Ultramarathon Training and Running

About blogging

2006-04-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Blogging doesn't seem to be working out for me. It just isn't very natural for me to write regular comments about my running or life here. Everything I need to document about running is already recorded either by my Polar software or a program I wrote for tracking my times. It is fun to read about other people and what they are doing with running (in HRB) but I don't see myself contributing to this blog very much.

That may be because I haven't run much lately. Between resting my old injury, planning my wedding, and buying a house in a few months I am just too busy to do it. Perhaps when things slow down later this year I will come back. But for now I expect this will have to do. Jon, while I don't request to be removed from HRB I understand if you want to put Hanh and I on hiatus status or anything else. We'll be at a few races here and there but are mostly focused on getting our life started together.

Until later..

Busy times; got in a few runs now

2006-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Times have been pretty busy with work lately. It is always that way in February for me. My company hosts two meetings each year in February which tend to keep us doing one thing or another most days. I just got back from a trip to Columbus, Ohio where I was part of a 3-person team to implement our software at a construction company. Despite all that I have managed to get in a few runs.

On Feb 23 I got in 3 miles in 36:15. Avg Heart Rate was 147, which is my target rate to maximize aerobic muscle usage. It is hard sometimes to go so slow but I know this will give me the best base for running ultras.

On March 3 I went up to 5 miles in 1:00:35, also with a HR of 147. There shouldn't have been such a gap in running but the trip to Columbus was pretty busy.

Think I'll stick to 5 miles at the most for a while (really though, what are the chances I'll do that :) until my leg is feeling stronger. The concrete runs are not feeling very good; pounding the pavement is making my leg feel weaker than it should. If I have time I want to start running trails in the mornings.

RR100 2006 Race Report

2006-02-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

Following is my report for the 2006 RR100. It is more for my informational purposes and probably is not a good read.

We headed out to the 2006 RR100 with high hopes for a finish. This was to be my 10th consecutive finish, which would make me an official veteran of the race. Hanh and I learned that it would just be us and my mother this year. My sister Christina would not be able to make it. When I pulled into the park my mother had already checked in and picked a cabin. It was about equidistant from the course and the nearest restroom. We unloaded the cars and put up plastic in the cabin. This was a practice we have picked up over the years. The cabin tends to get cold at night in February so we put plastic along the screen portions to prevent wind from coming in and making it colder. After picking up my packet and putting up an aid tent by the start line we head to the cabin to rest. Mom and Hanh stay up a little later to get situated but I get to bed as soon as possible. The last thing I do before bed is lay out all my first-loop items so they will be accessible in the morning. In case of a late wakeup I will need to get out fast. One thing I forgot to do here this year was to put my next days clothes in the sleeping bag. This is an old campers trick that I have done often in the past.

5 AM arrives and I have slept like a baby. This wasn’t the case 9 years ago but the race does not scare me as much anymore. I prep my feet with a little duct tape and petroleum jelly with the running socks from Luke’s Locker. Load up the waist pouch I borrowed from Rick with betteries, a granola bar, GU, and the cell phone and I am ready to race. Rick joined us at the cabin around 5 and has been prepping alongside my crew. We head out to the start line at 5:45 and see Jon there. He drove up just to see us off for the race. I am touched by this as he had no other business in Huntsville. But Jon is really a nice guy to know and run with. He takes a few pictures of us and before we know it the race starts.

Loop 1 was pretty easy. Rick and I trade heart rate measurements regularly and it doesn’t take long to see that he is in much better shape than me. His rate got to be about 8 less than mine towards the end of the loop despite being about 13 years older than me! We do it in 4:30 and start loop 2 at the 4:40 mark. Loop 2 the target is 5 hours and we hit it on the minute. By now Rick has been dragging me around the trail for some time. To state it better I have been running what I need and he has been leisurely jogging back with me. Rick reports that he is pretty strong at this point and feels good about the race. We head out for loop 3 at the 9:55 mark. We estimate 5:30 to 6 hours and hit this one also logically at exactly 5:45. That makes 15:40 for 60 miles. We had hoped for under 16 hours so this is good enough. We take more than 30 minutes this time though since the race is starting to get to us. Loop 4 starts at the 16:18 mark with Hanh at our side. She insisted to come with us. Rick still feels good but has begun to start feeling the effects of the distance. Hanh keeps a good and strong mood for us up to the first checkpoint. Rick appears to be capable of making this loop without much trouble so we arrange for mom to pick up Hanh here. However, the next 6 miles included a real change in the dynamic between Rick and I. Up to now he was fairly fresh and chirpy, talking to everyone on the trail and always ready to lead a running section. But for this stretch he begins to lean on me for the running lead and is clearly hurting. I probably ran too often at this point but it was almost necessary to keep us in a decent pace to finish. When we got to the 70 mile mark I think the final blow was to inform Rick that we would need to turn around immediately to keep making time. Rick sat down and never got up. You can read more about this in detail on his race report. I stayed about 15-20 minutes before deciding that I had to keep moving. I knew at this point that it would be a huge challenge to even finish the loop.

I managed to get back to Larry’s station without too many mind problems but I could see they were coming. After leaving there it wasn’t long before my mind began to go. I dozed off time and again barely able to make progress for many sections. I tried calling Hanh but she was away from her phone at the time. Eventually I got through and was able to arrange for Scott to meet me at 174. If I could make it there he would keep my mind on track the rest of the race. Eventually I did make it there but was in trouble. After slowly trudging for about half a mile I knew what was necessary to make the 24 hour cutoff for 80 miles. I picked it up to sub-9 minute miles and ran in with less than a minute to go. This was a 7:41 lap. I rested for 30 minutes and finally decided to get out to the last lap. In retrospect this was a mistake. Despite the troubles I needed to get back out there after just 5 minutes. On top of this I needed to get up to speed faster. Scott didn’t know better but I lost way too much time in the first 3 miles to ever catch up. If I had, and I could have, started running after half a mile into loop 5 I would have finished. I calculated a need of 16:30 miles at one point, then it was 15’s, then 13:40. When I had 13 miles left and needed 12:30’s I knew it could not be done. I can’t second guess that now but have to think that in a good year I would have gutted that out. This year I did not want it enough. The only trouble I had was an inability to eat much food. But that was no excuse. Next time I will tell Scott to force me to run. Next time I will finish the 100 miles no matter the time. For now I only did 88 miles. Next time it will be a finish…

Post race I can only be thankful for the experience. Hanh and mom both did an incredible job supportng me during the race. Hanh did not sleep all night and was constantly available for anything I needed. Mom drove her out to aid stations when I needed supplies and they were at the tent with heated food and clothes and socks at the ready on each loop. They even took Rick’s requests since he was my friend. These are the kinds of crew members that make you want to cry. They are what you need in a real race and can make the difference in a tight one. Thanks for your help mom and Hanh. We’ll get it next time. And thanks for the run Rick. I know it won’t be the last.

Missed out on #10

2006-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

I went out for Rocky Raccoon this weekend in pretty much the same shape as the last two years. That is, no training to speak of. Rick and I were to run it together. Looking back on it that may have been our downfall. Rick could undoubtedly have finished yesterday if he had run his own race. There is no question to that. I ran right next to him the entire day and can tell you he was ready and in shape to do it. The fact that he stayed back with me for so long was ultimately his downfall, despite the problems that came up. Those things will happen, staying back was something he had to choose. For me the race plan is very delicate when you have no training. You have to stick to specific targets and plan them well to have a real chance. When Rick dropped out I was forced to go to Plan B, which was not a good reality. I had to run 10 miles in the dark by myself. The race plan did not call for that and I knew it would cost me dearly. I grunted it out and made the 4th lap in 23:59:10 on my watch. It took too much out of me though and I was forced to drop at mile 88. At that point I needed 12 miles at 12 minutes each, something I was fully incapable of doing. I don't feel too bad about it but prefer to look at this as a learning experience. Both Rick and I learned a lot this weekend and we will show up next year ready to tackle the challenge correctly. I will begin to write down notes of what I learned now and in previous years as I remember them. These notes will translate into a race plan that would be beneficial for any ultrarunner. With it I will join Rick for a sub-20 hour finish next year. Until then, see you on the trails.

Prepping for the big one

2006-01-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

In one week I will be getting my final rest before the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. This week I have run once for 2 miles and it felt ok. The next week will probably be about the same so that my leg has ample time to heal. I feel that with Rick there my experience should be a little easier. It is really a mutual benefit when you can run an ultra mostly with someone else. It keeps your mind from drifting to sleep at night and is a good motivator when you are tired.

Hanh let me get away with not icing my leg again tonight. I should ice it anyway but where is the fun in that? Oh, double meaning.

A week of rest

2006-01-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

This week I have not run a step. Hanh got me to apply the ultrasound therapy one day but I think that is done as well. I am now planning to run very moderately for the next two weeks and ease into the RR100. It should hopefully be easier to finish this year than in the last two.

In other news Hanh and I had our 18 month anniversary on Saturday. We repeated our first date and at the end I proposed to her in English and then in Vietnamese. It was a very happy day for us and we are looking forward to more in the future. Now she gets to wear the ring everywhere she goes :)

Ups and downs

2006-01-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday had it's ups and downs for me. On the good side the HRB group had a pasta party which was very fun. I got to meet Steve Bezner, Holden Choi, and Dave Smart as well as make acquaintances with a few others. It was fun being able to talk with people and feel the excitement of an upcoming race. Steve programs in C# and I also need to get back with him about how usable that is. My company is considering switching our applications over to it.

More good news is that my leg is feeling great. The rest seems to have helped and I expect tomorrow will not have any bad effects. I also can tell you now that 5 hours is the best I can expect. It should be a good run and day when all is said and done.

However, there was also a very bad part of the day. While working I checked my email and got one from one of my classmates in high school. I was being informed that one of my best friends from high school had died. Manuel Mejia. We were running buddies for my last two years of cross country and track. We had run together almost every day of school and talked often about everything on the run. If you have had a running buddy you may know what I mean. You tend to really bond to someone when you run with them all the time. We raced many times and had very similar talent. Our 5K times were often within 30 seconds at races. He would always go out fast and I would start slow. I'd catch him in the end when he was dragging in and always tell him to start slower. He never did. But we had a lot of good times in those days. I was a nerd and he was fairly popular, but I never felt it around him. We never once got in a fight in those two years. Then when it was finishing up he decided to join the Marines. I remember him bragging about how he had beaten his proud drill instructor in the 1.5 mile run. Almost lapped him in fact. We graduated and parted ways. I tried to locate him a few times in the years that followed but never tried too hard because I suspected he was still in the Marines. Instead he had gotten out by now (11 years later) and was a truck driver. While making a drive he fell asleep at the wheel and the crash took his life. I can't say how hard it is to take the news like this. Why couldn't he be a little more cautious? Was the drive that important? I am sure it was not. We all have driven a time or two when we were tired and could have dozed off. This is a sad reminder that it can cost you everything.

Regardless of how it happened I am left without a friend that I had always hoped to catch up with some day. Talking about it has made me cry several times already. Those that knew him would understand what a loss this was. Because he was my running buddy I think it is fitting for me to have one last run in his honor. And I will do it running in his style. My 12th Houston Marathon is tomorrow. I plan to go out at sub-8 minute miles (which is neverland for my current condition) until my glycogen is spent. Then I will drag it in just like he did in his races. I know it sounds foolish; he would probably tell me to just run my race. But I could do that anyway. I want to do something to show tribute to my old running buddy and my friend. This one is for you Manuel.

Texas Marathon

2006-01-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

I got up early yesterday and made the trip to Kingwood with Hanh to run the Texas Marathon. Along the way we were hoping to find something for breakfast since I had not eaten yet. Most of the stores were closed but I did find a gas station for a few snacks. Once we got to the race location I noticed Jon and Rick talking by the checkin station. We talked for a while and Rick mentioned he had stayed up for 24 hours prior to the race to help in preparation for the RR100. I thought this sounded like a good idea; driving home afterward in a sleepy stupor probably was not though. I've been there before and it is not fun or safe.

The three of us headed out together as more of an informal group. We didn't plan to run together but our intended paces were similar. Rick and I are coming back from injuries so we both were hoping to keep from aggravating them. Jon is somewhat new to marathoning but has been very consistent at keeping in the game.

After two loops we had more or less stayed together. It felt good to run this with a few friends. Normally I have run alone on my longer races but liked the change of pace. Into the 3rd loop Jon was really feeling bad so Rick and I went ahead for most of it. At the end of loop 3 I noticed that I had not had any eating problems yet. I felt like this was because I had eaten a banana just before the race but couldn't be sure. The pb and j sandwiches were enough supplement to get me through the rest of the way.

Rick and I headed into the 4th and final loop after seeing Jon come in only a few minutes behind us. Rick mentioned he felt fresh and that he could do the loop in 55 minutes if he needed to. I quickly did the math and realized the necessary pace of sub-9 minute miles was next to impossible given the shape he and I appeared to be in. I offered him an off-the-cuff $10 award if he could finish in 5 hours total, a final lap of about 59 minutes. However, after he had accepted the challenge and took off I immediately remembered that he was coming off an injury. This challenge was the last thing he needed since it incited faster running and hence injuries. Luckily he ran out his glycogen stores quickly and gave up on the challenge. He finished in 5:13 to my 5:23 and Jon came in at about 5:40. We all had respectable days given the weather and are all planning to run in Houston on Jan 15.

A few comments I had from the race:
1. The weather seemed a bit hot and humid. A check to Jon's blog tells me that it was a new record for Jan 1.
2. My food consisted of bananas, pb and j sandwiches, and animal crackers and they worked very well for this distance.
3. Fluids were consistently water and gatorade (or whatever electrolyte they used); water only for the early stops.
4. Ran 60-70% of the race beside the trail in the dirt. It was much easier on the legs.
5. At least 25 miles of the race was done running. Normally I walk more but the slow pace from start to finish made it easy to keep up.
6. Hanh did an excellent job helping me during the race. She was at the main aid station for me and others the entire race.
7. My average heart rate for the race was 158 which is quite high for a marathon effort. I remembered after the race that I am getting over a cold and that the heart rate goes up when you are sick.
8. 23 hours later I feel about 90% with no problems to speak of. The 2 year old injury is still there a bit but it is clearly going away.

Great race guys and I look forward to doing this one again.

Sunmart 50 Miles

2005-12-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

After 3.5 weeks of no running and twice daily application of Exogen I did the Sunmart 50 mile run yesterday. The first two laps I ran at a heart rate of roughly 144 and kept my glycogen for later. But then I realized I needed an 11-minute negative split on lap 3 to make the intermediate cutoff. So I cranked up the heart rate to 152 for much of the lap to post a 14 minute negative split and continue running. Lap 4 was a bit tough but I completed it without too much trouble. Overall the 12.5 mile splits came out to 2:36, 3:01, 2:47, 3:07. My overall time was 11:47 which probably does not add up exactly due to short rests between the laps. Hanh came to the race with me and was a big help. I called her on the cell phone at various points to let her know what I needed and when I would be in. Every time she was ready with everything I needed to keep going efficiently. Despite having three finals this next week she came to help.

Post-race I feel pretty good. I ran it fairly easy and never once felt that tired. I have no injuries to speak of (aside from the splints) and no real problems. This is likely due to my new method of managing long runs. After reading "Training for Endurance" by Philip Maffetone I have begun managing based on heart rate instead of taking off until my glycogen and hopes have all been burned off at the halfway point.

The original plan was to do the Houston 30K today but I did not feel that was a good idea given the fact that these shin splints have not receded completely. That race is 100% pavement, which is where I got the splints in the first place.

Next on the docket is the Texas Marathon on Jan 1. I will probably take the next 3 weeks off in hopes of healing the injury and run that cold as well.

more rehab

2005-11-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

I have been using the Exogen 2000+ to heal my stress fracture. Apparently it is considered a non-union since it did not heal in two years. So far after two weeks of twice-a-day application my leg is feeling much better. I might be ready to run again next week if all goes well.

History up to now

2005-11-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am 28 years old and have been running fairly consistently since about 5th grade. Of course, back then it was a much smaller part of my interests. I started running originally to disprove my father's claim that I would not be able to run 1.5 miles in under 10 minutes (as he had done in the military). Before long I had forgotten about this and just loved the sport in it's purest form. I loved to just run around the blocks in our neighborhood and feel the fresh air and kind of explore the area. With time came the interest to stretch the runs. In 7th grade I can remember regularly running 8 mile loops in the evening after cross country practice. By 9th grade it was the distance of 16 miles that fascinated me. I stuck with a few different routes over the years at this distance and maintained a PR at around 2:08. Then one day in 1994 something happened.

I went out for a 16-miler from my grandmother's house in Texas City that would loop through the levee and 5-mile long dike. After about 5 miles I realized that I was not a bit tired. I sped up and continued to speed up all along the run. There were a few miles along the dike clocked right at 6 minutes! When I finished the time was a new PR at 1:58:20. What's more, I was not tired at all. I seriously considered running the loop again but eventually backed out when I considered how many sheer miles that would be. After this run I finally started to think about how much further I could go. Was the elusive marathon possible? I had heard about it a few times before, the "Houston Tenneco Marathon", but had never known anyone who had done it. I thought that only super-athletes ran that far and I was not in good enough shape. With this run in mind I signed up for the marathon in 1995. While it was difficult, and in fact I was ready to quit at one point, I did end up finishing. After the race I looked back at it and was hooked. I knew instantly that one day I wanted to have run more of these than anyone else. And I was certain I could do it. Only time will tell if that ever happens. It is now 11 years later and I am gearing up for my 12th of this race as this is written.

After a couple completions at this race I found myself wanting more. It was more of a fantasy though because I "knew" that no race existed for a longer distance. My plan was to start running 30 and 50 mile runs by myself and collect PR's. Then I ran into a lady at UHCL that had heard of a longer race: Rocky Raccoon. The Rocky Raccoon Trail Series was not publicized much but it had races at distances from 50K to 100 miles! I immediately signed up for and ran the 50K, 50Miles, and 100Mile races that season. The 100-miler was a little hard to get into since it had a 21 year age limit (I was only 19 at the time). Mickey Rollins made an exception for me after the 50 Miler and said I looked like I was in good enough shape.

The rest is just regular history since then. I could write a book about all the experiences and knowledge I have gained from my ultra experiences. But in the end I am still learning. For several years now I have wrestled with some sort of stress fracture in my left fibula. If it ever goes away fully I am hoping to get back to competitive ultrarunning. Until then I am left trying to get finishes each year to keep my streaks alive.