Don't Drive the Boat: My Nutrition Strategy for TNF 50 DC

The North Face 50 miler (DC) is rapidly approaching.  I have put in the training, my fitness is quite good.  One area where I am not confident, however, is my nutrition/hydration strategy.  I have run exactly 3 events of marathon distance or longer (one marathon and two 50ks).  Two of these races took place in spring after a solid training cycle done primarily in cooler temperatures.  Both of these spring races were in temperatures not terribly warm, but considerably warmer than the temperatures I trained in.  I bonked very badly in each of these races which led to a death march to the finish.  The last of these death marches took place a little over 3 weeks ago, so I certainly have reason to be concerned.

In the weeks of training since that last death march, I have worked considerably on nutrition and hydration.  I have worn a heat suit on a majority of my runs, layering up in my winter running gear to simulate warmer temps.  In my attempts to solve the nutrition and hydration problem, I can say I have fallen victim to what I like to call the “driving the boat approach”.

When you drive a boat, you turn the wheel a little, and you don’t get the effect you want immediately, so a novice will turn the wheel more.  Soon, you’ll find you’ve turned too much, and so you might overcompensate by turning the wheel too much in the other direction.  Not a very efficient strategy.

In my approach to hydration and nutrition this year, I first took the approach that I would train my body not to need as much hydration and nutrition.  This started with Metabolic Efficiency runs, where I would limit calories before a run, keep the pace quite slow and head out for 90 to 120 minutes of running with no calories and limited water.  I actually got quite good at this in the heart of a New England winter.  I thought this would carry over to longer runs when temperatures got warmer.

I was wrong.  What I hoped was that I could drink less water and eat less calories on a typical run at a regular effort than the same type of run from last year.  Given that my running abilities have increased, I set off in my spring race with high hopes and a single hand-held.  After pushing the pace through 1 loop, not in-taking any calories and having drained 20 oz of water, I was feeling off.  But I thought I could easily remedy that at the aid station.  Two small cups of coke in addition to a freshly filled handheld should do it right?  Whoops, I forgot to eat, just focusing on hydration (though the code did provide some calories).  Thankfully, I had two GUs stashed in my bottle.  But I was already behind and it turned out I was never able to get back to where I needed to be.  Instead, I pushed the pace despite feeling badly, blew my legs up and had little left even after I got on top of my hydration/nutrition needs.

Two weeks later, finally fully recovered, I set out for 25 miles of trails, intending to simulate my upcoming race.  I was rushing out the door and didn’t have time to eat a proper breakfast, nor hydrate before the run, but I thought I’d be ok, given the sheer amount of hydration and calories I was bringing.  It’s true, I had not skimped in any way as I was determined to eat and drink constantly on this run.  Before setting off, I ate a clif bar.  I figured 250 calories is the max your body can process in an hour anyway, so I should be all set until hour 2.  I drank to thirst from my hydration pak and I felt just find for the first hour.  In hour two, I figured I’d take a gel every 30 minutes.  I should have started right on the hour mark, but I did not.  I waited until 1:30, when I started to feel light headed, to take my first gel.  For some reason, despite the lack of energy I felt, I didn’t try to top up on calories or water.  I could have taken 2 GUs for example, and drank heartily from my hydration bladder.  Instead, I just kept telling myself, 1 gel every 30 minutes, drink to thirst.

I was still feeling ok by the time I hit two hours, but I think the damage was done.  I passed through the “aid station” I had set up quickly, grabbing some “real food” calories but choosing not to refill my water knowing I’d be back to the car in 5 miles.  Not refilling proved to be a mistake, because I rationed water over the latter part of those 5 miles (which took longer than I expected) and got behind on hydration (having already started behind, this was not a good situation).  Another mistake I made was to take in solid food calories for longer, sustained energy, without tending to my immediate energy needs.  I should have taken a gel along with my “real food” to keep me running strong. 

After I finished the 5 mile loop and was back at the car, I was determined to do two things:  1. Eat and drink myself back to where I needed to be to finish the run and 2. To slow my pace down so as to not crush my legs in the state I was in; to give my body a chance to recover before picking the pace up again.  #2 was smart.  #1 was a good idea, but here is where I drove the boat in the other direction.  I ate a bunch of real food and a couple gels.  I drank 32 oz of water in one sitting and then however much I could after getting through the food.  Despite moving quite slowly, the impact to my system of taking all those calories and water at once was quite strenuous.  I became very nauseous.  In fact, I even needed to sit down at one point to collect myself.

After a short rest I got back up and started moving slowly down the trail.  As the nausea started to dissipate, I could feel my energy coming around.  I didn’t have any desire to eat for an hour after taking in all those calories and drinking all that water, and I’m glad I didn’t force it.  All in all, the last hour and a half of the run went quite well, especially once I started taking in gels and drinking on a regular schedule.  I switched to every 20 minutes for the second half of the run and that seemed to work out fine.  I finished feeling ok, but had certainly put in some painfully slowly miles correctly my mistakes along the way.  (I ran out of water a couple miles from the finish, which I’m sure I would not have were I to have filled up again the first aid stop and then again at the second aid stop).

I took the lessons learned in these experiences into my last long run before the race this past weekend.  I ate a nice breakfast and drank plenty of water before heading out on my run.  I started my calorie intake 30 minutes into the run and was very regular about it, switching the 20 minute intervals in the second half of the run.  I mixed real food with gels, never taking in more than 400 calories in an hour, and making sure I stayed balanced between the two (weighing more heavily on the immediate energy side of things).  I stuck to non-caffeinated products/food for the first half of the run and then mixed in caffeinated products/foods for the second half.  I drank every time the thought occurred to me.  If I felt light-headed, or my energy fading, I ate a bit more, drank and bit more and pulled the effort back ever so slightly.  It wasn’t the fastest run I’ve ever done, but it was far better than my effort of the previous week on the same trails.

Still, the North Face 50 miler will bring a lot more heat and a lot more miles.  I’m hoping this balanced plan can see me through to the end.  The training is there, so do I know how to properly drive the boat or not?

The Evolution of My Running

It’s been almost a month and a half since the New RiverTrail 50k.  It’s been a month and a half since I have been training for anything, running hard or seriously or even blogging about running.  And yet, I’ve never been more “in love” with running.

The NRT 50k was an evolution of sorts in my still-young running life.  Sure, I started to come apart towards the end, probably didn’t fuel well enough and am still somewhat hobbled by the physical after-effects of training for and racing in that race.  Regardless, it can be counted as no less than the best running experience I have had to date.

Strangely, since running that race, the feeling I crave from running, the feeling I most want to feel when out for a run is the feeling I had at my lowest point in that race (mile 27).  I was down and out, just passing by the mileage marker of my longest ever run, under-fueled, limping and completely isolated (after having spent most of the first 3 hours of the race with some great folks).  I was struggling.

I just kept reminding myself, “I choose to do this, and I do it because I love it; This is what I’m here for, this is what I trained for.”

And the training paid off.  And that’s what makes me want to be back in that place, testing my training, testing my mind, my ability to persevere; testing my love of running.

The year is winding down now and there are no significant goals left to accomplish.  My mileage for the year will be well above the goal I had set at the beginning of the year.  I’ve run all the races I had planned to run.  I had some great experiences and some bad experiences.  Most importantly, learned a heck of a lot about how and why I run and running in general. 

Heading into 2013, I’m already focusing on a 24 week training cycle, starting the very first day of the year (just before that, actually), targeting at getting me ready for the North Face Endurance Challenge50 mile race in Washington, DC.  I’ll be lucky enough to run that race with Joel again, and we’ll go through our (vastly different) training cycles together as well.

Going into 2012, the focus was on running longer.  The hope was that I could run longer and lose only minimal speed.  What I learned, quite unfortunately, is that I lose quite a bit of speed the longer I run, much more than I had hoped.  Training for a 50 mile race is going to have to be about abandoning any idea of speed altogether.

I never fully grasped the idea of “running by feel” before the NRT 50k.  Call it a result of being under or over-trained for races, but the way I felt in races leading up to that one could only be characterized using negative terms.  If I were running by feel, I wouldn’t be running at all, it would seem.  But in stretching my runs out longer than I ever thought possible, I’ve started to realize just how amazing the human body is.  I haven’t quite determined if “running by feel” is fully coupling the body and mind, or fully de-coupling the body and mind.  The reality is that there are most likely times when coupling works best, and other times when de-coupling works best…  and it’s that adaptability that really defines running by feel.

Running by feeling really blows open the doors on my enjoyment of running, however.  Forgetting about the watch, about whether I’m running too fast or too slow for goal pace and focusing about my perceived effort has allowed me to become much more in tune with my body and with my surroundings.  This is especially true on trails, when not being in touch with my body and surroundings will result in a face plant.  Some days, after I get back from the run, upload it and see what transpired, I’m quite amazed at how much faster or slower the run is than what I perceived.  But I think the value of understanding how much effort you are exerting relative to how much energy you have in reserve, how to properly push the pace when you are hurting, and back off it (even when you are not hurting) to ensure you’re going to be able to finish and run the race you want to run is fully supported by training in this manner, and so it will be my motif during this training cycle.

I’m also working on my Metabolic Efficiency.  There was an article in October’s Ultrarunning magazine (one of the best running magazines out there, in my opinion, for runners of any distance) about how to train your body to become more efficient at burning fat as fuel.  This makes perfect sense to me.  If my stomach is off and I can’t take in calories for a period of time, I want to be able to keep pushing on without taking a huge physical or mental toll.  I want my body to operate as efficiently as possible in all conditions, and I realize just feeling comfortable on my training runs isn’t going to get me there.  So, for the past 2 weeks and for the next four, I’ll be eating a (vegetarian, as always) diet high in protein (with a bit more fat than usual) and lower in carbs than I normally eat.  I won’t fuel specifically for any training run, nor will I fuel during any training run.  Too, I’ll be running SLOWLY (so as to keep my heart-rate in the right zone for optimal ME training) and for a duration between 1 hr 30 min and 2 hrs for as many runs as I can.  This should lead right into the beginning the training cycle for the 50 miler, so the timing is perfect.  Generally, I would just build a cardiovascular base before a training cycle anyway, so it’s not terribly different from what I would normally plan, with the exception of the nutritional aspect.

Training for and racing in the 50-miler is going to take up the first half of next year.  I plan to throw in a 50k race in that time (hopefully the TARC Spring Classic) and possibly a fast half marathon with Todd (the Quincy Half again?).  Beyond that, I don’t yet know.  Maybe I’ll try for another marathon at the end of next year, see if I really can run as fast as I want to run for that distance?  We’ll see.  I think a lot depends on how the 50 miler goes... I could end up signing up for a 100 miler, or I could end up hanging up the shoes altogether.

But for now, I’m loving running more than I ever have, and I feel so lucky to have had such a great and relatively injury free year of consistent running (haven’t had a single week without logging at least one run all year).  I’m really looking forward to tackling the 50 mile distance and figuring out where I want to go with my running from there.  Onward!!

5 days 'til 50k

Here I sit in the familiar state of madness induced by tapering from a strenuous training cycle.  Am I ready?  Am I over-trained, injured even?  Should I be running more/less right now?  Am I eating right?

I’m not a life-long runner.  I never ran in high school, never considered running for fun until I was well into my 20s.  Even then, I never took running seriously until I started racing.  I’ve never run a 50k (~31 miles) before, much less trained for racing that distance.

A tough day

I trained hard for KBVCM, but that race was a complete and utter disappointment (read: failure) for me.  Were it not for Joel’s good graces, I’d never had made the finish line, even if I did end up nearly having to crawl there.  Looking back on my training, I did everything by the book; I didn’t miss a workout. I hit every split, grunted out every single long run and every last speed workout.  I thought I did it all right. 

I spent the better part of the month after KBVCM getting ART therapy, rehabbing my legs and rethinking my approach to running.  The bitter unhappiness I felt after having put in such an arduous training cycle left me at an impasse with running:  Why work SO hard for such little result?  The moral of many “survivor” stories is “for the personal satisfaction of it”, but that isn’t the moral of this particular story.

When I started running again, I did it without obsessing about splits, without worrying whether I was hitting a predetermined weekly mileage volume.  I forgot about pace and ran for the sake of running.  I ran more on trails, in the woods, away from cars and traffic, and I was surprised to find, away from other runners.  I would often stop in the middle of a run to look at a group of turkeys off the trail, a deer grazing nearby, or just simply to take in my surroundings.  My mental state was becoming fueled by my running adventures.  I’d never in my life run slower, but I’d never in my life run for longer; not necessarily in terms of mileage, but in terms of time on feet.

The Ridge between Bonfcliff and Bond

I took a couple trips up to the White Mountains, did some serious elevation gain/loss, put in some epic solo efforts where I was either going to learn how far I could push myself, or simply crumple up in a ball right there on the trail and leave it up to everyone and everything else to determine what came next. 

I learned a lot about fueling myself on long runs, hydrating and taking in calories.  I learned about how far past the “I don’t want to” feeling I can push myself, and how that “I don’t want to” feeling comes at different times and in different ways on every run.  I learned about how my mental state is equally if not more important than my physical state for my ability to continue to push on in those “no man’s land” miles beyond where I ever thought I was capable of going.

My lungs and legs felt very strong, but I felt very slow.  When September rolled around, realizing the race was a little over a month away, I started to panic.  The New River Trail 50k is run on trails, but hardly the trails I'm used to.  The race is entirely flat, on primarily crushed gravel trails.  Running 25 miles through the White Mountains involves quite a bit of hiking and technical sure-footing.  Running up and down hills on trails engages different muscle groups at different times, evening out the fatigue and allowing for a bit of recovery as you shift pitches.

Charles River Path

For the marathon, I had trained on flat pavement.  Knowing how flat the 50k was going to be, I thought it would be best to put in a few long runs on the Charles River, my go-to training course for the marathon.  I went over 20 miles on 4 runs in September, focusing on keeping moving, only stopping at crosswalks or when otherwise absolutely necessary.  Two of those runs where 25 mile runs, both of which were quite slow and both of which were really enjoyable.  The other 2 20 mile runs where done on consecutive days, back-to-backs as I’ve heard them called by many people who recommend them for building endurance for longer races.  I got up very early for each of these runs and did most of my fueling on the run.  I took in 3 gels per hour and no other calories on each of them.  I ran with a hydration pack filled with 3 liters of water enhanced with electrolyte tabs.  I had high-points, low points, falls, rain storms, small injuries, but not once did I bonk and not once did I feel like I wasn’t going to be able to do it.  In fact, I would count all four of these runs as great experiences, through which I learned simple principles of endurance and mental toughness.  (Waking up on Sunday to strap on my shoes and bang out a 20 miler after I had done it the day before was particularly inspiring).

All of these long runs were slow.  Much slower than the long runs I did in the lead up to KBVCM.  I felt slower, I FEEL slower and certainly, with the lack of speed work, I am.  How much slower is very hard to say.  A few weeks ago, Todd and I did one of the ever-popular Let’s Run, Have Fun and Be Fit series runs along the Charles River.  Last year, we did the same run, the “Halfway to Mardi Gras” race.  Last year this was a 4.2 mile race.  We had no reason to suspect it would be different this year (and I certainly didn’t read the fine print) and so when it ended after 5k, I had a little bit left in the tank.  Even so, I ran my second fastest 5k time.  5k speed has very little to do with 50k speed, but at least my lack of speed work isn’t going to be a primary concern going into this weekend’s race.

Joel running in Rock Creek Park

So, am I ready?  Writing all this out is what I’m doing to make myself feel better.  I probably pushed a bit too hard, packed a bit too much into September.  I’m certainly paying for it, as my legs don’t feel great, even after 2 weeks of a 3 week taper.  Still, I don’t think the residual fatigue or niggles up and down my lower leg will keep me from finishing the race.  Regardless, there isn’t much I can do now, we’re 5 days away; it is what it is.  I’m getting very excited for the race and really can’t wait to toe the line.  I feel very fortunate that Joel will be down there with me to run as well and glad we’ll be able to share the experience.  And I feel very happy having been through the training cycle I’ve had.  As Todd says, the training is even more important than the end goal.

Side note: After having gone through a spell where I felt like I wasn’t recovering well, where I was consistently over-tired and cranky, not able to put my heart into my runs, I did some research.  Many signs and the fact that I am a vegetarian made me a prime candidate for iron deficiency.  I started supplementing with Floradix.  I put 1 tablespoon in a glass of orange juice every morning before I drink coffee (caffeine lessens the body’s ability to absorb iron) or eat anything.  I’ve tried a variety of supplements in my life time to help a variety of symptoms; none have had such a clear effect as supplementing iron has.  It didn’t happen overnight.  It took about 4 weeks for me to notice anything, but it was clear to me then that iron is a very important part of my diet when I am training so hard.

Related Posts:

Running as Practice

Race Report: New River Trail 50k

From 5k to Ultramarathon?

Blind Ultramarathoning

The Guardian profile of Simon Wheatcroft, a legally-blind runner, is quite inspiring. Just imagine the concentration and dedication it would take to do this:

Over weeks of gradual exploration and slow experimentation walking a route alone, he was able to memorise a set three-mile course along little-used pavements and grass verges – albeit with some sections alongside a dual carriageway – near his home in Rossington, Doncaster. He also recruited technology to help him form his mental map of the area, using a smartphone app, RunKeeper, to provide aural feedback through headphones about his pace and distance. This information could then be cross-referenced with his knowledge of the route and any obstacles, giving him extra confidence regarding his surroundings.
Wheatcroft explains: "From where I start, the first turning is at about 0.75 of a mile and I knew it would take me seven minutes to run that. So when the app told me I'd been running for six minutes and my distance, I knew in the next 60 seconds there would be a turning and the pavement drops."
Now, having clocked up hundreds of miles alone on the route, Wheatcroft has been able, gradually, to phase out the app. "When I first started I had to really concentrate to a unbelievable level to know where my feet were falling. Now it has become quite automated." This is not to say the learning curve hasn't been without incident. "I did make a few mistakes early on – like running into posts. But you only run into a post once before you think, 'Right, I'm going to remember where that is next time," he laughs.

For more, check out his blog. He's currently training for the South Downs Way 100-mile race in June and is going to carry the Olympic torch for a bit before the London Games. Good luck Simon!

from 5k to ultramarathon?

after having taken an extended break from running to heal some injuries, fix some health issues and pursue some other interests, i start back just before 2010 turned into 2011.  i had been off for over a year and to say i was out of shape would have been putting it mildly.  case-in-point i signed up for a 5k (Ras na hEireann) with Todd, trained a bit but ultimately got injured (pulled hamstring) and had to pull out of the race.  a pulled hamstring training for a 3.1 mile race.

and now i've set my sights on two big races for 2012, the first is the Vermont City Marathon, a good 'ol 26.2 miler and the second is the New River Trail 50k, which would be my first ultramarathon.

am i nuts?  debatable; but is this possible?  YES!!!  absolutely.

firstly, think of Joel.  the first race he EVER ran was the 2011 edition of the New River Trail 50k.  and, not surprisingly, he recovered enough to start training for the 2012 Vermont City Marathon as well.

secondly, while the longest race i did in 2011 was 4.2 miles (beyond that it were just a handful of 5ks), i USED to race much longer races (albeit triathlons).  my body has certainly endured hours of punishment at the hest of sport.

the real question is, can it handle hours of punishment from running alone?  that's what i'll find out over the course of less than a year.

after taking a break for the latter part of summer and the early part of fall, i've now started a training program that i think is going to get me from 5k fitness to ultramarathon fitness.  i'm not planning to run a crazy, mountainous 100-miler (though i won't rule it out for the future :), just a relatively flat, 31.1 miler in October of next year.

as for how i'm gearing my initial training for this, i'm focusing so much less on going faster, not even so much on going farther and so much more on going longer.  it's a new kind of running for me and a very enjoyable switch.  i set out without considering pace at all and simply try to run for a longer period of time.  your typical Long Slow Distance runs without set goals other than to continue to increase my weekly mileage by a reasonable level each week (10%).

i plan to update this blog with my progress along the way and use it as a way to keep myself honest.  i know if i write it here, at least Todd and Joel will hold me to it!!

Related Posts:
Race Report: New River Trail 50k
It's On!
why i run races i know i won't win
Post Ultramarathon Recovery