Running in wool

I can imagine you're wondering how I can writing about wool at the end of May, on the cusp of summer. Even in Boulder we've already had many days over 80 degrees. Wool is for winter blazers, long underwear for skiing, even socks. But running?

Absolutely!

I'm not talking about the old image of wool as scratchy and itchy. Ibex, Icebreaker, Stoic, and Smartwool are make wonderful wool clothes that feels great against the skin. Everything - tank tops, dresses, underwear (including bras for the women), long-sleeves, sweaters, jackets, and of course socks.

Wool for winter running seems reasonable, and it is. There is some fabulous wool for winter running. What I really want to talk about is running in wool in summer! I've long worn wool for cycling and have a wardrobe full of wool tights and jerseys. I also have plenty of wool shirts for regular wear. At first I was a bit skeptical of wool for summer running as well. Was it really light enough? I'm had enough great experiences with wool and the various brands that I figured it was worth a try.

I'd been wearing various shirts - lots of different variants of the new range of tech tees. I didn't like most of them. I didn't like the way they felt against my body. I didn't like the stink afterwards. Some from races, some from running shops.

So I tried wool. I bought a couple super lightweight shirts from Icebreaker and one from Stoic. Wool is it! First of all it feels great against my skin - it's soft and feels natural. Even when it's above 75 degrees, I'm not getting any warmer. It doesn't stink - I usually wear one of my wool shirts 3 or 4 times before washing it.

Go for it - give wool a try. You'll be surprised!


P.S. All those tech tees are gone - donated to One World Running

Another day perhaps

Memorial Day in Boulder is a wild affair with more than 50,000 runners making their way through the city. Add to that another 50,000 spectators, family, supports and so on. That's a lot of people!

The Bolder Boulder 10k is a truly unique event. It's the only athletic event that actually goes through the city of Boulder. It takes mountains of volunteers - my guess is every water station had 150-200 cheering volunteers offering water or Gatorade and plenty of encouragement. The race takes 5 hours from the start of the very first wave of wheelchair athletes at 6:55, followed every minute or two by another wave of 500-1000 runners. Since it winds it's way through several neighborhoods there are plenty of spectators camped out watching the streams and streams of legs and shoes and costumes make their way past.

Of course there's entertainment as well. The Blues Brothers greet you just a quarter mile after the start, followed my gymnasts just down the block doing their flips. Maybe I was hallucinating, but I'm sure I saw Elvis around mile 2. I believe I saw several more on the course as well. For those inclined someone had a slip-n-slide set up in their front lawn. I passed on that one. Then there were at least a dozen bands along the course blasting out Tom Petty or CCR or Pink Floyd. I was impressed by the four young kids who couldn't be in their teens yet playing in front of the firehouse near the top of the course at mile 4.

Of course the finish is the coolest of any race I've ever been at. After a sharp incline at the finish, everyone enters the tunnel on the field at Folsom Stadium - the stadium of the University of Colorado. For the early runners there are only a few thousand people there, but by the end there are perhaps 20,000 people cheering as you cross the finish line.

I ran last year just a few weeks after starting my running journey. My goal wasn't time, it was just to be out there and enjoy it. This year while browsing the Bolder Boulder website I found a section called Ageless Wonders. These are awards given to the runners whose time is lower than their age. After having a solid 10K last summer, my goal was to join the Ageless Wonders.

Since the beginning of the year my running has been great. Pacing was improving, legs and lungs were getting stronger. I was sure that beating 41 minutes was possible. In fact just 4 weeks ago I did that on the front 10k of a 15k race. The Bolder Boulder course is hillier, still I thought I could do it. That confidence faded over the past week as I noticed how tired I was and recovery wasn't happening as fast. I didn't feel sick, just tired. Nevertheless I rested during the week and thought I had enough reserves for my goal. I wasn't going to decide until the morning of the race what the plan was.

Waking at 5am this morning I checked my pulse, I had a nice, low resting pulse more indicative of being ready. My legs felt alright, like maybe they had enough for today. Once at the start line my warmup felt tight like it was hard to get speed. All I could do was wait for the start and see what the day would hold.

The gun for the third wave went off at 7:02 and me with it. The first mile felt fast and yet contained. Actually I was even a little surprised at how easy the first 6 minutes went by. My breathing felt good. I knew the first test was a small rise on Folsom about 1.5 miles into the race. Normally I have a little kick to get up and over these type of bumps with a reasonably quick recovery on the other side. The kick wasn't there, and neither was the recovery. My legs were alright, but I was really starting to notice my breathing. My chest was even hurting a little. I kept this up for awhile, and then let it go. I couldn't hold this for another almost 4 miles. This just wasn't my day and I had to acknowledge that.

I walked for a bit trying to catch my breath and then started running again, making my way back into the crowd. There was no reason I couldn't finish the race, even if I walked. For now I just ran, enjoyed the cheers, enjoyed the weather (perfect temps - 50 degrees), enjoyed the music, and didn't worry about who was passing me.

After cresting the peak of the course near mile 4 I knew there was a general downhill trend for the next mile. I just followed my legs and this section confirmed what I already knew. On a good day I could just flow fast through this, not today. Somewhere around mile 5 I did feel a second wind, not a very strong one, but with only a mile to go, I went with it and had a good fast finish.

All-in-all a good day to be out running and what a crowd to run with! Not the time I was shooting for, but I know it's in me. Another day perhaps ...

A Chill in the Air

March and April were both unusually warm and dry for Boulder. May seems to be bucking that trend with quite a few Seattle-like days of cooler temperatures and overcast skies. After living in Seattle for 15 years, I sometimes miss it. Today was one of those days. Waking up with a grey sky, the smell of moisture in the air, a light dew still on the grass.

A perfect day for running!

One of the events I have planned for the summer has some extended downhill stretches so I wanted to get some 'practice' in. One of the longest extended downhills I know of in the area is Lefthand Canyon. Unfortunately it's pavement, but still a good place to see what my quads have in them.

Despite being a Saturday, Boulder was sleeping in today. Normally on a nice spring day there are hundreds of cyclists up Lefthand Canyon and dozens of hikers in cars making their way up to the myriad of trails and lakes around Brainerd. In the first half of my run, I saw just four cyclists and not many more cars. I missed the company of the cyclists and the friendly waves so often shared. On the other hand, I appreciated the clean, fresh air without so much exhaust.

On this morning, the run felt like I could have been somewhere in Seattle. Overcast skies certainly contributed to the feeling. Also the rolling river of melting snow and leftover rain from last night. Boulder is showing off its finest greens and lushness this time of year, similar to the extensive year-round green of the Pacific Northwest. The only thing missing was moss on all four sides of the trees.

Since I wanted some continuous downhill, that meant the first half was continual uphill. With the chilly morning air and the general assumption that the temperature would warm up slightly by the time I turned around, I headed out from 5500 feet in shorts and a t-shirt. The run up was smooth and I stayed warm enough enjoying the canyon pretty much to myself this morning. It took almost an hour before I started to find a good groove.

The turnaround around 8000 feet was a bit of a shock. Within a few minutes of turning around, I could feel the difference in temperature, both because of the elevation difference and because of a rolling uphill fog. At that point I was definitely wishing for another layer. The chill really hit my hands to the point where it was achy to open and close them. As cyclists pass I usually wave, not today, it was just a nod.

To this point I was doing well with my food, water, and salt tablets. What I had left was a half of a bar and a package of Clif Blocks. I really wanted the Clif Blocks, but my hands were too cold to open a package! I finished off my half of a bar and hoped the temperature would warm up so I could open the Clif Blocks later. That didn't happen and finally I stopped for a few seconds to get the plastic open with my teeth - I really needed some food. That Clif Blocks sure tasted good!

The cold stayed with me the whole way down so I was glad to get back to my car and my heated seats. In just a few minutes the rain started - that would have been really cold!

All in all another really good run! And my quads held up pretty well.

Running on this Earth

When we walk like (we are running), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth... Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth.
Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

While this quote is about walking, I like to read it with regards to running as well, replacing 'walk' with 'run'. This is profound for how we run - being aware of our thoughts, intentions, our body, our placement of our feet on the earth. It all matters.

Going out to kiss the earth.

A Plug for Hammer Nutrition

I've been using Hammer Nutrition products since 1996 - that makes 17 years this year!

I have two sides. I have one side that loves new toys and to try new things. I like to experiment and figure out the nuances of each new piece of equipment, whether it's sporting equipment or knives in the kitchen. I certianly have my share of stuff I've donated to Goodwill or REI, or sold after having tried it and it didn't work for me.

Then once I find something I like I stick with it. Linn for Audio, wool for athletic clothes (Ibex, Icebreaker, SmartWool), Messermeister for kitchen knives.

Hammer Nutrition is my primary choice for nutrition for sports and for supplements.

I was first turned on to Hammer products by Steve Born long before he worked for Hammer Nutrition. I began with the basic carbohydrate mix - Sustained Energy (which used to be called Energy Surge). Now I use many of their powders, gels, bars, and supplements. They work well for me. They've been the right stuff for ultracycling and for running.

Hammer offers an incredible array of information and suggestions, which seems rare for a supplement company. Over the years I've learned a ton about nutrition from The Endurance Journal, the Hammer Fueling Guide, Hammer newsletters and Athlete Education Series, and listening to and crewing with Steve Born. While some of it can be long, what I really appreciate is the research that backs up the information they provide and then the guidelines they offer. With the guidelines they are clear to provide a range and then encourage you to find what works for you. After all we're all unique.

I also really admire the enthusiasm, integriy, and commitment that Brian Frank, Steve Born, and Dr. Bill Milsner bring to Hammer. It shows in all their products and how they bring themselves to the world.

If you're looking for either information about fueling for sports or products, I highly recommend trying Hammer products. After all they offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Try it!

Time for me to go place my next order!


Disclosure: I receive a discount from Hammer, but this post is entirely my own and I receive no income or other incentives for posting it.

Greenland Trail Race

It seems that my blog has shown up on the Greenland Trail website – a complete surprise to me and one I’m thrilled about. The link there is to my race results and race report which is here. To give back, I thought I’d share more of my experience of the race itself.

I’ll start with - what a great event! It was all good!

The Greenland Trail race is actually three races, a 50k, a 25k, and an 8 miler held in the Greenland Open Space near Larkspur, CO. The Open Space area has a trail that’s an 8 mile loop and so the organizers have brilliantly used that loop to create a race of 1 loop (8 miles), 2 loops (25k), and 4 loops (50k). The 50k starts first at 7:00am, the 25k starts at 7:30am, and lastly the 8 miler starts at 8:00am. With this offset start, the races all end up mingling together out on the course. It’s was great to see so many people on the course. The other advantage seemed to be a staggered packet pickup which I’m sure helped organizers.

The Greenland Open Space area is beautiful! I’ve read it covers about 3000 acres and it seems to be mostly rolling grass covered hills, with only a few trees here and there. The area is surrounded by buttes and in some areas there are beautiful views of the front range. From the start/finish there is a spectacular view of Pikes Peaks.

The course itself is more challenging than on paper. Looking at the elevation profile online it looks like a fairly steady grade for most of the five miles of the climb. The first 3.5 are fairly steady, and then it kicks up. It’s runnable for some of the stronger runners, still I saw a lot of people walking. The downhill for the last three miles is just fun! The course is either single track of double track and wonderfully soft. For footing it’s great with few rocks, ruts, or roots to contend with.  The only shade is under your hat, I believe I remember it meanders past a few trees, but nothing to really hide you from the sun. With the challenge it’s a great course. For some the repetition of loops was hard, while for others it was good to know what was coming. The loop format also allowed for two well served aid stations. It was also very spectator friendly – there were several dozen people camped out at the aid station near the finish to cheer everyone on which I really appreciated.

The organization seemed very smooth. They even sent out a reminder on Friday about the warm weather moving in. With that in mind, they were well prepared with lots of water and ice. After my race I sat the aid station near the finish for about an hour and the volunteers there were very encouraging, supportive, and eager. With each new runner coming in they were ready with water, Heed, food, ice, words of encouragement – whatever was needed to support every runner. I’ve been a volunteer, race director, and runner, having those types of volunteers really makes the event great!

A few other notes – people of parking, mostly enough porta-potties though perhaps a few more would reduce the lines, plenty of food at the finish including pizza. Packet pickup was quick and easy – a number, a timing chip, and a shirt, nothing more to it. The results were posted quickly at the race itself and online.

Overall a great event!

Yes!

That’s about all I could utter after crossing the finish line of the Greenland Trail 25k. Yes!

Back in January, I put the Greenland Trail 50k on my calendar as my first ultra. It looked like a nice route with 4 loops so lots of easy support, reviews of the race were good, it was close by, it was a route I’d never done. I figured I could be ready in four months. After six weeks of injuries in March, I switched to the 25k (they also have an 8 mile race) knowing I wouldn’t be as ready as I wanted to be.

(Here's a followup post on the race itself, outside of my results.)

As I drove down to Larkspur this morning I was excited, another chance to run hard and see what I have in this body. This would be the longest race I’d ever run, so I wasn’t exactly sure what was possible. About six weeks ago I did a training run in the Boulder Ranch Open Space and Boulder Reservoir of almost 16 miles in two hours. This race would be at 7000 feet, 1500 feet above Boulder. It would also have about 1200 feet of climbing, as opposed to the relative flatness of my training run. I set a target of 2 hours – I thought that was perhaps a stretch, but doable.

The 50k went off first at 7am, followed by the 25k at 7:30am, and then the 8mi at 8:00. I had checked out the route profile online and knew each loop was basically one big hill with almost 5 miles to the top and then 3 to get back down. As we headed out for the first lap, we ran on a nice double track that paralleled a railroad track. It was a manageable and runnable grade. I felt good, though not as fresh as last week, and was keeping my pace in check. I was feeling good thinking the entire uphill would stay at this grade.

Not so, at the aid station at about mile 3.5, we took a left and started the real climb. As we headed up we could see the trail snake back and forth up the hills in the area, and all the runners ahead. This was when the hard stuff began, this was a tough uphill. Definitely runnable and I was breathing hard. At this point I started passing the end of the 50k runners. Finally over the top and a sweet downhill where you could just open up your stride!

Coming into the end of the first lap was cool because there was an out-and-back stretch so we could see other runners. Turning back into the second lap I began the uphill again. It didn’t take me long to realize we weren’t on the same trail as lap 1, we weren’t running up a railroad grade but heading into the hills next to the tracks. Lap 2 would be a bit more challenging! The extra hill was tough, soon we were back to the double track and the final hill. It was getting warm and the wind was picking up a little. And still gorgeous everywhere you looked. For the last hill I kept my focus on getting to the top and then letting it fly down to the finish.

I came flying down the last stretch knowing I was very close to my two hour goal. Sure enough coming around the final bend, cross the finish line at 1:59:40. Yes! I’d hit my goal. Last week after I finished the 15k I was tired and still could easily walk around. Today I was looking for shade and ground to sit. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes and then starting my recovery by getting water.

A couple quick stats:

It was a fast race with multiple course records set. For me: finish time of 1:59:40. Pace of 7:39/mile. The only mid-race stat I remember was the first lap at about 57:00. My pace varied from 6:00/mile on the downhills to 10:30 on some of the ups. 20^th place overall, 16^th place among men, 4^th place in my age group (40-49) and 4^th place masters (40+). Another great result!

Last week was more fun on the run, today the run was hard, really pushing hard. All my oxygen and effort was going to my body, so if you’d asked me what 2 + 2 was that would have been a hard problem. The Greenland Trail race itself was more fun, especially with 3 races going on an 8 mile loop. The location was beautiful! Rolling green hills surrounded by buttes. The start/finish area also had great views of Pikes Peak! What a great spot to hang out and watch the finish!

This was another great learning opportunity. Pacing changes a lot going from an hour of running to two. At some point it’s not racing anymore, but running hard. I can run right at anaerobic threshold for an hour, not so at two hours. I’m also still learning about food and water. I had about 600 calories of gels which seemed like enough. I only had about 14 ounces of water, but I couldn’t tell how much water I sweated out. It took me hours after the race to fully rehydrate.

In the end – Yes!

One Year

About one year ago I started running again. I remember it was the first week of May last year, but I don’t recall a particular date. I ran in high school and college, but then it was quite different. After college it was all about the bike for more than 15 years. Occasionally I’d run, but never the consistency or fun that the last year has been.

What a journey it’s been!

It began with a voice. I remember in the early months of last year I would hear a voice saying ‘go run’. For quite a while I ignored it thinking it sounded crazy. Eventually the voice became louder and more insistent – ‘go run’. I needed to go run. I didn’t know why, but I was certain the voice wasn’t going to go away. So I finally listened and started running.

When I started I knew I hadn’t run in several years and not consistently since college. I’d done some exercise like hauling wood, walking the dogs, but nothing consistent or serious. I had a base of athletic ability, not a running body. With that in mind I made two commitments to myself. The first was to follow the 10% rule, that is not to increase my time by more than 10% from one week to the next.  Starting with just 20 minutes (note even 2 miles) around the neighborhood, I allowed my body to progress and now three hour runs are almost comfortable.

The second was to pay attention to stay healthy (not injured). All in all I’ve done pretty well. I have had a few small injuries along the way and each time I learn a little more about my body. Running is different than cycling and requires more attention to the little things as they seem to magnify themselves more quickly.

The most significant event was attending a workshop last September at Shambhala Mountain Center called Running with the Mind of Meditation and Yoga. It’s been so defining and influential. It was about bringing meditative principles and focus to running. It keeps so much more meaning to running for me. It’s more than just putting one foot in front of another, more than just health. It’s brought a sacredness to running.

It’s been amazing. Patience, new friendships, new trails, new understandings. Listening and learning finer nuances of my body – I’m not 25 anymore. The importance of recovery and rest.  Writing here. Reading some great books and blogs. Gratitude for a healty, strong body. As much as I enjoyed cycling, running is just better.

The voice is long gone, or maybe it’s just satisfied. Still I keep running. The question why comes up in my head and still I don’t feel like I have a complete answer. Part of it is simply that my body likes to be active and outside. It could be landscaping and moving dirt, or it could be running, I just need to move. Part of it is certainly the psychology of pushing edges and seeing what I’m capable of. At one time I was in a proving mode, now it’s simply curiosity. Another piece is the stillness and peace that comes with running. With cycling I experienced something similar, with running it’s deeper. Running engages me on so many levels – physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, connecting to nature and the world.

This is all true and still unfinished. There’s something else beyond all the words, thoughts, and feelings. It’s there, I feel it – that’s why I run.

This journey hasn’t been alone, so here are a few thank yous

• To Marty, Tarah, and Jon who led the Running with the Mind of Mediation and Yoga workshop at Shambhala last September. They helped to crystallize what I’ve done as a cyclist and swimmer as a way of being on the trail.
• To Lara who has been a great running partner the past couple months. I’m grateful for who she is and all that’s been shared between us.
• To the Mindful Runners – Marty, Rock, Smitty, Ted, Clarence, Carlos, Arturo, Peter, Jerry, Glen, Brett, Scott, Matt – who I’ve run with fairly regularly on weekdays.  Such a great group to run with! I’m honored and humbled to run with so many great runners and people.
• To Shanti, Mike, Kirsten, and Susan for awesome, sustaining, and deep bodywork.
• To Scott for leading the Boulder Breakfast Runners. What a great group of people to run with so many great trails to explore.
• All the other great resources for runners around the web.

I'm grateful for the past year. I feel like I’m still getting started with just one year of running and a new way of looking at it. I’m looking forward to what the next year of running offers!