Hung up on hangovers?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

The weekend started brilliantly. I woke up on Saturday morning, refreshed and excited to see sunlight coming through my bedroom window. Within minutes, I threw on my running tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and grabbed my tunes as I ran out the door, not sure where I was heading but looking forward to getting there. My feet took me to the river right near my house and I headed out along the path towards open water. I’ve run along this route a number of times before, but this morning, everything looked and felt a bit different. Brighter. Lighter. Easier. I’ve dropped a bit of weight over the past few weeks, but the lightness in my step went further than shedding just a few pounds.  I found myself running along the beach in Brightlingsea, facing open water and losing track of time. Quite simply, it was a perfect morning. (Folgers in your cup theme song anyone?).

One of the landmarks on my morning run!

I headed down to London to catch up with some friends at a pub to watch the rugby game, feeling rather pleased with myself. Ah yes, pinnacle of healthy goodness. Er, fast forward a few (quite a few) hours, and I was giddily twirling around at a house party with a glass of champagne in one hand and mini burgers dipped in hummus in the other. With a side of brownies and a dash of Bryan Adams karaoke. Oh dear. Of course, as a non-red meat eater, I had blocked out the beef incident, but reliable sources reminded me of my carnivore tendencies this morning. At some point during the evening’s festivities, I even managed to break the heel off my boot dancing, which I’m hoping doesn’t divulge too much about my technique.

Anyway, this morning when I opened my eyes – or rather when I tentatively opened one eye – I instantly knew my planned run along the Thames with a buddy was in serious jeopardy.  I was faced with that ultimate hangover question: will exercise make me feel better or just a whole lot worse??

One school of thought says that when you’re hit with a hangover, you should just go “sweat it out”. As tough as it is initially, once you get a good workout in, you’ll feel better. Rid your body of the leftover alcohol and toxins and reset the clock. The other (perhaps more sensible) school of thought says that exercising will only make you feel worse. When you’re hungover and dehydrated, exercising will just exacerbate those feelings and set you back.

Which one is right?

Well, it looks either might be. The evidence really isn’t clear on this one, it seems. For me, I find that a workout really helps me get my equilibrium back. I don’t know what the science is behind it (and haven’t been able to find a good explanation), but getting the blood pumping again and stretching the legs after a good night out always seems to help clear out the cobwebs…

Well, almost always. There are those rare mornings when I just know that a run is better dreamed about instead of doing. It hasn’t happened in a very long time (the more serious tasks of completing my LLM program has prevented an abundance of burger-eating-champagne-twirling 90s karaoke blow outs)… but this morning was one of those occasions. Luckily, my running buddy was in a similar state (whew). Generally speaking – and this is probably a good rule to go by – if you can’t get up and walk around without feeling like your brains have been replaced by cotton balls, running is not a good idea. Not only are you too dehydrated, but you might still be a little drunk (!), and those things in combination could make for a nasty fall. And an even worse afternoon.

However, if you’re on the edge and think you might benefit from a little jog, here’s some kind advice!

Getting hung up over hangover? Take these tips!

(1) Drink some water. Then drink some more.

As soon as you wake up, drink 8 ounces of water. At least. Better yet, before you go out at night, put a glass of water by your bed ahead of time. You’re unlikely to remember to do that later and it will save you multiple headaches in the morning! A big part of the hangover is simply dehydration, so try to get some liquid back in you before you go exercise. And bring some with you on the run, even if it is just a short one. Keep sipping!

(2) Have a cup of tea or coffee — but only if that is part of your normal routine.

If you normally get up and have some caffeine, don’t skip it on a hangover morning or you could get a caffeine withdrawal headache on top of everything else!

(3) Stretch

See how you feel stretching. Before a run, you should be doing dynamic stretches, rather than static ones. For example, a classic quad stretch is when you bend your leg and holding onto your foot behind you close to your butt. This is a static stretch. Conversely, a dynamic quad (and hamstring) stretch involves swinging your leg out in front and then behind you (kicking your foot up towards the butt at the end), multiple times, to warm up the muscles. If you can’t get through these moves, you won’t be able to get through the run!

(4) Take a pain reliever

Advil, ibuprofen, tylenol (acetaminophen)… But be careful which one you take. Some pain meds are metabolized through the liver, such as acetaminophen / paracetamol. Your liver will already be pretty tired from last night’s alcohol damage, so you might want to think about taking a different kind. Other meds are metabolized through the kidney and might be more gentle on a hungover body. At the same time, some drugs are harsh on the stomach (such as advil), so make sure that whatever pill you take you have a bit of food! If you’re adverse to pain killers, I question whether you are really an ultrarunner… ;) (And I’m impressed)

(5) Food

We tend to crave fatty, greasy foods for our hangover breakfasts, but this is really not advisable before a run. You will definitely need to get in some calories, but take it easy on your body first thing. Have a bowl of cereal or some toast with honey. Bananas are good as well. Give yourself enough to give you some energy on the run, but save the greasy fry up for when you get back!

(6) Be reasonable!

Don’t go out for too long, no matter how much you’d like to. You’re hurting, your body is somewhat bruised, so be good to it!  In that stressed state, your heart rate will be higher and you might strain yourself more than you realize. If I’m tired or even slightly hungover, my polar watch will usually show that my heartbeat is about 10 beats higher than normal, which can make a big difference. That might mean you should run a little slower or for less time than usual in order to compensate.

(7) Give yourself a treat

Plan to reward yourself with something when you get back and it’ll make it easier to step out of the door in the first place.

All this being said, this morning I failed the cotton ball test, stretch test, the stand up test, even the open-both-eyes-at-the-same-time test and alas, the run was postponed ;) But after a good cup of British tea, multiple glasses of water, a sausage sandwich and a few chuckles about the prior night’s festivities, and I was almost in one piece again. Wish I could say the same for my dancing boots…

Will make up for the weekend’s indulgence on the step machine tomorrow! What can I say. Sometimes you just need to kick up your heels and, perhaps, break one off.

Alex Flynn’s interview still to come – the guy is a busy man, but can’t wait to introduce him to you!

See this CNN article for some of the hangover remedies mentioned in this post.

-Ultrarunnergirl aka Stephanie Case

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.), Nutrition | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Riding the runner’s highs and braving the lows

Posted on March 10, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

We’ve all heard about the  “runner’s high” and for most of us runners, we’ve experienced them in one way or another. Some actually describe the “runner’s high” as a sense of calm that washes over them for extended period of time, while others (like me) experience them as brief, intense moments of pure euphoria. Oh yes, if you ever see me during a runner’s high moment, you should definitely run the other way! It’s a when-Harry-met-Sally moment of extreme bliss when I no longer feel pain, there is peace in the middle east, and techni-colour rainbows spontaneously appear out of the sky. Leprechauns and pots of gold and all. Okay, but seriously, in those moments, I feel connected to the people around me, the loved ones in my life, and I’m infinitely positive about the future. I’m Claudia Schiffer on the runway circa 1990, Barack Obama on the day he was elected President, Gaddafi from last week (er, delusional in his confident belief that everyone loves him. Okay maybe that one was a stretch, but you get my point).

For the skeptics out there, the runner’s high has actually been scientifically proven. A few years ago, German researchers conducted a study that measured the level of endorphins in runners’ brains before and after a two-hour run. The data shows that not only was the brain flooded with endorphins (the feel-good neurotransmitters) during a run, but that they were attaching themselves in particular to the areas associated with emotions – the limbic and prefrontal areas, which are apparently the same regions of the brain that become active in romantic love affairs (!) (see this New York Times article for an overview). That explains the rainbows, perhaps.

But what about the flip side? What about the runner’s lows? We don’t talk much about these dark moments, but they do exist. Maybe we don’t talk about the runner’s lows because we just accept they are inevitable. Unlike the runner’s high, the runner’s low makes sense. Of course you’re going to feel down at some point during a run when everything is hurting and the finish line is nowhere in sight… right? But here I’m talking about the real lows. Those black moments you’d rather forget.

Experienced runners are able to deal with the lows in stride. We know they come, but we also remember they go. The problem is reminding yourself of that when they hit and figuring out how to get yourself through them.

I’ve been going through a rough time the past couple of weeks – let’s call it a “life low” – and someone I met during RacingThePlanet Australia reached out to provide an ear and some worthy advice.  (As you may know, I am partial to nicknames and so this individual will be called 007 for his spy-like qualities of observation.) Although we didn’t talk much during the race, our tents were beside each other and so we got to know a bit about how each other ‘worked’ under difficult conditions.  Apparently, one moment that stuck out in his mind was on the day after the long 80km stage when we were all resting in our tents. At this point, the race was practically over. All we had left to do was a measly 5 or 10 km the next day. I had second place in the bag and was incredibly happy with how the race had gone.  In fact, the entire race I had been over the moon. Happy to talk to people, learn from others, experience the Australian outback, laugh at my injuries… the works!  Poster child for GI Jane confidence. So on that last day before the finish, I should have been at my happiest… But all of a sudden I got hit with this wave of immense sadness. It is hard to describe, but I just got overtaken by emotion. Maybe it was the struggle of the week catching up to me or maybe it was a combination of hunger and exhaustion… who knows. I kept trying to fight it and put on a brave face (what on earth did I have to be upset about??), but at some point, it became too much.

I warned my the others in my tent that I was going to have a pity party, but not to worry, I just needed to do it and it would only last five minutes. And I did it. I laid back on the plastic floor of the tent, bugs crawling over my legs and gnawing hunger in my stomach, and allowed the sweat to roll down my face along with my tears… I was embarrassed (tough girls don’t cry!!!), but I knew I had to just get it out.  I had been in control the whole race, but, as 007 reminded me, no one can be all the time. He observed that as soon as I just went with my emotions, I was much more relaxed afterwards… and that can’t be a bad thing.

I suppose the trick to getting through these runner’s lows is to allow them to happen. Go with it, but know that they will end. I’m not saying you should let all hell break loose. By all means, do not get comfortable down there! But it doesn’t hurt to give yourself a break and let go of control every once in a while. Sometimes fighting against things isn’t the answer. Let the low come, experience it, and then move on. It might be five minutes, it might be an hour… or maybe even a whole day during a multi-day race. But it will end. And it’ll make the next runner’s high simply delicious.

As I’m climbing out of this “life low”, it helps to be reminded of these lessons from running. And on that note, I’m off for a run in the hopes of getting a runner’s high. Lots of good things on the horizon!

Product reviews still to come, but up next is an amaaaaazing interview with a guy who is breaking all boundaries. Alex Flynn of 10 Million Metres to follow… Stay tuned!

-Ultra Runner Girl aka Stephanie Case

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.) | 2 Comments »

Moonlight Challenge (50km) Race Report

Posted on February 23, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

BOOYAH!! Ultrarunnergirl is legitimately an ULTRA-runner-girl once more!!!
Our golden shoe trophies!

Our Golden Shoe Trophies!

This past Saturday, after months of DNS / DNF races, I finally started (and finished!) my first post-foot surgery race. And my first race with Speedy. The two of us headed out to the Kent countryside to participate in the “Moonlight Challenge” 50km night race (on a loop course), organized by the Challenge Hub. When I signed up for the race, I pictured silently running through farmers’ fields under the soft glow of yellow moonlight, listening to nothing but the sound of my breath and the crunch of the grass underneath my feet.  As Speedy and I drove towards Kent on the day of the race, however, I was forced to face the facts that the only moon I would be seeing that night would be from another runner’s mid-race bathroom break in the bushes. The rain was pouring down with no end in sight. Why did I think this would be a good idea??
My reluctance to start the race was strengthened when we got to the start line and registered. Speedy and I arrived at 5pm, about an hour before the race started, so we had time to order some food at the pub aka race headquarters. There was an open, wood-burning fireplace and warm tea served with mint chocolates… Who would want to leave that kind of comfort for the muddy hell that awaited out in the fields??  My mind raced to think of exit strategies. In a classic move of pure klutziness, I had fallen walking up some stairs about a week before (there may have been wine involved) and had bashed the heck out of my knee. Surely I could use that as an excuse?
Alas, I knew that I would never be able to back out and actually, deep down, I had to admit I really  was craving the muddy madness. The rain and mud would take the pressure off and any miles I completed, at whatever speed I managed, would be a bonus. Yup, it was time to suck it up and go for it. Also, I saw how nervous and jumpy Speedy was getting before the race and it made me realize how important it was for him. Sure, it was a tiny race – not even a race, a “challenge” – but he hadn’t properly raced in quite a while either and it was something we had both been missing. Badly. I wanted to run the race for me, but I REALLY wanted to run the race for us. Running is how we met and yet we hadn’t had the chance to race together… Rain or no rain, we were going to give this a shot!
What follows is our separate perspectives on the race – the gear we used, the training we did, our nutrition, what we were thinking during the race – so that you can have both the male and female accounts of the full 50 km. With the risk of ruining the punch line, I can’t help but mention that Speedy and I ended up taking the 1st place male and female titles respectively!!! (Speedy would like to mention that 1st place male is 1st place overall…not that he is competitive….)
Summary of Race Gear:

Speedy Ultrarunnergirl
Shoes Adidas adiSTAR Raven Mizuno Wave Elixir
Hydration system GoLite (with 2L water bag and waist pockets) GoLIte (with 2L water bag, and no waist pockets)
Socks Bridgedale Merino Wool run sock Orca compression socks
Tights Orca Killa Kompression Full tight Orca Merino Full tight (men’s version… I stole them from Speedy)
Base layer Orca High Neck Merino Wool Baselayer Orca Merino Fusion Athletic L/S shirt
Outer layer Orca Velo Merino Full Zip Jacket Stolen Orca Merino half zip L/S shirt (again from Speedy)
Second layer Are you crazy? It wasn’t that cold! Fleece vest leftover from UTMB!

What was your mentality going into the race?

Speedy: It was my first race since October so I was getting pretty antsy about the whole thing. I knew it was going to be a shock to the system cause I hadn’t run the distance in a long time, so my focus was just to run within myself and not overdo the pace.

Ultrarunnergirl: I was actually trying not to think about it, which is abnormal for me. Given my past track record of having to drop out of races due to injury, I just didn’t allow myself to get too excited about it. I was definitely excited to race again, but I think I was mostly apprehensive. I just wanted to get at least a race start under my belt again, so I tried not to worry about how the race would go from there. As long as I started, it would be a step in the right direction.

How did you train for the race? What was your preparation?

Speedy: Shamefully most training was done in the gym, with maybe one/two runs per week outside in the month leading up to the race. Don’t follow my lead. Can I blame work?

Ultrarunnergirl: I tried to be smart about my training. My main goal was not to injure something, so I didn’t push myself too hard. Four weeks before the race I dragged Speedy out for a 30 km run and two weeks before I finished 36 km, but that was my limit. For me, proper training is crucial not only in terms of physical preparation, but also mental preparation. I like to be able to stand on the start line of a race thinking that I had done everything I needed to do in order to get ready. Honestly, I don’t know how Speedy does it. He barely trains and just rocks up at a race… and wins. Blindfolded. Hungover. With smoke in his lungs. Okay, it isn’t always that bad, but seriously, the guy is pretty much invincible. *said with an equal mixture of wistful admiration and annoying bewilderment*

What was your strategy going into the race? Did you have any particular tactics?

Speedy: Ha! I kept joking about having strategy, but really I had no idea how my body would respond. When the gun (err…fireworks) went off I decided to run up next to the leaders to test out the general pace. I was lucky to find my natural speed a bit faster than the group, so I started to pull away. From there the strategy was just to keep the feet moving, and make sure I went as hard as I could within my limits. [Note from ultrarunnergirl: Speedy is being humble here. His strategy before the race was to sit behind the leader for the first lap and then pull ahead. He was just too fast from the start, so he threw his strategy out the window after about 5 minutes.]

Ultrarunnergirl: Nope. Nada. While I make sure to set some race goals, I rarely have a ‘strategy’ in terms of the other runners. I know that everyone else will generally start off too fast and then slow down, so all I tell myself is to concentrate on my own run and if I feel like I’m too far behind, I simply remind myself that I’ll catch up on the later laps.

What was your pre-race and race nutrition like?

Speedy: I’m a massive advocate of pre-race over the top hydration. For the week prior to the race I filled myself to the brim with a really dilute combination of Nuun + water. The excessive number of bathroom breaks is a downside, but it really works. I also make sure to take regular calcium/Magnesium tablets as well as multivitamins. Flax seed is also a beauty when you remember to take it regularly. Food-wise I do everything you shouldn’t do. I even had a burger at the pub an hour before race start, it was a questionable decision and I’m not sure if it helped, but it was certainly tasty.

Ultrarunnergirl: I didn’t do anything in particular before the race, except up my rice intake (see my previous blog post on gluten-free diets). During the race, I drank Accelerade from my pack, but also stopped at the water stations starting from the second lap so that I wouldn’t have to refill my pack. I add a package of biscuits every time I finished a loop (courtesy of the race organizers), which was about once an hour, and ate potato chips every hour on the half hour to make sure I was getting enough salt intake. I also took a caffeine gel (Gu, chocolate flavour) at the start of the fifth hour to give myself an extra boost. Even though it was at night and cold, I was still sweating quite a bit, so I constantly reminded myself to keep hydrating and eating – especially the chips. I mean crisps. Wow, that could have caused some confusion amongst my british readers…

Best moment during the race?

Speedy: Probably a close tie between finishing in one piece, and crossing paths with Steph on the 3rdtime round the course. For a girl with dodgy toe, and seriously bruised knee I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happier!

Ultrarunnergirl: Seeing Chuck – I mean Speedy – on our third lap. I had been thinking about him the whole time and cheering him on mentally, but to see him so far ahead in the race was awesome. With that one salty, muddy, mid-race kiss, I was pretty re-energized to finish the next few laps! [was that over the top? aww]

Worst moment?

Speedy: I did give a driver the finger and tell him to $%&# himself on the home stretch of the last lap, so that was probably unnecessary (despite the boy racer speeding head on into a running race). [Note admonishment from ultrarunnergirl...tsk tsk]

Ultrarunnergirl: Truthfully, I’m not sure I had one! I had some spectacular wipe-outs during the race, but they were hilariously fun. I’m talking arms flailing over my head, a$$ up, mud down the pants falls.

What expectations did you have for yourself?

Speedy: I joked that my goal was to run my fastest lap on the last time round the circuit, but I’m fairly certain I failed miserably on that one. Other than that my goal was to maintain a pace within my limits and give myself some confidence to get off the lazy/erratic-training bandwagon and keep pushing forward to future races.

Ultrarunnergirl: Finish. Finish. Did I mention finish? And be happy for Speedy even if I didn’t finish. But ultimately, finish.

Did you have any expectations for the other person?

Speedy: I was really hoping that Steph would just get through with a smile on her face. With the drunken knee damage from the previous weekend the odds weren’t looking too great, so when I saw her buzzing along on the 3rd lap it was a special sight. She definitely exceeded any expectations, and I’m pretty sure she ran her last lap faster than I did (remind me never to run against her in a 100km race).

Ultrarunnergirl: Ah, I knew he’d finish in first place… it was hard not to boast about him too much before the start. Sometimes it is tough dating a real-life Rocky. (HAHAH, sorry Speedy, I had to throw that one in there.)

Did you hit a wall at any point?

Speedy: If you asked me what my ideal race was, I’d say 30km with massive climbs and long uber-technical descents. Given that this race was a dead flat and seriously muddy 50km, I wasn’t exactly in a comfort zone. In simple terms, I’d say:

1st Lap wasn’t so bad

2nd lap: oh look I’m getting a lead

3rd lap: do I deserve a little break yet

4th lap: holy crap my quads are feeling heavy

5th lap: seriously, I have another lap?? Damn, I swear I counted five?! Oh man this is gonna suck!

Ultrarunnergirl: I really just had a blast through the whole thing. I know that is annoying, but it was super fun. I finished my first lap in an hour, second in 1:02, third in 1:02, fourth in 1:06, and last lap in 1:05, so I was pretty evenly consistent. The last lap was the best because that was when most of the other runners were slowing down (including Speedy…wahahah) and I just kept trucking along. It feels good to get to that point :D

What kept you going through the low moments of the race?

Speedy: The lowest moment was definitely the entire last lap. I’m ridiculously competitive, so the idea of losing my lead was probably the single biggest factor in keeping going. I also broke the course down into 4 clear “stages” (road, mud, road, mud/homestretch) and gave myself 20secs speed-walk rest at the end of each “stage”.

Ultrarunnergirl: Beyonce?

How did you find the night running aspect?

Speedy: On the first lap it was more like being at a roller disco than a night run cause I had the pace car right in front of me with a seizure inducing rotating light. I was mentally threatening quitting if the car was sticking around for the whole race, but fortunately (or unfortunately) he pulled off after the first lap.. Other than that night running is amazing because you can really get into your own little world. I’d say it’s harder to judge pace, but for me it’s definitely easier to stay focused, and not get caught up in what others are doing.

Ultrarunnergirl: I really like running in the dark. It is easier to concentrate on your own race and get into the zone. It also makes the races seem calmer to me for some reason. However, it can definitely slow you down because you have to be more careful about your footing.

How did you find the competition?

Speedy: There seemed to be a nice mix of experienced ultra runners and first-timers. It was a pretty chilled out atmosphere and most people seemed more focused on their own challenge than anything else (although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do a little bit of pre-race scoping out of the competition).

Ultrarunnergirl: Everyone was super friendly and I really wasn’t meaning to compete, so I didn’t really think about it!

Would you do it again?

Speedy: I would definitely do another race organized by Challenge Hub, although you’ll have to ask me later about doing the figure 8 route again.. It was really well organized all the safety and logistical issues were perfectly thought out. I would definitely recommend anyone to take part. I know Mike and team are organizing a 3 day self-supported A to B Ultra in Kent later in the year, so I might look at joining in for that one. The best thing about the race is that it was relatively low key and had a good community feel to it. The only pressure at the race was what people decided to put on themselves. Like we always hear “It’s a challenge, not a race”.

Ultrarunnergirl: Definitely. Mike, the race organizer, really made the race a lot of fun.

Happily at the finish

Final comments:

Speedy: Apologies to the very nice lady in the pink jacket who was doing her first ultra marathon. I didn’t mean to spill my entire hydra-bag full of water on you right before the race started! If you finished the race as wet and messy as I did, I’m guessing you got over it pretty quickly, but apologies either way. My bad!

Ultrarunnergirl: Can’t wait for the next race with Speedy. Hopefully something longer than 50km so I can give him a run for his money :D

Click here for the Run247 report.

-Ultrarunnergirl aka Stephanie Case

Filed under: Race Reports | Tagged: , | 13 Comments »

Top Ten Tips for Surviving a Trade Show

Posted on February 13, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

I must admit, I love sports-related trade shows.  They are the debutant balls of the sports industry when every brand, store, and entrepreneur puts their best and brightest on display in an attempt to catch your eye. You can float down each and every aisle, lingering over the stands that sparkle and twirling quickly passed the ones that bore, trying sample products to your heart’s content. Every vendor has a something different to offer as one of your potential ‘suitors’, and they are all eager for a space on your dance (aka credit) card.

Whenever I go to one of these things, I can’t help but get carried away in the magic, filling up my dance (credit) card perhaps more quickly than I should have.  When all is said and done and I am walking away from the expo laden with bags of gear, the magic starts to wear off.  Suddenly those bright green compression socks seem a bit, er, loud. The year’s supply of pina-colada-flavoured protein powder doesn’t seem as appetizing. And those biodegradable elbow warmers… I mean really? As the doubt starts to sink in, I feel a little like a uni-slippered Cinderella standing in front of her pumpkin of a carriage, wondering if I should have skipped that dance with Prince Charming and whisked myself home before things got really out of hand.

So what is the deal with expos anyway? Do they really offer good deals or is it all just a gimmick? Do the vendors really bring the “best and the brightest” that they have to offer or is it mainly last year’s stock they are trying to get rid of in a hurry? Are they worth it?

Me and Speedy at the Orca Stand!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work for Orca at the TCR (triathlon, cycling, running) show at Sandown Park outside of London. It was the first time I had been on the vendor side of things at an expo, rather than as a customer, and it really gave me some insight into how these things work. As this particular show boasts the title of the “UK’s No 1 multi-sport exhibition”, I thought it would give me a good chance to talk to some other retailers and find out the real story. Based on what I saw, heard and learned from other vendor’s and customers alike, here are ultrarunnergirl’s top ten tips for successfully surviving a trade show as a customer:

(10) Make a list ahead of time

Have you ever gone to the grocery store to pick up, say, frozen chicken breasts, toilet paper and a pint of milk and come back with cheerios, apples and dish detergent? It is pretty easy to get distracted by all the flashing lights and shiny objects inside, so if there is something specific you fancy, write it down on a list and tick it off as you go along.

(9) Sketch out a general budget… but leave some wiggle room for treats.

Give yourself a maximum budget, but in two categories: (1) the essential category (shoes, wetsuit, socks etc… the boring stuff you’d buy some other time anyway) and then the ‘treat’ category (for things like biodegradable elbow warmers… if that floats your boat). You are virtually guaranteed to find something that you absolutely love – or something that at least intrigues you enough to want to buy – that you hadn’t expected. This is what the real essence of expos are about anyway: finding out all about the the next ‘new’ thing.

(8) Pick the right time to go

If there is a particular item you think you might want, go on the first day a couple hours after opening. There is really no need to be there right when it opens and you will just end up standing in line anyway. Nothing will sell out in the first couple of hours (unless the vendor really messed something up). After the initial morning rush, the vendors will be into the swing of things and any glitches will be sorted out, so it is a perfect time to swoop in and buy that doohickey you’ve been waiting for.

However, if you just want to check things out and are looking to score a deal, I would suggest heading over at the end of the expo, a couple hours before closing. Sure, there might not be as many colour or size options left, but vendors will want to reach whatever sales target they’ve set for themselves for the event, which might make them more willing to quietly slash the prices a little more during the final hours. You never know. Smaller retailers or individual entrepreneurs may be more willing to do this in order to get more exposure whereas bigger retailers will probably stick to their price. That being said, it never hurts to try a little side deal bargaining. Worse thing they will do is say no!

(7) Bring a sturdy backpack

Otherwise you’ll end up buying one to carry all the other stuff you pick up, freebies and purchases alike.

(6) Go on a scoping mission

Do one full ‘sweep’ of the venue first before buying anything. Sometimes the same products are on offer at multiple stands, and there may be a better offer/size/colour/style from a vendor at the back of the room as compared to the deal you see from a vendor who is placed right next to the door. It is good to get a sense of what is out there before laying down the plastic.

(5) To eat or not to eat…

If it is an expo before a race, don’t eat anything you haven’t tried before. When is the last time you said to yourself a night before a race, “y’know what? Now is the perfect time to try out that new chicken curry recipe…” (please say never). Any runner knows that a change in your normal diet can really spell disaster out on the race course. Same principle goes for free food samples at an expo. There are usually multiple brands of protein, fruit, and energy bars on offer, all with tiny samples out for the picking. Then you add on the energy drinks, protein shakes, gels… if you aren’t careful, you could easily try 20 news products that your stomach has never coped with before, all in the span of a couple of hours. Believe me when I tell you that it isn’t smart! (My stomach still hasn’t forgiven me for my pre-Boston marathon protein bar buffet).

However, if it is a stand-alone expo, not connected to any particular race – like the TCR show – eat and drink to your heart’s content. I’m all about the free samples.

(4) Talk to the vendors

Normally, I like going into a store and being left alone until I ask a question or specifically seek a salesperson’s assistance. Trade shows are different. Get over it and get used to being bothered and bothering. Vendors are usually really excited to show your their stuff and especially with the more independent/smaller retailers, you can often get an interesting ‘back story’ on what went into their products. Vendors are an important – albeit biased – source of information, so stop being skeptical and use them!

(3) Test things out!

Often at these types of shows, vendors will bring ‘demos’ of certain products to allow you to test things out before buying. You may not get this opportunity in store and you definitely won’t get the chance online, so take advantage! For instance, at the TCR show this weekend Orca had its entire range of wetsuits in every size out for people to try on. These days, most stores charge a fitting fee of up to 20 pounds to try out a suit in order to prevent the cheeky cheapskates who try things on in store and then run out to buy them online. However, at the show, it was free to try on ANY of the suits, free of obligation, and yet some interested customers still didn’t bother. I can’t figure this one out! There was even a tank there to try out some of the suits in the water. No brainer to me.

(2) Know a deal when you see one

At the TCR show, there were some serious deals to be had. While I can’t say for certain, I assume that other expos would be similar. I had always wondered whether vendors jacked prices up for the shows so that they could falsely claim “20% OFF!” and still keep their margins (such a skeptic I am…). This simply wasn’t the case. The deals I saw on products at the show were genuinely much better than normal, generally ranging from 10% to 30% off (some higher). And we’re not talking about last year’s stock – we’re talking about the new stuff!  Plus, what I didn’t realize is that retailers are not only eager to impress you, they are also just as eager to impress their competitors. There’s a lot of ego going on under one expo roof and fortunately for us consumers, it ends up working to our advantage.

(1) Don’t leave empty handed

Take the free samples, take the flyers, take the promotions, and buy at least one new thing you can have fun testing out. Go on – you’ll feel better :D

 

Enjoying some Nuun with the dynamic duo behind the product!

 

Coming soon: Product Reviews!!!

Working the show this weekend allowed me the opportunity to chat with the people who are behind some of my favourite brands, such as Nuun, Accelerade, Muscle Milk, Gu, Clif Bar… And I also got to check out some brands I’d never heard of before, like Somnio (customizable shoes!), Balega (a top-selling American running sock brand that recently came to the UK) and a few other unique products. Over the next little while, I’ll be testing out and reviewing some of these products so that I can pass this information on to you. If there is a particular product you’ve been interested in, comment on this blog and let me know!

 

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.) | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Stubbornness: friend or foe?

Posted on February 8, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

Less than two weeks to go…

until my first post-foot surgery race and no major setbacks yet! (I’m picturing the gods of irony dropping a giant anvil on my head as I write this…nothing yet, but I’ll let you know). Training hasn’t been stellar, but it has been steady, and right now that is the aim of the game. My foot still hurts quite a bit as I run – right where the sesamoid bone was removed – but so long as the pain doesn’t increase too much, I am running through it. Inevitably, I still hit a point at which I have to stop, which is an endless source of frustration. This past weekend, I made it up to 36 km before I threw in the towel. Was I disappointed I didn’t make it to 42 km as planned? Yeah. More than I’d like to admit. But to be honest, I think I’m more proud of the fact that I stopped, rather than continued hobbling along (as I’ve been prone to do in the past). I mean come on, it was only 6 km. Why should the fact that I stopped short of a self-imposed goal take away from the 36 km I had actually managed to do?

Contemplating life… Okay, I was actually just thinking about how to get the chocolate bar out of my backpack without undoing the straps.

As I’ve mentioned previously on this blog, since this (damn) foot surgery, I’ve really been trying to take a new approach to my running. Ease up on myself. Listen more to body, set realistic goals, and try to enjoy the act of running itself, regardless of distance, speed, or competition. Problem is that this is much easier to say than do.

You see, I am cursed with the stubborn gene. Always have been and always will be. It is part of my DNA. Part of what makes me, me, for better or worse. My mom always used to say that I was like a dog with a bone: when I sink my teeth into something, I don’t really let go until I’ve finished, even if it is past the point at which I logically should have stopped. I don’t even realize it anymore, but I take this approach to everything I do. Hell, it is what got me through law school, through my first mission to Africa, through my last mission in the middle east, through my time (albeit brief) at a corporate law firm in New York… It has gotten me into countries without passports or visas, onto sold-out planes during snow storms, and it has definitely been THE one aspect of my personality that has gotten me through my races. How do I really learn to change that? How do I learn to turn off that voice in my head that says tells me to keep going no matter what? And if I do get rid of that part of my personality, what is left??

We’re surrounded by messages that rewards stubbornness – at least in sports. Think about it. Thanks to Nike, sayings such as “second place is the first loser” and “impossible is nothing” have become part of our psyche. We celebrate the stories of people who surpass all odds and continue in the face of adversity even when all signs point in the other direction. For goodness sake, a blockbuster movie has been made about a guy cutting his own arm off during a climbing expedition!! And why the heck not? It is natural to idolize – and idealize – this never-give-up spirit and we relish in the stories of triumph. The problem is that we never really pay attention to the other side. The down side to stubbornness is that it isn’t always the best idea. We forget that sometimes it doesn’t pay off.  Ha, would Nike have made as much money off of t-shirts emblazoned with the words “know your limits… and stick to them” instead of “know your limits… and never accept them”? Would 127 hours have been produced if the climber had simply said, at hour 126, “y’know what? I should call it a day.” Obviously not.

We tend to use the word “stubbornness” to describe persistence when it doesn’t yield success, and “persistence” to describe stubbornness when it leads to victory. The former is negative and the latter is positive, but the only difference between the two is the outcome, which is often out of our control. So how do we know when to give up and when to keep going? How do we determine when giving up means being a wimp and when pushing through is heroic?  How do we know when to cut our arm – I mean losses – and determine whether that was actually a win?

As you might have guessed, I’ve been thinking about this one a lot. This whole running thing has really forced me to examine not only my mentality about running, but also my approach in life. Unless I find the answers to these questions, I ultimately know that I will revert back to my old ways and run myself into the ground. Truthfully, I still think I’d rather do that than take the “smart”, less ‘persistent’ approach that I’m used to. But I’m trying.

Stubbornness is seen as good in sport, but bad in life. But as I’ve said, it is often the same mentality that simply manifests itself in two different ways. I’m having trouble backing off in running because I don’t know how to back off in life. I am hard-wired to finish things to the end. Leave no stone unturned. Wear out my opponent. But what if the opponent is ultimately myself?

Before we dive too deep into the cobwebs of my psyche (which I’m pretty sure will have you running ultramarathons away from this blog), let me bring up something that I read off of a fellow ultrarunner’s blog. You see, I’m not the only one who has made this connection between one’s approach to running and one’s approach to life. In my opinion, they are very much intertwined, and this is reflected in Charlie Engle’s most recent blog post. Charlie Engle, for those of you who have not heard his name before, is a pretty famous/infamous American ultrarunner. He also happens to be a former drug addict. The dude has been through more adversity than one could imagine. To his credit, he turned his experience with addiction around and has since inspired runners across the US (and beyond). He, along with my coach and fabulous fellow Canadian ultrarunner, Ray Zahab, ran across the Sahara desert in 111 days to raise awareness of water issues in Africa. Don’t even try to tell me stubbornness didn’t come into play there. Watch the movie of his journey – Running the Sahara (itunes) – and you’ll know what I mean. However, you can clearly see where this mentality has gotten him into trouble. Unfortunately for Charlie, he was recently convicted of mortgage fraud, which apparently arose out of his efforts to fund his run across Africa. Within a matter of days he will be head to federal prison for 21 months of incarceration. After reading his last blog, I was really intrigued by what he had to say about this ‘stubborn’ quality that I’ve been describing, and its effect on the non-running aspects of life:

My initial reaction to almost any setback is to fight and battle against it as hard as I can. If I am in a race, this approach usually serves me well. If I am in a relationship, fighting tends to land me in quicksand and struggling just makes things worse.

I must admit, I can relate. My recent attempts to rid myself of my ‘running stubbornness’ has made my ‘life stubbornness’ more apparent, especially in my relationship with Speedy. The best way I can describe it is that stubbornness can act as a safety blanket of sorts in running and in life – and especially in relationships.  I don’t like to lose and I don’t like to admit my faults. I’d rather just ignore them or push on and see if I can make do in spite of them. How do I know when to compromise my goals? When to stick to my guns? When to try for that extra 6 km and when to stop and get that nice cold diet coke? (damn it tasted good…)  Stubbornness is simply a part of ME, and getting rid of in my running is going to have to involve getting rid of it in general or it simply won’t work.  But sometimes getting rid of stubbornness means recognizing our own vulnerabilities, and that isn’t an easy thing to do. Sometimes it means recognizing other priorities, other than the one that is staring you in the face, whether it be a particular finish line that you want to cross at all costs or, well, you can fill in your own relationship dilemma. To be frank (which I hear is the new ‘in’ thing these days with blogs), I’m not sure if Speedy will stick around to see if I can soften the steely side… or if he’ll like what is left if I give it up.  But for now, I’m going to focus on taming the inner stubborn beast for the next two weeks before this little race. Moderation, smart training, and a general toning down of, well, everything. Resist the urge to go out and hit that 40km mark that I missed on Saturday. I have to say, tonight, with this glass of wine and block of cheese, I’ve made a good start :)

Me and Speedy in Wales

See you next time, same bat time, same bat channel! (And less philosophizing… blame it on the wine).

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.), Training | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Training for a 100 miler (it is possible!)

Posted on January 12, 2011 by ultrarunnergirl

A few people have asked me about how to train for a 100 miler and my answer has always been “well…if I told you, then I’d have to kill you”. Just kidding! I love sharing training tips and strategies with people, so for what it’s worth, here’s my guide to training for a 100 mile race. Just remember, what works for me may not work for you, so make sure to listen to your body and be smart about it! (Yes, that was a feeble attempt at a legal disclaimer. You can take the runner out of the lawyer, but you can’t take the lawyer out of the…well, anyway).

Physical Training:

(1) Set a schedule.

This goes without saying, but give yourself enough time to train. When I trained up for my 100 miler, I really only had 6 weeks… but I was coming off of a 250 km multi-day race, so my base was pretty solid at that point (ah, those were the days). Anyway, be honest about where you are at and build a schedule you think you can work with. If you start training too early, you’ll get burnt out (and ultimately that turns into laziness). If you start too late, you’ll try to cram too much mileage in at the end and you’ll wind up either injured or completely spent. Not exactly ideal.

Your schedule should be firm enough to make sure you don’t wuss out on those long weekend runs when you get invited to the Hamptons/Cotswolds/cottage country, but flexible enough to take into account how your body is reacting to the training. Your training schedule should be like the spanx of ultrarunning. Enough structure to keep you where you’re at, but flexible enough to stretch if you’ve eaten too much over the holidays. (For my male readers who have no idea what I’m talking about when I say ‘spanx’, use google at your own risk. You may not want insight on this one.)

For instance, two weeks before the Vermont 100 miler, one of my best friends (Cat!) was coming to New York to visit me. As if I wanted to waste the entire day running. Instead, I woke up at an ungodly hour and started my 50 mile training run at 4am. She came to join me for the last three hours, and by noon we were done and ready to roll, just about the time that the other manhattanites were starting to surface for brunch. Awesome! If you give up too much for running, you’ll resent it, and if you don’t give up enough, you’ll feel unprepared. Find your own balance. If you need a day off, TAKE IT. But take it for the right reasons.

(2)  Set your priorities

Are you aiming for a particular time? Or do you just want to finish? Or maybe you just want to see how far you can go? It is really important to figure out ahead of time what you want to get out of your race. Your mentality going into the race will dictate your experience – truly. For me, my goal in my first 100 miler was just to finish. That was my ultimate goal. I thought it would be a bonus to “buckle” (which refers to the silver belt buckle runners receive in finishing 100 milers in under 24 hours), but if all else failed, I wanted to finish. This meant that when I set my schedule, I wasn’t too concerned about speed – I was concerned about time on my feet and getting the distance in. It also helped me keep my priorities straight on race day, but more about that later.

Make sure you tell your support crew what your priorities are too. If your goal is to just have fun, then they will know not to call you a complete wuss/failure/waste-of-space if you mention the idea of dropping out at mile 70 (which is, in all other cases, a totally legitimate motivation technique). If your goal is to finish, then your support crew won’t be as concerned with rushing you through checkpoints when you are looking rough (aka puking…just kidding). However, if your goal is to finish in a particular time or to buckle, well, your support crew will have to implement tough love and push you on your way even when all you want to do is curl up and take a nap at the rest station with a protein bar clutched in your clammy little hands.

With that in mind…

(3) My 100 mile schedule

100 miles is a crazy distance. No doubt about that. But it is doable! I’m going to give you my general schedule, but remember that there are tons of different models that work. This is just one…I was lucky enough to have Ray Zahab’s advice on this one, so it is worth a thought!

My schedule was not based on mileage, but rather time on my feet. This was partly due to the fact that I am generally injury-prone and that my goal was just to finish. If you think you fall into this category, set time goals rather than distance goals. That way you won’t get too stressed out if you’re running really slowly or if you need to take breaks. You won’t be pushing yourself to run faster than you should. You can just focus on quality running, at whatever speed that entails, and enjoying the run. The point is on getting the time on your feet. Distance goals are great if you are healthy, strong, and you want to finish the race in a certain amount of time. Whenever we set distance goals in training, we are motivated to finish it as quickly as possible, and this means that we push the pace – sometimes subconsciously.

During the week I would do short runs – max 10 or 15 km – and mostly interval training. Intervals really help increase speed for races, even 100 milers. This is what will set you above the pack. I would usually do a combination from mon-thurs of the following exercises:

  • 10 km tempo run
  • 7 min tempo, 3 min slow run, repeat for 1 hour
  • intervals for 45 min: pick your distance – could be 500 m on (aka fast), 500 m off (aka slow) for ten reps, and then 400 m at an even faster pace, 400 m off for 8 reps, 300 m …etc.
  • 5 km as quick as possible

You get the idea. Focus is on short, fast runs.

For a 100 mile race, you want ONE long run on the weekend. Multi-day races require back-to-back long runs on the weekend, but the bliss of single-stage races is that you only have to ruin one day/night of your weekend. I also chose to do mine on a Saturday so that I could go out Saturday night when it was done and act like a complete bum on Sunday guilt-free, but each to his or her own. Whatever day you do your long run, take the day before off (or do yoga or an easy 5 km) and take the day after off.

To recap: tempo/intervals on Monday to Thursday, Friday OFF, Saturday long run, Sunday OFF.

Now for the long runs. I usually set my peak weekend and then work backwards. Your ‘peak’ weekend is the weekend before your race when you will do your longest run, after which you will taper. Some people do a three week taper, some do a two week taper. I did a two week, but that was mainly due to timing constraints. Here’s what my weekend runs looked like for the five weeks preceeding the 100 miler:

5 weeks to race time: 2 hours of running (fast tempo)

4 weeks to race time: 4 hours of running (any pace)

3 weeks to race time: 7 hours of running (any pace)

2 weeks to race time: PEAK – 8 hours of running (any pace)

1 week to race time: 2 hours of running (easy pace)

Like I said, this as a particularly quick progression, but I had a really good base at the time so make sure you don’t increase your mileage too quickly!  And keep track of your overall weekly mileage. I always made sure my total mileage didn’t increase by more than 10% per week (commonly known as the 10% rule)… as your weekend long run increases, consider making your weekday runs shorter. In my longest run, which was 8 hours, I ran 51 miles. Unlike the marathon, where traditional advice suggests running around 75% of the total mileage on your peak run (30-35 km for a 42 km race), for a 100 miler this isn’t necessary. Running 75 miles in training would be crazy.

Last point on this part: I never did a night run, but if you’ve never run in the dark before then it might be helpful for you to test it out before the race. Running when you’re tired is one thing, but running when you’re tired and the shadows look like dancing leprechauns is another. Trust me. Try a night run with a head torch and hold a hand-held flashlight as well. The head torch shines at a steep angle downward and often obscures obstacles like roots or bumps in the trail. If you hold a hand-held light down lower as well, this will pick up shadows from bumpy obstacles. Just a suggestion!

Mental Training

Get used to being out there. For a long time. Don’t think of your training runs as being training. Just think of them as being opportunities to be outside and see stuff you wouldn’t normally get a chance to see by car. The trick is to make yourself forget that you are actually running. If you are always looking at your watch or at your mileage, you will hate yourself pretty quickly! Running – and running without injuries – is an incredible privilege and the ability to complete ultras is what I would call almost a miracle. Seriously. Think about it. Your mindset can completely change how your runs go.

It isn’t all rainbows and fluffy bunnies, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes the training really, really sucks. But keep in mind that in the race, it WILL be so much easier. There is a magic of race day that simply can’t be replicated at any other time. The crowds (which is defined as a gathering of more than two people in an ultra, ha), the excitement, the anticipation, the abundance of M&Ms…. don’t underestimate how far this can take you and how much of an effect it can have on your mental AND physical performance!

Boring Nitty-Gritties

Set a race plan – which should be tied to your goals (see above) – and stick to it. Try to estimate how long it will take you to get to each checkpoint and what you might like to have at that point. This will help your support crew or help you figure out what you might want in your drop bags. It will also give you an indication during the race as to whether you are ahead or behind schedule. Here are things to think about:

  • vaseline and/or some kind of body glide. Always a good idea. Actually, always an essential idea. I can distinctly remember running into one aid station around the 50 mile mark with a crazed look in my eyes yelling “VASELINE!!!!” to a bunch of startled volunteers. When one of them offered to apply it for me, I gently suggested I should do it myself. Yes, you will chafe in areas that no person should.
  • change of shirt. It will make you feel like a million bucks. I changed my shirt three times during my 100 miler and it was one of the best ideas. Ever.
  • baby wipes. The shower of champions. Keep them handy. Once the salt starts to crystallize on your forehead and get into your eyes, it is game over. You’ll be running 100 miles in the wrong direction.
  • treats.  A lot of 100 milers supply food, but nothing beats your favs. Make sure you have a variety handy – solid vs liquid, salty vs sweet, crunchy vs soft… you get the idea. It is kinda like being pregnant (or so I’ve heard). You don’t really know what you’ll want until you want it. So best to have it handy!

On Race Day

Talk to people, enjoy the experience, and remember – the race is the reward from all of your training! It is just one…long…day and then you have at least a couple weeks – if not a lifetime – of bragging rights. I usually go with a coffee, a protein bar and a banana on the morning of a race. The coffee helps wake me up and, cough, gets things moving if you know what I mean to avoid an embarrassing  forest stop during the first 5km. The protein bar fills me up and the potassium in the banana helps with muscle cramps. Then, the next most important thing is to KEEP FUELING. Even if you aren’t hungry, eat. If you aren’t thirsty, drink. Ya, ya, ya, it is technically possible to over-hydrate during a race…. but seriously has anyone heard of that ever happening?? I find it difficult to get down the amount of water that I know I need to, so I always remind myself to drink whenever I can.

Generally, I get my calories from 50% solids (food) and 50% liquids. Too many solids and you’ll have too much bulk bouncing around in your stomach. Not fun. Too many liquids and you’ll be stopping to paint the trails waaaay too much. Over 100 miles, this can add up to 30-60 minutes easily. Think about it! And seriously, without solids in your stomach for 100 miles, you won’t be able to make it. But again, whatever works for you.

The body cannot digest more than 250-300 calories an hour, so you will automatically be in a calorie deficit. But that’s okay. I try to get 150 calories through liquid and I divide my food up into 100-150 calorie packs. That takes the guessing game out of it. Every hour or hour and a half, I just take another packet of food and I know I’m meeting my target. I also don’t deny myself anything if I am craving it. Take the energy where you can!

Post-race

Tell everyone. Come on… whether you succeeded or whether you chalk your race up to an “almost success”, the fact is that you’ve attempted what 99.9% of the population thinks is impossible. I think this is one of the few situations where you can’t really be faulted for being too proud. You rock, you’ve got balls, and you DID succeed, whether you crossed the line or not. Remember, if you fail, that is a blessing. Failing means that you had the guts to push yourself beyond your limits. GO FOR IT!!!!

Suggestions, criticisms, and comments welcome! Happy running!

(P.S. With this blog post, we’ve reached over 10,000 hits on my blog! Thanks for the support everyone!)

Filed under: Practical Advice, Training | Tagged: , | 7 Comments »

Summing it all up

Posted on December 26, 2010 by ultrarunnergirl

Well peeps, what can I say… 2010 was a tough year in many ways (because of running), but also an extraordinary year in other ways (also because of running).

The tough parts:

  • suffering through injury (yet again) while training for RacingThePlanet Australia.
  • having my flight to Australia for the race cancelled because a volcano erupted in Iceland. (I mean, seriously??? Who could have predicted THAT one??)
  • finding out I needed to have foot surgery shortly after the race because of the chronic pain in my toe.
  • waking up from surgery and discovering I had one less bone in my foot than I did three hours prior.
  • still feeling pain when I walk and run six months after the operation.
  • having to drop out of four out of the five races I’ve signed up for this year due to injury.

The best parts:

  • having a fellow runner in London offer to drive me from London to Spain so that I could catch a flight to the Australia race after my flight from London got cancelled (yes, the pesky Volcano incident). He is now one of my dear friends and for that I will always be thankful!!
  • making it to Australia for the race after an epic journey of trains, cabs, planes and donkeys. Okay fine, I never used donkeys, but I definitely wasn’t above it. I mean, where do you draw the line after taking a taxi from Paris to Madrid??
  • helping my friend Mark, who I met in RacingThePlanet Vietnam, buy his engagement ring for my friend Jenna, who I aaaaalso met in the same race in Vietnam. Priceless. (Well, the experience I mean, not the ring. Unfortunately that one had a price.)
  • watching Mark and Jenna get married as their bridesmaid. Pretty unreal.
  • making new friends all over the world through this blog. Keep the comments and questions coming guys!
  • meeting Speedy.

A few of you have asked how I’ve been doing since my foot surgery… To be honest, I have avoided answering this question. On purpose. I tried getting back into it about three months after the surgery and even signed up for a race in October – the Atlantic Coast Challenge, which was a marathon a day for three days along the South-West coast of England. Alas, my hopes of getting back into the sport surpassed my ability and I had to pull out of the race right before the start. Arg. I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it, but I was… and maybe still am. As my cousin said the other night, how can I write an ultrarunning blog if I’m no longer ultrarunning??

Well, here’s my answer: even though I can’t run over 26.2 miles at the moment (heck, I couldn’t run 26.2 miles right now full-stop), I know I will again and that’s enough. My feet may not be running ultra-distances, but my mind and my heart are covering hundreds of miles a day in anticipation of a comeback. Ultrarunning is in my blood. It is part of my stubborn spirit and my refusal to give up. Despite the struggles, it has connected me to so many amazing people in my life and I wouldn’t give that up for the world. I will get better and I’ll bounce back. Does this sound like I’m trying to convince myself? Sure it does. But who cares.

Next year will be my fourth year as an “ultrarunner”. Gulp. I still feel like a baby in the sport and I guess I still am. I’m learning by my successes and definitely by my failures. This year I’ve learned that ultrarunning is about perseverance, determination, and drive. There’s no question I’ve got that covered. But it is also about knowing your body, listening to what it is saying, and freeing your mind. Hmm, definitely have to work on that one. It is about forgiving yourself for your mistakes, your injuries, your limitations, and trying to find ways to surpass them. It is more about drawing support from your fellow runners than forging ahead alone. It is about riding the highs and getting through the lows.

2011 will be a better year for running (you hear that toe?).  I’m going to try to be realistic without losing my crazy idealism. Er, philosophy experts, try to figure that one out. Anyhow, bring it on.

I look forward to your comments, criticisms, ideas, and random musings and I wish you happy trails over the holiday season!!

-Ultrarunnergirl xx

 

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.) | 4 Comments »

Pacing the Penguins

Posted on December 14, 2010 by ultrarunnergirl

Antarctica.

Even just the name puts shivers down your spine, doesn’t it? And not just because of the thought of its frigid temperatures. Antarctica conjures up thoughts of adventure of the most extreme kind in a constantly changing landscape. Vast, barren, harsh, and yet stunning all at the same time. Antarctica is surely not for the faint of heart. Legend has it that Ernest Shackleton, one of the greatest early explorers to this area, posted this advertisement before setting out on his Nimrod expedition: ”Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”

Another one of Zandy Mangold’s amazing photos…

Naturally, this forbidden territory provides perfect ground for the Racing the Planet 4 Desert series. Antarctica is aptly named in the series as the “Last Desert” — the area has not seen rainfall in over 2 million years!  As many of you know, the Racing the Planet series comprises a number of 250 km, self-supported running events, which take place in the hottest, driest, windiest and coldest locations on earth. Only those competitors that have completed two of the four deserts are eligible for Antarctica (sadly, the fifth ‘roving’ desert events — such as the Vietnam, Namibia, and Australia races — don’t count).

Just a few weeks ago, Racing the Planet held its fourth “Last Desert” event and I decided to catch up with one of the competitors, Diego Carvajal, to get the inside scoop on what it is like to not only visit, but also RACE in this crazy land. Read on to hear about Diego’s personal running story and his experiences in the “balmy” South…*

Ultra Runner Girl: Have you always been a runner?

Diego: Well… Simply put… No. Running has never been what I would call “my natural environment”. Due to a plethora of injuries, I have always found running to be quite painful. I often get asked by others, “do you still hate running?” My answer is always “yes”… But I LOVE what I am doing. I love the experiences I have had, the people that I have met, the places I have seen… and even the injuries I have received.

Ultra Runner Girl: Okay, so what drew you to this kind of event?

Diego: About 15 months ago, I literally just woke up and wanted a challenge. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was after or what I wanted to achieve, but I wanted something that would push me physically, mentally… maybe both?! I had a long list of adventure races; the coast to coast in Costa Rica, The Yukon River Quest, and the Racing the Planet series. Because running is something that is not my ‘comfort zone’, I thought that it would represent the hardest and biggest challenge to me. I think that was one of the biggest draws, that I knew that it was something so far away from what I and my friends associate with me, that it would be also be the most fulfilling journey by the end of it.
Ultra Runner Girl: I understand that your goal was to become the first person to complete all six deserts. Where are you at now?

Diego: My intention was to try to complete the 4 Deserts series in one year, the roving race in Australia (aka the “fifth desert”) and the new 100km event. I wanted to find a way to test my resolve, mental and physical strength. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned… During my first race in the Atacama, just after the first checkpoint, I was running down a winding section when rolled my ankle, putting partial tears in my MCL, ACL and meniscus. I managed to carry on until the end of the third day, but the doctors feared that I was in danger of chipping the bone in my knee or causing a fracture in my tibia. I had to retire, and with that, everything that I had worked towards was gone.

However, I think I’m in a much better place than I would have been had things worked out according to my initial plan. In losing the “first” tag, it allowed me to really focus on doing this challenge for me.

With just three months to recover from my injuries before the next race [the Gobi March], I had my work cut out for me. However, with a great support system and nine weeks of rehabilitation, made it through the training and got to the Gobi March in time.

So here I am now, having finished the Gobi March 2010, the Sahara Race 2010 and the Last Desert 2010. I am the proud owner of a fractured foot, a bad knee and a few scars… but probably the happiest I have been in quite a long time.

Life is about contrast. You can have the most amazing life, but unless you have experienced bad times, then how do you know what good ‘is’? So I know and recognise that every drop of pain I have had, it has all yielded positives for me and made every finish line just that little bit sweeter.

I have one race left to finish the 4 Desert series in succession: the Atacama, where it all started and where I am hoping I will be able to lay things to rest.

Ultra Runner Girl: Okay, now I feel like a complete wimp. But moving on. Describe how you trained for this crazy event!!

Diego: A lot of running and a lot of trial and error to try and find the best solutions that would protect my knee. Kettlebell training, conditioning and weights are part of the regime, but nothing beats good old fashioned ‘pavement pounding’. I try to focus on quality miles. It’s tough… I feel like I am always walking on a knife edge. Too much and potentially I won’t make it to the next race; not enough and I am putting myself in a bad situation for the race.

I run hills, jog with lots of weight in my backpack 20kg (45lbs), run backwards, do interval sprints and run with leg weights on in the swimming pool. Lots of people think that I carry too much weight in my workouts [Ultra Runner Girl is one of them Diego!!], or that I push too hard for my knee… But ultimately I would say it’s just something that works for me. It is incredibly important for others not to assume that what works for one person will work for them, but instead, to try everything. Try lots of different techniques, work outs, etc…and ultimately settle with what they think works best for them [Ultra Runner Girl concurs!].

Ultra Runner Girl: Did you ever feel like quitting either before the event or during? Come on, be honest…

Diego: Yes… Never before an event, but during the Sahara I had an internal monologue for about 130km of the 250km about “whether I needed this enough to keep doing damage to my knee”. I hyperextended my knee on day one and the pain was just mounting with every day and every step.

I was lucky that my friend Matt Owens had decided to do the race with me and although we had to split up and he was trailing me, his determination meant that I had to keep going. Every check point that he would make it to, meant that there was one more checkpoint that I couldn’t stop and quit at.  I probably came close in the Sahara, but I crossed the line… So I guess it wasn’t close enough.
Ultra Runner Girl: What was your lowest/highest moments in these races?

Diego: The moment I had to retire from the Atacama Crossing 2010 and I realised after limping my way through another 113km that it hadn’t been enough… I felt like I had failed and let everyone down.

The highest was crossing the line at the Gobi March 2010, three months later and realising that I had repaid everyone’s faith in me. That I had done what many thought was impossible and I had recovered enough to finish and put some of the demons to rest.
Ultra Runner Girl: Alright, ‘fess up. I have heard that the Antarctic race is really all about the partying on the boat at night. I mean, you get all the food and drink you want, right? How hardcore was this? Give us the dirt.

Diego: Hahahahaha… Ok ok, yes, the Last Desert is a massive change in luxury compared to the other Deserts where you get a bed, shower, food, etc… But like with everything it comes at a price. One of the most important things that I found during the Gobi and Sahara is ‘the ritual’. The ritual is what you do when you get in after a long day: put your feet up to reduce swelling, take a recovery drink, eat, blog, eat then bed by about 10pm to ensure that you have about 8 hours of solid sleep. It’s something that makes all the difference out in the Deserts.

Here on the boat, we could finish a day at 9pm, have dinner at 10pm (which was very nice!) but then you would need to be up and ready to leave the boat by 5am, meaning that you would have a 3am wake up. This means that the added ‘luxury’ would leave you with around 4 hours sleep per night, skimping on recovery drinks, and somehow feeling like you wanted to spend all night watching TV rather than sleeping!!

Don’t get me wrong, it was incredible to have dinner made for you and take a hot shower at the end of a day of racing, but it did nothing to help me stay in “game mode”. In this way, it was actually much harder than the other Deserts.

Also, in the Last Desert the stages are not done on a distance basis but instead on a time basis. You had to keep moving until you were told that you could stop (max 15min break at check point). For example, in two days, Ryan Sandes ran over 190km (!!) which is an incredible feat.

This year there were a lot of people trying to achieve records in the Antarctic, so most were quite restrained when it came to drinking or partying. However, once the race was over… There were certainly a few of us that got to see some spectacular sights courtesy of some late night celebrating :)

Ultra Runner Girl: The course was set in a loop for safety reasons, right? Did you ever get bored just running around in circles?

Diego: The course was set in a loop both for safety reasons but also due to regulations in Antarctica. On the islands and the continent itself, the penguins have more rights than we do, so the course had to have minimal impact on colonies, wildlife, etc. While it was very boring going around in loops over and over, I had plenty to keep me occupied, as on day two I injured my left knee and left foot. I spent pretty much all day with my ipod on focusing on the importance of every slow and painful step.

Cheeky little penguins

Ultra Runner Girl: As is sometimes the case with these extreme events, not all competitors are able to finish, either because they have to drop out by choice or they are forced to retire by the medical staff. These decisions are not always easy and, unsurprisingly, decisions by the medical staff sometimes cause, er, controversy. As I understand it, Antarctica was no exception and there was one penguin in particular who has been rather public about his discontent. As someone who has done a number of these events now, what are your thoughts these issues? And would you do it again?

Diego: From experience, I know that the doctors will always try everything that they can to help you finish the race before considering having to pull you out medically. I think that a lot of people ‘fear’ that the doctors will overreact or will just pull the plug on you before you have given it your all, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. I have so many problems – shoulders, knees, ankle and foot – that I talk to the doctors and check in with them every so often just for a ‘catch up’. As a result, they understand my situation and are able to help me come up with ways give me the best possible chance of finishing.

For me, the medical team has been exemplary…and believe me, I have made sure that they have had their work cut out!

Yes, sometimes things go wrong, or sometimes things are not ‘what one would expect’ but that is a part of what we are signing up for. If it were easy, if it were perfect, would it have the same draw? By the very nature of what we are seeking, we are asking that we get brought right to the edge, or as close to the edge as possible, so that we can try to see if we have what it takes to pull ourselves away from the abyss.

Despite all the pain, I would 100% do it again, and in fact, I am at the Atacama Crossing 2011 in a few months so that I can try and finish the 4 Deserts in under a year.

Ultra Runner Girl: If you had to make the choice between continuing the race or sacrificing a toe to frostbite, would you have done it? If so, which toe?

Diego: If I had to make a choice between frostbite or finishing, I think I would have kept the toe! Having had the experience I did with the knee in the Atacama 2010, it really showed me that the finish line is just something ceremonial. Don’t get me wrong, I would think long and hard before I left a race… But I have just come to realise that there are more important things now.

If I had to choose a toe, I would likely go with the little toe. I can pick things up with my toes like a monkey (socks, etc) so it would be the one with the least detrimental affect I believe.

Ultra Runner Girl: Did you grow that beard for extra warmth?

Diego: Funnily enough yes and no. I have had the beard for quite some time now and it came around because I was heading to Everest Case Camp and couldn’t be bothered to shave while I was on the trek. By the time I came back, I had the beard. Everyone seemed to like it more, and I had already gotten very bored of shaving by this point so it stayed. Everyone asks if it’s ‘really hot’ for the Deserts, but it really isn’t. It just means that I have less surface area to cover in sunscreen and worry about getting sunburnt.

Too tired to shave?

Ultra Runner Girl: What gear were you thankful for during the race? What did you wish you had brought/left at home?

Diego: There were a couple of things that I found vital to my campaign:

  1. My Ipods… Had it not been for these, I don’t know how I would have been able to shut off the pain and focus on something else during the hours I had to keep moving.
  2. Before I left I was also very lucky in getting Orca to sponsor me and provide me with Merino base layers and mid layers. Out in Antarctica, one of the most important things is to make sure that your layerings don’t cause you to sweat profusely. Otherwise, when you stop for any reason or slow down, the sweat will freeze on you and then you can get in all sorts of trouble as your core temperature plummets. Armed with Merino high neck baselayers as a primary, and then a Torque Jacket as my secondary, every day my core temperature was warm and it was just a case of being protected when the wind kicked in. In fact, it’s so good and among one of my favourite pieces of gear that on returning to the UK I am still wearing the base layers to ensure I am nice and warm.

Ultra Runner Girl: Tell us about InnerLimits!

Diego: InnerLimits is a vision that my business partner and I had to try and make adventure more accessible to everyone. One thing that we have found is that a lot of people would ‘love to do something like this’ but always feel like there is some sort of barrier that prevents them from taking that last step, whether it’s training, gear, experience, etc.  Essentially the site will focus on trying to liberate people from those fears by providing as many support structures as possible, information and user generated content. It will also aim to operate on a ‘pay it forward’, where users will support new adventurers to help them achieve their dreams. There will be kit lists for different events, food lists, training tips, logistical tips, etc and hopefully we will also be able to count on the support of suppliers so that we can try and make adventure as accessible to people as possible.

We also want to build a charity that will hopefully be able to provide scholarships to people who come from less advantaged backgrounds so that they can experience adventure.

*Content has been edited. In fact, this interview isn’t even with Diego. Just kidding.


Filed under: Interviews, Race Reports, Training | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

R U Ready…for Runners United?

Posted on December 4, 2010 by ultrarunnergirl

Every runner has a story. Stories about what got them into running. Maybe what made them stop. Stories about what – or maybe who – inspired them to try again. What they look forward to, what they dread, what keeps them going. No matter what kind of runner, no matter how fast or how slow, novice or expert, road or trail, we are all united by a common thread…or perhaps it is a shoelace…

Zac: taking no prisoners

It is the stories behind each and every runner that has inspired Zac Addorisio to launch Runners United, which I’m VERY excited to tell you about…


But first, let me tell you how I came to know Zac. I’ll never forget our first bonding experience, which took place during my first Racing the Planet race (click here to see it live!). We were in Northern Vietnam riding in the back of a jeep at night. I had just finished running 100 km through mud and rain, and Zac was in charge of making sure the competitors were transfered safely from the finish line to the campsite. While we were en route, the driver pulled over to buy a bag of oranges from a local stand and then proceeded to – gulp – offer one to each of us.

Now, just to get everyone up to speed, this race, like all other Racing the Planet races, was self-supported. That means you had to carry all of your food, clothes, and supplies on your back for the entire race. Being a fairly recent law graduate at the time, I, of course, had committed the race rules to memory. I knew that eating other people’s food was prohibited. Grounds for disqualification. Maybe even criminal punishment. Heck, as far as I was concerned, breaking this rule was equivalent to disemboweling babies (sorry for the visual). Yes, I may have been taking myself a bit too seriously…

But anyhow, back to the story. When this driver offered me the orange, I was faced with a dilemma. To someone who had just run 100 km, who was in a serious sugar low, dehydrated and full of dried fruit and beef jerky, that orange represented all that was good in the world. I actually remember it glowing. But alas, knowing that eating the orange would be committing a moral sin, I told the driver that I literally could not eat the forbidden fruit.

The forbidden fruit

And that’s when Zac descended from the heavens and granted me permission to eat the orange.

*cue sounds of angelic choirs singing in harmony*

Never has an orange tasted so good!!! But seriously, orange aside, from that moment Zac stood out to me as being someone I could lean on.  On a number of occasions, from Vietnam to Namibia to Mont Blanc, Zac was there with kind words, encouragement, laughs, and sometimes oranges. He helped me through so many rough points and cheered me through the high times. That is why I’m SO excited to tell you about what Zac has been up to lately and what he has in store for 2011!!

Last year Zac left Racing the Planet and moved back home  to Canada. Having been around the running and outdoor adventure scene for quite some time, he decided to start something of his own. Inspired by the stories of the runners he had met along the way, he wanted to provide a place – both online and in store – where he could help runners achieve their best. In 2011, Runners United will open its first retail location — presumably in Kelowna, BC where Zac calls home — and launch a website with an online store. From the man himself:

Runners United will be committed to providing only the best in running equipment for its clientele―a global selection of first class products, each chosen for their exceptional design and technical aspects. Serving the running community is what I love to do.

The facebook group for Runners United is already a great source of information, including news about races, tips, and interesting tidbits on the latest apps and gadgets.

I’m super excited to see what’s in store (haha…okay, bad pun) for next year and I’m behind Zac all the way! Stay tuned for more things to come!!

Filed under: "Life" (aka misc.) | Leave a Comment »

Solo vs Pair Running

Posted on September 17, 2010 by ultrarunnergirl

They say “no man is an island”. Well, that may be true. But what about female ultrarunners? Can we be islands? When it comes to me and my running, I am, in fact, an island. A female, running island, smack dab in the middle of a sea of my own thoughts. And I like it that way. (*With one exception. I have always loved running with my friend Cat, who has trained with me for numerous races and also paced me towards the win in the Vermont 100 miler last year!)

Enter my new boyfriend… Let’s call him Speedy (let the record show he would prefer to be called by a cooler name. Sorry, Speedy). Now, Speedy, being an uber-ultrarunner himself, was keen to run with me from the start. Every time I announced I was heading out for a run, he would immediately start jumping up and down and ask, slightly out of breath, “can I come? Can I COME??” To which I would reply, “not this time,” while smiling sweetly and patting him on the head.

Poor Speedy just didn’t understand. I loved running, he loved running, so why couldn’t we share that together? Any excuse I came up with, he had an answer for.

Speedy: “Why can’t I come running with you this one time?”

Ultrarunnergirl: “Um, I’m feeling a bit slow today so you would probably get frustrated running at my pace.”

Speedy: “No I won’t! I’ll run at your pace and if I get antsy, I’ll just jet ahead for a little bit and loop back.”

Ultrarunnergirl: “I have gas, so it’s best if I just go solo.”

Speedy: “I have gas too! It’s natural. Don’t be embarrassed. You can just run downwind of me for a bit.”

Ultrarunnergirl: “Okay, but I just downloaded a new song that I really want to listen to and if we go running together you’ll probably want to chat and stuff.”

Speedy: “Nah, it’s fine! Bring your ipod. Wait, what song is it? I’ll sing along!”

Damn. This guy was persistent. You see, I’ve never really had this problem before. With past boyfriends, I knew I was safe when I said I was heading out for a run – when faced with the option of either running with me or hitting the gym and doing weights, they would pick weights every time…. But this one was different. He was an ultrarunner just like me. And darn it all, he was a better one too.

Why didn’t I want to run with Speedy? I’ve thought about this a lot, and here’s what I’ve come up with:

  1. My running time is sacred thinking time. Y’know when you just want to escape the world and be alone with your thoughts? Take time out to reflect? Kind of like when you bring the newspaper into the bathroom for a long, er, session of sitting on the toilet. Yup that’s what running is for me. Like extended bathroom breaks, these are things that should only be experienced alone.
  2. I’m extremely competitive. If someone runs with me and they are too slow, I get cranky and start fixating on the fact that they are holding me back in my training (when really the difference in speed is probably negligible). If someone runs too quickly, I either get frustrated at my own limitations or I try to run beyond them and wind up burning out or getting myself injured.
  3. I simply like to “run to the beat of my own drum”. Speed up when I want, stop if I feel like it, pee at random intervals. Anything that gets in the way of that cramps my style.

That being said, last weekend I eventually caved. Apparently relationships inevitably have to involve some compromise (I am slowly learning) and so I finally let Speedy come with me on a run. Okay, I did threaten to split off on my own after just 20 minutes, but we did make it through almost a five hour run together without me spontaneously combusting.

How was it?? As a staunch solo runner, it was definitely a switch to running in a pair. I have to admit, once I finally let go of my own neuroses, it was better than I thought. Sure, I ground my teeth together a little harder when Speedy zoomed up a hill while I struggled to keep up behind him. And yeah, when he let me lead along a single track I pushed the pace way harder than I should have in an attempt to impress him. And okay, I secretly hoped he would get a case of runner’s diarrhea so that he would slow down a little. But aside from that…

It was actually pretty cool. I kept my ipod in so that I could still be somewhat alone with my thoughts and tune out the world, which was great. It was actually like being on one of my solo runs in many ways. Speedy didn’t try to talk my ear off, nor did he give me unnecessary encouragement (which I always unfairly interpret as being patronizing). Speedy simply ran and I simply ran. He slowed down when he pulled too far ahead, but didn’t make it seem like he was waiting for me (I noticed a few strategic pee stops that, unless he was having prostrate problems, I’m pretty sure he didn’t need to do). After a couple of hours, I realized that I actually enjoyed the silent support. It was something we COULD share together… And in the end, I got a better workout. I took less breaks, ran a bit faster, and pushed myself a bit harder.

Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer to head out on the trails on my own. But when push comes to shove, having a partner isn’t so bad. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve learned I need to chill out a bit. (But don’t let this go to your head, Speedy).

If you’re a lone wolf: Try running with someone occasionally, or maybe with a running group. See if you can find a local running club in the area. The evidence suggests that it does help motivate runners to push themselves a little harder, so it could be good for your training. For instance, say you decided to go for a 7 am run one morning on your own. Your alarm goes off at 6:45 am and before you even open your eyes, you hear rain. And lots of it. Chances are that you’ll hit that snooze button on your alarm, right? But what if you had committed to another runner or group of runners that you’d meet them for that 7 am run? Yeah, it would suck at the time, but running etiquette would dictate that you’d get out of bed, put on your spandex, and actually be grateful later on for having done it. Plus, you never know what kind of tips you’ll pick up from other runners, even by just see their technique. Speedy is, well, super speedy on downhills so I know that if I keep running with him, some of that is sure to rub off on me. The trick to happy non-solo running for solo runners is to pick your partners wisely. Try to find someone at relatively the same speed or experience level as you, or if not, someone you know you’d be comfortable with. Think about a few things: do you like to chat during runs or would that be annoying? Does music help you run? Do you like to be pushed in training or do you not mind going slower than normal? Pick your partner accordingly.

If you’re usually part of a pack: Try running solo. Really. Runners that are used to having people around them in training will often find it hard to stay motivated when they have to run on their own (such as in races). It is helpful to practice running solo and see how it goes! You can also spend more time listening to your body and getting in tune with your muscles, your stride, and your technique when you are on your own. Download some sweet running songs and get yourself a good playlist going. Or for those long runs, you could even try books on tape…

I’d be interested to know, how do YOU like to train?

-Ultra Runner Girl aka Stephanie Case

Filed under: Training | Tagged: , | 7 Comments »

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