18 miles with a Detour

Today I was back again at my new favorite trails, the North Ottawa Dunes. I pulled into the parking lot around 7:00, which for me is not all that that early. My alarm is normally set for 5:20. By 7:00 the sun was up which meant that I wouldn't need to worry about my footing on the trails, at least not as much. There were two other cars in the parking lot, but their owners must have taken a different path because I never saw them.

I double checked my Camelbak. It was full of watered-down Gatorade, carried my cell-phone, and my driver's license. Then I started my Nike+ and hit the trails. It was very quiet. At least in the sense of the noises that I normally encounter. When I took the time to listen there was a lot to hear. Rain drops blowing off leaves and hitting the ground. Squirrels dashing up tree trunks. I even heard the scramble of a large animal and looked up in time to see a deer bounding away. But as I was thinking about all these things I began to realize that I needed to go to the bathroom.

Now, I know there are those who would find a tree and use some leaves, and the thought occurred to me. But I just wasn't at that point quite yet. Besides I knew there was a bathroom at the trailhead. So I turned around and headed back. I was only a couple of miles in at this point. But when I got to the bathroom, it was locked. You know that feeling when you've been holding it and seemingly, your ability to control yourself is fine when you know you are a ways from the bathroom, but as you get closer and closer you seem to enter a state that boarders on soiling yourself? Well I was there in a pretty big way. Finding the bathroom locked forced me to compose myself and think through my options. The one I decided on was to trek back toward a port-a-john I had noted about a mile up the road.

It was not the most fun I have ever had while running. I tried not to let myself wonder, "What am I going to do if this one is locked as well?" I tried to remind myself that these things happen in long-distance running, as in life, unexpected problems arise and I need to be prepared to deal with them. And if I have not prepared, then at least I need to do the best I can.

Luckily I made it to the port-a-john and it was open and well equipped. I then ran back to my car and grabbed a bite to eat and was once again back on the trails. This time I made it all the way to the northernmost trail point, and then, to my pleasant surprise, I found a trail that led out to Lake Michigan. All in all it was a good run. 18 miles, almost 3 hours, mostly on trails. Still debating on which fanny pack, but set that I will need one.

Trail Jackpot

Ultra marathons are normally run on trails, rather than on roads. Trails are softer underfoot, which allows less wear on your legs. However, this softness comes at a price. The absorption of weight is also absorption of momentum. This means that running on trails requires more effort to cover the same distance. This is most easily understood when you run on sand. A sandy beach is very soft, you’ll feel very little shock from repeated impact, even running barefoot is relatively comfortable. But no one would argue that running in sand is easy.

The other thing that makes trail running different from road running is the number and frequency of hills and turns. Roads are mostly flat and straight. They are made this way because they are made for cars and cars operate well on flat, straight roads. But trails twist, rise, fall, and change direction without rhyme or reason. Or, they have a reason, but it is the reason of the forest animal who first created the trail. This movement of twisting and shifting, requires a more full-bodied running. Muscles in your side, back, and hips are all recruited to stabilize the upper body and arms. While running on trails will eventually create a more over-all fit runner, it is the second reason why running on trails is more difficult that running on the road.

So, attempting to run a 50K trail race without training on trails is asking for a world of hurt. I know this not only because it makes logical sense, but because it advised by any website that outlines “How to Run Your First Ultra.” If you’re going to run on trails, then train on trails. But what if you don’t live near trails? Well, for a long time I thought that the only trails near me were a flat, swampy course that I would need to loop multiple times to get a decent run.

But then, thanks to a tip (thanks, Joel) I found what I would consider the best kept trail secret in Western Michigan. It has only existed since 2005 and it is called the North Ottawa Dunes. The trailhead is only 7 minutes (by car) from my house. On Monday night I ran almost 7 miles without covering any section of the trail twice. Plus, these trails connect up with Hoffmaster State Park. I haven’t done the math, but I expect that I will be able to run for close to two hours without doing multiple loops. I can’t tell you how much fun it was to be out there. I can only show you. If you are at all interested in a run through the woods, let me know. Once I get my fanny pack, I’ll bring my camera and get some photos.

In other news, life took over and I have Classis responsibilities tonight. We are examining a Seminary student and I am administering the Senior Theology Exam. This means that I won’t be home tonight for my second 10 miler of the day. But I did 10 this morning before work. I could definitely feel the workout from the trails the previous night, but it was still fun to be out (this run was on the roads).

The Method

My training plan is not the most conventional plan. I pretty much made it up myself. The principles behind it are sound, but untested, in that I have never read or heard of anyone training exactly as I am.

Let me explain. This winter and spring I have done a tremendous amount of training for the Riverbank Run. I was running 5 or 6 days a week. I was out of the house and away from the wife and kids a lot of the time. But this race is different because my only goal is to finish, I don't care about my speed. This allows me to neglect speed training and focus on building my endurance. This is done through running long (15+ miles) at a stretch. Also I didn't want to be unavailable every day of the week, so with these two principles in mind, I developed (i.e. made up) what I'll call the Navis Method. It only required two days of running, though admittedly those two days are nothing to shake a stick at. It looks like this:

Sunday REST
Monday REST
Tuesday 10 miles in the morning
10 miles in the evening
Wednesday REST
Thursday Strength training (or REST)
Friday REST
Saturday progressing from 16-28 miles

The Tuesday runs will happen before the kids are up and after they are in bed, so really the only day I'll have to leave them will be on Saturday. Granted I'll be gone for 2-4 hours, but it will only be one day a week. I have already promised Caryn that once this race is over, she can sleep in every Saturday until the baby arrives.

Obviously, if anyone is interested in doing even part of a Saturday run with me, I would be more than willing to find a place and time that would work, especially if you know of a dirt trail system that isn't too far away.

-Adam

Distance is a Matter of Perspective...or is It?

For someone who does not run, just the thought of putting on a pair of running shoes and they'll break into a sweat. For the person who has built up to running 3-4 miles at a shot, the idea of going out and running 10 miles seems unreachable. The same thing can be said for someone who regularly logs 10-12 miles but wants to run a marathon. I experienced this the first time I built up to running a marathon. I could not imagine running that far. But as I slowly progressed up the running food chain from 5K to 10K, 25K and then to the marathon, I found that in the rearview mirror, each distance that I thought was long at one time, seemed shorter. But I just finished running 14.5 miles and even though this is only going to be a around half of the distance of the total race, it is still, empirically and forever, a long distance. Even if I ever ran a 100 mile race (yes, they do have 100 miles races), 14 miles will still be a long way to run. When I run for over two hours, when I arrive home, I feel good. I feel like I have really accomplished something.

For me, running is performance art. While it does not offer a social commentary and it is not political satire, what running does do is show me (for I am the primary audience of my own art) who I am. It serves as a mirror to my own psyche. When pain rises up in my legs, lungs, side, or head, just as it does it life, I am forced, nay, I am given the opportunity to practice my response to pain. Even thought it is hard to understand, running gives me more than it takes. It does not give in kind, but it gives in abundance. It is an art whose full appreciation requires some level of participation.

Enough waxing poetic. I'm trying to decide on how to carry my fluids and food. I have a Camelbak that will hold plenty of liquid, but it doesn't have much room for things like granola bars, nor is it easy to access on the run. So yes, I am considering a "runner's waist pack" (a.k.a a fanny pack). If I decide on one, I'll be sure to post some picture.

Why Try to Run 50K

In the fall of 2009, I got the idea that I wanted to run the 2010 Dances with Dirt, 50 mile race in Hell, MI. I would train through the winter, spring, and summer, then, in September of 2010 I would run the race. But with the wonderful discovery that we were going to be having another baby in late August, any idea I had of running a 50 mile race was killed. I would be able to get away for the race weekend, but because I would need to be doing runs of 4+ hours every weekend, I wouldn’t be much help to what would be a very pregnant wife and two-year old twins.

So for a little while I gave up on the idea of running an ultra-marathon. But I had originally talked to my Dad about running the race together and he kept my thoughts churning. We were both training for the 2010 Riverbank Run and that kept us focused through the winter. I think that once I worked through my disappointment with not running the September race, I was able to starting looking around for another race. I looked in Michigan, but also in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and may have even consider Missouri. Nothing seemed to work out. I needed time to train for 50 miles and there just aren’t a lot of races in early August that were close enough. But then I decided that maybe I could still do a trail marathon and that opened up some more options. Ironically, my Dad and I ended up choosing another Dances with Dirt race (they do a series of four). This one around Devil’s Lake, in Baraboo WI.

It wasn’t too far. I had time to train for the distance and we would be able to visit my Grandma in Madison after the race. On the day I was going to commit I emailed my Dad and said, “I’m in. Let’s do the trail marathon in WI.” He wrote back saying, “Ok. I’m in too. You want to do the marathon? Ok. I was thinking about the 50K. I was thinking that if were going to run 26.2 miles, we might as well run 31 miles.” I had not even been thinking about the 50K as an option. But once I did, there was only one choice, and it was to run the Devil’s Lake 50K.

But why?

Part of the reason I want to do something like this is to have one last crazy hoorah before a new baby comes. If you try to do serious training while you are sleep deprived, adjusting to a new schedule, and reminding yourself of the specific needs of an infant, you’re asking for either injury or accident. It took me a long time to feel normal after the twins were born. Part of the reason for this was because I wasn’t running. Even with amazing support from my wife, it took me a long time to find my groove again. I know that it will be different this time, but I am trying to prepare for the worst. And if the worst turns out to be me “only” getting to run a couple of times a week, and “only” four or five miles at a shot, I will consider it a success. It took a lot of work to get where I am. I am in the best running shape of my life right now. And I want to celebrate that before my energy and focus shift onto meeting the needs of the new baby and helping the twins adjust to life with a little sister.

But that is for later. Now I am going to run. My goal for the race is simply to finish. If I have a secondary goal, it would be to finish in under seven hours. But also, to train in a way that leaves me time for family, friends, housework, reading, and all the other aspects of life. I recognize that it is completely crazy to run 31 miles over hills, across rocks, through creeks, and around trees. However, to me that is the exact point. Once in awhile it is important to do something so ridiculous, so beyond normal, that if you fail, you throw up your hands and say, "Well, of course, it was wild to try in the first place!" But if you succeed...well, we'll get to that when the time comes.

I’ll write more about my training schedule as things unfold. The reason I am starting this blog is to let everyone know what I’m doing, to make it more real, to keep me accountable to train. I’ll add pictures and videos and whatever other thoughts come to me. And of course, if anyone wants to run a 50K on July 10 in Wisconsin, just let me know, registration is still open.