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!

Running Downhill - Fast!

In a previous about Jerry Lynch, I briefly described a day about 6 months ago when I followed Jerry and several others downhill from Green Mountain in Boulder. As I talked with Jerry about that day as we celebrated his birthday I was reminded of what a unique and remarkable run that was.

For that run, about 15 of us started at the Red Lion restaurant in Boulder Canyon and headed up to the top of Green Mountain. It was a tough uphill run with the awesome reward of standing on top of Green Mountain on a beautiful fall day overlooking Boulder Valley and farther east. As they say what goes up must come down, and from where we were it was almost all down back to the start. I was having a good run uphill mostly able to keep up with Jerry and a few others. Feeling good I thought I’d try to continue that on the way down. Little did I know what I was in for!

Jerry, his son, and two women started down from Green with me behind them. I had only ever run with Jerry before, and only knew the strength of the other three from the run up. It turns out all of them are fantastic descenders as well. The first part was fairly steep and rocky and I managed to hang on to the back of the foursome. From there the trail continues as single track with a significant pitch downhill, plenty of rocks and roots to watch out for, and switchbacks thrown in to mix it all up. The other four were suddenly bombing downhill! I was actually astonished – how could they run so fast downhill. Still I was determined to keep up so I set about putting myself in learning mode, and making it quick.

They say the quickest way to learn how to descend on a bike is to follow someone downhill who is an excellent descender. I’ve heard the same for skiing. And I was going to experience this directly on a run without really even realizing what I was doing. I quickly learned long strides don’t work – too much effort on the quads, too hard to get adjust quickly as the terrain changes. So it was quick, short strides – and keeping my legs underneath my hips so there was plenty of balance. I also learned to stay loose. It’s also helpful to lean into the hill, like skiing, though quite the opposite of what we might normally think of. With the speed and terrain, you have to be able to respond and react quickly.

If I was going to keep up I had to put these new ideas into play quickly. Even as I did so, it was a challenge to keep up. I clearly remember being totally present and aware of what I was doing, if I wasn’t it was going to be a hard, uncomfortable landing somewhere. I also clearly remember having fun – I’d never run so fast downhill before! What stood out most though was feeling the edge. Even doing something I’d never done before, learning along the way, I didn’t feel like I was near an edge of what I could possibly do. It was more than I had ever done before, and still completely manageable.  

So it was, I kept up the entire way down – and what a blast! My legs were sore after that and it was all worth it to discover a new depth of what’s possible and to learn how to run downhill fast. I really liked what Jerry said though – “You kept up all the way, blasting all the way down, out of your mind and when it was all finished I saw in your face the grin of a 7 year old boy who had just been given his first new shiny red bike.” That was indeed it.

Thanks Jerry, Brennan, and the other two (sorry names escape me 6 months later) for a spectacular run!

Competence

I’ve been reminded lately of the Four Stages of Competence, or what is called the “conscious competence” learning model. It’s how we learn and grow from not knowing how to do something to a state where the activity flows.

It would seem running is about as natural a human activity as there is. Humans have been doing it for their entire existence. What’s there to learn? Plenty and there’s always something new. We are always changing and with that our modes of thinking, being, and even running have to change too. For me it’s becoming more natural and still I listen to my body and the run.

I’m still struggling with sore legs and knotted muscles from hard runs several weeks ago. To stay active and work on stretching out those muscles I’ve been doing yoga 3-4 times a week. My initial exposure to yoga was almost ten years ago; since the beginning of the year I’ve been putting some effort into yoga again. This is where the competency model had occurred to me lately. It’s a rather simple, yet elegant way of looking at learning.

Here are the four stages from Wikipedia:

1.Unconscious incompetence - The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognise their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.

2.Conscious incompetence - Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.

3.Conscious competence - The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.

4.Unconscious competence - The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

For me cycling, running, software development are all mostly Stage 4, though I go back into Stages 2 and 3 to learn and grow. With yoga I’m somewhere between Stage 1 and 2 so I need to remind myself of what I do know … and what I don’t know. At times it’s frustrating and slow, then I remind myself where I’m at which eases my mind. I’m enjoying learning something new and still bringing my experience from other realms into yoga.

So once we’ve taken the First Three Steps and experience TheFirst Time – on it goes through the Stages!