Preparing for the upcoming Ötillö Swimrun World Championships, my race partner and Ultraman Rich Roll and I did some training up in Lake Tahoe. Afterwards, we sat down and had a state-of-the-union on our race preparation.

Specific subjects discussed include:

• the impact of altitude training & training camps
• the benefits of accountability partners
• the primacy of patience for maximum success in sport
• the perils of overtraining
• the importance of injury prevention

You can listen to this podcast on iTunes or download it from Rich’s website.

“…in this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest”

Henry Miller

I’ve never done a 100 miler…I tried once – but I went about my training wrong. I pushed too hard, racked up the miles too quickly. Sure enough, about 5 weeks prior to Leadville a few years back, I pulled out of ultrarunning since I could feel the stress fracture in my foot coming along. It might have already been there – but when I broke my collarbone a few weeks later at Escape from Alcatraz triathlon, I got 6 weeks of forced rest anyways! So – this time I went about it differently. I had two primary goals with my prep for Rocky Raccoon.

First – I was going to build up to a healthy avg. weekly running volume and hold that – it would be my base. Secondly – within that weekly volume I would build up one long run per week. What did this look like in practice? First – I gradually built my running volume from 40-45 miles per week in early October to 70ish miles per week, although my avg for most of December and early January was 65 miles per week. Then, once absorbing a decent weekly volume (55-65 miles), I started inserting a longer run into that standard base week. That means in addition to that 55 miles I ran a 4, then 5, then 6, then 7 hour run 1x that week. Of course this kicked up my weekly totals, but my ‘fall back’ week was always the trending avg weekly miles. Finally – over New Years it was time to test the big volume: I ran 24miles on the 30th next morning (New Years eve) I ran 44 miles, and finally the next morning (Happy New Year!) ran another 25 miles. That gave me approx. 93 miles in 48 hrs. If I can do that – hopefully I can do 100 rested…in 16-18 hrs…and while I knew my training was going well (felt great at NorthFace 50 miler although DNF’ed at mile 44) 100 miles felt quite daunting. 8 hrs of running is different than 16-20 hrs! In hindsight, I probably could have been more rested. Riding a Coast Ride to San Diego (550 miles in 5 days), albeit easy, still left me somewhat flat. I was hoping to feel better on my final 50k prep run the Friday, 8 days prior to the race. Add to that a calf tightening during that run, I was thinking “this could be a really long day”…

Rocky Raccoon also served another purpose. I still had a bitter taste in my mouth from DNFing in Tahoe. I was looking for something hard, monotonous and mentally challenging: 5×20 mile loops should be just the ticket. Not punishment, instead an opportunity to develop a stronger mind for racing. So there it is: 5×20 mile loops, 6am start – rolling course – nothing too steep at any point, see it in the dark, sunrise, during the day, and then see only a headlamp tunnel for the following evenings’ darkness.

The first loop was OK. Didn’t feel as easy, fresh, natural, quick as I wanted (see tired and flat above!). Was actually already sort of laborious. But kept shutting off the mind and listened to podcasts as I knew I would need the mind later on. Approx 3:08 – I made a commitment that I would not rush my 20 mile aid stations, so I always used that for my crew stop. Food, drink, logistics, updates etc.

Second loop – here we go – now I know the course, know where I am each step of the way. Podcasts go to music. Eating a bit too little, drinking plenty. Perfect weather for me: overcast, 60s, humid. Approx 3:08 again. Was actually hoping the first loop would be quicker on ‘free speed’ – but know that in ultrarunning (for me at least) there is one…speed..all …the time…

Third loop – just focus on getting to half way. At 43 I start feeling not so good – the remaining distance seems daunting given I have been running for 7 hours so far. I start thinking how I am now moving into the longest run I have done this season…and start drifting mentally. Luckily, having prepared for this, I was ready to slog through these miles. Not because they were hard physically, but because it is such a dead space in terms of 100 miles..Not getting to 50miles quick enough, and feeling the slowness of the day in the brain, since I can now project how long the second 50 miles might take! But luckily as of mile 52 I snap out of it – grab some ibuprofen – and move on to 60 miles where I now can run with friends as pacers. But that part of the 20 mile loop seems to have an effect on me – it is the longest piece without aid, as well as closed course – so nobody there…3rd eat whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, turkey and bunch of pretzels. Also have some Roctane gels, and a 5hrs energy drink shot.

Fourth loop! Over half way… and no longer running solo. I am ready to talk someone’s ear off! While saying 4th more miles! I tell the crew, let’s figure 8 more hours and get this done before midnight! JINXED! 3 miles into the 4th are screaming, with the occasional cold numbing shooting pain down my left leg with it…The type that if you recruit wrong, you buckle, and catch yourself from falling. Walking – fast walking, quickly try to engage..nada…couple jogging shuffle steps, cold pain…walking…darn darn darn..40 miles of WALKING?? Are you kidding me…this will be booooring. It will be done – but boring and..heck, load up the iPod and I’ll watch a movie while walking…3 to 4 to 5 miles walking – stretch occasionally..nada. But, I do apply Ironman knowledge here: am I doing EVERYTHING now, so that if I can run again later on, I am ready…hydrated? Check….Food? Check…Clothing, gear, rest of body? Check..just waiting (better said, walking) – I reengage at mile 70..the shuffle can be held longer. I know a flat section, with no roots or anything is coming…(a dam trail) and sure enough can shuffle it…shuffle it up to aid station at mile 72..4 ibuprofen, and within 90 sec I am running, feel good and drop my pacer…Pick up new Pacer at mile 75 aid station, off I go to 80 mile crew stop…4:30 (approx.)…ugh but 2 things: curiously enough the pain was in the same section as my previous loops dead zone…and secondly…if out of a 100, I walk, hike 7 miles, I’ll take it.

Final loop! Don’t want to stop long, since anything tightening up might mean walking again…Some calories, some more ibuprofen and some clothes in case its cold. The 4th loop was already half in the dark, so all I am doing now is staring at a 4 ft x 4ft light window in front of me on the trails. That’s my world. The roots, trail, branches and dirt of that window of light is all I see. It’s the last loop – all good. Each step is the loop in 3:27..lose about 20 minutes in that difficult ‘place’…I sit – last time I’ll be doing this loop, but its so vague because in the dark it doesn’t matter. I might as well be in Marin, some forest in Europe, or on the Appalachian trail (which is what staring into that light reminded me of – different story…). Aid at 83, cool….aid at 85, more ibuprofen….6 miles death zone? bring it…aid at mile 92, ibuprofen (!)…aid at 95…ibuprofen…feeling good – steady – actually have a great conversation with my pacer, AIMP athlete # 2 btw…, and the loop sorta flies by.

5th loop is easier then 3rd. Mile 98…ugh, ready for this to be over, my legs are getting tired…100 miles – done! Approx 3:50. Total time 18:24. Yes, I got passed by 1st honestly, that felt good because a) I didn’t even know there was an AG race/ranking… 2) my sole purpose for this race was to finish feeling good. Which, ironically, this 99th was the ONLY mile I felt awful… It was fun. Yes, fun. Trail running is different – and while the next 100 miler (?!) might not be as fun, since now I have a number in my mind and how I would train, and what I would do differently yada yada yada…this one was good ole 1st with friends. You get to eat and drink and be merry at any aid station…You only do one thing…for a lot of hours..! And although the sport has changed over the years since it has become more technical and some agro folks are rolling over from triathlon, it still has a very different vibe.

Did I get out of it what I was looking for? Not sure yet. Stronger mind? Won’t know until IM Texas. Better runner? Doubt that since running 10s doesn’t relate to running 7s in my stride. Was it challenging? Yes. Was I more anxious than it turned out I needed to be? Yes – but that was the fun part of this 100 miler. The unknown, the curiosity, the challenge. Did I ever hit that deep, lost, ‘

had to search my soul’ place? No…not even close. Maybe next time….yes. I’ll do another. Those Belt Buckles are cool…

Data:

2x Clif Bar – 1x PowerBar – 9/10 Gels (mix of Roctane and Salty Caramel) – 1 PBJ on

white – 1x bagel Turkey CC – 1x whole wheat PBJ – 250 cal pretzels – 2x 5hr energy –

25-30 pb filled pretzels – bits of banana/M&M/

Approx 4000cal (220/hr)

4x Osmo – 2x Preload – 16x water (20oz) – 12 oz Gatorade – sip of coke.

Approx 24 oz of fluid per hr.

Issues: 7 mile walk was hip flexor and quad attachment. No calf issue until mile 95.

Switch 3 pairs of shoes: mile 40 and mile 80. Shoes switch good – no blisters, same

socks for 100 miles.

Hi all. I know it has been a while, but nothing like a plane flight to get some uninterrupted writing time.

Mindfulness: the skill of racing and training right here, right now.

In my prep for this upcoming 100 mile run, I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks, podcasts and the occasional music playlist. One article by Maria Gonzalez I listened to stuck with me. It talked of mindful leadership and how we can decrease stress by controlling not only our mind, but also the multiple circumstances that arise daily where we can use better judgment.

As a coach, I wondered how we can apply these management practices and observations to endurance training & racing – and how it can benefit all of us.

As many of you have heard me often say: a lot can go wrong on race day, so we want to focus on the things we CAN control vs. those that are out of our control. Especially given that our events are anywhere from 2-24 hours, that leaves a LOT of room for things to go wrong! Even in shorter events – a minor circumstance can quickly mean minutes!

Surely outstanding fitness helps us deal with the circumstances of race day, but training the skill of mindfulness will magnify that benefit of outstanding fitness.

Dealing with the stress of race day…

First off we want to focus simplifying the stress: as we go into the race, we want to decrease stress, not just manage it. This will help us be better prepared for the situations that WILL come up that are somewhat unexpected. I say somewhat since many of the situations that arise on race day are not unfamiliar – we just don’t prepare or want to realize they can happen to us!

Decreasing stress also means we can assess the situation and seeing what stress we can eliminate. Weather? Temperature? Course? Competitors? Nothing we can do to change those, so instead we focus on how better to deal with them: taking action.

Next we want a constant theme for the day: control the mind vs. letting it control you. When the mind controls us, emotions and judgment are in play. When we control the mind, we can start dealing with that stress, that circumstance. It’s about not wasting energy on how to change the circumstance, instead on how to deal with it, accept it. When something is going wrong in a race and you get upset/stressed (no water at an aid station, you dropped your food on the bike, powermeter/garmin not working, feeling flat watching competitors whiz by you) – you are in your head! You are judging that situation (while it may be correct!) vs. applying clarity, awareness of surroundings, and being right here, right now. Don’t allow yourself to get bogged down with feelings/emotions of the circumstance; instead we want a state of being present – aware – conscious…Mindfulness!

Mindfulness is a skill that can be learned. It is training the mind to be secular. Training the mind on how it CAN deal with stress. Being in the moment, being present (right here – right now) ties into three interlocking components:

1) Concentration.
2) Clarity
3) Equanimity

• Concentration is a skill learned to stay in the moment, be present for as long as you wish.
• Clarity comes with that concentration: clarity of thought, good judgment, seeing things for what they are vs. our own judgment that clouds situations.
• Equanimity – this one I find most important since it allows us to truly control our stress and mindfulness: it means going with the flow. Asking yourself; “can I change this situation, circumstance”? If I can’t alter, therefore I won’t let myself be swept away by the moment since it alters my judgment. Instead I am taking action. Practice acceptance, not anxiety!

Mindfulness is the skill of being fully present and fully aware – not looking to change the circumstance (react) – instead being aware of what is…simply what is…balance.

As with any skill – there are ways to practice this skill of mindfulness. Some of you have heard me talk of a system check, a check in with our body during the race. Part of this means we take a deep breath and ready ourselves for the task ahead. In all my pre-race talks I mention that moment in T2 where you just want to sit for a moment – inhale, exhale and check in with yourself. To be right here, right now, to get yourself ready to concentrate on the run ahead, with clarity & acceptance. In my 100 miler this weekend I plan to do this every 20 miles (5×20 mile loops!) – a sort of mini meditation. The author of the article talks of the para-sympathic nervous system being activated, which has an immediate calming impact. I’d like to get better at it – maybe at each aid station during the Ironman bike? Every aid station on the run? The more we can be in the state of mindfulness for our event – the better! A psychological mechanism to create calmness? I’ll take it.

In order to be better prepared for race day (its called coaching right?), we all can use triggers that come up multiple times in our training days – but especially on long race simulation days. A trigger to do a check in with yourself, to find that place of clarity, concentration and being present in the moment. For me a good trigger has been when I eat. These are frequent enough moments for me to take a breath – do a systems check, remain focused on the task at hand for the training and why I am doing it (execution to the best of our abilities). 

Our mind gets agitated with too much noise. Instead, we can control our mind, moment by moment and with it decrease blood pressure, control our heart rate and work towards having our day.