Training Log Archive: Bash

It's official! The Tree Huggers will hit the starting line at the 6-day Tierra Viva expedition adventure race in Patagonia in late March. Now I have to brush up on my Spanish as *well* as my French! :)

Our team will consist of Paul Hingorani (Hingo), Chad Spence, Vince Trudelle and myself. Hingo and I have raced together since the beginning. Chad and Vince were half of Team Pullin' Foot, runners-up at Wilderness Traverse last summer. We're excited to share this experience with the Milton Basement Racers (Tiny, M&M, Simpy and Reeder).

All kinds of stuff! Added some extra weights.

Yesterday's anaerobic training may not have aided the recovery from my cold so I focused on lower HR / higher strength activities today. Podcasts for strength and paddle training included:

- CBC's Rewind - Martin Luther King doing a Massey Lecture for CBC just three months before his assassination. It wasn't the "I have a Dream" speech but there was a big "I still have a dream" segment in his talk. I'd never heard more than a sound clip from him before so this was an interesting glimpse into a different time in North America's history.
- Stories from Fireside Al
- CBC's Spark

Good article - Ultrarunning Off-season Considerations, including what to focus on during your annual down time (up to 2 months) and what to focus on when you start building up again. This would apply to any endurance sport. The training plan for our skier friend VO2Max always includes extended down time in the spring.

In case you haven't seen this, it's not one of those typical scam warnings... As per the Globe and Mail, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security is urging Internet users to disable the Java plug-in on their browsers.

Nice spring day but crazy warm for January - it was all slush and fog when we woke up! 'Bent and I support the local C3 triathlon club by buying annual memberships but we seldom take advantage of the many workouts they offer. With the temperature around +11C, today seemed like a good day to check out their Saturday morning spin led by Hans Porten. Thanks to the power of New Year's resolutions and upcoming race commitments, the turnout was huge today: 31 people.



It was a hard effort and I am now feeling like I may have set myself back in recovering from my cold. But it was more enjoyable than expected with plenty of friendly banter and sweat. There was a lot of standing/seated alternation with long stretches of standing on the pedals. Hans can do that with no hands and tried to get us to put less weight on the handlebars when standing. "No hands" while standing and pedalling is an interesting balance exercise!

We capped it off by heading over to The Shed for lunch with Harps, who had arrived there the old-fashioned way: riding a road bike in January. Good for him! Nice to have excellent company along with our paninis and lattes - yum...

I'm still having coughing fits at night (sorry, 'Bent) but otherwise I'm almost back to normal, so it was time to address my Nature Deficit Disorder. It was one of those days with little to recommend it - just above freezing with rain drizzling down. Our snow (our *beautiful* snow!) is a mess. :( Grass is starting to show in our yard but most of the trail system is still coated with ankle-deep, wet snow or splashy, dark grey slush. It makes for sloooow running.

Or at least it *would* have been slow if I hadn't had the bright idea of taking BazingaDog and BulletDog with me to tire them out. BulletDog is free to roam but I need to hang on to BazingaDog's leash for dear life. It's not consistent, like being towed by an AR teammate; in fact, I often have to nudge him to get going after sniffing a deer or coyote bed or sticking his head into an interesting log. But every once in awhile, he switches from polite, trotting mode into insane, ballistic, chase-the-deer mode. When that happens, my grip had better be tight, knees bent, centre of gravity behind my feet and upper body ready to pull hard. It's a really nice functional strength workout, as long as he doesn't get away. Some people in town pay a lot more to do CrossFit. ;)

I guess I *could* have paddled outside too but the basement seemed more appealing for this workout. I listened to a fascinating interview on NPR's Fresh Air podcast. The guest, Tom Diaz, was formerly involved with the NRA but now works on the other side of the issue with the Violence Policy Center. He explained a lot of interesting/frightening stuff about the difference between automatic and semi-automatic weapons, how and when certain laws got changed, how gun manufacturers get around the lawmakers, and how the NRA evolved into a mouthpiece for gun manufacturers.

I'd heard that the Center for Disease Control is not permitted to do research into any health issues that might reference the possibility of gun control, even though they collect the data. I didn't know that the U.S. government also compiles detailed national data about gun crimes but a pro-gun politician managed to get an amendment passed 20 years ago that prohibits them from releasing that information. For example, the government knows whether certain types of weapon are disproportionately used in crimes but it is illegal to provide that information to the American citizens who paid to get that data collected - the same citizens who are getting shot. That is why we often hear about gun statistics being compiled one at a time from media reports, which seems so inefficient and ineffective - and of course, it is. It's supposed to be. Diaz said, "The NRA knows it won't do well in arguments where facts are allowed."

The name of the piece was "Assault-Style Weapons in the Civilian Market" from Dec. 20.

Hard Core Live with Caron. She's decided to be harder on us in 2013! I was able to breathe OK - getting healthier.

C3 power yoga class. Considering how fuzzy my head has been this week, my balance poses went pretty well.

My cold is in my lungs, so paradoxically I feel better because I can breathe but this is when I could really mess up my recovery. Yoga and core class tonight should be OK since they're not high intensity activities. Patience, grasshopper. It's better to wait. Sadly, the snow will be gone soon. :(((

UTMB organizers report a record number of 10,092 candidates for the 4 UTMB events. Nope, increasing the qualification standards wasn't enough to solve their problem!

Ultrarunning Tips for the Very Average Runner
(Warning: long!)

Since I need to take a break from training to shake this cold, I've been thinking. (Dangerous!) Top orienteer Marie-Cat Bruno once said that we should identify what we do right so we can repeat it. Most of us focus only on fixing our mistakes, which is also important but misses a key part of the process.

So although my inclination is to obsess about what I could have done better over the past year and a half of ultrarunning, many things have gone right. Over thirteen months, I ran my second and third 50K races, my first and second 50-milers, the 125K Canadian Death Race and the Oil Creek 100K. Next up is a 100-miler. So far, I've finished every ultra feeling reasonably good. Sooner or later, one of these ultras will kick my butt; it happens to everyone eventually. I'm still a newbie but I've been lucky so far, even in races with high DNF rates. My age group rankings have been good and I've been in the top 15-20% of women overall in my 100+K races.

This has little to do with being a good runner because I'm *not*. If you're reading this, you are likely a better runner than I am. Paddling coaches say that women sometimes pick up technique more quickly than men because they can't rely on upper body strength. I think that may be a good analogy for my ultrarunning. I knew that I couldn't get by on running ability so I've had to focus on other aspects of the sport. I'm sure it would be a very different experience for a good runner getting into ultras.

I thought it might be useful for future reference (and maybe for other newbies) to write down a few lessons learned, some of which I learned by doing things the wrong way first. If you're a *really* good runner, please ignore my list and talk to an athlete at your own level.

1) Race Your Own Race

- Set race goals that are realistic for you and independent of other runners, e.g. "finish before the cut-off" or "under 12 hours". Compete against the race course and conditions, not against other runners. Of course you will be proud if you win your age group or place in the top 10% overall or whatever may happen, but don't think about those things too much on the race course. Don't let it change what you're doing.

- Don't let other runners distract you from your plan. I genuinely do not care or react when someone passes me, except maybe in the final kilometer. People who push hard to pass me early in the race sometimes appear later at the side of the trail - but if they're able to stay ahead, they deserved to beat me. Say "Good work!" when someone passes you, and sincerely mean it.

2) Embrace Solitude - if that's your thing

It's great to share outdoor activities with friends but I also genuinely enjoy running (and biking, skiing, etc.) alone. If I'm trying to focus on some aspect of training, it works best if I'm alone unless it's something like intervals where we can each do our own thing. Enjoyment of solitude may not be a characteristic one can learn, or maybe you can develop it by training alone - I don't know. It is neither good nor bad in regular life but if you feel lonely or bored on a long solo bike ride, or if you find it hard to train without a class or group to motivate you, then ultrarunning may not be your sport.

As weird as it sounds, I think this is one of the key reasons I've finished all my ultras. You need to be content with and even entertained by your own company for hours on end - with occasional help from an iPod where permitted, although I seldom turn it on in long races. You need to be able to appreciate beauty, see the humour in things and enjoy a laugh on your own. I sometimes compose my Attackpoint entry in my head to pass the time. You need to be objective enough to recognize your own silliness, mistakes, dehydration and moodiness and talk yourself back into the right frame of mind - as if you were a third party observer watching yourself race. Of course, this doesn't preclude having great conversations with runners you meet along the trail, as long as that doesn't interfere with racing your own race.

An exception to this rule is the type of training and racing partnership that Dee and M&M have forged, but that is rare and special.

3) Take Ridiculously Good Care of Yourself

Take good care of yourself early in the race when it feels silly to do so and when other racers may be less cautious. Get food and drink in the bank while it still seems appealing - before it feels like work to consume it. Be easy on your body. Take the early uphills and downhills much more gently than you think you need to. I've seen runners go down hills sideways to use different muscles. Keep your feet dry if the race course makes it feasible. Don't launch yourself off rocks; step down from them. Go more slowly than you want to until you're at least halfway through the race. Consider trekking poles. Tape and lubricate your feet, your back (under the pack) and other chafe-prone body parts before you run. Remember the basic outdoor accessories like sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, gloves - whatever is appropriate for the conditions.

4) Don't Give Up Multi-sport Training for Ultrarunning

Dee once told me that if you're training for adventure racing, you don't need to run that much to prepare for ultras. Sure, there are things you can only accomplish by running such as technique drills, downhill pounding and fatigued runs. But you can build strength and endurance by going for a long, hilly bike ride or spending a day on cross-country skis. You can simulate a longer run by biking for a few hours first, then bricking it with a run. This keeps you ready for adventure racing and also reduces the chance of overuse injuries.

Top ultrarunner Anton Krupicka, who has been plagued with overuse injuries, points to Kilian Jornet’s ability to train and race extensively without injury and credits the fact that Jornet skis almost exclusively for half of each year. Jornet also agrees that switching between skiing and ultrarunning changes the stresses on his body, gives him variety and limits injury.

5) Rest, Recovery, and Healing from Injury and Illness are Important

These are essential components of an effective training program - not annoyances that compete with our training. They're just as important as long runs or core strength sessions. As adventure racers, we're sometimes guilty of thinking that more is always better - longer distance, faster speed, heavier weight or extra races. It feels weak to take a day off. But the body becomes stronger as it rebuilds between training sessions that push our limits. Injuries are all too common among endurance athletes because we like to ignore them and push through them. I've done it a few times and it has never gone well (but it is *so* hard to be patient!) Many ultrarunning training programs include two rest days per week. You can still be active on those days but you're not supposed to train for running. I've taken more days off training since I started running longer distances.

6) Analyze Races in Detail Beforehand

I've seen photos of top Salomon runners studying elevation charts and topo maps before races. They know where the aid stations will be, what will be served, where the big climbs are, where they can make up some time, where they will need to carry more water, where they need their lights, what layers they'll want, etc. Some events provide a lot of pre-race info. Read it, look at the maps, distance charts, photos and videos, and visualize what the race will feel like at different points. Look at past results and find runners who can give you an indication of what your time should be. Estimate your arrival times at key checkpoints, using splits from past races if you can get them. I carry the map, pace chart and estimates with me, although I rarely look at them since I study it beforehand. The only race course I didn't review in advance was the Sulphur Springs 50K and, as a result, I did two loops out of order when a volunteer sent me the wrong way - an easily avoided error if I'd prepared properly.

7) Use Other Ultrarunners as a Resource

Listen and learn! We're lucky to have some fantastic ultrarunners here in Ontario, and a number of them are accessible on Attackpoint or Facebook. Dee, M&M, Mrs. Gally, Trav, Baloney, Zoolander, Turbo, Slowrunner, STORM, Philly Cheesesteak, Ken Niemimaa and more - they're an experienced and generous bunch. Not everything that works for them will work for you, and they won't always agree with one other. Ultrarunning is *very* individual but you can still collect different ideas. You may hate someone's shoes but love his pack. You may not be able to stomach his favourite sports drink but think he has the best snack ideas ever. If she logs on Attackpoint, you can see exactly how she trained for a race and read her race report. I had a race application with a cheque ready to mail until I re-read Funderstorm's account of a particular ultra. I tore up the envelope and am glad I did. Lots of runners blog so you can search for other race reports to learn more about an event.

8) Test Gear, Practise Techniques. Train like You're Going to Race

Don't use anything new in a race that you haven't tested in similar training conditions - not shoes, underwear, food, drink, socks, trekking poles, hat, sunglasses, pack, foot taping, headlamp, hydration system... nothing!

Running the Hockley Loop as fast as you can is a great training run but doesn't simulate what you'll be doing in a long ultra. Do some training sessions where you choose the types of uphills you're going to walk in the race, then practise speed hiking them. The uphill walks are not "breaks" but they do change the stresses on your muscles. Charlotte Vasarhelyi, who recently set the Canadian 72-hour ultrarunning distance record, practises this by turning up the incline on her treadmill and hiking faster and faster while slowly increasing the speed. She can glide up hills without running - it's worth asking for a demo.

For me, multi-kilometer downhill runs were a major weakness since we don't have that kind of terrain around here, so I did drills where I purposely pounded my body on downhills. It reduced the post-race quad and hip pain I used to get in my early ultras. I'm going to need to start doing that again soon since I'm sure the training effect has worn off! Other race-specific training conditions might include rocky trails, steep climbs, hot weather, rainy weather, etc. Getawaystix runs up creek beds to practise agility on uneven terrain. Test yourself and your gear in race-specific conditions as much as you can.

9) Respect Trail Karma

It's a long race so take a few seconds to ask a fallen runner if they're OK or offer a salt pill to someone with cramps. It could be you next time. You may be repaid when someone sees you taking a wrong turn or if your headlamp battery runs out. Ultrarunning is a collegial sport, and the vibe is, "We're all in this together so let's help and encourage one another". Even Kilian Jornet has been known to wait for runners behind him so they can work together. And *always* treat volunteers like rock stars.

I've undoubtedly forgotten lots of things, and maybe some of this stuff only applies to me. Please jump in to share lessons you've learned or to vehemently disagree with me! I'm getting excited about planning my season after the UTMB lottery is decided next Friday. :)

Get the gear! "You know, you never know with the lumens - how many lumens you're going to need." "It's more fun this way."

Pre-registration for Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc is closed, and organizers said they will not bother recalculating the lottery statistics they released last week, as there has been little change:

- 30% chance of getting into 168-km UTMB for a first-time applicant (STORM, Carbon's Offset, Bash)

- 50% chance of getting into 100-km CCC ('Bent, Mrs. Gally, Carbon, Tiny, WandAR)

- It appears that no lottery is needed for the 119-km TDS.

Results will be announced at 10 a.m. Paris time next Fri. Jan. 18. And so we wait...

This excellent Twitter conversation involving Commander Chris Hadfield is *only* for Star Trek fans.
http://www.cyberbuzz.com/2013/01/05/the-single-gre...

P.S. Nope - started to go downhill as the day went on so no strength training today. Hope to become functional tomorrow!

Update: The Grudge Run, which some of us were discussing in the fall due to its unique format, large cash prizes and conflict with Wilderness Traverse weekend, has been postponed. They may organize a smaller 1-day event later in 2013. If there is enough interest and commitment, they are willing to organize a more limited event using the original course but not at the large scale they'd originally planned.

I'm cautiously optimistic that yesterday may have been rock bottom for this cold. Although the "rules" say that you can exercise with a head cold, the rules are probably thinking of a 30-minute treadmill jog rather than a 2-hour ski and a 75-minute orienteering race. :) I don't want this to drag on so I'm going to take one more day off cardio and try some strength work later today.

So... I guess more rest and recovery time is needed. Felt hit-by-a-truck awful today. :(

Here's a way to include more paddling in my training this winter! (Old school video but it's amazing what Warren Miller could do back then.)

Year End Review, Part 3 of 3 - 2013 Training Goals

1) Events:
- Compete in two or more 24-hr to multi-day races with navigation
- Finish my first 100-mile trail ultrarun - a UTMB qualifier, in case I need points for 2015.

2) Getting Healthier:
- Lose 6 lb by March 31.
- Average 7 hrs sleep. (Per *night*, not per week!) (Oh, the irony of writing these words after midnight!)

3) Some Targets (don't want to be overly specific here)
- 200 hrs of running - including race-specific skills like technical trail, uphill and downhill
- 50 hrs of strength training - legs, core, upper body (in that order)
- 550 hrs of total training

4) Some Strategies (ditto - this list should evolve throughout the year)
- Continue multi-sport training suitable for long adventure races - also useful as cross-training for the 100-miler.
- Complete bike "power builder" DVD set on the trainer.
- Continue emphasis on improving running form - maybe a Chi or POSE course?
- Morning training 2 days/week.

Non-training goals include dusting off my French in anticipation of UTMB, reviving my piano and guitar, and making progress on decluttering my home study.