Sandrat 8 Miler

I missed the Clinton Lake group run because had a lot to do on Saturday and wanted to jump my errands as soon as possible that morning. I probably could have gotten in my two hour run but driving home, showering, changing, unloading crap from my hydration pack and then getting ready for the day would have put me behind more than I wanted.













I never mind running alone anyway. In fact, it's my preference most of the time.


















It kept trying to storm but the mix of the cool air trying to overtake the warm made for a mix of breezes and sunny spots. It also made for dramatic scenery every time the trail peeked out from the forest.


















I lost my GPS signal (unlocked Garmin.. oops) very early on in the run. I'm unfamiliar with the trail enough to not know the mileage at the turn-around points. I guessed distance by how I felt and how far I had gone since I had restarted my watch. I'm pretty sure I got in all 8 miles and left the trails feeling great.



















P.S. My shoulder is healed from last weeks' crash. :)

Currently Listening: 50/50

I went back to the Golden Hawk Course for my weekend "long" run. I was hoping to do 8 miles but only ended up with 6. I hadn't had energy all day but towards the end of the afternoon I found a little spark and took off. I am glad for what I was able to get done and without any problemos - no aches, no nausea, and drank plenty of water.
The hour and 20 min went pretty quickly as I was listening to Dean Karnazes new book: 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! I'm probably 3/4 through the book and at his 26th marathon (out of 50). It's been an interesting book with a review of each marathon he accomplished in 50 days as well as tips and tricks peppered throughout. A lot of his information is obvious and he admits that his ability to run extreme distances is probably due to genetics, but I still recommend the book. The uniqueness of the subject is in the newness of each day, which brings a different marathon in a different state, with a changed climate and new people. So every chapter really is a new story, building on the aches or tiredness or drama or inspiration of the day before. I don't think this is a take-home book of technical ideas for the veteran marathoner but more of a story about running. The title leads a reader to believe they will learn how to run so far, so often, but I'm not sure that the instructions to do that are really there in the book. New marathoners will find lots of tips, but most of them are looking to just complete the distance, not yet, surpass it. Like I said, it's more of a collection of stories with his personal tips here and there.
As an author, he is really likable. Dean doesn't seem to be the media lover he is made out to be as he states over and over in different ways how he is truly an introvert. However, his "good old boy" persona does get a little grating. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of his comments about doing it all for the children and some other well-chosen ways of looking like he's completely self-less and has no idea how perfect he is... But other times he comes across as very caring and honest. Who knows, but it's a decent book to help keep your mind occupied while running. And I've found a great little technique for audio books. I've been stuffing my iphone in one of the mesh chest pockets of my Nathan Intensity vest on speaker phone. So I can listen to music or an audio book without using headphones at all. (You can't wear headphones while running on Post.) I wondered if it'd just drain the heck out of my battery but I used it on my 12 mile run and by turning the screen off while the audio book is still playing, it barely even uses battery power - and that was over 2.5 hours! Also, I'm VERY happy with my Garmin 405 battery. Reviewers all over the place complained about the battery life, but again, on my last 12 mile run, I think I still had 60-80% of battery life left in it. Whatever it was, I remember being shocked - because reviewers seemed to act like it'd never last for any decent run. I also want to note that I was using the GPS and the Heart Rate Monitor functionality!
So anyway, a good run this weekend and really happy to be able to enjoy a book and stay engaged the whole time!

A Slow 10

After a night where I didn't get to sleep on time, got woken up at 2am, then continuously woken up every hour due to snoring, I suprisingly got up to the alarm buzzing. 5:15am and something was already going right.

I got down to the Parcours Lake Trail and ended up parking in a new area at the trailhead. This allowed me quick access to my car between laps - and it was going to take a lot of laps. I planned to loop twice, stopping at the car every two and a half miles. This scheme worked out beautifully - I was able to switch Powerade zero for water, pick up 2-3 Shot Bloks and nibble at my Lara (raw) Bar as I was hungry.

The weather stayed on the cool side of warm/hot until about 9am when the sun was looking high in the sky already and feeling hot. Luckily, by that time I was 8 miles into my run and the last loop wasn't affected much due to being under tree canopy.

This was my first run using the Garmin Forerunner 405. I was pleasantly suprised that the GPS worked so well through the forest. My old Timex Ironman would always lose connection repeatedly and guesstimate my course. I had my distance, pace, heart rate, etc all at my finger tips. I checked my heart rate every time I felt the need to walk and found out I was hitting 171-176. This is pretty much my red zone because 185 is my max heart rate. So before I even had this watch I was able to listen to my body enough to slow down... yay me. I also realized that I'm not able to keep pace very well on trails. When I ran paved trails, I was always the person to watch pace and keep it consistant at 12 min/mi. But, on dirt paths, the terrain is inconsistant and your legs really never get used to the rolling earth. I'd go from a 9 or 10 minute pace to a walk and everything inbetween as I ducked under branches, skipped over roots and pinecones, bounded up stair-rocks and half slid down small declines. This is an issue I probably need to tease out - maybe trying to just go slower and stay on pace as much as possible. I think there is an alarm setting where it will let you know if you're off pace -which would probably help train me to be more consistant.

When I got home, my data was uploaded, and I was able to look at the stats: pace (varied), distance (10 mi), lap splits, heart rate, calories (945!), elevation changes and an awesome map of the 10 miles (pictured above). Overall, I'm super happy with this watch. There are a few settings I need to tweak, but otherwise it was easy to use and gave me the info I like to see.

Although I was on technical trails, it took me 2:41 to finish. I ran the Georgetown to Idaho Springs, Colorado in 2:45 in 2004. So that was 3 extra miles and a 1,000ft elevation change, altitude sickness (8500 feet), a bloody nose, and rolling landscape in the same amount of time. So either I was better condidtioned back then, or this was really technical, OR I just had an awesome race buddy back then. Naomi Rademeyer, from Pretoria, South Africa. I think we met about halfway though the race. She told me a bit about her lifestory which included escaping from Africa due to the violence and oppression. She moved to Englewood, CO with her husband and children but had left behind some family - I believe her fathers and brothers. She said in Africa, you can't just sign up for a race, you have to be fast enough to gain entry. And she was full of awesome tips like when going down hill, try to relax your body and run in a controlled fall. I think of her help everytime I'm going down a decent hill now.

Anyhow, I am really confused by my time and actually worried a did a lot more than 10 miles. My 8 mile run took 1 hour 30 minutes. And I had not only driven that distance to check the milage but I also plotted it out online (out and back twice equaled 8 miles). The other thing is that when I run this loop for my week days runs, it usually takes me 50 minutes to go around twice. An hour run for me right now is usually at least 4 miles. I had to loop this baby 8 times with each lap amounting to 1.3 miles. So if that's correct, my mid-week short runs are only about 3 miles since I go around twice. 3 miles in 50 minutes?? Something is off... either this trail is SO technical that I really do go that slow or I'm off in some other way. I need to use my Garmin on a marked trail and test to make sure it's accurate. I know that I only had 25% accuracy on the satelite read. I saw that, and kinda tried to figure this out during my run noticing the time but thought I just couldn't do the math while running. Now, I'm still trying to figure it out and it's not adding up.

Another note of interest.... after my 8 mile run I had some soreness. Really, I had some worries like my heel was tight and felt pulled (esp in the morning) and I had some knots in my calves and I think I had to ice my knee. This time, I did take a quick ice bath (which melted too fast due to the water being too warm) but I don't know if that is the reason or what, but I have NO side effects. The main difference with this run is also the terrain - most of my 10 miles were on soft pine-hay and dirt packed trails. Really cushioned. The 8 miles were done on road and off the side of the road in the grass and gravel. Anyway, going along with my worry about distance and thinking I could have actually done more than 10, doesn't seem right when my legs feel this great. A little tired but no aches. Sooo... ice bath? Pine needle hay terrain? I dunno, but something was working for me during this run.

Some Say Size Matters

Today I went back to the Parcours Lake ARMY obstacle course for an hour-ish run. It went really well although temps are in the 100s so the heat was killer. Since most of my distances are short and the long ones are out-and-back, I've been able to hand carry small water bottles. This weekend however will be 8-10 miles out-and-back, so that'll be 4-5 miles before I can refill a bottle. I'm starting to really think about hydration systems. I'd really like to try a Nathan women's pack but my local Dick's Sporting Goods only carry Camelbaks. ...And only one women's pack which felt like a chaffing nightmare when I tried it on. I might have to just bite the bullet and order a Nathan from REI.com. The Nathan Intensity pack got 5/5 stars so it'd have a great chance of working out. $85 though... and they say running is cheap cuz all you need are a good pair of shoes. *shrugs*

A lot of people seem to use the bottles that strap to your hand. I really, really don't like carrying items so I can't see this working out for me. I tried the Nathan Quickdraw Elite ($14, Dick's) and it was better than a regular bottle since you don't have to grip it as tight. - But with water, an energy gel or keys.... ugh, too much. I left it behind.

Speaking of energy gels.... since I'm starting to up my milage finally, I've also been thinking about different sources of energy. With my food issues, I've been hesistant to try almost anything with chemicals. But considering my location (BFE), I can't find much more than GU and Clif shot bloks at Dicks, a half hour a way. I know I can't do GU except possibly vanilla - but vanilla flavorings, even in natural products like Rice Milk make my hands ache and swell. Weird. Powerade Zero (no corn syurp) has worked ok I think. I can't drink anything else on the grocery shelves (ie: Gatorade, G2, Powerade, etc). So, I ended up calling the Clif Bar customer service because their site lists ingredients but still, things like carmel color and flavorings can be allergen derrived. I told her I tried Shot bloks and was curious was Gluten/Corn/Dairy free. She admitted that all their products may have trace amounts. This means, you can have one package that was cross contaminated but buy the same thing again and it can be free of allergens. I'm willing to try anything however, if they really don't think it's in there. So, she is sending me samples of allergen-free (hopefully) items! If they work, I can start buying them online. Happiness!!!

Items for me to try:

Luna Moons (like Shot bloks): Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup Solids, Pectin, Citric Acid, Colored With Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Ascorbic Acid (Vit. C) , Organic Sunflower Oil, Carnauba Wax, Palmitate (Vit. A), Tocopheryl Succinate (Vit. E).
* Red Flags for my food allergies are citric acid, Natural Flavorings, juice concentrates and vitamins.

Electrolyte Splash (like Gatorade): Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Natural Flavor, Colored With Vegetable Juice Concentrate.
* I LOVE seeing like 3 ingredients in a Gatorade alternative. The Natural Flavor though throws a red flag for me.

I've read of some runners using dates for a natural energy source. I have been wanting to try this but first need to locate dates with no additives. There is a Fresh Market, 2 hours a way in Destin, Florida that I know carries fresh dried dates. So, next week, on my monthly visit down there I will pick some up. Now... I probably should email her about how in the world she carries them.... in baggies? Sounds messy...

When I got home from my run the UPS man (a.k.a. Santa Claus) came with a a package for me! I received the Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor.

So far I went through the short Quick Start - an automated little tutorial on the actual watch. Very easy. To set the time and dates all you had to do was get a GPS signal. It automatically updated. Nice.. easy. In fact, if you read the manual - everything was simple. But then later, I tried to put the HR strap on someone else to take his heart rate and realized I had forgotten what buttons to push to see it. Sooo I am seeing that the device is easy to use, but you have to know how to do it. Like, that HR is under the "Training" menu on the watch. So getting to that screen was where I faltered. But.. still, I really think it'll take me a couple times to do it to remember it. No big deal.

Other cool notes about the watch: the fact that I walk into the room and it auto updates all my stats to the Web site. Also, that my route gets updated to my profile and I can see exactly every drunk-driver looking swerve I made on the road. Fun. I also am loving if you get lost, it will guide you direction-by-direction back to your start. I'm going to test that on a dog walk here soon.

One thing I'm not loving,... since the watch has the GPS unit inside (all others are a device on an arm-band), you can't swim with it or wear it underwater. I used to sometimes just hop into the shower with my old Timex Ironman GPS watch (without the unit on my arm of course). I didn't even think about it. I don't swim - and have no goals to include swimming but it was just nice to never worry about the unit and water. However, this for me, is not a serious detraction.

Also, its size is a slight consideration. It isn't crazy huge - especially on a man. But how much people complained about it's size worried me before I bought it. But, heck, it's like the 1st watch to have the GPS actually in the watch. And the arm GPS units are huge - I've used one for years and it was a pain in the winter time especially with layered clothes. I'd MUCH rather be wearing this all-in-one watch. And it's not so big that it'd look odd while you're running. Now, for a woman, wearing the watch with casual clothes, - I would do it if I was afraid to leave it in my car or in a desk drawer. It's not that odd. But, I probably wouldn't put it on if I wasn't going running and I could just leave it safetly at home. I think if a runner is put off by the size of this watch, then they probably aren't serious enough about running to even buy it. The technology that this watch brings, ......size really shouldn't matter.

Now, I just gotta get the basic functions down for this Saturday!