LBL 50 Mile Race (the prep)

I just want to take a deep breath and say ahhh. Spring is here and the days of cold fingers and snow are all but passed. Last Saturday I hit the LBL 50 Miler for an intense "A" race experience. My plan and goal was to break 7 hrs which I felt was at the very top of my ability, kind of that- if everything goes exactly as planned, and its a dream-day on the trail kind of goal.

it is time

The day began in the moments before daybreak, my favorite time- pre-dawn twilight, the mysterious moments between. The whole world seems to pause in a dream. The start was at a marina, I watched the sailboat masts bob and sway in the soft breeze, a perfect 45 degrees as we lined up to face pink hues of dawn replacing the stars and the blue water sky of night.

I was as prepared as possible- I had my Nathan Mutation Pack- a single bottle pack with one small pocket in front. The bottle sits in the small of the back at a slanted, optimal angle. It is light and comfortable and perfect for a course with so many aid stations. It features a Velcro strap and the zip pocket is actually lengthwise in the strap for easy access. The strap has a bit of elastic give to it which helps limit the potential affect of having something pressing on the GI.  I hear this pack is discontinued. Get 'em while ya can.

My sock choice was a toss up between some new Swiftwick prototypes that will debut on shelves soon and the Swiftwick Aspire "2s". I have had in the past a slight anterior issue with my right ankle so I chose the Aspires gauging the compression as most appropriate.

My shoe choice was another toss up: Innov8s either the Flyrock 310s - my 4x4 go anywhere trainer vs the ascetic, super light, rockets: Innov8 F-lite 195 (195 grams). I choose the later in a gamble. I knew there was a chance that the minimalist trail flats might destroy my feet in the long miles, but I also knew that the trail was packed dirt, not technical, and the light shoe with a low heal would give me a serious advantage if I could handle it. Endurance Sports has Innov8s in Cool Springs.

Nutrition was dialed in: Infinit (available at Endurance) in my bottle and at every one of the 4 loops in a drop bag which is actually a box. Powerbar Gels every hour.

Clothing:
Edurance Sports and Rec K-swiss singlet and ES&R visor. Swiftwick arm sleeves.
mizuno therma gloves.

This gets me to the starting line... I'm working on the report- coming soon!

starting out- time to roll

Running on Infinit

Dan Powell, owner of Endurance Sports and Rec in Cool Springs has been explaining to me the science behind Infinit, a new sports powder that claims to be the all in one nutrition source for endurance athletes. To which I admit to glassing over. The long and short was that this had 4 different molecular compounds of carbohydrates, so the body would continue osmosis thus keeping the systems fed. I am so blessed to have incredibly smart people in my life who share a passion for endurance- Endurance Sports  being up there for sure. So the carbs along with a myriad of other necessary components made up this not so sweet formula. Testing the product this past weekend was a bit of a fool's parade for me, but when in doubt, jump in.

I had one 20oz bottle filled with "the protien mix". It foamed like cheep keg beer. I topped off my bottle after 7 miles and then headed out for 13 more - 4.5 of which were to be thresh hold (7's) and then the final 2 ended up being a pace push from some of Highland's best. I used one gel for the entire day, and finished feeling unusual... as in I usually finish longer days incredibly hungry and in some shape or form depleted.

post 20 miles of trails at Percy Warner

Although I am not ready to toss out my boxes of gels and powders and cubes and gues and on and on... I am impressed with its initial use. This looks like the next progression in the area of  ultra nutrition. This Saturday Mash and I have 33+ at LBL to do and I hope to dial this in for the race. Much Goodness- THANKS DAN!!! Now, how big is a scoop of this stuff?

The Science of Endurance

The physiology of ultra-running has been one area of the sport I have yet to fully explore.
I am excited to announce a new supporting sponsor: Fitness Wave owned by David Harris an expert in exercise physiology.

In the coming months we (Ashly Dewberry and I) are going to run some tests, shoot some video and learn from Fitness Wave. David does RMR (resting metabolic rate testing), hydrostatic body fat testing and Vo2 Max testing. All these tests will produce data to better dial in nutrition and training.

Fitness Wave is located in Endurance Sports in Cool Springs, Endurance S. is run by people who know the sport because they live endurance sports. They are on the front edge of new developments in gear, nutrition and training.  It will be a far cry from my minimalist approach to running long trails, but I am willing to work to integrate the "why" into the "how".