Out of the Blue

Yesterday's 5 mile flat run was a real surprise. I was hitting 7:10-7:15 mile splits almost effortlessly. Wow! where did that come from?

Even better are the number of people stepping up to the Challenge! The list on the right side shows those who have stepped up to contribute--we're now at almost $5000! That is an awesome "split time" in itself! Just like my run, yesterday, I hope we'll hold this pace to the finish line.

I'm also blown away by the number of people who plan to actively participate in the Challege! I now have at least 2 runners who will join me on the entire or segement of the run and over 6 people joining us for the ride. How about you? Run, ride, or pledge you are encouraged to join in this effort.

The Challenge run/ride date is April 15th. With as many people participating either directly or indirectly, it now appears that a planning meeting to discuss run/ride logistics and a celebratory party is needed. Look for details on this later!

Mad dogs and Englishmen

As a boy, I lived in Africa. We had two seasons: wet-and-hot, and not-as-wet-and-hot. Venturing outside at noon was not advised nor often practiced. For those occassions I did, my Father taught me the saying only " mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun".

I'd like to amend that line from the song by Noel Coward to include running in rainstorms that crash down out of the Gulf of Alaska.

As I headed out for the trailhead and a planned 10 mile big hill run, the gods were soaking California with a pelting rain and winds out of the southwest at 14-20knots, according to NOAA. I will atest to those facts having sampled them over the 1:43 minute and 11 mile (actual) run. It poured. The rain howled. I was half frozen. And it was just an awesome, fun time! There were only 3 others mountain bikers on the trail--they were covered with mud and soaked to the bone. But they, like me, were smiling from ear to ear as we passed. There's nothing like being in the middle a little of Mother Nature's mild storms to make things that much greener, that much brighter, and that much more. The intensity knob goes up a knotch or two.

Despite some fierce headwinds and some bite to the cold due to the temperature and wet skin I had a good steady pace and was almost comfortable in my shorts and rain jacket. Once again, my Salomon's did the trick with the wetness. My feet only got slightly damp most likely from wicking IN moisture from my socks.

By the time I made it back to the trailhead, the rain had stopped and the cloud layer became more ragged so that some sun peaked through on occassion. This made the 15 mile road bike ride a little more pleasurable although riding into the wind was like peddaling with a parachute.

All in all it was a greatrun and ride combo day!

Spring Mix

Two days of spring mix. What's that mean? Unpredictable is what I mean.

Thursday was wet even by east coast standards. A squall line passed through early in the dark hours of the morning and didn't let up until nearly 10am. Due to my work schedule, my 8 mile small hill run was conveniently placed within the yellow band (according to the "News4 Enhanced Accucast Doppler Radar Improved with Multivitamins and Iron") of a passing squall line. My run was a delightful mix of constant drizzle and steady rain with intermittent gusts of wind. Fun and deliciously wet. Fortunately, I had a very comfortable pace, lightweight rain jacket, and (finally) broken-in Salomon 3D Pro XCR waterproof trail shoes (and they WORKED superbly!). I have to say it was a great run. I highly recommend running in cold rain. You'll appreciate every sunny day there after. Total run was 9.2 miles (it was supposed to be 8--my mind got soggy somewhere along the way, I guess).

Today, I got to mix it up with a combined medium intensity weight routine and 20+ miles on the road bike. This time, Spring dished out some beautifully blue skies mixed with fair weather cummulus and blustery west, northwest winds. The 45 minute weight routine combined 1.5 minutes of jumping rope between each weight set. After 3 sets I was ready to get out on the bike (although I have to admit by doublies are pretty fine now!).

Despite a strong cross wind on the starboard bow throughout the outbound loop of the ride, I felt really strong and in the groove. Climbing up Kilkare canyon was almost effortless it seemed. However, our real estate broker called half way up- we're relocating to a new mad house- and asked if I was ok when I answered. I'm sure she enjoyed the climb up the grade as much as I did. I'm also hoping she doesn't report me to the cops after all the heavy breathing. The ride home was amazingly strong and I put in a total of 22.5 miles at an average pace of 17.3mph. Not bad for a windy day!

So two great spring days and two great training events this week. Tomorrow's a day off before Sunday's combined 10 mile big hill running and 15 mile mountain bike ride.

On Yardwork

Sunday finished off what was a light training week. I put in three runs and two bike rides for a total of 19 miles on feet and 25 miles on wheels.

Of course this was an apropose moment to cleanup the Madhouse. Spring was hitting Northern California with a nice warm tickle and so yard chores--communicating on a subetheral wave length directly and mysteriously to the opposite gender--suddenly arose as an opportunity for some "cross-training", as Mrs. Madman put it.

Funny thing about yard chores...apparently they use a different muscle group from running, biking, lifting, and pilates exercises. I know this for sure because Sunday morning when I started up the trail on the first half of my run, I identified some sore thigh, gluteous, and oblique muscles that didn't exist the previous (unchore-burdened) weekend. I forgot to log my Saturday workout in the yard but it amounted to about 6 hours of weeding, clipping, pulling, shovelling, spading, and loading and unloading 3 yards of debris from my truck.

I think I'll stick to ultramarathon training.

Small pause....

After building up the mileage and training hours over the last 4 weeks, this is a light week designed to rest the body. I'll put in only about half the mileage and workout time of last week's 7:30, 32 running miles, and 30 miles of riding. Today will be a light 5 mile run, tomorrow a 6 miler and this weekend only 8 miles of running.

Next week the training begins ramping up. By early-March I'll be hitting 35 miles total weekly including 22 miles in one run. I'll also be averaging about 50 miles per week on the bike including one 25 mile road bike ride following that 22 mile run.

The last week of March I being tapering and letting my body rest/repair/prepare for the Challenge.

Sunday Morning Rush

After 2 near constant days of rain, Sunday welcomed clearing skies. To say it was gorgeous would be to call Venus de Milo not a bad whittling job.

I was fighting off a cold (again) so a full 15 mile run plus 15 mile bike ride was questionable. In fact, I almost canned the whole day but I couldn't resist getting out on the trail. It was just too pretty outside. Off to the Ridgeline I went....

The picture above was taken at the trailhead and does it no justice. The sky was a brilliant blue, spectacular white cumulus contrasting vividly against it, while the lush, verdant winter grass glistened with the rain of the past two days. The leafless oaks that dominate the east face were robed in light green lichen and appeared as if some insane christmas tree farmer had gone 'frocking mad'. The trail was soggy and the few mountain bikers I saw were speckled with mud. In other words, it was an awesome day for a run!

For the 15 mile run I switched tactics and equipment compared to shorter run lengths. Planning an average of 10 minute/mile over this very hilly route I would need lots of water and fuel. In my running pack I had 1 liter of water and 3 power gels (Vanilla-Stawberry...tastes like yogurt of the same name). Normally I figure 1 powergel per 40 minutes (roughly 150 calories per hour) which I "sip" on and wash down with a suck off the water bladder. Today I elected to go 10 minutes longer per fuel pack due to a big breakfast. Combining a sip/suck method is a trick I learned in Adventure Racing to help me keep a steady supply of calorie and maintain a good rate of hydration. Not enough of either leads to "bonking." While too much fuel at once robs the muscles of blood to muscles that is otherwise engaged in processing food in the stomach.

I also worked on keeping the first half of the run at a modest pace and actively took measures to remain between 130-157 heart bpm in order to avoid anaerobic levels. Except for the first two miles out of the trailhead, I was successful in this. The last half of the run was a breeze and I even kicked up the pace some.

Everywhere the trail was wet and by runs end the back of my legs were muddy. I got through a couple of stream crossings without soaking my shoes, but the rain swollen creek at the last one ensures soaked feet. This is where I love my Salomon XA Pro 3D's. They quickly shed water and I can continue running without waterlogged shoes.

As I descend the last 2 miles back to the trail head I squeezed the last of the power gel and water into my mouth. I had calculated that load pretty well sparing myself from any excess and non-useful weight. But wow what a great run on such a wonderful day!

Total run time: 2:16 over 14.8 miles for 9:11 /mile run pace. Average heart rate: 147 bpm.

12 miles and $4500

What a great day! I learned our wonderful sponsors have pushed the Challenge up to over $4500! Normally I preach a modest pacing regime, but Go! people GO! This is awesome. Now that I have some teammates I hope we'll continue to see more pledges, as well. Thank you for your contribution no matter how big or small.

Speaking of big, today was a 12 mile run day. Mother Nature spared me the rain when I launched at 7am today along my small hill route. But, I was still a little sore from yesterday's gym workout. RacerX and I had done our usual 20 minute stationary bike ramp up interval work plus he introduced me to a new weight routine in lieu of our usual designed for muscle gain. I may have gained some muscle, but I also gained some tight quads in the process.

I got to witness a beautiful sunrise as the reds and golds creeped through a ragged set of cloud breaks. Within 30 minutes the developing valley fog and gathering storm front erased it from view. The hill run took me up into some of the best views of the valley and nature did not disappoint.

By mile 2 I had entered the Zone and the run went to autopilot. In the Zone I find myself monitoring my body performance with "one eye" and taking in the scenery with the other. It's a very peaceful state of being and one I find I can only get in a run (or on rare occassions if the kids are asleep). My mind seems to empty itself of all thoughts. Or at least most of them go to "low boil." In the Zone, no matter how long the run or how intense the pace, any discomfort, monotony becomes only a detached abstraction. If only I could apply that to work.

My goal for the run was to concentrate on even pacing and maintaining an average heart rate of 149 bpm. I can run forever at that exertion level and it works out to about ~7:45min miles on flat ground over a long distance. With the moderate hill sections I hit, seeing even 8min/mile wasn't in the realm of possible. The hills along the route (there are 5 good sized and long ones) pushed my heart rate up to 161 for short periods of time but never too long. Still, I was pleased to see at the end of the run that I in fact averaged 149bpm and an 8:21/mile pace.

Today's total run time: 1:42

All-y-all-y-in-come-free!

Rumour has it that the Challenge is getting teammates! Whoohoo you people!

The daily bike commuter, Jack aka "The Musicman", along with a couple of other unconfirmed names, such as John "The Veep", Kelly "Middle Gear" and Ty "The Tri" will be joining the Challenge on the bike portion. Sources tell me more are out there! This is great news!

To all who are considering I say do join us in this TEAM EFFORT!!! You don't have to be as insane as me, but the bike ride will be manageble for most riders and you can pedal as fast or as slow as you need to get to the finish line--everyone takes 1st place in my eyes.

The VMS "Donatimator" tells me that we'll add teammates up on our website as they are confirmed. Pledge them on will ya!

And speaking of which: $1995.10 in pledges recieved so far! That's just awesome. You've met my match and our children now will benefit from another $3,495.10 that goes towards helping making VMS the outstanding school it is for our children today. Thank you!

5 in the slow lane

Today was a recovery run day. I needed it after Sunday's redline.

This week is a big run week with 35 miles scheduled. Last week I put in a 5:58 training; this week I'll probably hit close to 7:00 with the 7 mile total run increase plus an additional workout that I didn't get last week due to fighting off a cold.

So I set a slow, recovery run pace today-meaning I kept it to a an even 8 min/mile. The first mile or two I could tell the muscles wer still recovering as my gate felt awkward and slow. By mile 3 I ran with something other than what felt like a drunken stumble. And by the last mile, the kinks were worked out and the muscles more relaxed.

So far I haven't talked much about the ride training. Mainly this is because the ride distances aren't that large. The significant issue is putting the run and bike together and building up endurance strength that's going to be needed for the combined 7 hour run/ride. So for now, most of the endurance building is in the run distance. The good thing for now is that I'm using the mountain bike for the ride portion of the training. This is good for 3 reasons: (1) I prefer mountain bike riding, (2) it's more effective mile for mile than road biking for now, and (3) I can more easily fit it into the training area I'm using now. Later in my training when run/ride distances go up again, I'll be switching to road biking.

20 Tough Miles

The bird says it all.

Today was a 10 mile big hill run/ride back-to-back combo workout. Due to RacerX's schedule, we agreed to meet at Golden Eagle trailhead at 8:30. Because of the timing, this meant a reverse of my usual run first, ride second routine.

I felt about 95%, having shaken off what ever was trying to get me on Friday. Sunday was a great day for both the run and the ride with temps already in the mid-high 40's when we met and the promise of high 60's for the day to come.

Racer X and I took off at our usual fast clip up the first 900 feet of the climb on a 10.3 loop that includes 3 1-2 mile steep climbs for a total elevation gain of about 2200' . This is a fairly tough 10 miles but a really good training route.

Key for long workouts is pacing. The trick in endurance running and riding is to stay within your aerobic workout range and avoid too many or too long foreays into muscle-burning, energy sapping anarobic ranges. For me this means keeping my heart rate within a 140-159 bpm target range. If I can do that then I can go a long way.

Normally when I start my run first, I've burnt off some energy which moderates my riding pace. RacerX and I tend to push each other both of us being typical Type A athletes. Thus our climbs tended to be at a higher level than targetted. We were clearly pushing ourselves as I checked a few climbs at 165-172bpm. Now, my max heart rate is about 185 so I can hit these ranges ok, but too many times and right before a long 10 mile run wasn't too smart.

Back at the trailhead, Racer X took off and I transitioned to the run. The first mile my running gate felt weird and I was clearly unaccustomed to ride first, run second routines. The climb up to the ridge on this part of the trail is impossible to make running without going into the 160's. Pride keeps me from walking this heavily travelled section even knowing that pacing for aerobic levels may require it. By the time I hit the top and the mile of relative flat trail, I knew that I was going to be burning some muscle and not fat. By mile 5 when the next big uphill began, I was regularly going beyond my aerobic heart rate range top-end but pushed on nonetheless.

10 mile runs are tough. Not because of distance, but because they are right between pace shifts. For runs shorter than 10 miles, I can sustain a much faster pace and higher heart rate. Beyond 10 miles, the pace has to be reduced or you'll quickly wind up burning muscles out faster than you can feed energy in. But 10 miles is in that just-in-between stage.

I finished off the 10.3 mile run somewhat uncomfortable. I had pushed too hard early on and worked myself a little too hard, but lesson (re)learned. My ride was good but I ate up too much reserve for the run. The run wasn't bad; it just could have been better.

Next Sunday is a 15 mile big hill run.

Today's run/ride: 10.3 mile ride; 1:16. 10.3 mile run; 1:47

More Nutty Questions

Today was a scheduled "medium intensity" plus bike ride day. But with Mrs. Madman and the littlest madman both sick and me now feeling run-down, today has been declared a rest day instead. With Sunday as my next big workout day, 2 days of rest ought to help, I hope.


Question: So what's this "medium intensity" thing and how do you train for a challenge like this?
Madman: I've been saved from myself by a trainer who put together a great plan. Dan Taylor (shout out, bro!) of Taylored Fitness (and a regular contibutor to the VMS Gala) keeps me from over-reaching in my training. If you're really interested, my Plan lays it all out. It's designed to keep me working on overall endurance strength and cardio intensity without wearing out all my joints.

Question: What do you eat?
Madman: At some point, just about anything. My body needs about 4,000-4,5000 calories at my workout level and about 80g of protein. Most competitive and endurance athletes eat about six meals a day consisting mainly of small portions and high levels of protein, complex carbohydrates, and mineral and vitamin rich vegetables. I don't use supplements but focus instead on fresh foods, fruits, nuts, and vegatables. Breakfast (5:30am) is my most important meal and I usually eat a cup of Fega yogurt (20g protein) with some granola (6 g of protein). Some days I'll have an omelet, instead. About an hour or two later, I'll have a slice of toast with peanutbutter and honey and some fruit; and another small late morning snack of fruit, nuts, or a small yogurt. Lunch is usually high protein sandwhich like turkey, chicken or tunafish. Sometimes it's last night's leftovers. I'll have a late afternoon snack of fruit, yogurt and nuts before dinner. Dinner is key for getting a well balanced meal consisting of chicken, pork or fish along with some carbs and vitamin/mineral rich veggies like spinach, broccolli, greens, or eggplant. Fortunately, Mrs. Madman is a great cook and dinners are delicious! Oh and I really love Turkey Jerky!

Question: Dude, what's with all the yogurt?
Madman: I just like the stuff; it's not some kind of Scarsdale-South Beach-Pleasanton diet thing.

Question: Do you eat dessert?
Madman: I'm not a big dessert guy, but the wine bottles tremble in fear when I walk by. That's my indulgence.

Question: Do you actually have a job?
Madman: You know my wife asks that a lot. So does my boss. But that question coming from me, is even tougher! Yeah, I have a great job. I'm really lucky. I work from home most days or have enough flexibility in my schedule to work in my training. And, of course, my family really supports me and does sacrifice some weekend time to my obsession.

Question: What's the toughest part of training?
Madman: Finding the time. Everything else I love.

Question: Where did this insanity begin and have you been treated yet?
Madman: I got into Adventure Racing about 4 years ago when I realized that at some point the only thing we middle age guys have over youth is endurance and maybe more money. The latter accounts for most of my gender's fascination with motor sports, horse racing or poker. Adventure Racing is a kick--it involves a lot of cool outdoor hobbies (read toys), lots of sweating, and very few young adults so we're guaranteed to not humiliate ourselves too much.

Questions for the Nut

In attempt to try and answer some of your (anticipated) questions, I sat down and interviewed myself. It was a rather interesting meeting, not unlike, say a 60 Minutes interview, only a lot less combative and not as well watched.

Question: Madman, how long do you expect this insane event to take you?
Madman: Well, I ran the Ohlone Trail last year going the opposite way which is a longer uphill climb and it took just under 6 hours to complete the 50K/32miles. This year, I'll be running down what was the long uphill portion and only 45K/28 miles, so I expect my running time to be around 5 hours. Then just because I slacked off and ran downhill, I'll then get on my bike and ride 50Km/30 mile for a total of 95km. The biking portion will probably take around 2 hours.

Question: Wait a minute, didn't you say it was a 40Km run and 50Km bike ride?
Madman: Yeah, I know. It was a marketing thing. I figured it was easier to use round numbers. In fact, I'll probably do an even 100km by adding on some more road bike miles.

Question: What's with the kilometer thing?
Madman: It just sounds cooler. And, of course futher. I think 1 kilometer equals 3.28 foot-pounds per square inch or something like that.

Question: You mean 62 miles.
Madman: Sure.

Question: 5 hours, huh. That's kind of slow isn't it. Those guys in Boston run 26.2 miles in less than 3 hours!
Madman: The Boston Marathon is a road race and except for one 280 foot hill, is rather flat. Trail running is all about hills, mud, uneven footing, rocks, hills, and a few more hills just for fun.

Question: Fun?
Madman: Oh yes! I love trail running. I call it fast hiking. I get to see places I'd never get to in a day hike, views that a road runner never sees, and near death encounters with killer rabbits, for example.

Question: So why the road bike portion.
Madman: While I love biking in general, unfortunately EPRD doesn't allow mountain bikes, my favorite ride, on the Ohlone. A road bike, in this case is a necessity. But the ride back Old Calavaras Road is a great and beautiful ride.

Question: Can I ask some more questions?
Madman: Sure next time. Of course, I'd be happy to take questions via the comments section too?

Today's training run was a 10 mile small hill route for 1:24 minutes.