Oct 20th, race results

Fifty miles in 11:15 hours. Super tough course because of the hard ground, dust created by wanta be hunters and a very driven hot sun. My body was in really good shape but the hard ground and driven sun did their damage. The course and race was a blast. I loved every minute of pain and joy. That simple.

My fifty mile time is very close to the top group of runners. This is a surprise to me given their long history of running and I think speaks strong of the long training runs and good planning. The top group of runners can be stated as super tough, very professional and very focused around running. Top knotch folks.

I started the race at my normal 9 to 10 minute mile pace. My goal was to run 5 miles an hour which is my normal training speed for long runs (25 to 30 mile runs). I felt very good around mile 25 and only started to notice the hot sun around mile 30. At mile 30 my soul started to scream at the dust and the hot sun.

Some have noted that i started the run too fast. I am not sure and will spend some time thinking over this possiblity.

The straw that broke my back was the bodies in ability to process liquids. Most if not all of my training was in much cooler conditions, early morning or late at night. Seldom did i do runs during the middle of the day while the sun was at its best. I did my normal thing by taking scaps (1 per half hour) and drinking a sports drink mixed with carbo pro. At mile 30 the body would no longer process the fluids. Not sure why. It just stopped. Given it was still very hot I had a problem. In the future ice, and other solutions including wearing better clothing will help.

The crazy thing is once the sun went down I had a new kick of energy. Given I had trained to run in the dark over the summer the body was ready for a new run, however i was not. At this point in the process the body started to function a bit better but the sun, lack of water and other conditions had eaten the soul alive.

If I had known that I was doing well in relationship to the other runners my soul would have come alive and there is a good chance i would have run the entire 100 miles. However, for reasons beyond me I thought i was doing poorly.

The body recovery was very good except for the right ankle. The ankle does not hurt and was not swollen after the race. I am not sure what is wrong with the right ankle but my guess is it will get much better in the next day or two.

As for the course and the race wow.. what a blast. I really had a good time. I felt so connected to the other runners even though I had never met them or raced with them. This means a bunch to me.

Future: Easy, keep running. Do at least 2 or 3 50 mile races before october when I run the pony express 100 again.

Closing thought: My friends who know me remind me that three years ago i was running 10 miles a week at best. They remind me I weighted 200 pounds and fat was all over the place. Today I am at 165 and fat is hard to find. I can run at will 20 miles and have a driven desire to train, feel the energy of the outdoors and have tons of fun.. cant beat that.

count your blessings.. name them one by one..

frank

October 11th 2008

The training has stopped. So what has happen? Well not what i expected. First, I reduced my diet from tons of food to a normal amount or less. Second, my joints started to really hurt. The left ankle started to hurt and the right knee also started to hurt. No real reason why. Today, about 4 days later the joints seem to be getting better even though the sleep last night was very limited. The other strange thing was pee. Heck within 24 hours of not running all i did was pee. This lasted for about 48 hours. Today i feel much better. I think brian, my tight bro, gets credit. He made sure i ate so much food last night. I never felt hungry.. i just ate and ate and ate.. so that is really good.

I plan on doing some running during the weekend and during the week prior to the run. Not long runs just short runs that allow me to stay ready. Yes, i am ready and yes i am excited.

October 7th, 2008

Today was the last training day. Body is doing super well. No injuries just a very burnt out and tired soul from running all the time. Did about 180 miles last 7days. Tons of food and tons of running kinda defines that many miles.

Today did a minuture run of maybe 10 miles. Tried to enjoy my run, go places i used to go and see the forest for the last time before the big run.

I have no idea how I will do. My body seems in top condition but I am also 51 so it really depends on the next few days and how well my body rest, repairs and fixes all that is broken. The right calf still hurts but i have grown used to the pain.

The last month was about no water on the runs, no scaps .. nothing.. push the body super hard with no reward during the run. The basic idea is to build up resistance and get used to feeling like crap.

I hope to do one small run around beaver pond which kinda where this insanity started. Not sure how that will feel given the run is less then a few miles at best and all flat. Wow. Three years later if I am not running super hard long distances I feel like I did nothing.

crazy.

so ... today starts the period of rest.. for both the soul and the body.. see how it goes..

Tony Krupicka (Sept 28th)

I list Tony's name because when i watch myself run, when i look at the bottom of my NB 874 shoes.. and i see perfect wear.. on the fore-front.. nothing on the heal.. and my times are better.. my legs are stronger and i am running.. more.. i say.. wow.. thanks Tony. !!

The most important thing i have learned with this intense running program of 100 to 12o mpw is that running right.. light.. so forth.. is key to little or no injury and reduced energy requirements.
For me at least.

This week starts the end of months and months of training. I plan on running through Tuesday the 7th and maybe the 8th. Yes, I am looking forward to the end and yes I am ready to take some rest time. However, I am sure that when the running ends a good part of my body and soul will be screaming for a chance to run. Maybe.

I ran on Friday about 20 miles. Worked until 2am then worked for 16 hours on Saturday. So far today I have put in 15 and plan on 15 more tonight. The 30 miles will be on concrete and a bit of grass. My goal is to have 50 miles in 24 hours and do this at least 3 or 4 more time before the end of the training period.

I wish like hell I had found these NB 874 shoes prior to June. May was a super painful month as far as the feet goes. How much pain you ask.. so much pain that blisters seem like super minor issues.

soon. yes.. i am ready.. or at least the body is.. as for the soul.. heck if i know.

September 18th, 2008

Today i am about to finish a 40 mile in 24 hour training streach. The goal is to run as much as time will allow in 24 hours. I might get 20 or so in the morning, 10 or so at night and another 20 in the morning within the 24 hours.

The challenge with this type of training is the body recovery rate. During the day like most folks I am working until late at night. I then run at night in the dark (last night after midnight) and then wake up in the early morning only to run some more. The only time the body has a chance to recover is during sleep and mid day while working.

So far so good. I have been eating mostly protein and carbs along with tons of water. At times I think the blood sugar drops super low so I have Ben and Jerry's ice cream or what ever works as well as tons of fruit.

The goal is to run up to and through the 7th of Oct. On the 8th of October I hope to stop, start walking some and just learning how to silence the mind as much as possible. I think the biggest challenge is going to be the mind wanting to slow down and stop during the race.

As I get older the drive to do seems to be getting replaced by the drive to chill. Given I dont want to chill just yet that is a challenge.

Off to run in the dark while others drink beer, eat bad food and watch the tv.. shit.. no wonders I am all alone.. i am crazy.

September 12th, 2008

Today i picked up another pair of nb 874 shoes. For my feet these are the perfect shoes. The support is lacking but the flexability of the shoe is amazing. When i finish running 20 miles the feet feel like i never ran a mile.

The run is going good. I have been putting in 20 to 30 miles a day. I run in the morning and at night. The biggest challenge is eating enough of the food my body needs. I have selected to eat food instead of taking pills. I could take pills but eating food is a bigger funner challenge and i am crazy for a good challenge. No doubt science has some great pills out there but eggs are not all that bad cooked right.

Aaron of Running RX has been fantastic with support. We did a video today of my running and there is little to improve. The real issue is getting more blood to the right calf given it is cramping almost right away. Aaron gave me some streach tips which should help and gave me some new information as to what the pain meant. So far I have just put up with the cramps. At some point you get used to it.. however that is a problem in the long run.

I figure to run as much as i can until the 8th of October. On the 8th i will start a rest period with an increase in protein and carbs.. plus tons of liquids.. see what happens.

f

September 9th, 2008

Just a short update. Received an email from the race director. Seems most of the runners have done a few 100 mile races in their time. Given my longest is 50 this should be interesting. My guess is I will learn something about my body and my soul.

The running is starting to get old. I love the mountains and the beauty after a rain but the hills are starting to bug the heck out of me. The good news is my body seems to enjoy the harder flatter ground and that is what this race is all about, flat ground and hard ground. If this race was about hills i think i would spend half of my time upset at the hills.

Friday is new shoe day. Given i am running at least 25 to 30 miles every day these days.. and eating like a horse I need new shoes. The 874 shoe is turning into the greatest of blessings.

On another note: I was born in Ogden utah. This race is in Utah.. my home.. and the world i have a good understanding of. I appreciate the desert and love the feeling it brings to the soul when running in the desert.

enjoy

September 5th, 2008

My tight bro, Brian, assures me i am crazy. I have decided he is right. Well, I kinda knew he was right some time ago.. but you keep those things secret. My running this week is well. The cramps in the right calf are getting much better and the big toe on the left foot is nearly perfect. Ok, so i ask myself with a sigh.. what could break.. what could go wrong? I am not sure. Just cross my fingers.

Hudson, my crew boss for this race.. or manager as he likes to call himself (he has no one below him.. so i am not sure if he needs any title except the guy who will keep me alive) is ready.

I think i am too. I really think that every single mile after 50 is my mind telling my body it can keep going.. the minute my mind does not want to go.. the body will be weak and give in.. kinda that simple.

Tonight if work allows I will hit for another 10 miles. Trying different food diets.. then running.. seeing which ones give me the best payback.

What i do know is once the run is over.. i plan on hitting the gym. Given I am in better shape then at any point in my life here is my chance to look like a million bucks.. or at least look great in case i move to southern cal.. where many look great.. .. as i laugh under my soul.

The shoes have saved my race. Without these shoes i would have given up the ghost by now.

later..
f

September 1st, 2008

Ok. I have been putting in about 100 miles per week. During the month of August I failed to run 2 days that means 29 days or running. Most of my shear miles is in the mountains of Bent Creek the rest has been around UNC Asheville. (UNC Asheville is at night most of the time)

The big challenge is eating enough protein and carbs. I am pushing down about 8k per day in calories and this is not enough. My weight is dropping super fast. Even at night when i should weight the most I am not. Example. August the first I weighed in at 178. Today, the first day of September I am at 168. Ten pounds in one month. I can see the ribs on my back.

The other big challenge is my right leg. I am getting cramps sometimes so bad I can not run and other times just enough to be a pain in the butt. I know why. For months the shoe problem took away from the right leg. The right foot was injured due to the wrong shoes for months and now the right leg is way behind in power and strenght then the left leg.

I am taking something to relax the muscles and that is helping. If i take it before i run it really helps. I think the leg needs protein in super mass amounts along with amino acids. That is my guess given the rest of the body is not having cramps.

I plan on doing at least 125 per week until the end of sept. On october first I plan on dropping to 80 until the 8th at which time i will stop running.

Picking up another pair of 874 shoes on Tuesday. They are the reason I have made it this far. I can not imagine what i would be doing right now without them. No more serious feet problems.

One more month of super hard running. Soon it will be over.
frank

August 15th Update

It has been a couple of weeks since the last blog and much good has happen. First, my weekly miles are getting close to 100 miles. Second, i managed to find the perfect pair of shoes for my old feet. The New Balance 874.. the shoe is built on the logic that you do not need a tight arch control and that you run correctly. I really enjoy the stability and light weight.. and my feet love the freedom.

The other great news and thanks to Aaron of Running RX .. is my diet. I have started to eat a bit more.. in an effort to find out what the body needs to get rid of cramps and loss of energy on long runs. So far eggs and honey are in first place. I eat about 12 eggs a day with 4 right before i run and the end result is amazing. I have tons of energy during the run and no signs of cramps.

Right now my pattern is to run a long run of 20 plus miles and then the next day run 10 miles on grass / up roads with steep hills.. then back down. I do this 7 days a week and the results seem to work inside a demanding work setting.

My only issue right now is my big toe on my left foot. I cant seem to get it better and wonder what course of action I will need to take to fix the little guy.

enjoy the runs..

35 miles

the start time was about 6:50am. The temp outside was already 74 degrees. By the time i had run about 5 miles my entire body was wet as though i had stepped into the shower for 20 minutes. The right leg started to cramp up so i keep eating s-caps and drinking water.. not enough water. By the time i hit the 23 mile mark the cramps had started to build up however did not need to do any walking.

The real surprise and the super good news is honey. I also ate that super fast and it did amazing things for my energy. I had 23 miles in at 3.10 minutes which is much faster then my normal times given the bulk of the running to the point was up hill, super up hill.

The bottom 12 miles which is 6 down and 6 up was killer. The temp was near 90 and the humidity was as bad as it can get. Lighting and thunder but no rain. What is the deal. I had no choice but to walk most of the return section given it is about 1,500 foot gain and the right leg was super cramped.

By the time i made it to 35 miles the legs (both) had cramped up on me. I had taken about 10 s-caps and 4 quarts of water. My guess is the water intake was way below what I needed to make it in those temps and humidity. I will never know for sure.

I started in my La Sportiva shoes. They did good. Given weight issues and a desire to cut back on work load for my feet I switch to the NB 873. I am not sure if that was a mistake but at this point it looks like it. I think the switch made the cramps worse.

Came home and took some asprin, laid down for an hour and drank water. My goal is to head out to the UNCA grass track and do some miles.. maybe 10. Yes it is super hot and yes it is crazy but I want to do 50 miles today one way or another.

pre-50 mile thoughts

last saturday was my last big day. not sure.. maybe 21 miles then 10 walking miles in town. by the end of the night my legs and feet felt like the world had come to an end. However, by morning i felt new. The last few days I have just spent time visiting friends.. and family. Today i went and planned out the run. no support. just me and my brain hiding water and stuff all over the place in hope that it is there when i need it.

my body is in top conditiong but not near its wall at all. I can without a doubt get much stronger and much better. I know i can. I have problems with blood sugar which is normal and the soul getting tired of the insanity.. but today.. walking among the trees.. no humans.. nothing evil or bad.. no corporations.. no getting fired.. just me and the forest.. and i felt so at one with what was around me.. no judgment.. just me.. and it felt very very good..

going to bed now.. and getting up early.. see what happens. the days have been hot.. so that concerns me.. so we will see..

July 26th, 2008

Thursday was ten miles on grass and track during the heat of the day. Did really well. Also did ten of this super short hill climb that added to the mix. Friday was a rest day and Saturday was the day from hell. On Saturday ran 21 miles. Started the run in the afternoon around 4pm. The day managed to get really hot so the air was strange. I took tons of s-caps.. but in the end started to get cramps. Given it was saturday night and folks wanted to party I headed into town on foot. No drinking for me.. but just see the big party in town. However, by 10pm my legs and feet felt like a large truck had run over them.

The goal is being met. This week has some good long runs. and if all goes as planned today i will run at least 16 to 20 miles putting the week into the 90 plus miles.

July 23rd, 2008

After some work managed to get foot rx to get me a pair of new balance 874 shoes. the logic is to keep the shoes super light.. and very wide.. no arch support. If this shoe works it will be the primary shoe for my 100 mile.

Today I did about 18 miles in Bentcreek. Biggest challenge is the temp. outside. However, the body did super well. The night before was tough. I had cramps in my hands and arms for reasons beyond me. Made it very tough to sleep. My over all time was about 7.2 miles per hour.. I mixed the course again to make sure i was near water. I also took about 4 s-caps during the run, 2 before and 1 after the run was over. This layout of s-cap supliments seems to reduce cramps at night and helps my feet not hurt as much. I wore the imogene la sportiva shoe.. which loves to create blisters but gives me tons of good knee support.

No night running, was lazy. that simple. Last night i layed in bed thinking about the race and starting to understand how important it is going to be to do more mixed runs.. multi times a day.. not allowing my life to cancel runs.. and to reduce photography projects to get in my training time.

July 21st, 2008

Yes, i ran on sunday. i did about 10 miles in direct sunlight.. temp was about 92.. and water was in the air as thick as soup. i was wet all the time.. shoes, shorts.. and body.. drank as much as i could.. and just pushed. I averaged some good 8 min. miles.. but without s-caps was pushing it. Today i went out.. and ran my normal run. Did about 18 miles.. went down sleepy gap .. back to the car.. met a friend.. and talked for a few minutes. the heat is crazy.. drains the soul of everything.. the plan is set. next week about this time will be doing 50 miles.. in one day. more as it gets closer.. very key to understanding what works and what does not work..

July 20th Day Run

the morning run turned into a fall and catch yourself run.. yea.. i fell pretty hard.. and the left knee .. looks like some bear attacked me. However, given i have big bones nothing is wrong. I did about 21 to 22 miles with 90 degree temps. Most of the run is in the shade of the trees.. but some is not. The big challenge with today is no s-caps.. only water from creeks.. of which i pour more on my body.. to keep cool then drink.. the water is pretty bad and even for this 3rd world country man i have to cut back.

I did several mixes.. i started at the arboretum.. took a side trail .. up to 479a.. then followed it all the way back to 479.. at which point i turned around .. and went back.. to sleep gap.. ran down.. then over to some water.. then back up sleep gap .. and down the rest of the way back to the arboretum.. the multi hill climb on sleepy gap is enough to kill you in the heat.. but the only thing wrong with me right now is the lack of salt in my muscles.. no s-caps.. a bit of pain as the legs try to catch up.. yes.. i will run tonight.. only 7 miles.. then back to the same place in the morning.. to do about 16 to 18 miles..

July 19th 2008

Night run number 2. Biggest challenge is finding good shoes. The shoes, even after much work are no good. My right foot is flat as all hell and my left foot is rather normal. I appreciate the support the arch in the shoe gives but the right foot needs flat. I ran about 5 miles. I ran 2 miles then drove home, got my new balance 873s.. and then returned to run 3 or 4 more miles.. It was hot and wet... and strange but in the end.. it was completed. In the morning i will run my normal 20.

July 16th Night Run

Taking the advice of Anton Krupicka I have started to do some night running. My only problem is running in dark forest could mean getting lost or attacked or something so i have selected the soccer field and grass course of UNCA. To my delight there was another runner doing his thing. Shirt off and slim body along with almost perfect simple style gave me the motivation i needed to add more miles to an already kinda tired body.

This specific run, about 7 miles was run with my new ASICA IGS. What a joke shoe. I will need to do some big remodel work on this shoes to make sure it does not cause my feet tons of pain. I have been running with the New Balance 873.. on the long morning runs.. as of late. The feet seem happy if for no other reason then the shoe is not telling the feet what to do or where to stay.. and the feet seem to be liking this relationship.

The night runs are amazing. The moon came out. The sky was kinda cloudy..with a few stars. The body loved the darkness and the moments. Yes, I will be back. The goal is to do at least 4 night runs a week and 4 to 5 day runs for a total of 110 miles. See what happens.

f