east towards Los Angeles for distances similar in length and yet there was this route.

In the back of my mind every time I thought about doing this, the thoughts of that day kept sliding in. If you've never had a heart attack trust me when I say you don't want to!

It was thoughts of that day that kept me off my mountain bike for nearly three weeks after my heart attack. It just took me that long to get my brain around the fact that I could ride again without having a repeat performance.

Is this ridiculous? Maybe! You have a heart attack and then tell me how it affects you. Until then... don't!

Yesterday, my brother was going to ride his bike from his home in Irvine to the dealership. His wife and daughter were then going to pick him up at the end of the day.

"Here's my chance", I thought. I figured I could run down to the dealership and meet up with him and the family for some dinner after he got off work.

I had been thinking about this all week long vacillating back and forth. I knew that they would still drive up to see me whether I ran down there or not.

Excuses:

1. They're coming this way no matter what so I really don't have to do this today.
2. I haven't run as much as I should have in the last couple of weeks and I might not be ready.
3. I have been having small problems with my hip flexors on the right side and my hip literally gives out sometimes when I'm running.
4. It could be really hot.
5. I will need to wear my backpack (15 lbs of extra weight) for a long distance.
6. This will be the longest run I've done since my heart attack and I don't know if I'm ready for it.

I had a load of pre-run excuses as you can see and even more would pop up as I ran. I was as they say a "Game-time" decision.

Sunday morning arrived and I had pretty much made up my mind that I would just let my brother and the family drive up to see me when he got off work. I told myself I would just get in a decent run at home and that would be enough.

And still, I couldn't get around the fact that this was looming out there literally controlling my mind.

About 10:45am I called my brother to check on his ride. We talked about the spoke blow-out he had and how he was actually glad it happened on a training ride. He is training for an Ironman Triathlon in August of this year and as he put it; "I was wondering how I would handle things if I had a breakdown in the middle of a 100 mile ride during the Ironman." Well, he handled it with flying colors and now he knew!

When you're in a competition and you have a problem, you either fix it or get a big fat "DNF" next to your name. DNF = Did Not Finish.

As we hung up the phone I knew what I had to do. I had this demon hanging over my head long enough and I had to do something about it!

Gear up, pack up, double check everything, double check again! On long runs you don't want to get caught short.

As I walked out the door, I was convinced I was going to do this. Within a hundred yards of the door, I wasn't convinced anymore.

The excuses started rolling in. I have very good running form especially for a big guy. I spent several months after my heart attack changing from a "Heel Striker" to a "Midfoot Runner". What that basically means is that when I run in good form I have very few issues with lower leg pain, like tight calves or shin splints.

On this day within a mile of my house I was already walking from the intense pain in my shins. This was a mental thing. How can a guy who never has shin splints suddenly have them?

I was in a mental wrestling match with myself.

Then came the heat. I'm not exactly certain how warm it was, although we'd been in a cold snap in Southern California and so the mid-seventies temperature (I'm guessing) felt more like a hundred.

With heat comes hydration issues. Normally, I can run any distance under ten miles without even a water bottle, although I don't recommend it. On this day within three miles of my house I had gone through three quarters of my first water bottle.

What was going on?

I actually quit in my mind several times in the first six miles or so.

There's a line in a book by James Arthur Ray called Harmonic Wealth, that just simply goes: "That's not me, I'm so much more than that!"

When you find yourself focused on the purely negative of a situation, saying those words can help you refocus on the positive. I must have repeated those words a hundred times during the first six miles.

As I made the turn onto the bike path that runs along the ocean and headed south to my destination an ocean breeze came up and suddenly everything became doable. That's right, it took six miles of agony to finally even commit to the fact that I was going to do this.

About eleven miles of this route are run on a bikepath along the ocean. On a beautiful sunny SoCal afternoon I began to release all of my feelings and fears about this route and the events that took place just eight months prior.

A little over halfway into the run, I got my first little physical alert. This was the one I was waiting for and quite frankly having covered close to this distance several times in the last eight months I don't know why I was expecting it other than "This was the path".

I experienced a slight amount of angina. Just so you know, angina is nothing more than chest pain. It doesn't always come from your heart, although it can be associated with heart disease. It can and often is caused by indigestion. Having had a heart attack, I immediately began running down my checklist.

Am I moving too fast?

What's my heart rate?

Is that really what I felt or am I imagining it?

It kind of freaked me out for a couple of minutes. Ultimately, I slowed down for a little bit and it went away.

Just so you know, angina is not... I repeat, not what you feel when you have a heart attack and in fact it turns out to be indigestion more times than not. However, if you are overweight and out of shape and you experience it, go see you doctor and get checked out!

From that point in it was just reeling in the miles one by one. There's a quote which I have modified for my own purposes:

"If you believe it you can achieve it. When you can see it... its done!"

One of the great things about running along the coast in Southern California is you can see for miles. When I made the turn onto the bikepath about six miles into my run I could see the first of three piers in the SouthBay area, the Manhattan Beach Pier and I knew it was a done deal. Once I hit that pier I was within eight miles or so of my destination.

Once I passed the last pier I turned inland to the Pacific Coast Highway for the final four and a half miles. This is where it got emotional for me. I began to remember that day last May when everything just went wrong. As I moved along, I teared up knowing just how far I had come since that day.

Then just over the top of a hill I could see the gas station where my brother had come and picked me up. When I reached the intersection I stopped and just stood there. It was a surreal feeling. I just stood for probably ten minutes realizing that I was not the same person who had last been at that corner some eight months and fifty pounds ago.

And yes, I took pictures. Goofy? Maybe, but this was my release!

Now with only a mile to go I began to run knwing I had made it! I had killed the demon that had been holding me back. I had conquered all fear and destroyed the boundaries that stood in my way.

One last call to my brother to let him know I was just up the street. It had taken me a little longer than I had anticipated, but that's not what this run was all about. This run was about taking control. This run was about determination in the face of adversity and prevailing. This run was about understanding that pain is a temporary thing which should not define your limits.

I arrived after dark at the dealership just in time to see them closing up. I could see my Tom, Becky, Raelynn and a couple of the salespeople standing on the showroom and I knew once and for all, I had conquered my demon!

Welcome!

Who says big guys and gals can't run?

Whoever it is has probably never met me and you!

When I run a race I don't line up at the front with all of the little elites in their tiny shorts and form fitted racing singlets and racing flats. No... I'd much rather run them down from behind one by one! It's much more fun when they can hear you coming and can't do a thing about it... but watch and wonder... Who is that guy?

This site is for every big runner out their who loves to run even though people look at you funny when you tell them. It's for all of us who know we'll never be classified as an elite because we don't fit the bill.

If you've ever run a race as a Clydesdale or Athena, or even considered it but didn't want to be singled out because of your size... this site is for you!

And it's about sharing stories about what those of us who are larger than average do to train, compete and get motivated in a world filled with 130 pound super stars.

Whether you're just looking for advice on how to get started moving again or looking for ways to get really fit and even be competitive, you'll find it here!

Welcome to Big Bad Runners!