Monte Sano trail run

The fog was extra thick near the river crossings. I made a quick trip before dawn Saturday to Monte Sano State Park in Alabama to preview the Mountain Mist 50k course.  I was excited to try out my new kicks- Fleet Feet Nashville now has the new Brooks Pure series in. The awesome FF team set me up in a pair of their trail version of the new minimalist line- the Pure Grit. Here they are, waiting to leave, at about 4:35 am...

vroom vroom

I arrived at the park just at sunrise and the fog succumbed to the warm light. I had no true route plan, just an idea to warm up for 30 minutes, hammer for 2 hours, and cool down for 30 minutes. I figured to get about 21 miles.

smiling on the inside

I ran trails as they came, figuring things would either make sense for a big loop or I would make it an out and back. I ended up doing some of both. The terrain was rocky, wet and covered in leaves. The Grits held form. They have a snug fit everywhere but the toe box, which opens up to allow for greater toe spread and push off. They felt light and kept rocks from entering. Although they are a minimal shoe, I did not feel compelled to watch for every sharp little rock. All in all the shoes performed in an exceptional fashion and after 10 miles I forgot they were new.

Swiftwick Aspire 12s 

A great run, got 21+ miles checked out the course and found out in a hurry I am gonna have to return to my TRT training routes, looking for hills and gnar whenever I can. This course is going to challenge me. I want to be ready.

Fall

300 calories and the night

Last Friday I finished a long week of work and headed to Percy Warner Park for some time on the trails. Some solitude in training- I planned 23 miles or so, the hilly red/white/blue circuit x2. I had a water bottle and a couple of small granola bars and 1 single serving packet of sunflower butter (about 300 calories total). I thought little about my nutrition and actually wanted to go thin, hoping to encounter and work through a bonk or 2. Deficit training can be useful, but there are obvious risks involved.

The first 14 or so miles went off well as the leaves fell in the breeze and the richness of Fall flooded my senses. After my second white loop, I grabbed my headlamp and ate what little food I had. It gets dark so fast in the forest, almost like God reaches out and flips a switch on some old oak.

At about mile 19 I started to get nauseated, and when I looked up at the stars through a clearing- they were spinning. I had a moment of wanting to stop, turn around and walk to my Jeep. I fought this urge. My head began to pound. Three hundred calories in and somewhere around 4000 calories used. I was there man. The "place" brought back visions of the night during the Tahoe 100, I tried to use my breath to get control, clapping my hands together and talking to myself to get through the last miles. I crested the final hill, zoomed to my Jeep, a quick stretch and I made a straight line to the nearest fast food joint.

Another note: I have taken to wearing the Swiftwick black Aspire 12's while running. A nice transition between shorts and compression tights when the temps are not too bad. I've long used the 12s as recovery socks but they are good during running as well.

In Christ,

JMS

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".

Quiet Training

It is one thing to train with a race on the horizon. It is quite another to train with nothing in front of you. Right now I have 7 workouts per week 2 of which are 2-a-days but nothing to focus on. I suppose the question I have been avoiding is... "Why". Why am I dedicating so much time and energy with no specific goal. I suppose general fitness is one answer but it doesn't really satisfy the continued intensity. Last Thursday I ran 20.8 miles because I had the time. I had the time to run for three hours.

I do this with a shoulder shrug and a smile/grimace. Frankly, I do not have the answer to why I am upping my own ante. I just know that I feel compelled, even driven, to continue the increase. Now swimming and biking have made it onto my regimen, and with each passing day I find myself peering into the future wondering what race or adventure awaits.

I suppose I want to be ready, for whatever the real reason is. I pray Lord Jesus will direct my path.