Adventure Unlimited

A month in review (November)

2011-12-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

After a productive Oct month, I was very motivated to log 3 more quality weeks of training for CIM. Goals for this month were
1. Race Half Marathon:
This race was held in Coyote point park on Nov 5th, with 4 weeks away from CIM 2011, it was a perfect reality check. Based on my training I was hoping to run a 1:31, and decide on my goal pace at CIM. Race started out fine with a good sub 7 min effort for 1st 6.5 miles. It was all along bay trail(Oracle Trail) in San Mateo. On the way back it was total surprise, strong headwinds made running 7:30 seemed a hard task, I felt I was hardly running. I managed to keep running hard but couldn't manage any mile faster than 7:30 in the 2nd half except for last mile. Overall time of 1:35:40 was disappointing and it was clear I wasn't in 3:10 shape this time. But 3:15 or 3:20 seemed more in my range for this time.

2. log around 55mpw before starting a good tapering period.

3. focus on VO2 max workouts:
Until this month my main focus was lactate threshold workouts, now I wanted to fine tune my speed workouts and added 1200M repeats(6-8) and added few 100M strides and 400M repeats as well for last 4 weeks.

Overall in Oct and Nov I logged about 365 miles in 7 weeks with 5 quality long runs of distance 18/20miles. This was a excellent training session I had in quite a few years, infact this was my best focused marathon training since my 1st marathon in 2003.

Run with Jets Half Marathon

2011-11-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Run with Jets Half Marathon
Nov 5th, 2011
San Mateo,CA

Intersting after logging about 13,700 miles, this turned out to be my 1st half marathon, so my goal was clear, 13.1K miles of training runs, 13.1 mi race within 1:31. It wasn't planned that way, I did register for a half marathon in Jan 2003 in SF golden gate park. But I got lost and didn't reach the race on time :). Instead did a 10mil run close to my apartment complex.

I was looking forward to this race, the course profile was flat, promised a fast time. It was rightly placed 4 weeks before CIM and was a perfect race predictor.

Race Day:
It was suposed to be rainy day, so I was overly dressed, after my morning ritual, drove to Coyote point park. It was jam packed at the race start. my plan was a to run a even race, a 7mim pace. Race started couple of mins late after the confusion over direction of the run :). Finally we started the run towards Oracle bay trail.

Conditions were perfect got into a good rhythm and enjoyed my run towards san mateo bridge(CA92) on the far side. It reminded me of the hot training run some of us did in 2003 as part of our training for Long beach marathon. That was a hot tough day. Mile 5 was just under CA 92, I incidently passed Vinod, " still shooting for 1:31" I waved and said not sure. As I reached turn-around (6.5miles) It was 45:30, I thought s far it seemed like a perfect run, I was in range of a sub 1:31. But as I started my run on the other side, I could feel pretty strong head winds, I could barely run 7:30 pace. Infact untill the last mile didnt run faster than that. I think most of the runners had similar split coz I saw only 2 runners pass me and I passed 2 as well. Finally turned into coyote park for the last half a mile, crossed finish in 1:35:30.

It did'nt go as expected from a time perspective, but it was a pretty hard workout from training perspective. I did a small jog and took some goodies at the post race booth. It was a well organized race, I was surprized to see a huge turnout for a new race. Monte and team from A runners mind did a very good job.

A month in revew(October)

2011-11-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

After a low mileage month in September due to my surgery and flu, I had a very good month training in October. main highlights of the month were
- A strong 50M race
- Consistent 50mpw runs
- Good LT runs
- Good long runs

Overall it was a very rewarding month, Almost executed my training plan, totaling about 220 miles in total. By end of the month it was pretty clear I was not in shape for a 3:10 marathon but I can get pretty close, I wanted to decide based on my performance at Run with the Jets Half marathon. That race did strongly indicate chasing 3:10 was'nt a realistic goal so did shift my goal for CIM to 3:15.

My Review of Merrell Trail Glove Cross-Training Shoes - Men's

2011-11-03T21:53:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at REI

The Merrell Trail Glove cross-training shoes are tough enough to handle light hiking in wet or dry conditions. Their light weight and innovative design let feet work as if they're not in shoes at all.

Perfect Minimalist shoes for wide feet.

By AnilRao from San Jose,CA on 11/3/2011

Sizing: Feels true to size

Width: Feels too wide

Arch Type: Average Arch

Pros: Lightweight, Comfortable, Minimalist, Wide fore front, Good Traction

Best Uses: Gym, Walking, Strength Training, Pavement, Running

Describe Yourself: Avid Athlete

Was this a gift?: No

I have a wide feet, usually wear 4E from either brooks or new balance, after many different minimalist shoes for wide feet including Vibram's, NB Minimus, I love Merrel Trail Glove.

It does have slightly wider fore front, which helped my wide feet, moreover after about 2-3 weeks of running rubber expanded to my feet's form. I have great time running 8-12 miles in them. I have found running trails little tough when encountering rocks, feet hurts.

great shoe to practice toe and midfeet striking. Also with 6+oz it is one of the lightest shoes.

(legalese)

My Review of Amphipod Airflow Endurance Waistpack

2011-10-21T16:42:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at REI

With a comfortable, breathable and bounce-free design, this waistpack carries all of your small essentials for leisure and training outings.

By from on 10/21/2011

(legalese)

Running treat at Firetrails 50m

2011-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Firetrails 50m,
Oct 8th, 2011
Lake Chabot, CA

Pre-race:
Since the beginning of the year I was hoping to do a late fall Ultra (once we settle into baby schedule), since I wasn't sure about my training, I was hoping to log at least 2 long runs before commiting to signup for FT 50m. I was blessed with two beautiful runs at Missions peaks.

Tripeat Mission peak, Fremont,CA.
Double Mission peak, Fremont,CA.

I felt strong both of the runs and I was confident of completing FT 50M. I signed up in August, hoping to do a sub 11 and probably signup for WS100 2012. my motivation for signing up as always been some form of a trigger to go out and train, sometimes during odd hours. Especially with little Ahana around I have been more flexible with my runs and happy to work around her schedule.

I got some very good training until middle of September, then things got very busy, we had family visiting us, I had cataract surgery, work got busy and icing on the cake we all got flu/cold. All 6 at home. It was one of worst and took forever t recover. It was very tiring to say the least.

As the race got closer I got nervous to start a 50M, a distance which seemed to be in my comfort zone seemed daunting the previous week(partly my illness, partly lack of ultra specific training). easy to loose confidence when you take a break from a regular activity. I was wishing race was another week away. But time waits for none and race was at my doors right on time. I hardly got sleep the previous night with all the coughing.

Race day:
Race day, starting point was hustling and bustling with activity, new RD Juli Fingar was busy with last minute instructions, day promised to be sunny and low 70s, ideal conditions for a good run. I met few of my running friends, Karen Bonnet, Nattu, Jim Mcgill, Chuck Wilson, uber fast Jean Pommier. I decided to just jog along Jim as long as I can. Its always fun chatting with him. We settled into a good pace, enjoying east bay hills and beautiful open vistas as the race progressed north. We managed to tackle Wasp stings along the way, my wasp count was 3 this time and it still itches after 2 weeks. Thanks Jim for taking the lead, I owe you one. I reached 26mi AS in 4:55hrs and after a quick refueling, headed back up on a longest climb of the race.

On way up ran with Adam Blum we shared our experiences past summer and plans for future runs. caught up with Jim running down, apparently he took a wrong turn and got few bonus miles, but he did look like a happy camper. At that point I felt very strong and was planning for a sub 10, considering last 20miles is mostly downhill. I met up with Vinod almost at the top, he had rolled his ankle so was unable to run downhill, he called it a day. He seemed quite contended with the effort and was in good spirits.

After about .5 a mile from Sibley AS(mi 33.5) I got into a nice rhythm running downhill a set of switchbacks, all of a sudden I saw a black and white snake crossing, I was quick enough to stop about 5 yards away from it and let it cross the trail into forest, one of the runners mentioned it was Cal King and non-venomous. It was a breather to know that !

I reached Skyline gate AS (37mi) in 7:37hrs. I was getting slower and given up on sub 10 by then. Next 8 miles fatigue set in and my lack of long runs caught up with me, I just sloughed through and hit Bart meadows AS in 9:25hrs. Last few miles by the lake went by very quickly I could sense the finish and started planning for a good soup overloading, which is one of my favorite part of the race. As I got closer I felt so lucky to be running at such a beautiful place, I was thanking my family(Rashmi, MIL) for their support. It must have been a very tiring day for them.

Crossed the finish line in 10:34:40, quite a surprise, I was contended with the effort. It was sweet to get a WS qualifier. Ultra goal for the year achieved and now I am focusing my energy on a PR race at CIM on Dec 4th.

It was a superbly organized race by Julie Fingar and Mark Giligan. Thanks to all the volunteers made this race a memorable one. Race swag was one of the coolest around. Post race was mainly spent catching up with Diane, Karen and Nattu, they shared all the gory details about UTMB 2011, that sounded like one must do race, probably in next 5yrs. I got home very tired, had a quick dinner and after few chores got into bed quitely. Rashmi was extremely patient and supportive, I am sure she had a very long day her self with 2 kids. I owe this race to her. Hats off girly.

A month in review (September)

2011-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

my peak training for CIM was supposed to begin in September, giving me 12 weeks to the race. 1st 2 weeks I was able to log good quality miles, totaling 105 miles, but due to my Cataract surgery on Sep 14th and Cold infection during the last week, I had low mileage during last 2 weeks. I still think overall had a pretty decent month, I would have liked more lactate threshold workouts, but given the various commitments I got the best possible training. As a bonus had a good race during the last week, which is encouraging,plan is to log 350 miles in next 7 weeks of training. Hope is still on for a goal race a CIM, excitement for the race is building up.

Up next is Firetrails 50M on Oct 8th, my goal is to run a even race and possibly do a sub 11 there allowing me to apply for WS100 2012.

Stevens Creek 10k

2011-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Stevens Creek 10k
Sep 25th 2011
Mountain View, CA

As part of training program for CIM 2011, I had set out few races to ascertain my conditioning for the race and decide on my goal time. Though 3:10 was my initial goal I am not sure if I am in that pace range. Stevens Creek 10k was one of the Goal races, I was hoping to do in 41-42 mins, but I had to schedule my Cataract eye surgery on Sep 14th, hence I decided to run a conservative race.

At the start met up with Soumya/kiran/padma before start of their 5k walk. I would have liked a better warmup before the race, but since I was planning to run a easy 10k on a beautiful trail.

But as the race progressed things changed, I got into the zone and started running at a good tempo, 6:45 seemed like a good pace to hold and run, had a steady good run through stevens creek trail, shoreline lake and back to stevenscreek trail, quite a pretty course and weather conditions of late 60's was perfect. I was pleasantly surprised to hold that pace until last few miles, without hurting my recovery.

During the last mile I realized I have a chance to break 43, so had a good last mile to finish the 10k in 42:40. my jog turned out to be a PR. interestingly I was surpposed to run this race as part of training in 2003, but lost my way and couldnt make it to race :). finally it took another 8 yrs to run this race :).

It was great day and perfect running condition, my hope of hitting 3:10 has been invigorated, planning to slough next 8 weeks towards CIM.

Marathon Pace Estimator: Rao's 1200 (Modified Yasoo 800's)

2011-09-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yasso 800's is quite popular amongst marathoners for determining potential marathon times. It is a simple workout which says if your goal marathon pace is 4:00hrs then you can reach that goal with 800m repeats done at 4:00 min pace(i.e 8mns per mile). More specifics on the workouts is listed here.

I tried Yasso 800's during my 2010 CIM marathon, I solely did the workouts for 8 weeks , my speed workouts were mainly (8-10)X800M in 3:30 and I did feel good improvements in my VO2 max. I PR'ed in that race time: 3:38 hrs.

But based on my current training for 2011 CIM and experience of few of my running friends I have seen it to be little optimistic predictor by say 5-10 mins. i.e if one does 10X 800m workouts in 4mins, more likely runner is capable of doing marathon in 4:10.

I suggest a simple enhancement to this workout, to prolong these workouts to 1200m instead at the same pace. which I have found be much closer estimator, provided your long runs are inline with your recommend pace.

how it works:
For a goal marathon time of 3:20, your 800m time would be 3:20 mins, 1200m in 3:20 x 1.5 = 5:00. Try doing each of the 1200m run in 5:00mins. After every 1200n, do a recovery 400m lap in about the same time it takes to do 800m. Repeat this for 6 to 10 times during the last 8 weeks of your marathon training . I think this would come much closer to your goal marathon time. Also one would maximize on the benefits of VO2max training by doing for such a duration. According to Pete Pfitzinger to get benefits from VO2max workouts, each of the repeats should be done for 2-6 mins and a distance of 1200m seems more optimal.

Try this on your next marathon and see how close you get to your marathon.

If target marathon time is not known then a average of 8 X1200m should be able to indicate your target marathon time. i.e if 1200m is done in 5mins 30secs (800m in 3:30mins), one is capable of a 3:30hr marathon.

A month in review (August)

2011-09-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Past month my main focus was to build a good base had some good tempo runs and have a structured training upon which I can build my training going forward. It was very good month for the most parts, I logged 177 miles, but my speed workout times where not in line with my goal. I am little suspicious about my goal, I am not able to log lot of miles.

So far I am still in the 3:20 pace range, don't see that additional 15 seconds trimming. I will continue to do tempo runs for month of September and meantime try to loose another few pounds which might help get to 3:10 or 3:15 range.

I had a fantastic labor weekend run at Mission peak, got a Tripeat there. Another long run and I am ready for Firetrails 50m.

18 weeks to CIM

2011-07-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Time to get serious about CIM training, a perfect 18 weeks away and time for a good structured training. I have adopted modified 18 week 55mpw training schedule listed by Matt Pfitzinger(Advanced Marathoning).

July was a good base building month, got about 35 mpw and regular 3 good runs per week. going forward my plan is

Aug: Aerobic base building month
log 35-40mpw, with 3 hard runs per week, 2 weight training, 1 Xtraining.
Sep: Lactate threshold month
log 45mpw, with 4 runs per week, 2 weight training
Oct: LT and speed month
log 45-50mpw, with 4 runs per week, 2 weight training, 1 X training
1 Race (Firetrails 50m Oct 8th)
Nov: Tracks and Taper month
log 45mpw
2 Races(US Half Nov 3rd and 10k)
Dec 4th: CIM

A quest for BQ

2011-06-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

2011 being a year of low mileage training, I have decided to pep up my running with shorter running faster races. Since my consistent speed workouts with Akamai colleagues in mar 2011, I have seen significant gains in my pace, which encouraged me to try some quality runs on shorter distances.

On may 23rd I tried a Treadmill half marathon, my goal was to break 1:35 and with a consistent pace of 7:10ish miles I was able to go under that time. This was quite encouraging and motivated me to shoot for a Boston qualifier at Dec 5th CIM 2011. my BQ for 2013 is 3:10 and my goal would be to train for a 3:08, I am sure last 4 miles will easily consume any additional time I can piggy back.

Since being a new dad on May 29th 2011 I have significantly cut back on my mileage, focus is to do more with less. rely on in house workouts like core strengthening and spinning. Going forward I plan to run 3 quality runs

Tuesday: Tempo run 7-11mi
Thursday: 7-10mi Interval workouts (combination of 800,1200 and mile repeats)
Sat or Sun: A Long run 15-22 miles.

I will mainly follow 55miles, 12 week training schedule listed in Advanced Marathon Training, Along the way my intermediate check point races will be
1. Diablo marathon Sep 18th
2. Firetrails 50mile run Oct 8th
3. US half marathon Nov 6th

Since my main training won't start until Sep, I will continue to build base and spend more time with Ahana/Zoey and slowly start runs with Zoey(4legged buddy) and Ahana in baby jogger.

After several years of slow long distance running, I am motivated to train harder and shorter distances.

Ski Class at Bear Valley 2011

2011-01-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Took a ski class to address level 4 and 5 typer skier.

Main pre-req
- ability to do blue runs comfortably
- ability to do wedge turns / wedge cristies

Goals
- learn parallel turns

Instructor addressed following issues
i) reduce weight on the uphill leg on the turn, to improve doing that I am doing lift turns
ii) snow plowing
iii) improve muscle memory by skidding downhill.
iv) short fast S turns
v) body positions kneeling front

Rest of day I practiced mainly parallel turns for about 12 runs. Great day.

Acclimatization for high altitude runs and climbs.

2010-10-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting topic because most of the altitude acclimatization literature addresses mountaineer's perspective, trail runners wanting to set speeds records or run high altitude trails
need more specific training routines.

This article is a place holder to log all the known workouts which has lead to effective acclimatization and eventually a successful high altitude long distance running adventure.

1. Kilian Jornet's Speed Record:
Interestingly last week Spain's Kilian Jornet set a speed record for Mt Kilimanjaro ascent and descent. He has posted a short video on his training leading upto high altitude runs.

Synopsis from his video:
VO2 max of 88-92.
Resting heart rate 34.
Max heart rate 205.
Racing heart rate 190 for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Form: heel strike on steep descents, forefoot otherwise.
Training: 3 weeks at altitude in preparation for a race.
Sessions last 3 hours for short races, 5-6 hours for ultras.
Protocol: gradually increase pace and grade up to 20 km/hr (4:50/mile) at 16-17%
uphill grade.

2. Matt Mahoney's acclimatization for leadville 100m:
Matt a prolific ultrarunner has elaboratly listed his acclimatization routine leading upto leadville 100m, which he finished within 30hrs, a tough race with aggressive cutoffs.

More articles are due, but based on above articles at the minimum a 3 week time in high altitude area is required to acclimatize to specific conditions, which should include intense workouts during the day at high altitude and rest at low altitude.

3. Chadd Kellog's speed climbs:

Following two speed climbs by prolific mountaineer Chad Kellogg is very interesting validation on the power of acclimatization.
i) After a good acclimization going up and down Denali west buttress route, Chad did a solo summit and back of Denali in 24hrs , his climb report is fascinating, this route under good conditions is done in 2 weeks by most folks.

http://www.chadkellogg.com/denali.html

ii) Chad attempted another solo summit climb of Mt Everest without sherpa support and O2, he made it upto to balcony before turning back. His dispatches are at:
http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/kellogg/

Both these reports have been very informative and highlights the possibility of body's peak performance once it is fully well acclimatized. There is no shortcuts to acclimatization for sure, but once acclimatized human potential is immense.

RDL 2010.. a 100 m journey awaiting

2010-09-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I blogged since my last DNF at C2M that was a v interesting race, the whole organization is a ultrarunning festival, its not a race. I will go back one of the years to seek my redumption but not in 2011.

That DNF was painful mainly considering how much I spent training with time away from family put into a selfish goal seems pointless when one encounters DNF, but as always it was yet another learning experience, and made my urge to see a finish much stronger.

2010 has been a roll coaster year, with lot of unexpected life events happening, finally when it seemed like settling down I decided to attempt RDL 100. This time with my friends Diane and Mary pacing me for last 45 miles. That should be a interesting endeavor.

Can't wait to start this Race...

Crossfit Fundamentals @ Sunnyvale Crossfit

2010-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Week 1
Tuesday:
- Squats
- Pushups
- Situps
- workout: 5 mins of 10 Squats 3 pushups 6 situps (small cindy)

Thursday
- Dead lifts
- Push press
- Push jerk
- Push jerk 2
- workout: 12 9 6 of dead lift and push jerk
Week 2
Tuesday
- revise thursday
- Sumo deadlift high pull
- Kettlebell swing lifts
- Pullups and kipping
- workout: 12 9 6 reps of pullups and kettlebell

Thursday
- Front, Back and Up in Overhead Squats
- workout: 3 sets of 9 air squats and burpees

TODO:
Burgener warmup

Week 3:

Tuesday:
missed due to TRT break
class covered warmup and Snatch routine

Thursday:
1. Snatch broken into different parts
2. Skip ropes
3. Dumbell snatch
Workout: 4 rounds of 30 skips, 10 dumbell snatch, 10 situps(Time 6:05)

Week 4:
Tuesday
1.??
workout 30 Overhead squats with dumbbells

Thursday
1. Overhead Squat revise(front and back)

Coyote two moon calling

2010-01-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

With just 6 weeks left for Coyote Two moon 100m, my training for this interesting race is in peak form. I wanted to take few moments and reflect on my training so far and plans for next 3 weeks of intense training.

Nov 2009 had been mainly a base building month, where I tried to captialize my running from Fall and did some good hill runs in Ohlone wilderness trail.

Dec 2009 I was mainly focussing on 2 long runs, i) North Face 50m which went very well and a apt training for a hilly 100m followed by ii) Dec 18th birthday run from Mission peak to Rose peak roundtrip of 40miles, fantastic run through east bay parks, great clear day. I enjoyed solitude and beautiful views from both the summits, this run went as planned except for getting lost in between. Rest of the months didnt train much but just devoured on holiday goodies.

Jan 2010, this was the month I had to nail it and take my training couple of notches, I was in two minds about proceeding with 100m coz I could'nt find time to train sufficiently in the initial part of the month, but chose to take 1 day at a time and past 2 weeks has been wonderful. @ very hilly back to back runs has shaped up very well and looking forward to 3 more weeks of intense training.

The 3 runs are going to be
i) Fremont 50k and a 16 mile run from Mission to Sunol and back.
ii) Probably a 35mile night run jan last week.
iii) a 12-14hr overnight run on Feb 13th weekend.

Apart from this with Rajeev started doing a 2hr hilly run on weekdays which is working out great.

I am really looking forward to these runs and at sametime wanting to get done with this training as I have other important things to address, the luxury of ultrarunning every week has to stop for sometime :).

North Face 50m

2009-12-06T17:39:00.000-08:00

North Face 50M,
Dec 5th 2009
Start/Finish: Marin Headlands , CA

What a day! you can't go wrong organizing a race in one of the most beautiful trail systems in the country. Marin Headlands. and North Face did a great job of selecting some of the most beautiful trails and also snarliest trails in the region.

I had chosen this run to be a good training run for C2M, it was lot more fun running with Todd and Darshan. Between enjoying course and talking to them time flew by.

fun course rolling through marin headlands

What worked:
1. Amphidpod waistpack 2020: Earlier in week had picked up this waist pack from Zombierunners. I was pretty impressed with its low profile design, the pack hardly bounces. I was little dissapointed with the size of the pouch.. hoping to carry more clothing, but I guess it is good enough for a light weight windbreaker. Overall its a good pack, if you plan to carry 2 bottles and a handled.

2. Hostel International: HI Sausilito is a perfect location and great price for a overniht stay. Shared room with Chuck and it worked great for us, we just walked to startline :) from this place.

3. Windbreaker: Firetrails 50m had given a great freebee Siere Design microlight windbreaker, it worked out perfect for early morning windly conditions and late evening finish. Its a great windbreaker but not for very rainy conditions.(It is wind resistant)

4. Hill running in past few weeks did help a lot, recovery has been great so far.

Todd, moi and Darshan overlooking Pirates Cove

Overall a perfect race, fun running the last few miles to make it to sub 13hr, small reward at end of a tough course.

more pictures at:
http://public.fotki.com/Rushme/races_and_runs/ultra/north-face-50m-2009/

Nutrition for Ultrarunning 101 (Part 1)

2009-11-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

I have been pondering over nutrition for endurance events (ultra-running in specific) for quite sometime, today decided to jot down some of my experience. Nutrition plays such a key role for any events > 4 hrs that narrowing down the right strategy for oneself is critical to success.

In this section I am mainly going to list some thoughts on calorific replacement during endurance events.

1. Events less than marathon or a flattish 50k:
For events which are less than 4-6 hrs for a 4:30hr marathoner likeme, relying mostly on gels for every 50-1hr is sufficient. Mainly because human body has about 1800-2000 calories in the form of muscle glycogen which is the easiest and quick source body digs into during endurance events. For marathon distance typically one requires about 100 calories per hr, so total required calories is around 2600 calories.

If we are running a marathon in moderate intensity i.e in range of 70% max heart rate, about 70% of the calories are consumed primarily through carbs and rest through fat store. So we effectively need about additional 400-500 calories in the form of gels. So a gel every 50mins to 1 hr works for average athletes like me.

2. Events ranging from 8hr-14hrs :
For a hilly 50k , 50 mile and 100k events, we need to understand which of the refueling sources works for one's body. A good source to understand calorific replacement and various options are:

i) Hammer Nutrition's refueling guide.
ii) Ultrarunning magazine article by Sunny Blende, sports nutritionist.

According to article (i) some of the keys issues to consider are:
1. What is the total energy expended during endurance events?
The total energy expended during endurance exercise, is of the order of 600-900 cal/hr.
But we cannot replace entire calories expended because body cannot absorb and process food at that rate.

2. What is the max that can be processed by the body?
The limiting factors in caloric replenishment are gastric emptying and liver metabolism of carbohydrates. For most athletes, this is in the 240-280 cal/hr range, and this, by and large, sets the limit of caloric intake. If you consume more than that, you will only get some form of stomach distress.

3. How is the difference of calories between expended and consumed is fueled fulfilled?
Mainly by fat store and if the difference is too high it will dig into muscle store(protien) that's when consuming protein during endurance events helps and prevents muscle glycogen loss.

So basically our goal should be to consume around 240-280 calories every hr in different forms. To do that we have host of different options. Specially during Ultra-running you have whole buffet of food at Aid stations, so which is the strategy one should employ, well to answer that one should experiment with couple of different choices during training runs and stick with one that works.

3. Events of distances 100mi :
Disclaimer, not very experienced with the 100mi distances, but same strategy as above has worked well so far. Along with regular energy source some solid food during initial half of the race works well. As the event gets longer we need to rely on some real food as well. Since we will be running at lower intensity digesting solid food should be possible.(specially during 1st half of the race).

Fueling options(not comprehensive)

Gel and semi solid options: Most of the gel options are listed in article (ii) above, they provide about 100 calories in 1 serving. taking 2 gels and some additional calories from aid station in form of PBJ or potatoes works well for many.

Powder based:
i) Perpeteum: Hammer nutrition product this has worked very well during biking events but not so well during ultra-running for me, but works well for some of my other ultra-running friends. (has Salt as well so consider that during electrolyte replacement)

ii) Clip2: my favorite energy refueling source by SucceedsCaps. Each packet has about 150 calories of complex carbs and along with 1 gel every hour works very well. I don't get any sugar highs, body feels great as long as calories are replaced regularly. (has salt as well)

iii) Spitz: haven't used this but heard this works well for multi-day adventure racers.

Protein drinks:
i) Ensure and Boost: works great as a supplement energy source, it has good amount of protein as well(about 13gm per serving). This is very concentrated drink so diluting the drink helps to avoid stomach nausea.

Energy Bars:
There are lot of energy bars like power bars, luna, clif bars etc, but bars has a primary source is tough on stomach to digest but works well as supplement. It has been found very effective for bikers though... since bikers don't work that hard anyways :).

Finally goal is to get about 240-280 calories per hour, one needs to experiment and find that works for you during training. As George Sheeshan has been quoted umpteen times "we all are experiment of one".

2009 Bday run: Mission Peak to Rose Peak(and back)

2009-11-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

I had been contemplating on different courses for a bday run on Dec 18th. Finally narrowed down to a run from Stanford Avenue entrance to Mission Peak to Rose Peak and back. A total distance of about 37 miles and Elevation gain of about 9200ft(approx).

I got all the required information for running this course based on past few runs with Padma(thanks) and Ohlone 50k trail directions.

1. Ohlone 50k course map clearly lists trails to take From mission peak to Rose Peak and beyond.
(I won't be taking the horse heaven trail instead will take main trail to top; shorter but steeper)
2. Also Dinesh Desai's site has some info on course from Sunol to Rose Peak.

mission to rose peak(turn back from maggie's half acre AS)

I think this entire run will be about 10hours so I Plan is to start by 6am and get done with run by 4pm in day light.

Mission to Sunol and more(C2M training run 2)

2009-11-28T20:14:00.001-08:00

Another terrific run with Padma and Vinod. The plan for the day was to start early and get a 8hr hilly run. We started out at 6am, surprisingly parking lot of pretty occupied, it was pretty chilly weather to start with so we all were quite overdressed. The forecast called for sunny but windy weather so made sure we had a good Windbreaker and new jacket from Firetrails 50M was very useful.

This time we took a straight trail up to mission peak, it felt much harder today.. I was conservative to most parts keeping in mind a long day. As we reached summit it was very windy out there, just hiking up straight was difficult. We were glad to take trail towards Sunol which bright and windless, it was a pleasant run down to Sunol. We regrouped and refueled for another 2 hr run on Ohlone wilderness trail, it was a good reconnaissance run on this trail for my Birthday run on Dec 18th.( I am planning to run abt 36 odd miles from Stanford entrance of Mission Peak to Rose Peak and back, would be a good 10+hr run)

Elevation profile Mission to Sunol(back)

We ran until Sunol backpacking area and decided to turn back to Sunol visitor center for final refueling. Padma had got sweet potatoes for us, that was pretty tasty. 5hrs into run we had 1 more big hill to climb, I was hoping to run some parts of 5mile section. I was happy to run same splits as last time in about 1:15hrs. As I was waiting for Padma and Vinod got 1 more repeat of Mission peak, which was much harder due to wind conditions, in some sections I didn't have to work up at all, but just align myself to wind direction .. it was both easy and tough to be in path of the wind which was almost 55 mph.

Finally caught up with Vinod and Padma on the way down, both braved it very well. Vinod had just come back from Europe so was jet lagged but was determined to get a good run, Padma had some issues initially but was persistent as usual. Finally we got about 24-46 mile run with about 7500ft elevation gain in 7:30hrs. A great day out there.

I was testing quite a few things on this run for C2M 100, my experience so far
i) Firetrails jacket: Is a great windbreaker, but not sure how good would it be during rain, so far v good.
ii) nutrition stuff worked great, I am sticking to my usual formula, clip2,ensure,gels.
iii) Sugoi tights were excellent, held up very well during windy conditions and were very comfy.
iv) Ultimate Direction Diablo and Waist belt combo worked very well, back isn't heavy and waist belt offloads some of the weight. A 3 hour worth water can be easily carried.
v) Diablo offers some additional room for a fleece layer.(not a whole LOT though, something to consider)

Mission to Sunol: Kickoff C2M training

2009-11-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Mission to Sunol run had been on cards for a long time, finally got to do this hilly and pretty course. Initially Padma, Vinod and myself were planning to do Double Mission peak or Triple, but Vinod couldn't join due to work.

Me and Padma got started with our run at 8am, enjoying a beautiful hilly course through dense fog. Fog was so intense I could hardly see few feet, moreover some parts of the initial course was not familiar so I was hunting for the trail and making sure I am on Horse Heaven Trail leading to top. Unfortunately the beautiful views from summit were missing during 1st time, but we enjoyed the perfect running weather and continued on to Ohlone wilderness trail a 5 mile downhill to Sunol regional park head quarters. At ranger office we had plans to refill and take a break.

Interesting Sunol ranger office stocks up 10Gallon water containers for though-hikers and backpackers, It is a very convenient service for the nature lovers.

3hr 5 minutes into our run, we turned back to MP summit, surprisingly running up in parts felt really good, I was at summit in 1:15mins, I decide use the extra time to do repeats on the last 500ft section, which worked out great. Soon padma joined at summit and we headed to Stanford Ave start taking a shorter (steeper) trail.

elevation profile Mission peak to Sunol(and back)

Overall my goal for this run was to do a run with atleast 7000ft of elevation gain and it was achieved.

According to C2M course 100M gains about 27000ft of elevation gain so going fwd my approach towards training would be to do runs of similar gradient. Atleast try and do couple of 10000ft + runs and atleast one 13000-14000ft run.

Some possible courses going fwd
i) Mission - Sunol and back 18 miles 6000ft (+ 1 MP repeat) time required 5hrs
ii) Mission - Rose Peak and back 38 miles 10000ft (+ 2 MP repeat) time required 9-10hr
iii) Quad MP 24 miles 8800 ft (time required 8hrs)
iv) Quad PG&E 32 miles 8400ft (time required 8-9hrs)

50th marathon and beyond

2009-10-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be running Dick Collins Firetrails 50M, thats going to be my 50th marathon and beyond race. Also I will get to meet Legendary Ultrarunners Carl Anderson and Ann Trason.(RDs)

Ann Trason: In her career she has held every trail and road record at some point in and around US. One of the illustrious record is of her winning Western States 100M 14 times and once she was almost Overall winner, Until Tim T finally won it. (She came in overall 2nd)

Its been a fantastic running journey so far. Since the time I started trail running, my love for running has been purely driven by desire to see places. As a reflection into past few years of running I thought would list some of my favorite races in various distances, most of my criteria of choosing these races has been beauty of the course than anything else.

1. 5k run:
Forest of Nisene Marks, Aptos, CA
why:
Beautiful run through Nisene Marks park, easy 5k and a PR course. emotional favorite as it was my 1st 5k. It is very well organized with other longer races by friend and ultra-runner Carol Cuminale.

2. 10k run:
Palo Alto night run
why:
One of the few night runs on a full moon day, nice easy course by palo alto baylands.

3. half-marathon:
San Francisco marathon
why:
Organized as part of SF marathon, there are 2 half marathon options, the 1st half is the most prettiest (little tougher) run through fisherman's wharf, marina, up-the hill to Golden Gate bridge and run on the bridge. Some days when it is cloudy and misty; views of beaches and the bay is sublime beauty.

4. marathon:
Big Sur marathon
why:
You need to see to believe this magnificent course, Highway 1 is one of the country's best routes and running 26 miles through this highway is a rare opportunity to experience the beauty of the course, It has different genre of musical bands almost every mile and the views of the coast; highway 1 from hurricane point is well worth the entry fee. Post race feast is exceptional. Its a excellent family race destination as after race one can have liesurely time in and around small cute town of Caramel, enjoy 17 mile drive(ya right after a marathon) and Monterrey aquarium is a excellent attraction.

5. 50k:
Headlands 50k
why:
Most of the races organized by pctrailruns.com are my favorite. but this is the best run through marin county. Lot of hills, but views are worth the effort.

6. 50 mile:
Quicksilver 50M
why:
Pretty course, constantly changing elevation profile. Excellent friendly volunteers and a Sumptuous post race Grill and Massages. Also it was my 1st trail 50m, barely made the 45 mile cutoff by 90 seconds. Usually it tends to get hot.

7: 100k:
Miwok 100k
why:
Of-course, any race in Marin county has to be by default the best course in bay area. Apart from that Tia bodington and lot of volunteers do a fabulous job of organizing this event. Great views, excellent post race food and fun swag bag.

8: 100mile:
Tahoe rim trail 100m
In short as the RD says "Glimpse of heaven and taste of hell", a tough beautiful course. With generous cutoffs. Folks without altitude issues can do the 100M at a slow pace.

Based on feedback from other running buddies I have to yet run through Bishop 50m, Cascades 100, Big horn 100 and ofcourse Hardrock 100(someday). I havnt yet decided on 1 or 2 100's I may run next yr. (leaning towards Big horn 100m)

Gear Review: Petzl Myobelt

2009-10-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

recenly used Petzl MyoBelt, it uses 3 AA batteries and manufacture claims it lasts 80-170hrs (in max(85 lumens) or economy mode(70lumens) )

http://www.trails.com/gear/p/petzl/myobelt-xp/

my experience so far
1. battery slot is not on head and headlamp is lighter, and for colder races you can put battery unit inside jacket for longer use
(v good for mountaineering)
2. economy mode was good enough to run clearly through night,
3. sometimes the battery unit makes it clumsy while running, but you get used to it.
4. buttons to change mode were small, found it hard with gloves on(I dread using it with mittens)
5. quite pricey but hopefully will recovery using rechargeable batteries

Overall, I liked the long battery life and strength of headlight. I recommend it.

Tour of Sonoma: Bike and Run in Wine country.

2009-10-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Vineman Triathlon,
Sonoma,
CA Aug 1st 2009

This is the closest I will ever come to multi-sport event(I think), I lack the motivation to learn swim or I am wussy of getting drowned, I truly admire folks for their commitment to train for more than 1 disciplines which takes up as much as a full time job, only true passion can encourage you to train for 8-9 months.

I am proud to have friends who swim through 2.4 miles like dolphins. Its commendable what some of my friends have accomplished at Vineman 2009.

my wine buddy Rajeev Char had mentioned about Relay event at Vineman and it was going to be my event of 2009. Char also helped me sync up with ChandraMouli Subramanium (a.k.a Mouli ) for Vineman relay, that worked great. I have been pondering over doing multi-sport event for almost 7 yrs now, but found it tough to get out of whirlpool of Ultrarunning, I just loved my comfort zone i.e just run. But in 2009 I decided to focus more on biking with Rashmi.

I began my training in Jan mostly relying on coaching/guidance from Veteran of multiple Ironmans Char, I was lucky Rashmi loves to bike as well so we ended up biking some pretty scenic and tough courses around woodside, portola and pacifica. My bike training was mostly training for Tour De Cure. And for runs I mainly relied on running couple of ultra's around bay area. I got some good running base after doing
- Sonoma 50M
- Ruth Anderson 50M(RD Rajeev Patel)
- Miwok 100k

By July mid I was waiting for the training to get done, I was tired of those long bike rides and endless butt pains, really admire all these Tri-athletes who can endure this pain year after year.

myself and swim buddy Mouli synced up on our preparation occasionally, thanks to Rashmi and Renuka who kept monitoring his swim training :), he was terrified of any encounters with them.

Pre-race:
Carpooled with Chars on Jul 31st eve for Pre-Race checkin. I was glad to meet up with Bay area Tri gang(Stan, Abhijit, Tandy, Doug, Manisha, Som and Mouli) at the expo, Char briefed me over transitions, special needs bags etc. Also met with ultrarunning friend Dr Mark Tanaka who seemed pretty casual about Ironman distance, he had got just 1 long bike ride but had huge running base(150 mile run in April :)) well he was'nt short of endurance but probably speed on bike.

We had another group of elite Relay athletes Tandy(swim), Kevin(Bike) and Tony Fong(TeamAsha coach and runner) who were brilliantly put together by Char and the only link between them was Renuka Char, inspite of that they went to win their age division in 9:40hrs(almost close to my bike time).

(prerace dinner @ Mary's Pizza Shack courtesy Rajeev)

Some of us joined for pre-race dinner at Mary's Pizza Shack, Tandy very thoughtfully got some home made cookies(yummyyy) and Stan shared some of his motivations behind doing Ironmans.

(pre-race showoff)

Race-day:

"Anil , Mouli is done with his swim" Shouted Chakry

Whatt.. its just 1:30 mins into swim, well he is done with his swim.. that means I need to bike and run.

I started off by bike in the most bizarre transition in history of Vineman, Relay teams theoretically supposed to have near zero transition, but our team took 6+ mins to transition from jeans to bike gear. Oh well here I go ..

(Transition 1 buzzing with swimmers)

Earlier in the morning I had carpooled with Mouli and Veena, it was exciting to see all the athletes preparing for swim leg, As per my understanding Mouli was expected by 8:40-50am(1hr 50 mins for swim) so I was sleeping in their car until 8:10am, Picked up coffee on the way to swim/bike unfortunately couldn't even enjoy my coffee because my partner was too good at swimming 2.4 miles, he beat his expectations.

Tandy was very upset with my casual attitude :), but she did advise me to take it easy as I had 2 stages to go. well Finally Felt was put to use, I was feeling pretty good during the 1st loop I knew I was biking beyond my intended pace but wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather(it couldn't have been any better). I was enjoying moderately undulating course through wine country. I Refueled at special needs area, my nutrition worked great, towards the end of 1st loop met up with Mark and we chatted about our upcoming events. Towards the middle of 2nd loop caught up with Abhijit and Char, who was riding easy due to his ITB issues. Abhijit seemed very well paced for his 1st Ironman.

By mile 90 I was looking forward to T2 and knowing that most of our friends would be there. Got into T2 and ready for run, which felt great, Mouli/Krishna got me some sandwiches but didn't feel like eating much, so carried on with loop 1, Each loop had about 4 aid stations and running between them just passed pretty quickly, on the way chatted with few Ironman finishers from Team in Training. I wasn't running hard just enjoining my experience. The loop format made it much easier to see other runners.

Tony was running hard to finish his 3rd and final loop, Doug was in his 2nd loop, Stan seemed to be in distress, later got to know he had stomach issues so decided to call it a day.(sound decision). I was running close to Char and Abhijit most of the time.

Char was close to his sub 15, we ran together most of the 3rd loop and got a strong finish. I wanted to finish with Mouli but he wasn't in sight. (he was busy running errands and helping us out with post race rides). Abhijit soon followed with a sub 15 finish on his 1st Ironman. Our relay team finished under 14:28hrs.

(Anil and Mouli:Vineman Team)

It was exhilarating to cross the finish line, all effort seemed worthwhile. Congratulations Vineman athletes, it was so much fun to be finishing this event in a big group. Thanks to Rashmi for her support during long training for this event. We were very fortunate many of our TeamAsha friends showed up from bay area to cheer us throughout the event. I am indebted to my wine buddy Rajeev Char for sharing his Triathlon experience, helping with bike issues and just being out there.

(Congratulations Abhijit, Tandy, Doug and Rajeev)

Overall I was pleased with the way our event turned up. IMHO without training for swimming, it was more time consuming to Train for Ironman distance races than a 100 mile run, effort wise probably it is close to a hilly 100k race. Will I do it again, hmm... probably if I can sync up with a swimmer and this time I promise to be on time.

(Photographer and my bike buddy Rashmi)

All pictures courtesy Rajeev and Rashmi.

Indian Angle: A coverage of bay area athletes

2009-09-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

India Angle
Host: Shachi Patel

About 3 weeks back I got call from one of our friends from Asha Org Shachi Patel. I was pleasantly surprized to know about her new program titled The Indian Angle and that she wanted some of us as Guests in her Radio show titled Extreme Acheievers.

To start with I clarified that none of my outdoor pursuits are extreme per se, and I will be honored to be part of the program. Some of the fellow guests were my other running friends, Padma (Avid Ultra runner), Anush(Runner and Mountaineer) and Rajeev Char(Ironman athlete).

Apart from talking about our backgrounds, each of us had a specific topic to talk about I was mainly asked to discuss my 2008 Himalayan hikes to
i) Everest Base Camp, South side, Nepal
ii) Climb of Stok Kangri, Ladakh, India

Padma mainly spoke about how she accomplished being the First Female Indian 100 mile runner, Rajeev spoke about Ironman distances and his passion for it and Anush spoke about his love for mountains. Entire interview can be heard at: usstream .tv. It was very nice talking to Shachi and she did a excellent job of moderating between all guests.

Last day @ Rio

2009-09-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

Already at end of your 2 weeks trip in South America, The lively continent. Past 9 days we have been travling exclusively in Brazil, starting with a breathtaking views of 275 falls at I?gasscu falls, river ride in Rio del Parana to Lively spirit of people in Copacabana, it has been a exciting journey.

After Beunos Aires we headed to Igassu falls, our guide Walter showed us through both Argentina and Bralizian sides with some additional events in small town of foz de igassu. It was very informative talking to walter, we learnt a lot about brazilian way of life.

After a 2 day stay at Igassu we headed towards beach city of Rio de Janiero. Carlos from Via capi picked us up and droped us at Orla right on Copacabana beach. We were pretty tired since our flight was delayed so we took it easy, after a small stroll we crashed at Orla.

Day 2 at Rio was a full day organized tour. After a brif chat with hotel assistant Francis decided to cut short my tour to visit a futbol match. It was between local team flamengo and santo andre, was very exciting to spirit of local fans at maracana. Attacks of flamengo were too quick fo santo andre to match, it was a one sided match.

Day 3 we decided to just relax and laze around the beach with couple of Capirinhas.. that was a great day. Soon we returned and decided to pack for our Wild life trip at Pantanal.. which turned out to be a total fiasco.. (more on that later)

Last day was mostly spent shopping for souvenoirs at popular Hippí market at Ipanema and enjoying buffet at our hotel, what a feast.

Adeus Beunos Aires

2009-08-25T15:11:00.001-07:00

Last of the 3 days at Beunos Aires. From the start this trip has been sweet as planned so far. We had a long flight to BA from SFO, spent almost a 1 day with all wait time, we could have easily gone other side of the globe.

BA has resemblance of Europe, tiny small streets resembles more of Itlay, though havnt been to any city in specific but based on my knowledge from movies, pictures and report from friends.

Day1 we spent discussing various places with our local trip arranger Laura, very informative meetings, our iterinary for next 3 days seems all set. After a short rest we headed to San Telma for weekly Antique fair and Flea market. Followed by evening a quite evening in Resoleta Silverpub.. our Brushchetta order was pretty challenging so was our frequent visits by a stranger.

Day 2 was a organized city tour taking us to some neighbour hoods of BA Palemo park, Resoleta cemetery , San Telma, Caminito live street tango shows, Boca Junior Stadium.. was a good use of our time. After a short rest we headed towards Florida street and Peurto madera for some taste of BA shopping and harbour side cafes.

Day 3 was supposed to be our own designed trip to Tibre for a boat ride in Delta de Parana, instead we chose to go with a organized trip which turned out to be good decision as we got benefits of a informed guiode Thomas and met with family from Rio. Very interesting sharing expèrience with them.

Tonight we "may" goto somn dance place, not sure yet, we need to wrap up for a morning flight to Igauzo Falls.

Mt Hood climbing class is ON

2009-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

my earlier plan to spend 1 week glacier class with SummitClimb.com didn't materialize, apparently they had way too many folks on wait list. So I have decided to pursue a 2 day Glacier Travel Crevasse rescue class with Timberline Guides. Its a long drive up to Mt Hood from bay area, but I guess will pursue, considering there arent much free weekends.

This should open up more time to summit Shasta this year.

Winter fatass running

2009-04-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am so badly lagging behind my blogging, decided to club couple of my running experiences of this year in a single blog. This year has been great so far, I was lucky enough to join for some of fantastic courses all around south bay. I have been running around bay area trails for 6 yrs but still LOT more to explore.

1. Los Gatos Marathon (Fatass style) On 2/8
This was organized by Adam Blum and Sean Lang a fatass style trail marathon. Some geenrous volunteers provided us water, food at mile 5,13 and 18. Course starts from Jones Trailhead in Novitiate Park in Los Gatos and runs all the way upto Mount Sombrero. I loved the other side of Mount Somberero were the course opens up and beatutiful views of Santa Cruz mountains. I was glad to spend good time Talking to Keith Dubner. Considering I had'nt run much for past few months, was in good shapre towards the end and was very happy to finish in 5:35hrs. Post run chatting was fun, catching up with Pierre(winner), Adam, Sean and Jim Magill. Thanks Adam and Sean looking fwd to 2010 run.

2. 2nd Saratoga 50k (Fatass 50k) On 2/21
Another Fatass race of the season put up by avid trailrunner Keith Blum. It mainly consisted of 3 10 mile loops, running different part of Skyline to Sea Trail and Saratoga Gap trail. Again this run I started early with Keith Dubner. The course was made very easy by Keith's meticulous directions, we missed just 1 turnaround in the first loop. Overall a beautiful run the redwoods, the section near Castle rock park was my favourite. The last loop was a rush for me as I had to head back home just in time for my guitar class, that was lil stretch, but a fun day.

clear day in santa crus mountains

Teleported to Kathmandu

2009-02-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

As I am listening to one of mesmerizing compositions of AR Rehman, Khwaja mere Khwaja from Jodaa Akbar, Iam instantly transported to my hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I was just back from my Trek to from base camp, incidentally Jodaa Akbar was being relayed. This song just kept playing in my head as I was pondering over my failed attempt and how I could make it different. I so much want to go back one of the years, probably in next 3-5 yrs.

Someday. For now I am happy to be teleported through this song those beautiful mountains of Himalayas.

End of year Tag

2008-12-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am tagged by my buddy Rajeev Patel. Though not much to write about my running for the past year but will share my other adventures.

1. What was your 2008 running highlight and running low?
As mentioned don't have any significant running accomplishments but my high for the year was Stok Kangri climb and low a DNF at Everest base camp hike due to altitude problem but it was very good learning experience and reality check for my future high altitude expeditions.

2. What race are you secretly planning on doing (or contemplating) for 2009 but haven't made it known to the public....until now.
hmm.. I don't want to do a 100M mainly due to time constraints, But secretly wish to do a probably Cascade or Headlands 100m.

3. Where would you like create and direct an ultra that (to your knowledge) none exists?
Surely there are lot of runnable sections in Ladakh and Sahyadri's in India. my dream event would be a 100mile run in the western ghats.

Another practical possibility would be a point to point 50 miler on bay ridge trail (east bay regional parks)

4. What is your "primary" race for 2009?
hmm.. I am most excited about a 1 week climbing class in Cascade mountains in Jul 2009.

5. What is the most exciting thing about your upcoming race schedule?
a new race Sonoma 50M

6. List your planned races for 2009:
Adam Blum's Fatass 26-mile run in Feb
Sonoma 50M in Mar
Miwok 100k(lottery dependent)
Ohlone 50K in May
Headlands 50M in Aug
Dick Collins 50M in October
A century ride

Tagging Padma/Kiran, Vinod Vishwanath, Nattu Natraj, Chihping Fu, Michael Kanning

Flashback 2008: A trip to Indian himalayas

2008-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

A year primarily in India away from wife, but more time with parents and extended family. A time to explore Indian himalayas, re-live culture and traditions. A year to introspect and set priorities for the future ahead.

Last year same time when it was decided I will be working in India for the good part of 2008, my adventurous spirit kicked in and started planning events to keep it satisfied. After talking to Abhijeet, my main focus for doing fast everest base camp hike. It was very good experience visiting kathmandu, lukla, namche bazaar, spending good time amongst sherpa culture. Very reqarding and humbling experience. One of the best hikes in the world.

Though I did'nt make it to EBC due to altitude sickness, I learnt lot more from that experience. Once I got back. I had the hunger to go back and do a mountain climb in Indian himalayas. coincidentally came across Stok Kangri mountain and planned a trip with sufficient time to acclimatize for a 6153 mtr mountain. with all the learnings in EBC trip, ladakh trip was perfectly executed and it was a enriching experience learning about ladakhi culture and humble way of life. I am in love with this place and people, very humble and simple minded. I hope to spend much longer time in this beautiful place. Hopefully retire out there and organize ultrartunning out there.

Apart from the above events, did some of self organized marathons and 50ks, to keep myself active.

Now I am really looking forward to 2009! Back to more ultrarunning and some climbing. I am hungry for adventure.

A trip to heights of Ladakh

2008-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since my EBC unsuccessful attempt, I keep thinking about different ways that trip could have been different. A extra day at pheriche would have made a difference. probably should have listened to the Nepali guide when he said
"I have 14 yrs of hiking experience, so would advise you to stay at pheriche for a day. while coming down from EBC you go in a single day, no problem, but be careful going up"

Well, I had my own reasons and ambitions and gut feeling, which didn't turn out be right. As Dan Sanford has said "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want".

With that experience I cannot afford to take Altitude lightly, 14000ft is about the highest I would ever think of climbing in a single day, anything more than that would require lot more respect from my side.

Couple of weeks back when I was browsing through Bangalore Mirror, I came across a article on Stok Kangri, one of the Trekking Peaks in Leh, Ladakh. Height 6120M. That was it, it is going to be my second trip to Himalayas(also Karokoram) and a chance get over my EBC DNF. After about 2-3 weeks of researching around travel plans, acclimatization schedule, training plan, COST and other trip reports I came out with a following 13 day schedule. A raft, bike , hike and a climb Trip.

Day	End Point	Max Altitude(mtrs)	Night Stay
1	Land at Leh	3505	Hotel
2	Acclimatising(visit bazaar)	3505	Hotel
3	Bike to Hemis and back	4000	Monastery/Hotel
4	2 Day hike: Leh to Rumbak	3800	Home stay
5	Rumbak to Gandala Pass to Nimo	4970	Hotel Leh
6	Leh to Stok village to Mankarmo	4500	Camp
7	Mankarmo - Base Camp(BC)	5000	Camp
8	Base-Advanced BC(Acclimatize )	5300	Camp
9	Summit day	6120	Camp
10	Extra summit day - BC	6120	Camp
11	BC-Leh	3505	Camp
12	Spare day/Raft in Indus	3505	Hotel
13	Fly back/back to work	3505	Pune

Unlike my previous trip, my main focus this time is to properly acclimatize before reaching base camp. It was interesting conversing with a Travel agent in Leh. I called up and asked about Stok Kangri, and it goes as follows:

Guide: You come over here, we will fix a trip.
Me: how long will the trip be?
Guide: You are Indian right? Then 5 days you can do it?
Me: what?? 5 days
Guide: Yes , if you were foreigner (referring to westerners) you could in 3 days.

I laughed and told him OK, will come there and decide.

Well If not for my EBC misadventure, I would have landed up in Stok Kangri ready to climb 20000ft + in 5 days round trip :). Ridiculous. Again "experience is what you get" better at EBC than at a dangerous mountain. I had considered some packaged tour options as well, but decided against it as it makes the trip too predictable and leaves little room to explore in your own terms.

The trip mainly will consist of following adventures:
1. Bike ride to Hemis and Back:
Mainly enjoying the high altitude desert and rolling hill ride to Hemis. And visit world famous gompas in the region. Gompas are mainly is a monastery, this was built in `7th century by king
Singe Namgyal.

2. Trek and Climb:
As part of acclimatization I plan to do a 2 day hike covering Hemis National park loop, passing one of high passes gond-La pass and returning back to Hotel at Leh.

With about 5 days in Leh and higher altitude, I should be in good shape to hike towards EBC which will be a total of 5 days round trip to summit of Stok Kangri. I am hoping to join some group once reach Leh.

3. Raft Indus river:
Finally if time permits, a 1 day raft trip in Indus; one of the oldest and longest rivers in the world which has seen plethora of civilizations in her lifetime. This should be a unique experience.

Now except for starting day everything else is decided :). Following sites were a great reference in planning trip so far.
http://reachladakh.com/guide_books.htm
http://www.dirttreks.com/2007/india/stok/trek.htm
http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/~gabik/Travels/IndiaNepal/Stok-Kangri-Trek.html

Tagged: Thoughts on running

2008-06-11T03:18:00.000-07:00

Tagged by my friend Rajeev Patel and here are some thoughts

1. How would I describe my running 10 years ago?
I hav'nt been running that long, but past 6 yrs of running has definitely been a great learning process, understanding different aspects of medium, long and ultra distances. And its amazing to see how body/mind and spirit adapts to demands of these distances. I would say I am more educated, and "going by the feel" runner than a schedule runner. But I do feel schedule does help achieve goals.

2. What is your best and worst race experience?
My best race has been Miwok 100k 2007, not particularly a great time, but after having some issues at Ruth Anderson 100k and AR 50M, I wasn't sure how I am going to feel in this race, but it worked out great, enjoying the lovely California coastline, running amidst some of my buddies. It gave me lot of confidence going into TRT 100M.

Way too cool 50k 2007 was my worst experience, the race organization was perfect, but I forgot the basics of racing ended up not enjoying this beautiful run. Definitely been a learning experience though.

3. Why do you run?
To feel alive, running is the easiest sport to bring back life and optimism into me, . A true gift for life.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Worst piece of advice - nothing in particular.

Best piece of advice - break into mini goals . I had read Yiannis Kouros breaking his 100M run into 25 mile segments, while training for my first marathon, and since then it has helped in almost every aspect of life.

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
The time I spend thinking about running events is more than my training time.

Tagged the following:
Rajeev Char
Peter Lubbers

Running a 50k amidst love birds

2008-04-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

Ruth Anderson 50k,
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens,
Bangalore, India
April 19th, 2008

Last year BAUR had posted a vacancy for RD and my friend Rajeev Patel happily stepped up to volunteered his time and energy Direct the race. I had pleasant memories of 2007 Ruth anderson 100k and instantly signed up for Ruth Anderson 2008 race as well.

But due to some life events, I had to come back to India on a short assignment in Jan 2008. Past 4 months I was thinking about the course and how to run my own race.

I had done a long run at Lalbagh Botanical Gardens one of the weekends and was happy to find a nice 5km loop, which was similar to Lake merced loop in San Francisco. RD Rajeev had agreed to consider my solo run as part of the race and sent race bib as well.

Fortunately Rashmi was in town and relied on her support towards the end. She was also keen to get some miles during weekend. As part of my training for Everest base camp hike, I had managed to get some long runs, but nowhere near my 2007 miles.

(lone crew member)

Considering the rising temperatures in Bangalore, Rashmi had suggested a earlier start and we both were off at 6:30am.

It was a pleasant warm day, sun slowly waking up and nice breeze by the lake, first loop myself and rashmi were together as she was new to park. As the day progressed the daily morning walkers increased and all were curiously looking at my "ruth anderson bib". I got into rhythm and slowly got done with loops one by one. I met rush about couple of times, she seemed to be in zone and enjoying her run.

(nice loop by the lake)

I particularly enjoyed the section by the lake and just reminded me of the beautiful california trail running.

About 2hr 30 mins into the Rush had completed her 10 mile run and myself about 13miles I was feeling just OK, I felt the fatigue of long run, I did feel lack of regular long runs. But was happy to get to get this distance. Rush had gone home and had planned to freshen up and crew for last few hours.

I was keen on getting as many miles as possible before she turns up, but day started heating up, breezy trails turned into hot pathways and walkers turned into love birds all along. There was hardly any benches left in the park with loving couples occupying every nook and corner.

I tried hard to give them privacy, but there were some embarrassing moments as well. Rush had reached home and was getting me some sugar cane juice and gels. my rate of succeed(salt tablet) consumption indicated a clear increase in heat/humidity as well. One of the person in the park advised me to do a early morning run instead, I just smiled at him.

About 4.5hrs into run Rush showed up at one of trail junctions, I was glad to get some rest and bandana. Wet bandana was a great relief. I was one loop short of marathon distance and I was looking fwd to it. Once past 42k, the rest was a formality.

It wasnt one of my best runs, But I was just happy to get another long run and race this year. I am sure the love birds were sick of seeing this crazy runner spoiling their weekend loving moments.

This encourages me to be more regular with my long runs, my conditioning is rusted, it is clearly shown in my recovery time as well. I miss all the long runs and races done during 2007, what a prolific year it was.

I have all my admiration and gratefulness to Rush, for all her support during the run. Thanks to RD Rajeev for being very accommodative. I heard the race in San Francisco has been a blast, hopefully will be part of it in 2009.

Trekking in Bhutan

2008-04-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

A very good article in National Geographic Adventure magazine on Trekking the Snowman Trail.
A pricey proposition @ 200$ per day paid to Bhutan, nonetheless a interesting adventure in the Himalayan country.

EBC Updates

2008-04-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Pune
April 1st
All the updates related to the trip is complete now. The photos are posted at:
http://public.fotki.com/Rushme/hikes/ebc-hike/

I would like to thank my family and friends for their support in this adventure. Following individuals have offered lot of guidance for this trip:

Abhijit Karmarkar: whose tips on EBC and checklist were very useful. I just blinded followed his guidelines, ofcourse except for acclimatization schedule :). (next time)

Anup Mathkar: Very informative meeting during our hike to Sinhagad, he clarified all my last min queries.

Gautam Patil: I carried most of the stuff listed in Gautam's checklist(its not available currently). He also had some good suggestions on my ascent plan.

Days 4 - 6 (Lobuche to Lukla)
March 26th-28th, 2007

After first 3 days of constant ascent to Labuche (4930m) , I was planning on a 4th day of EBC and Kala pattar visit with a light day pack. But eventually I ran out of luck and Altitude caught up with me, I had a very bad 3 rd night with constant bought's of short breathing, by morning it was clear proceeding any further up is out of reach. Due to lack of time, I decided to turn back and the last 3 days were spent taking a different route , appreciating beauty as much as I can with AMS.

(finally a glimpse of Mt Everest from Kunde on last day)

(Beautiful village : Namche Bazaar)
Sometime I do think about how couple of days would have made all the difference, but I don't have any regrets as it was all or nothing kind of attempt so I take as it comes. I will add more updates on my day 2 and day 3 experience with all photos when I reach Pune.

Day 3 (Pheriche to Lobuche):
March 25th, 2008
Today was a new territory, beyond 14500ft was the first time I climbed higher and was quite cautious about that. After a good breakfast of Porridge and honey bread, we started out from Pheriche, feeling just OK. I had some distrubed sleep and had some problem breathing in the night, so definately a sign of lack of acclimatization.

Some of the guides strongly recommended a break at Pheriche, seeing my ascent schedule. I was totally aware of added benefit of a break, But I did not have a extra days buffered.

Also during dinner met with some Scottish hikers who in spite of a good acclimatization schedule had trouble at Gorak Shep. That was cause of concern for me, so I decided to hike to Lobuche
and see how it feels, and then continue to Gorak Shep which is 230 m higher.

(hike by the river basin: enroute to Lobuche)
We started at 7:30 am and hike was mostly by the river through the basin, criss crossing the river multiple times. It was a nice gradual hike until we reached Dukla, were we had some hot chocolate and got ready ready for a long steep climb. In all these climbs my Altimeter
watch High-gear Loft was a big help.

(Hike upto Lobuche Pass: sherpa carrying 60lbs+ load)
Once we crossed the Lobuche Pass we hiked through desert like barren land to Lobuche. We decided to take a lunch break and then continue to Gorak shep. Considering my mild headache, I decided would take it easy and sleepover at Lobuche instead and do a day hike to Kala Pathar and EBC on 4th day. (without the back pack)

(In the backdrop of Mt Pumori and others)

I just hope for another good day with a light duffel bag and gels, and hopefully will be able to see Everest tommorow.

(Sunset over Mt Nuptse 7862M)

Day 2 (Namche to Pheriche ):
March 24rd, 2008
Wow what a interesting day it was, long but very rewarding. my plan was to Hike from Namche to Pheriche, according to elevation differentials it is just a 800M climb, but I did'nt get any elevation profile of the entire Trail, that made this day quite misleading.

The destination is at 4260M(13990Ft) which is round about my known territory, so felt doable. After a heavy breakfast at Sona lodge, Namche Bazaar, myself and Lamber(porter) started out for a long day. When we started it was Overcast and entire Namche was snow covered , it was mesmerizing to just walk past the snow covered trails.

(Enroute to Namche to TengBoche)

By the time the day broke we reached Phunki, we hiked down and crossed Dodi kosi, before beginning another long climb of 500M to Tengboche. At the top we were welcomed by beautiful village of Tengboche, righly placed in the base of a bowl, surrounded by Huge mountains.

(Tengboche monastery)

(beautiful village of Tengboche)

We continued on to Debouche for a lunch break. After a sumptuous meal we carried on towards Pangboche, a quick call to my folks about my well being and we rolled again continued towards Pheriche. Most of Trail was besides Dodi kosi, we hardly saw any Trekkers beyond 1pm. mostly
we met with porters and yak-men.

(Above tree line: enroute to Pheriche)

Day 2 was quite tiring, the net elevation was more than 1200M, I did feel it was lot a day. Well its all done now.

Day 1 (Lukla to Namche Bazaar):
March 23rd, 2008

I am at Namche bazaar, Reached lukla at 8am and after some hiccups, started hike with the porter at 10:25 AM. As the plane landed on a small strip smaller than a football ground, I realized one of my dreams was coming to reality. Nice easy hike to Phakding with breath taking views of mountain and Dodi kosi river carving the valley.. several foot bridge crossing the river at high altitude gives superb views.

(Dodi kosi meandering through the valley)

Good to have some company even though we cant talk much but some company is good. After lunch at Phakding we started a long climb to Namche, the last 400 mts were relentless but fun. Felt fine so far at3440..(11200 ft) just the beginning of high altitude.

(Small little village: Namche Bazaar)
Planning to start early at 6am towards Pheriche as planned, hoping to have a fun day tomorrow as well. Looking fwd to it.

Here every thing comes a a cost , cant complain as poor Sherpa want to earn their best during the season. Next I will be able to email only day after tomorrow
cheers and regards
Anil

Kathmandu March 22 2008 6:00 PM

I am all set to start the trek tomorrow,had a pleasant flight Pune via Delhi to Kathmandu. It was great meeting my cousins and their daughter Shreya en route. As planned, I have booked my tickets to Lukla.

(Thamel: A hub for trekkers and hikers)

As soon as I finished my work at the airport,couple of guides and taxi drivers jumped to grab a pie of the trekking business. Found a semi free ride to he hotel. On the way a guide joined me as well, he told me about all the different services a guide could provide.Having a very low EQ doesn't help, and having read the low wages of porters in this area,I got brought in by the idea of having a guide. One thing he said really touched my heart he said, "you come here to enjoy the experience in the process you can help someone earn livelihood,that made sense to me.
More over I will have some company on this solo hike and would be safe in this political turmoil that this region is going through. So decided to hire a porter for the first 2 days sharing your loads equally. my plans of the trek remains unchanged though..Interesting thing to note is that the region is filled with all western hiking/climbing brands and also the "made in Nepal" version :)
I am done with all the last min packing, waiting for a dinner with a beer or wine and a good sound sleep..

Hopefully should have time to write from Namche.
Next to Luka,
Anil

All set to board
Pune 20th Mar 2008

Past couple days has been pretty hectic at work and me catching dust allergy made it tougher, luckily timely advice from my MIL put me on recovery and feeling great as of now. Started early from work and got done with packing. The BackPack seems light as of now(<25lbs), href="http://www.yak-attack.co.uk/">Yak Attack, added to my wishlist , great way to explore Annapurna circuit.

Prevention of AMS

Some useful sites with information on Altitude acclimatization, Prevention and Cure of AMS
(Courtesy amit mathkar)

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html
http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm

Diamox and Dexamethasone are my companions for this trip.

The Golden Rules

Rule 1:
If you feel unwell at altitude it is altitude illness until proven otherwise.

Rule2:
Never ascend with symptoms of AMS.

Rule 3:
If you are getting worse (or have HACE or HAPE), go down at once.

Pune
March 17th 2008

EBC week is fast approaching, friday I am heading towards Delhi enroute to Kathmandu. My training has been pretty decent, got some good long runs and a wonderful hike of Sinhagad Fort in Pune with all the gear. A separate post of the hike is much desired.

At the same time there is news of Everest closure from Nepal side(south) May 10th in the wake of Tibet protests, and also to allow chinese climbers to carry Olympic torch without disruption. So as of now hikers are allowed till base camp. keeping a keen eye on the progress in Nepal. if Tibet protests extend to Nepal area, then *may have* to cancel the trip as well. Mountain will last longer than us.

Keeping fingers crossed at the same time hoping the best for Tibet and climbers(some of them have spent their lives in preparation of Everest climb. getting canceled at the whim of Chinese government is very unfortunate).

will try to blog with progress during the hike.(Thx rush)

Namche Bazaar

2008-03-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Kathmandu
March 29th, 2007

After first 3 days of constant ascent to Labuche (4930m) , I was planning on a 4th day of
EBC and Kala pattar visit with a light day pack. But eventually I ran o9ut of luck and Altitude caught up with me, I had a very bad 3 rd night with constant boughts of short breathing, by morning it was clear proceeding any further is out of reach. Due to lack of time, I decided to turn back and the last 3 days were spent taking a different route , appreciating beauty as much as
I can with AMS.

Sometime I do think about how couple of days would have made all the difference, but I don't have any regrets it was all or nothing kind of attempt so I take as it comes. I will add more updates on my day 2 and day 3 experience with all photos when I reach Pune.

Namche Bazaar
March 23rd, 2007

I am at Namche bazar, Reached lukla at 8am and after some hiccups, started hike with the porter at 10:25 AM.
As the plane landed on a small strip smaller than a football ground,I realized one of my dreams was coming to reality.
Nice easy hike to Phakding with breath taking views of mountain and Dodi kosi river carving the valley.. several foot bridge crossing the river at high altitude gives superb views.
Good to have some company even though we cant talk much but some company is good.
After lunch at Phakding we started a long climb to Namche, the last 400 mts were relentless but fun. Felt fine so far at3440..(11200 ft) just the beginning of high altitude.
Planning to start early at 6am towards Pheriche as planned, hoping to have a fun day tomorrow as well. Looking fwd to it.
Here every thing comes a a cost , cant complain as poor Sherpa want to earn their best during the season.
Next I will be able to email only day after tomorrow
cheers and regards
Anil

And let the drums roll...

2008-03-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Kathmandu March 22 2008 6:00 PM

Hopefully should have time to write from Namche.
Next to Luka,
Anil

Hiking through the giants.

2008-02-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

As my plans to work in India for a extended period materialized, I started planning for outdoor activities in India, making best of the place. What better than a visit to a himalayan kingdom. To start with I had set my eyes on Everest base camp a hike from Lukla at 9500ft to Kala Pattar at 17500 ft.

Everest base camp Trek map

Initially I had thought of attempting a single day hike from Lukla to Kala Pattar, which required mainly a day pack weighing less than 15lbs, but decided againts it keeping mainly AMS in mind as I wont be able to acclimatize even at Lukla. I was lucky to find a great checklist at Gautam Patil's website.

The trip details was elaborately shared by my friend Abhijeet Karmarkar, with detailed tips for my stay in kathmandu and in Khumbu region. Earlier I was tempted to combine my trip with a 6000mtr peak climb (Island peak or Lobuche east) as well, which would add upto 2 additional weeks, but did'nt materialize. Peak trip is on my todo down the line.

Elevation chart of some keys villages on the way.

Destination	Elevation	Comments
Lukla	2840 mtr	(Starting point)
Phakding	2610 mtr
Namche Bazar	3440 mtr	Prominent village with internet, currency exchange and phone facility.
Tengboche	3860 mtr
Pheriche	4240 mtr (13992 ft)
Gorak Shep	5140 mtr	Last village before base camp
Everest base camp	5364 mtr (17701 ft)	Destination
Kala Pattar	5550 mtr

Past week I finally booked my trip dates and my trek itenary is as follows:

March 21st : Pune to Delhi

March 22nd: Delhi to Kathmandu (early morning flight)
Explore kathmandu, mainly thamel region and book my trip to lukla and back.

March 23rd: Take a early morning flight to lukla.
Start a 6-8 hrs hike to Namche Bazaar.
Distance about 14-16km
Elevation gain 600 mtr

March 24th: Start early (5am) , hike from Namche to Pheriche.
Distance about 14km-15km
Elevation gain 800 mtr

March 25th: Start early , hike from Pheriche to Gorak Shep
Distance about 11km
Elevation gain 900 mtr

March 26th: Gorak Shep to Base camp and Kala Pattar day hike
Elevation gain 500 mtr

March 27th and 28th: Hike back to Lukla

Mar 29th: Fly from lukla to kathmandu
sight-seeing at kathmandu

March 30th: Flight back to Delhi/Pune

My main training for the trip is going to be some long distance runs and couple of backpacking in Pune, I am hoping my pack to be around 22 lbs. As food and shelter will be taken care on the way in the villages, main weight is some extra layers of clothing, water and some gels. Looking forward to this trip .. waiting to see sun rise over Everest and Lhotse, and hopefully I get to climb some of those giant deities once in my life.

Quest for a Sub 24hr 100Mile run

2007-12-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

San Francisco 1 day race
Crissy Fields, SF, CA
10/21/2007

We humans have never ending quest for self improvement. This craving/curiosity/ inner drive has differentiated us from millions of other species who for millions of years continue to lead their lives the exact same way! nothing wrong with that, just our craving for self improvement is so innate, its never ending.

It was in July, I completed my first 100 mile run at Tahoe, and since then I was trying to improve my performance in Ultrarunning and SF 24 hour seemed liked a great venue:
- flat course
- perfect weather
- easy access to food/gels.

I was eying this race last year as well, but my focus was mainly on getting a good race at Helen Klien 50M so decided to skip. But this year I was all prepared, with lot of good long distance runs and several months of base, I was hoping for a peak performance.

I even consulted Zombierunners for their tips on optimum performance, and was happy to get some great tips before the race. Come race week I was all prepared, except for my sore throat and mild headache, didn't have bodily injuries.

Pre-Race:
I decided to get some extra sleep by sleeping at our friend's place Deepak/Aruna. myself and Rush packed all the required stuff and dozed off at SF, just 10 mins from the race start. Seeing my sore throat state and constant coughing Deepak offered a potent concoction of honey and pepper, by god, this worked great, by morning my sore throat had almost disappeared. I still had some mild headache.

Race day:
Could not resist a coffee at Starbucks so went looking for one, at the cost of reaching the start little late. Got just in time, to settle down with my chair, ice-chest and all the paraphernalia for the day ahead.

Met with few of the usual ultra gang: carol, mariane, barbara, mylinh, joe and tom. They all seemed to do a 80+ mile day, that seemed reasonable to me, not knowing what that distance means on a loop course.

runners set to conquer their goals.

I had decided to shoot for 55 miles in first 12hrs and do my best for next 12 hrs. The race started at 9am, we had some fast guns like Akos Konya for 12hr ; Jon Olsen and Kermit Cuff for 24hr. Just before the race I taped my feet for blister prevention, which turned out to be too tight and started bothering my landing, so after
3 laps, changed into just socks.

Barbara preparing for warmer parts of the day

I got into a comfortable pace of 13 mins per mile pace, as the day progressed crowd for another event gathered around Crissy field, providing us some distraction and entertainment. Thanks to Hao to running few laps, it was fun to share some of his plans for following year.

Aaron: age 12 works diligently working towards his marathon

The first 12 hours went as planned, I was slowing down, and could feel the fatigue. I ended up doing about 52 miles, right then I got some hot rice noodles and potato soup , that was very refreshing. Rush and Deepak kept me entertained for some laps.

Golden gate bridge, how could one not run 24hrs here!

As I continued on for more laps towards my 62 nd lap I saw some familiar face at distance and was thrilled to see Shekar and Vinod herur coming all the way from south bay to cheer and run few laps. Soon I saw RajeevP, RajeevC and Renuka and laps started ticking faster.. after they left I made a mistake of taking a nap in a chair in a cramped position, that was a bad move, when I got up my quads where jammed, I could hardly do one lap which convinced me to take a longer nap in the car this time. A 2hr sleep turned into 4 and as I got I saw GG bridge and Sun rising and glimmer of light on the bridge, I thought to myself why am I wasting my time, get my butt off and head for more laps.

So from 6:30am till finish I got some more laps totaling to 74 miles, just a marathon short of 100 miles. Deepak and Rush again turned up in the morning to share few laps and take some great pictures of the Golden Gate bridge.

Hung(2nd place), Carol and Barbara running strong last few laps

Meantime Carol, Barabara and Tom diligently worked hard and did 80+ miles and mariane ended up doing 100 miles in 24hrs. It was a inspiration to see all night runners working hard and getting over those tough nights miles.

Zombie anil getting last few laps

Running around loop:
As easy as it looks, in spite of being a a flat course, running around loop is hard, there is no cutoff and no distance goal, and to achieve one's best, mind has work hard every moment. Taking a break is lot easier and those minutes add up to hours easily.

It was a great learning experience, for now I am not sure if I will try another but I will always have those 4 hours of sleep haunt me for some time on second thoughts I do think I will go back and get that 100 miles one of the days.

I am indebted to Rashmi and Deepak for their support that weekend and tolerating this zombie runner the next day. All the pictures are courtesy Zombie Don Lundell. More pictures from him at Zombierunner photos. Thanks to Don and Gillian for their tips on pacing, nutrition for this race they were all very timely and good suggestions. I just lost the looping game!

California International Marathon, 2007

2007-12-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

California Internationa Marathon (CIM )2007,
Sacramento,CA
Dec 2nd , 2007

Quest for a PR marathon.

Over the past couple of years road running took back seat, the other day I noticed that its been 2.5 yrs since I had a run a road marathon. With lot of Ultra-running in 2006 and 2007, I was sure of improving on my previous best of 4:17 set in 2004. But I wasn't sure if a sub 4 was possible.

In 2007 my performance goal was SF One day race, I had planned to do 100 miles, or at least do a 90+ miles. But during the week I caught cold and race day didn't feel that good, so I ended up doing a measly 74 miles with 4hrs of sleep in my car. Running around the loop 14 minute miles looks easy, but during the night sustaining the pace on a loop course was harder than I thought.

I am very thankful to great support of fellow runners, delicious food and drinks brought by my wife and deepak. And support of my friends who visited my during night (shekar, RajeevP, RajeevC, Renuka, Vinod) and numerous email posts during the race and post race. It meant a lot to see those friendly faces.

Those 4hrs haunted me for a long time, I started asking myself why can't I have some pity on my body, I am not reveling at the fact of running 20hrs, but was bogged down with 4hrs of down time; well that logic didn't go well, the truth is I failed to perform on the race day, I just didn't feel great about it, I decided on doing a timed race, a PR at CIM.

3 weeks of race specific training indicated a sub 4:05 possibility, but sub 4 did seem a stretch but I was eager to give a shot at it.

Pre-race:
Rashmi and myself decided to be eco friendly and decided to take ACE train to Sacramento which was conveniently placed at Sac downtown near our hotel. Fellow runner Dinesh had booked hotel for us.

A pre-race dinner and wine at Spaghetti factory was a perfect meal. During dinner Vineeta and myself had decided to run with sub 4 hr group as long as we can.

Race day:
The shuttle from Holiday Inn took off at 5:15, as it left I realized to have left my gels and hydration pack, luckily I had my hand held bottle (with coke) for post 18 miles. Dinesh spared me a gel and I decided to rely on gel stations at Mile 13 and 20.

We started out with 4:30 group slowly warming up and joined 4 hr grp within 2 miles and decided to stay with the group for as long as we can. After abt 6 miles we got separated at AS, and I continued running in and around 4 hr group.

I knew I can't hold a sub 9 pace for long but would be able to run a 9:15 ish pace and try to run a hard last 6-8 miles. my only chance of sub 4 hr was doing a even pace, during one of the runs RajeevP had suggested some splits for 13.1 and 20 miler, I had the following in mind
- 13.1 in 1:58
- 20 miles - about 3 to 3:03
- 26.2 - 3:59

I thought putting time in the bank would spoil my chances, so I was happy to cross 13.1 miles in 1:59. I just needed another 13.1 with the same pace. We were very lucky to have Bill Finkbeiner as the 4 hr pacer, he paced evenly till the end.

As I crossed mile 20 in 3:02, I knew sub 4 hr is in the bag I was feeling good, all I had to do is to maintain a steady 9 min pace. I picked up the pace ahead of 4hr group and caught up with Vineeta, I could see she was giving her best shot and was hell determined to do a sub 4.

From that point we maintained a even pace encouraging each other and sharing some found memories of our run in Toulemme meadows run earlier this year. As we approached mile 25 we had about 12 minutes for 1.2 miles a 10 min pace which would ensure a 4hr marathon, we both realized how close we were to our goals and there was nothing to stop us except ourselves, we gave it all for a fastest last mile of 8:30, as I was close Rashmi cheered us to finish.

I was tiny bit disappointed to see the race clock read 4:00:19 as we passed, but our clocks stopped at 3:58:27.

Wow! I hadnt run such a *race* for a long time, I don't know if I will ever have a such a perfect race day. There is no better feeling than to give your best shot and to get your desired outcome!

(vineeta running strong at mile 16 with krishna)

Thanks to Vineeta, it was awesome pushing each other through those last miles. RajeevP for his constant encouragement . And of course Rush for bearing with me for this one more dream race, no more races for rest of year :).

It was great to see so many cheering faces all through Sacramento, great supporters and perfect race conditions. This race never disappoints me. It was a pleasure to see all the TeamAsha 07 runners and coords cheering us on the way as well. Congrats to all the TA runners.

Haile Gebrsellasie: World Record Performance

2007-10-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

Haile Gebrsellasie :The champion leaves his footprint on Marathon!

The running phenom from Ehtiopia, worlds greatest longest distance runner, has finally set his footprint in Marathoning as well. On Sep 30th 2007 he set a new World Record of 2 hrs 4 mins 26 secs at Berlin Marathon.

He has held world records at various middle to long distance events including: 2k, 5k, 10k, half marathon and 1hr runs. Since his debut in Flora London marathon 2002 where he was placed 3rd just behind previous 2 world records holders, he has been persistently seeking to set a world record in marathon.

Last Name, First Name (Sex/Age)	Time	OverAll Place	Sex Place	Country
K. KHANNOUCHI (M30)	2:05:38	1	1	USA
P. TERGAT (M32)	2:05:48	2	2	KEN
H. GEBRSELASSIE (M28)	2:06:35	3	3	ETH

(2002 London marathon results : courtesy marathonguide.com)

After his near miss of breaking WR at Berlin 2006, he continued to pursue his goal, it was interesting to see this video showing his readiness for 2007:

I am glad he has set a WR after 5 yrs of effort on it. In one of the interviews he has mentioned that a sub 2 hr marathon is in the horizon, will he able to break it! We will know soon? As of now he is relishing his success; and time to celebrate this phenomenal athlete. Indeed "Impossible is nothing"

Trail Tested: IPod Shuffle

2007-10-01T22:06:00.001-07:00

Ipod Shuffle

After very disappointing experience with my IPod Nano, I had decided not use Apple products for a while, so went ahead with a purchase of non-apple mp3 player. Initially it seemed fine, but slowly I started missing the Itunes music manager, the seamless integration of shopping experience and Ipod sync-up update etc.

So finally I landed up in market for yet another IPod for my Ultra Running, Shuffle seemed reasonably priced for my budget and usage. I was mainly looking for a lightweight mp3 player, which can handle clumsiness of a long distance runner and would last for the entire duration of the race, roughly about 25-30hrs.

Interestingly after charging IPod Shuffle for a 1 night and loading to its full capacity of 1GB, I was ready for my Rio Del Lago 100M run. The entire run I hardly felt the weight of Shuffle and in-fact couple of times the clip came out of the slot, but it is light enough to just hang by the head phone cords :). Not once I had any issues with sound quality or lack of battery. Finally I found a perfect mp3 for Ultra runners, who man-handle a bit and would like a long battery life.Its great piece of Innovation. Hoping it would last long this time!.

On to Road Biking

2007-09-30T22:16:00.001-07:00

Fuji F65

Finally brought a new road Bike, Felt F65 . I have been thinking about one for quite sometime, after unsuccessful hunt for a used bike, I settled in for this beauty. This seems to be a Perfect fit so far.

Trial Running for sure is going to be my primary passion, my plan is to substitute some of the runs with more bike workouts, mainly hills. Hoping to get some cross training benefits and relieve my body of the constant pounding. My dream goal for biking is to participate in Death Ride one of the years, for now I am planning to do couple of century rides in 2008. Will a 200 mile ride be interesting?

A Tale of a 100 Mile footrace

2007-07-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tahoe Rim Trail 100M run
A Glimpse of heaven and a taste of hell!
July 21st/22nd 34 hrs 11 mins

How it happened?
To me each year starts with a goal. Last year I spent mostly trying to do a good race at Helen Klien 50M and qualify for WS 100 2007, I did finally a 9:45hr race to apply for WS 100, but with ever increasing number of Ultra participants my name along with Rajeev, Chihping and Alan didnt get called and then started a mailing thread on other 100M race options. Alan was the one who just didnt want to wait for another WS year, he signed up for TRT 100, and the enthusiasm spread to us as well and I registered on the spur of the moment and notified to my wife through my blog :).

History of 100M race
Gordy Ainsliegh started the 100m trail running culture in US, There used to be a Tevis cup on the course of WS 100M and in 1974 Gordy's horse was not well, instead he decided to run a self supported race. He not only finished the race but set a new standrd for completing 100M in 24hrs which till date holds a special place for all runners to do a 100M in 1 single day!

Why do it?
Since 2005 my first ultra I have been enjoying Trail races more than road running with each I have been building my base for longer or tougher races, 100M seemed to me a graduation run in the world of ultra running, like every road runner aspires to do a marathon, ultra marathon runner is not complete without a 100m attempt. And moreover for a slower runner like me the challenge of running through the night is both mystic and daunting, I wanted to explore the unknown. Basically to find if I can!

Course details:
TRT offers three races 50k, 50M and 100M. 50M is a out and back course from Spooner lake to Mt Rose (including a10k loop of a red house), and 100M runners do this all over all. The middle 25 mile section of this is in night for us so in a way it was like a different course, with some course knowledge.

(course map from event webpage)
How do I train?
Inspite of tough memories of TRT 50M in 2006, I couldnt imagine doing the same loop again! But considering me and Rajeev were planning to do it together I was opimistic and started my long training cycle in Jan 2007. I read quite a few racing reports, different training schedules, consulted some 100M veretans and wrote down my schedule for the 100M, mostly centered around some key shorter ultra's in and around bay area. One of schedules which was a useful reference was listed by Ultraladies website.

100M involves host of different aspects to be learnt. I felt footcare was one of the most important components(often ignored.) which could make or break my race. I sought guidance from Zombierunners and read through Footcare book by John Vonhof. I had my footcare plan in place.

My training idea was to do one 50k or 50M every month during jan-april and then do a long run every week during the month of may and june. By the end of june I had put on solid trail miles and I had covered almost all aspects of TRT 100M training (night running, back to back runs, v long slow run, altitude runs, some tempo runs). Another aspect of my training was to build core and upper body strength. I was well aware loosing weight which would be critical to my finish. so 6 months of running, weight watching helped me loose some weight before the race.

By end of June I was fully prepared more so mentally for the race, I trusted my training to work for me during the race.

Month of July was the most sought after one for me, I started a religious taper routine, day by day feeling fitter and readier for the race(slughishness from training wearing off) .

Crew :
Arul, Gayathri, Rashmi, Anu, Bharti, Deepak and Aruna all drove from bay area to crew and support us during the course. Which was a big emotional support for us. They all were experienced crew folks extremely caring of runner needs and mostly supportive of the cranky runner syndrome.

Pacer:
Vinod a Asha '03 running buddy, who inspite of running a tough 50miler a week before, volunteered to pace us for the 50-75 miles and then got tempted to do another 25 miles to see the course during day. What a strong runner he is, poor guy which minimal support he gave his best shot in supporting this slow sleepy runner. I cant thank him enough, but just hope to be there for his big race.

Pre race:
Thursday before race we drove to Carson city, Nevada. Rashmi was a kind enough to drive for us, that gave my legs a break, but didnt help my blood pressure :). Rajeev, Rashmi and myself took it easy and explored little placerville(gold county) on our way and reached Carson city by 8pm. Next day we had couple of race formalities like briefing, weight check-in etc.

(Friday night pasta dinner: Peter, Rajeev, Cory and Alan)

After some last minute drop bag work, we hit the bed.

(From l to r, myself, Chihping, Peter, Alan, Rajeev)

On Friday we caught up with Ultraholics Alan, Chihping, Peter. Each of us had different goals.

Chihping:
A veteran of couple of 100M events, A super strong runner, known to sleep outside parks before a 100M event!. A little jet lagged from taiwan trip, but hoping for a sub 30 finish.

Peter:
A fast runner, who won Tahoe super triple in 2006 and host of other shorter distance races this year. A first timer at this distance hoping for a strong finish , preferably a sub 24hr.

Alan:
a.k.a greek god by many, a veteran of Triathlons and ranked among top 20% most of the Ironman events. A first timer at this distance and hoping for a sub 24-26hr finish.

Rajeev:
A veteran runner,very knowledgeable and thinking runner, always accessing situation and making decisions to run to his optimum capability. A Runner with extreme mental strength.

Anil:
Just hoping for a official finish(32-33hr is a bonus)

(alan, peter, chihping, steve, cory, christine)

We also met many of our other ultra runnning friends Chuck Wilson, Christine, Chau, Mylinh, Pavan , Fred and Jim to name a few.

Race briefing:
Race directors David Cotter and Kevin described in detail the course marking, aid stations and all other details, it left no questions unanswered.

Peter, Rajeev and myself came back from briefing and shared some of our goals for the year, it was interesting to chat with Peter and his background in Holland. It was also interesting to know that his father was a avid race walker and holland had a culture of organizing log multiday walking races. Peter seemed to have built his endurance through those race walks covering most parts of Holland. What a way to enjoy the country side.

my parents generation seemed to have walked a lot during their childhood days too, but that seemed more out of the remoteness of the villages and infrequent buses.

Race day (July 21st):
I did manage to get some sleep but not as much as I would have liked. Got up at 2:30 am and quickly finished the morning ritual. Rashmi offered us to drop to start point, Alan, Cory joined us to start. It was good to see her till the start.

After picking up the bibs we did some photo shoot out and patiently waited for the start. It wasnt cold so we were expecting similar weather the next morning as well. After a short briefing we started off at 5am.

Miles 0-26.2 ("I am enjoying the race, I am having fun" section):
As usual we (myself and rajeev) had decided to walk the uphill 4 mile section, for most parts we were leap frogging fellow runners Joe, Linda. At the end of the climb followed by a small downhill we reach Lake Marlette.

(Lake marlette from Marlette Peak, Lake Tahoe at the back)

Soon we reach Hobart Aid Station(AS), after a quick refueling, dropping our headlights and jacket, we head towards Tunnel. A 5 mile section with a lot of runnable section. Hobart and Tunnel are the most vital aid station of this race, we pass this AS 10 times, so packing the drop bags smartly makes a big difference.

For the first loop we were trying to run a 32hr pace so we reached tunnel ahead of time, this year tunnel didnt seem that hot, soon we headed towards Red House loop which has couple of steep downhills followed by steep uphills. This is the first time we get to see some of the faster runners, Scott, Peter and Alan, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the race so far. Good to see friendly faces and exchange energies from each other. we ran a nice and easy pace till red house, where 2 volunteers explained us the protocol for the night(We were supposed to mark our bib during the night loop).

(Rajeev: master color coordinator)

With Red house loop behind us we headed towards Mt Rose, where we met almost all our 100M and 50M friends. Going to Mt rose was slow this time, with a small stop at Diamond peak. Diamond peak is often a tough AS to setup as mountain bikers help out with AS and act as Safety patrol for all of us. What a service to ensure safety of runners.

(Tahoe meadows and Mt Rose AS from far)

We reached Mt Rose almost as expected at about 12:30pm, Rush, Arul and Gayathri waited for us with our Subway's। which worked great for me. It was rejuvenating to see all of them there. It was the first point of Socks change(later I realized the socks were'nt right for me). Meanwhile Nicole too was waiting for Eric, who had already left the aid station, looks like AS folks had not marked his number rightly, she helped us at the AS so that we get going quickly.

26.2-50mi("i am hungry" section):
With 26 miles behind and feeling strong we were now looking fwd to reaching the start before 16hrs and put some time for the 2nd loop. Going back to Tunnel was I guess a tough part for Rajeev, he had some Altitude issues which made it harder to breathe, but he didnt let him bother him, he has this ability to segregate the pain point and focus on the things working for me.

At Tunnel we were greeted by cheerful volunteers, and glad to see Norm and Helen Klien helping us out there, After knowing I have signed up for RDL 100M, Norm said "you are smart enough to run RDL, but not smart to run with this man" pointing at Rajeev. Norm and Rajeev get along very well. Th Kliens are such a great service to sport ultra running in northern california.

(Champion RD Norm and Super Athelete Helen Klien)

The runnable section going towards Tunnel AS turned into be a long climb towards Hobart, we met Wendell who was crewing for Eventual winner Jasper Halekas. During this section both of us decided to run without one of the socks, which worked great for me as my little tow was disturbed by smaller socks and additional bandage. Finally we reached Hobart, picked up my headlight and fenix for the night section and some warm clothes. Hobart to finish was a different route, through Snow Valley peak, one of the most scenic high points of the course, breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe, going up this hill didnt seem that bad. At snow valley we were weighed again, all looked fine. Snow peak to finish is a longggggggg 7 mile section, seems like a never ending section, didnt run too much of it as I wanted to save my legs for 2nd half. But the last 3 miles went past fast with some running.

(Lake Tahoe from Snow valley peak)

We reached the start 15hr 40 mins into the race, I was very thrilled to see friendly cheerful faces of Anu, Deepak, Aruna, Bharti, Arul, Gayathri, and our chief crew Rashmi; who had meticulously kept track of all things we need and made sure we attend to them.

Vinod the pacer was ready to pace the last 50 miles(25 miles initially). The Start AS break took lot longer than we thougth, but it was well worth the pampering we got from all our crew. The pizza worked great for us, heading out I was feeling very well refueled. 19 hours for the last 50M did seem enough time to complete in.

Miles 50-76("intro to 100 mile" section):
Going into the race I had thought till miles 75 I should hold up fine, I had done couple of night runs in past and that seemed to be a fun part, but I had excluded one tiny detail of doing the night run 60 miles into a race, that IS totally different.

16hrs into race we headed towards Hobart AS, it was 6 mile stretch and this time it was lot slower than before, reached hobart in a pretty slow pace, I got my tights and few more stuff from drop bags, after refueling we headed towards Tunnel. We had decided to push in this section as we had a good downhill section, once we reached top of Marlette peak we pushed till tunnel AS, at this point our weight seemed fine, got more clip2 and gels and headed towards red house loop for 2nd time. Again we were consiscious of our time for the next loop and were happy to finish the loop in 2 hrs,.

As we returned back to Tunnel at mile 67, we saw lot of middle of pack completing mile 85, Alan and Peter by then had teamed up and were planning to be together till finish, their partnership worked great and both finished within 28hrs. Alan looked pretty good at Tunnel. Also saw few runners taking nap at the AS.

We had a longish break at tunnel taking some of the required stuff, and headed towards this long section towards Mt Rose again, by this time I was walking the uphill pretty slowly, after crossing Diamond peak, I felt a intense desire to sleep, inspite of taking couple of No-Doz caps earlier, the caffiene didnt seem to work at 3am, I took a 5 min break to start with, but sleep didnt seem to subside, I was slowing Rajeev/Vinod a lot, couple of miles ahead, Rajeev suggested I take a 10 min nap on a rock, I didnt think twice, but just settled into a comfy position on the trial on the rock, it was the most blissful sleep I had. meantime I heard Nancy and her pacer Mr Williams passed as well.

With the much soughted break, I was replenished with new energy, we came across Chuck, he alarmed us about the cutoffs and how close we were of missing it if we didnt rush. That was it, I was in emergency mode from that point all three of us pushed for another 3 miles, untill we could see Tahoe meadows, and Mt Rose AS. We saw Linda and Mylinch pass by as we neared the AS.

We reached Mt Rose at 6:35am, after a quick coffee, change of clothes some food, we headed off to last section, I though I have got over my sleep issue.. but much laid ahead. As we turned around we were glad to see Joe, who was still hanging around and was determined to complete.

Miles 76-100mi("Ok, let me get done with this" section)
After getting all the pampering from our crew we headed off towards Tunnel. Untill Diamond peak it was constant uphill, I was again feeling slugish and sleepy again, Vinod caught me sleep running couple of times and was on gaurd to wake me up in case I went off-course. From that point he never left my back, at times he seemed to be my supervisor on course, but I needed that push to get through my tough miles.

There was a point when I asked him to wake me up after 2 minutes, and he did so exactly after 120 secs.. he just reminded me of Nakshatraka (Yamraj's accounting assistant known to not leave your back untill all dues are paid). Well he was named that for future pacing duties and he graciously accepted that.

Seeing my sluggishness Rajeev suggested I take more sleep break if we make up sometime before Tunnel, at Diamond peak fortunately we got some more caffiene pills from Terry Rhodes, from that point we tried to shuffle till Tunnel, this section seemed to pass quickly. We reached tunnel 10 mins before 10am, we had 6 hrs to complete the last 15 miles. I promptly took a 13 min nap at tunnel AS near the drop bags, that was another of my sweetest sleep I ever had!

I was woken promptly at 10am, Rajeev said "lets get done with this", we quickly got all our stuff and headed towards Hobart AS, unlike as I expected the last 15 miles were more of a formality, with the 2 sleeping breaks, I had no complaints, but to just keep making progress towards finish.

The section from Snow peak to finish seemed never ending, it was one of the longest 7 miles we did, I wish we could have run more of it. As we crossed the spnooner AS the finish was abt 20 mins away, we were slowly marching towards the last 100yards to run to finish. holding hand in hand.

(Vinod, Anil and Rajeev at Finish)

What a effort it was. I was luckly to get help from not one but 2 pacers for the tough middle miles. Both Rajeev and Vinod were extremeley patient with my sluggish pace. I cant imagine how it would have been without them. Thanks guys I owe a lot to you guys.

As far my crew, they were super supportive on such a long race, it was a pleasure seeing them at various points. I cant thank enough Anu, Bharti, Deepak, Aruna, Arul, Gayathri, Vinod and Rashmi.

The race was perfectly organized by RD's Kevin and David Cotter, the support from all the volunteers where phenomenal. Espcially AS like Tunnel and Hobart were operating for more than 30hrs, which is very rare in other ultras. Next year if I dont run this rce I would like to go back and volunteer at those AS's.

(my happy wife Rashmi)

Such a long adventure requires equally long training, especially the first one, it wouldnt have been possible without the support of my wife Rashmi, she was considerate about my weekend training, infact it was funny when she started encouraging me to do RDL 100M this year considering that I have already done bulk of my preparation and dont end up preparing for yet another 100M next yr!

It was great to see so many friendly faces on the courese. Congratulations to all of you who finished. Scott, Pete, Alan, Eric, Chihping, Rajeev, Chuck, Joe, Mylinh, Linda, Tom Kaisersatt (50M), Christine (50M), Karen (50m), Marissa (50M), Norbert, Fred, Keith & Kay Blom .

Thanks to invaluable support from my friends, who kept calling to check our progress. Ofcourse ArunSimha's pasta was a total hit with me, I carb loaded more than 3 times with the same pasta parcel.

More race pictures are at:
TRT 100M pictures

Ginkgo Biloba: A magic herb?

2007-06-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

What it is?
A very old chinese herb , which is known to increase blood flow to brain.
reference:
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/health-supplements/ginko-biloba-information.htm

Why it is relavant to Ultrarunners?
Based on the following study it is known to reduce chances of AMS in mountaineers.
http://www.liebreich.com/LDC/HTML/Climbing/Ginkgo_Biloba.html

Since I wont be getting time to Acclimatize. I have decided to try this at TRT 100m, and follow a 3 week
routine of Ginkgo and keep taking the capsules during the run. my dosage will be 120mg a day, for 3 weeks.

Given my last year's performance at TRT 50M, I Will find how Ginkgo will help in other High Altitude ventures.

Whats so cool: Way too cool 50k?

2007-04-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Way too cool 50k,
Cool, CA
March 10th, 2007

One of the most distinctive features of this race:

"the 2002 race filled in three days!
the the 2003 race filled in three hours!
the 2004 race filled in 30 minutes!
the 2005 race filled in 15 minutes!
the 2006 race filled in 18 minutes!
the 2007 race filled in 7 minutes, 33 seconds!"
(reference: http://www.run100s.com/wtc.htm)

Its getting crazier day by day to get into popular races like Cool 50k, I am a rookie in the sport of ultra-running but can see clearly the popularity of ultra is on the rise. More and more people want to go out and test their limits and every year they take on tougher challenges, be it in terms of longer distance or tougher course!!

Since the past year the competition to get into Cool 50k puzzled me, so this year Rajeev and myself were very well prepared to into this race.

Right at 7:50am on Dec 10th, my cell rings , Rajeev "Anil log into active.com, Cool registration is about to open"

My parents and Rashmi are puzzled at my enthusiasm to login into active site, as if million $ lottery results are gonna be published, anyway I am logged into active like a geek refreshing every moment for the registration to open, and there it is, it opens we hurridily signup for the race and get confirmation from Rajeev and Anu's registration as well.

All excited, blessed , fortunate to get into this coveted 50k, which fills up 450 entries in 450 seconds. Talk of computing power! well I am very curious to see why so much for this race!

Pre race thoughts:
I couldnt read much about the course as I had a busy week at work, school, but knew it isnt one of the hillier 50k's. when rajeev told me it is about 3000ft + total elevation gain, all kinds of thoughts which are are more associated with road running came into my mind. PR, splits etc. I was dreaming about doing 6:15 or atleast 6:30 at worst considering I had done a 50k at woodside in 6:45 a hillier course.

I was totally blinded, and forgot my real motivation of getting into this race, which is to enjoy the course, in the process forgot my new camera.(gift from Rush :))

Race day:

(courtesy http://run100s.com/wtc.htm)

I managed to get some good sleep, we reached race start in time and Cool 50k had resemblance of a well managed, high profile race, with lot of volunteers, a well manned expo and checkin station, typical of a big marathon.

Don and Gillian were helping at the checkin, other ultra regular's like Linda, Barbara, Yuki were all geared up for a fun filled 50k. I settled into my easy pace, the start had a slight downhill section, which leads into a auburn canyon trail, the intial 6 miles was almost as wide as a fire road, pasing through lushing meadows, the day promised to be a very nice running weather.

I reached the hwy 49 aid station in about 75 minutes, so far looked like right pace for me, from this point we run besides American river almost the entire 8 miles, this section was my favorite section, it was fun running in a pack of runners each of trying to push each other, since it was single track we had to stop by for elite runners, who were already at mile 20+ when we were at 12 ish.. about 2hr 50 mins I reached the 2nd aid station on auburn lake trails, as we crossed the stream towards the aid station, one of the runners Steve (whom I had met at Helen klien) had a nasty fall, poor guy he sat down to get his bearing for a while and luckily it seemed he didnt have any major issues. Running through the streams and just taking timeoff was one of my favorite parts of the course.

From aid station 2 we follow another 6 mile loop which consists of 1 steep downhill followed by steep uphill(but short), this is the only tough part of the course. Most of this section I ran with Chuck who shared some of his multi day running adventures at Costa Rica and Peru. That enthused me to consider the race for 2008.

Goat hill aid station seemed to be the most fun filled of all, Norm posed like a playboy bunny and seemed to entertain some select runners.

From this point to finish was just another easy section. I was glad to get a good run through the scneic sections of Sierra, Rajeev was waiting at finish. He had a very good race, doing his PR 50k in 6:00:48, he deserved and was capable of doing this. Way to go Rajeev!

Overall, I think Cool 50k is one of the finest races I have run. Very well managed, enthusiastic volunteers, great course and very refreshing post race soup. No wonder year after year runners are desparate to get into one of the most coveted 50k races in the country. I would like to run this course again and next time with a camera!

Ruth Anderson 100k: In celebration of Life

2007-04-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ruth Anderson 100k
San Francisco, CA
6:45 AM, March 31 2007

2006 Feb -Apr has been one of the toughest times of my life, this is when my brother was diagonised with a non-malignant growth in the brain and he went through severe distress and pain in those 3 months until a successful surgery and a much longer period of recovery.

It was tough to see him suffer in pain, tough to see the uncertainty of life. But fortunately with God's grace, Medical advances and Specialized Doctors like Dr Thompson his surgery was a success and he came out successfully in this painful test of life.

Thats when I realized what it means to celebrate life, each moment of it. To realize how gifted one is when they are healthy (mentally, physically and emotionally).

This year marks 1 year of this celebration and I had decided to run Ruth Anderson 100k as a celebration of this momentous day and also as a joy of seeing my brother Ajith, whose fighting spirit has been a big inspiration. And whose presence has been utmost joy. I also believe being a sportsman himself he endured pain through this long phase patiently and successfully. Wishing him many more healthy life ahead.

It gives me immense pleasure to see his enthusiasm for his First 2 day bike ride in July.

Race History:

(courtesy:http://www.baur.us)

Ruth Anderson 50k/50M/100k is organized by Bay Area UltraRunners(BAUR), in honor of Ultra running Veteran Ruth Anderson, who has been tremendous influence on the sport of Ultra running. A very nice bio Ruth Anderson is listed at Scott Dunlap's Blog.

Also a brief history behind Donkey as the logo is listed on the BAUR homepage. Briefly "Burro" stands for small donkey in southern US.

Ruth Anderson ran around lake merced a loop of 4.47 miles 14 times totaling 100k in 1978, and BAUR started this race in 1986 in her honour.

Bay area ultra runners(BAUR) has been one of most prominent organization mainly responsible for nourishing ultra running events in bay area. Their club hosts some of the oldest, finest and most popular Ultra's in the country. Each ultra highlights the beauty of bay area. From Miwok 100k on the North west coast to Ohlone 50k on the east bay.

Pre race:
I had signed up for 100k distance; One of the few races where RD's give a choice of shifting between three race distances 50k,50M and 100k, that makes it difficult for longer distance runners to continue when they see 50k runners rejoice at the finish. But thats part of the challenge as well.

Race day:
Rajeev picked me up promptly at 5am, for a 6:30 race start, we landed in time for check-in and met lot of friendly faces, most of the Ultraholics gang where there: Yuki, Chihping, Rajeev, Alan.
Peter was running at Pony express 100k, another race of similar format.

My goal for the day was to complete my first 100k in 13 hrs, a intermediate goal of 10hrs for 50m seemed reasonable. RD's(Amy and John Burton) decided to start the race 15 minutes later, giving us some light on the course.

100k runners had to run 4.47 mile loop 14 times around lake merced, some of the sections didn't have dirt sidewalk which was tough on my knee during the later half of the race. Each loop had 2 aid station which is very generous for a such a distance. Each of the loops were meticulous recorded by Stan Jensen and BAUR volunteers.

I settled into my easy pace. In couple of loops I joined Chris Miller, who was shooting for a sub 10 hr for her 50 M. She shared some of her running experience at Coastal Challenge multi-day run in Costa Rica and her plans going forward. At end of lap 4 , Alan passed me for the 2nd time,and finished his 50k, he seemed to be in pain but still carried on and completed in 3:53 to secure overall 2nd place.

For the initial 5 loops we were consistent with 11min pace, I didn't have any issues so far, the loop format worked really well as I had easy access to my drop bags and regular supply of Clip2 and Ensure. The temperature was in 60's which worked really well for me. At the end of loop 6 I was puzzled to see Rajeev taking pictures he had decided to stop at 50k, due to his hamstring strain, and take caution for the big races ahead, a smart runner he is. Nevertheless he did his PR of 4:59 hr for 50k, what a performance!.

I saw few more 50M runners deciding to stop at 50k, and I was convinced that I wouldn't be going further than 50M, Instead started thinking about a sub 9:30 finish for 50M, It was one of the best days to run, I was feeling strong and wanted to end this one a high note.

At the end of loop 7 I met Soon Gaal, who seemed determined to do 62 miles as a prep for her WS 100M in June. I was throughly impressed and motivated to join her and continue with her instead of stop at 50M, I had no reasons stop now, She shared lot of her race and life experiences, and her preparation for Western states 100m this year. She has given her best shot so far in her prep and seemed to be in great shape. Her husband Dr Stephen(A WS100 veteran) was cheering her every loop.

During our loop 8, Yuki finished 50M, impressive time of 8hrs 40 mins, after his PR 50k a week back. And we knew Chihping was going strong for his 100k, who finished in 10hrs 40 mins, good for his age group win. These athletes never seize to surprise me. They have very rare combination of speed and endurance.

(Soon and myself at the end of Last loop)

By loop 10, Rashmi and Vineeta joined us during our 50M finish, and from then on it was a breeze to continue on to 100k, the last loop Soon and myself pushed for a sub 13 hr finish and were happy to do it in 12hr 50 mins, good for Age group win for Soon and Surprisingly age group win for me as well, got the lucky prize.

I am grateful to Soon for her determined spirit to finish 100k that day, I lacked motivation to continue beyond 50M. Hats off to her spirit.

Later I found Chris Miller had completed her 50M in 10hrs, in spite of her pain, very valiant effort. Chuck wilson was there cheering us the last few loops after finishing his solo 50k in Marin headlands.

Overall a great day running around loops, running on the asphalt was tough, my knees hurted pretty bad that night. Thanks to RD's and all volunteers for such a fabulous event, its going to be a regular feature for me next year. Thanks to Rashmi and Vineeta for pacing in those last few laps, that kept us entertained.

Race report from RD is at:

http://ruthanderson07.blogspot.com/

Fitness factor

2007-04-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Since the time I started running in 2002, I am amazed by the times of a Elite athletes in various distances. For the first time during Athens marathon (Olympics 2004), that I really enjoyed watching marathon the entire 2hr 20 mins of the race.

I just cannot comprehend the fitness level of elite athletes, cant imagine what it takes to run aa 4:40 minute miler and still have energy to burst out of the pack and win. Its very unfortunate that the Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima, who seemed sure to win the race got pushed out of his run by a lunatic, but still he managed to secure 3rd place.

1. Stefano Baldini (Ita) 2h10:55s
2. Mebrahtom Keflezighi (USA) 2h11:29s Season Best
3. Vanderlei de Lima (Bra) 2h12:11s
(reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/results/3532860.stm)

Being a sportman at heart since my childhood, I enjoyed all the sports but never really managed to excel in any sport, due to constant transfers I didnt specialize in any of the sport. I did get chance to dabble in various sports right from Gili danda, kabbadi in Raichur , Karnataka ; Maram petti in Delhi ; Cricket, Soccer and Table tennis in Calcutta and Volley ball in IT-BHU, Varanasi.

Finally in Bay Area, California I managed to spend consistent amount of time in one sport, Running, it seems simplest of all sports putting one foot in front of other and ensuring constant forward motion, but as you spend more time honing your skills in running, you will understand the various aspects of performance tuning. And when it comes to ultra running it adds further more dimensions like refueling, hydration, listening to different signals of vital organs etc etc.

Running is one of the very few sports where you get to compete with the elite runners, well not compete, but we atleast are on the same field :), the winner has to work hard to beat me!!.

It was after Athens marathon I thought of the idea of associating my performance at various distances to world record in the same distance. This way I can monitor my progress in different races going forward.

I define fitness factor as = (my time in a given distances) /(world record pace)

Ofcourse this is not accurate representation because race times depends on the course, conditions, but for now it is good a enough approximation. and as I get older additional age parameters can be accounted for.

Current fitness chart for various distances are as follows:

Distance	World Record	Personal Record	Fitness Factor
1 mile	3:43	6:43	55%
5k	13:00	24:10	53.8%
10k	27:02	54:00	50%
13.1	58:58	Not done	NA
26.2	2:04:38	4:17:00	48.6%
50k	2:51:48	6:44:00	42.5%
50M	4:50:21	9:45:00	49.5%
100k	6:13:33	12:50:00	49.5%
100M	12:05:43	Not done	NA

(source: http://www.runningusa.org/cgi/wldrec.pl#men)

Based on the mile time trial, my goal is to reach 55% fitness factor for all race distance. So my next goal for a 50 mile is a sub 9 hr 25 min pace.

Jed smith 50 M Race

2007-03-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

Jedediah smith 50 mile race
Feb 3rd, 2007
Sacramento, CA

When I was planning my races for 2007, Jed smith seemed like a good fit into my training schedule for TRT 100, we(myself and Rajeev) went ahead and registered for the race. Considering this was a flat course I was hoping it to be a relatively easy run, but running around a loop of 3.33 miles isn't easy.

Course:
There were three distances organized 30k, 50k and 50M and each had certain number of loops of Gibson ranch(about 3.33 miles).

Race day:
Since the race starts at 8am, myself and Rajeev had decided to start at 5am on race day and drive back the same day. Due to some work Rajeev had to fly to Bern the race weekend so I ended up driving alone in the morning. I started promptly at 5am and was hoping to reach by 7:30, but few exits before Gibson ranch Startbucks tempted me into a strong Latte, which turned out to be bad idea. I tried to get back to I-80 at the earliest in the process took wrong exit towards I-50 and lost 15 mins.. eventually I got back on track and reached Gibson ranch 5 mins before race.

I hurriedly prepared my drop bag, bibs etc and started to race right in time, I settled into a easy pace. ran most of the first half with Marianne Paulson who was training for WS 100 this year. The cutoff for the race is 10hrs and I knew its going to be a close call for my pace, my goal was to at least get 45 miles.

Initial miles passed by fine, at a steady rate of 40 mins per loop, I was concerned about not calling my wife so ended up searching my cell in the car in between the race, but couldn't find and after about 4 loops borrowed one of the aid station volunteer's cell and was relieved to do "I am ok" call.

Running around the loop wasnt monotounous for a while, till the time there were other runners (30k and 50k). As they faded away, some of 50 milers still had 6 more loops to complete. It was motivating to see Barbara Elia, Lisa, Linda McFadden hammering each loop at ease, they seemed at ease every loop. Eventually Linda finished in 8:32hr! and Barbara in 8:52 a course record for her age group! Mark Tanaka was doing a 50k and treated it as a 10k easy run.

I completed 50k(9 loops) in 5:57 and had to do another 19 in 4 hours, Miles 35-40 seems to be tough ones for me, In spite of what I do in terms of my energy management I hit the wall and bounce back in the last 10 miles.

During my 12 th loop I saw Barbara hammering the course with the same intensity and in spite of her nasty fall, she continued and set a course record. I decided to take this next leg as a mini challenge and finish the race within 10 hrs, after the 14 th loop I had 40 mins for last 3.33 miles and was definitely doable. During the last few miles I thought about Rajeev's night leg at RDL and his last 3 miles when he set into a zone and achieved his goals. (3 miles in 36 mins at end of 97 mile run!!!)

Till day I hav'nt been able to comprehend how he did it, but would like to do a run like that one of the days.

As I reached the finish line I saw the clock ticking towards 10 hours and I eventually made it to finish in 9:57:51 hrs, One satisfying run for me.

As I was getting ready to wrap up and drive back home, I borrowed one of the volunteer's cell to search my cell and eventually found that I left my cell at Starbucks :). Another reason for a coffee break. Drive back home was tiring but worthwhile day at Gibson ranch.

Marianne ended up running the entire 50 miles without walk break and finished strong in 9:44 hrs

Thanks to all volunteers who put up a great race. my gratitude to Scott who cheered all runners every loop for 10 straight hours.

A month closer to TRT 100

2007-01-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

Its been a low key month in terms of my training for TRT 100, but got some good long runs some of the weekends. Anticipation and excitement is building up for the races ahead. my main race for the year is Tahoe 100Miles and other races are training runs selected in a way to build sufficient base for TRT 100.

May and June will be the main part of the training. May is the month filled with training runs, all around the bay area.

Week1 : Miwok 100k
Most sought after race for me, I have been wanting to do this since the time I paced Rajeev last year. Marin county has always enticed me with miles and miles of views of Pacific Ocean and Lush green fauna of Muir woods national park, this is definitely the most rewarding race of the year.

Week 2: Quicksilver 50k
I will be doing this race 3rd time this year, again it has a great course meandering throw Almaden county park, offering great views of the Dam and Guadalupe creeks, course is through lush green flora and do get to see some fauna (snakes) on some hot days. looking forward to a well supported race, post race massage and hot burgers!

Week 3: Ohlone 50k
Running through one of hottest and most hillier parts of east bay. This is another big ultra I am looking forward too, would be very tough climbing mission peak and rose peak on 3rd consecutive ultra, but will be a new challenge for this year.

Week 4: Western States 100 training camp
A 3 day Western states training camp. (ws100.com). Covering the last 50-70 miles of WS 100 course will be 4th interesting challenge for the month. I have opportunity to do the initial 30 miles as part of Western states safety patrol.

Month of of June is going to be couple of long back to back runs and some altitude training runs at Tahoe rim trail.

Hmm.. with just 4 more months ahead I need to get going and put some miles on the course!

Glimpse of heaven taste of hell

2006-12-12T00:07:00.000-08:00

TRT 50 Mile Run

Most of last year I spent hoping to qualify for Western states 100M and when I finally did, I didnt get through WS 100 lottery. It isnt that dissapointing mainly because of my class schedule coincides with the races and so does our travel plans.

So after lot of enthusiatic mails from Rajeev, Chihping and Alan, I decided about TRT 100. Yep, finally taken big step today towards running/walking/crawling through a 100 mile race at beautiful place called Tahoe.

I had run 50 mile race at this course in 2006 and was totally enticed by this course, which includes breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe from 8500ft peaks. The entire course is run above 8000 ft so Altitude is definately gonna be challenge and need to do some runs to deal with that.

Overall it is going to be a big challenge coping up with training, time with family, striking a good balance with work will be very essential!

I need support from my dear wife, who will have to deal with some weekends being hogged by races and recovery and all the post race talk!!

Mark of a champion athletes

2006-11-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

(Rajesh after his First 50 M Run)

(Anuradha singh after her First halt Ironman)

In Past couple of weeks 2 of my friends completed Triathlons. They have been tremendous inspiration to whole range of athletes in Silicon Valley.

Whats special about it?

Rajesh Agwaral:
He started learning swimming in Winter 2003 and by Fall 2006 he completed Ironman Canada swimming 2.4 milesm 114 mi bike and a marathon in 16 hours!!. And completed his first ultra marathon 50 M as a casual long run.

Anuradha Singh:
She learnt biking in may 2006 and open water swimming around the same time and Nov 12th she swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and ran 13.1 miles under 7 hours at half-Ironman, Florida. On top of that she is a mom of 2 sons. scheduling training for such distances is a incredible effort.

Hats of to their determination, they are constant source of inspiration. Ofcourse great support from their respective families ensured dedicated training.

Congrats you folks. you Rock.

Great pictures of Badwater Ultra

2006-11-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

Beauty of Desert and Moutains; And runners trying to survive the elements of nature.
nicely capture @
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodcer/

Helen Klein 50 mile race, 2006

2006-11-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Helen Klein 50 mile race,
Nov 3rd, 2006
Granite Bay, CA

I was waiting for this day for quite sometime this year, mainly because of my hope of qualifying for Western States 2007 lottery. After 24 hr run on track, I decided to do HK 50 specific training so as to do it within 11 hours.

Towards the end of my training in Oct, a sub 10 hr race seemed possible. As in 2006 myself and Rajeev started the race about couple of minutes late apparently my watch (and rest) was out of sync with RD's. Anyways we were off on our 50 mile journey at 7:00am

myself and Rajeev ran very comfortably till mile 10, those miles seem to fly by quite fast, mainly talking to Barbara Elia who was pacing her friend Dale for his first 50 miler. She had completed 3 ultra's on 3 consecutive weeks (RDL 100, Tahoe triple, Firetrail 50 M).. one heck of a athelete!

By mile 13 we decided to take some walk breaks consiciously, by mile 15 I was in my own rythm so carried on, Rashmi was supposed to meet me at mile 18 but missed her by few minutes, I met Chihping who seemed to be cruising at his comfy pace, I reached turn-around at 4:27, about 35 mins faster than last year, I had mixed feeling about my time, wasnt sure if I would be able to maintain this pace, but a sub 10 goal seemed possible.

Met Padma and Rajesh at mile 28, who were fighting the cutoff's but would eventually make it comfortably. I was looking fwd to mile 31 as Rashmi and parents were waiting for me, but before 31 I had some stomach upsets, resulted in some visits to "Porta John", finally reached at 5:38 and was thrilled to see all my support crew, after a short stop, continued with my easy run walk, all seemed fine untill mile 35, when I had some stomach upsets again, by mile 37 I took another ensure, which turned out to be a mistake, by mile 40 I was too nauseating, realized that I had too much of lactose in my stomach, some long walks really did help recover.

Once I recoveted from nausea, last few miles flew by easily, Luckily met Rush and Sarita at mile 44, were I had chocolate soy milk, a amazing drink different from ensure and all trail food, that carried me towards the finish.

once the levy begins you can smell the finish line, as I was turning towards the school, 9:45 finish was certain and all my training for the past 2-3 months felt so fruitful. As I entered the school my Ipod played "Zindagi Aa Raha hoon mein" From Mashaal. Finally I saw my parents and rashmi waiting at the finish, I was the most satisfied person that day.. hadnt felt in a while!!

Couple of minutes later Rajeev completed his race within 50 miler in 9:49hr, what a performance after a marathon a week before! Thanks Rajeev for all the fun runs this year. We waited for sometime for another strong finish by Padma and Rajesh. Congrats Rajesh on your 50 M finish!!

Thanks to Norm, Helen and All volunteers who make this run such a pleasant experience, I am sure to go back for one of the races next year again, thanks folks.

(Rajeev and my family with legend Helen Klien)

Ofcourse I couldnt spend all the time in training without support from my buddy and wifey Rashmi.

(she supported all of us!!)

It was a pleasure to see my parents on the course.. I could see their eyes with a concerned look mixed with happiness of me finishing 50 Miles.

(pleasure to see parents)

This race got me entry into WS 100 2007 lottery, lets see how the lottery goes on Dec 2nd.

(Asha Alumni: Rajesh, Rajeev, Anil, Padma)

Lessons learnt:
- need to be watchful about ensure intake.

Aaron's goal narrative

2006-11-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Listing race report of Aaron, 11 yr old boy who completed his first 50k at SF 12 hour race.

A Hard Goal to Reach

In the weeks leading up to the San Francisco One Day 12 and 24
Hour Events, I thought I could run fifty miles in twelve hours. After all,
it is only a little more than 15 minute miles. But, now that I was about to
start, I pondered how tough that really was. I remembered my mom suggesting
that my primary goal should be 50 kilometers or 31 miles, and I tried to
readjust my own thinking to make this my new goal for the day.

When there was just 5 minutes until the start, I had a knot in my
stomach, knowing that I would not be able to be totally relaxed until I was
done at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. It seemed a long way off. My nervousness had at
first kept me from hearing what one of the race directors, who was also my
dad, was saying. Luckily, I didn't need to hear his instructions anyway,
because the course was a one mile loop and I knew that I wouldn't get lost.

"We're going to start in ten seconds," announced my dad, "5, 4, 3,
2, 1, start!" As soon as I heard 'start' I immediately took off. At first,
I sustained the leaders' speed, keeping pace with the elite runners who had
come from all over for this race. But, after awhile, I slowed a bit and
tried to run relaxed. My first lap was 7:37, my second was 8:48, and then I
gradually slowed even more, trying to conserve my energy for the long day
ahead. However, my mini-goal of ten miles in less than two hours stayed in
my head - I wanted to be able to tell Mrs. Longua, my P.E. teacher, about it
on Monday. I achieved that goal with almost 10 minutes to spare.

Even with ten hours left, I knew that I hadn't gotten to the hard
part yet. I walked the whole eleventh lap, by then knowing that my socks
had holes in them and my shoes were rubbing up and down against my heels, so
I felt as if I was starting to get blisters. As I came into the aid
station, I immediately notified my mom that the shoes I was wearing were
hurting. She said that we were lucky that Sports Basement was just across
the street from the far side of the loop. She then went with me as I
started my twelfth lap. When we reached Sports Basement, we picked out a
pair of new shoes and socks to buy. It was then, when I was trying on the
shoes, that I noticed a blister was actually forming on my left heel. My
mom and I waited in line, paid for the new shoes and socks, threw away my
old ones, and sat down to put on the new ones. My mom and I walked out the
door minutes later with me wearing my new shoes and socks, feeling much
better.

Back to the course I went, continuing to run and walk my laps. On
my eighteenth lap, I had realized how hard going even 50 kilometers was
going to be. I also started to think about stopping at twenty miles,
because my previous record was 19 miles, set when I was 7 years old. I told
my mom that I was having doubts and mentioned once again about stopping at
20 miles. And she told me that, instead of stopping for good at 20 laps, I
should take a break at 20 and "see how you feel".

At the 20 mile mark, I decided to take that break. My stomach was
bothering me - I hadn't been eating much during the run, and I was starting
to feel low on energy. After 45 minutes and eating a sandwich, I decided to
go for a marathon, which was only 6 more laps. I got to 'rest' and chat
with my friends who walked with me while I did these 6 laps. As I was
completing the marathon, my mom asked if I thought I wanted to try for the
50 kilometer mark, the goal that we'd talked about so many days ago. I told
her, "Now I do! At 18 miles I didn't, but now I do!" From this point on, I
had no more thoughts of stopping until I reached my goal of 50 kilometers.

This time through the aid station, I ate some pizza and headed
back out on the course. It seemed much easier now that I only had to finish
5 more laps to reach my goal. I counted down the number of laps that I had
left. It got gradually darker, now that it was after 7:00, until I finally
needed a flashlight. With just two laps left, I started running again. I
ran most of the 30th and 31st loops, crossing the finish line for the last
time to the cheers of my family and friends.

Now that I was done, I had all the time I wanted to play with my
friends.

Tapering II

2006-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

A easy 20 miler in saratoga with Rajeev, all seemed fine untill last few miles when I started pain in my glutes, same problem which bothered me in aug, this sounds little dissapointing considering all has been great so far, but I am optimisitic of the race day.

2 more weeks to HK.

Tapering: Time to rest and patiently wait for HK 50

2006-10-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last long run for HK 50. Since I was in Santa barbara, I decided to do a hard 20 miler on treadmill, which is lot easier than running on asphalt, also surface is easier on the knees.

My training mainly consisted on following three phases:

Base build up(may - aug):
No structured training, but consisted of running 50k and 50 M every month, more or less about 35-40 miles per week.

Sharpening/Buildup(6 weeks):
I would consider this phase as the crux of my training for HK 50, with no racing but a consistent 50 miles per week of runs, consisting of 20-31 mile long runs. This period has been most fruitful. when I started out I could barely do a 20 miler at 10:30 pace, but end of this period I was able to do a 9 min mile (on treadmill).
I think I do see a improvement by atleast 1 min, mainly because
a) long tempo runs of of 8-9 miles
b) reduced weight
c) hard long runs.
d) avoiding racing allowed me to focus on specific training

Tapering:
It's not my favorite part of training but I see benefits of a good taper period, so starting today my taper for HK 50 starts. For next few days
- reduce mileage by 25% every week
- do some short intensity workouts (6-8)
- weight training
- watch diet
- cross training

Just hoping for this period to go through without injuries and weight gain.

Patiently waiting for HK 50, 19 more days to do!

Ultrarunning 101

2006-10-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Fluid and Electrolytes 101

Ultrarunning: Fluid and Eletrolyte 101

2006-10-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ultra running puts extreme stress to body; Optimum energy, fluid and electrolyte replacement/refueling plays a very important role.

The following FAQ's written by Dr Lisa Bliss, Medical Advisor of WS 100 board, clearly illustrates different conditions faced by the athlete during the race, and how to deal with them.

Thankyou Lisa.

References:
This article is copied from WS 100 website:
http://ws100.com/pguide.htm

XVIII. FLUID & ELECTROYLTES 101:
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TRAIL AND MEDICAL TENT
Lisa S. Bliss, MD

Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance during the Western States Run seems to come naturally to many runners. They just eat and drink and run and are merry. For others, it's not so easy. They eat and drink and slosh and puke and lose and gain weight and become sick and confused about what they are doing "wrong" and, even more, what they should do to better their situation so that they can make it to the finish line in one piece.

I will attempt to answer some common questions that come up in training for and participating in the Run. I must first toss in the important disclaimers that 1) fluid and electrolyte balance is far more an individual art than a science, 2) what works for one person might not work for another, and 3) knowing what works best for you in practice is the most important way to answer these common questions. There is no substitute for trial and error, practice and experience!

That said, here are some answers to the questions I frequently hear.

My weight is down and I feel fine. Should I do anything special?

Weight is the simplest indicator of hydration status available to runners in training and on the course. Some weight loss during WS is expected and acceptable. In general, 2% weight loss is considered "acceptable." All things being equal, if you are down 2% of your weight, you can drink a little (1 pint fluids = 1 pound weight OR 1 liter fluids = 1 kg weight) and get your weight back up. No big deal. The concern in longer arduous races like Western States is that, well, you have to run 100 miles, so an early trend towards dehydration, if not turned around, could mean that you will continue to lose weight during the run, putting yourself eventually at risk of dehydration further down the trail. At WS, we like to have runners stay close to their starting weight, not more, not too much less, simply because you have a long, long way to go. Even as little as 3% weight loss can affect performance by putting strain on the body's cardiovascular system. Additionally, staying hydrated will keep muscle breakdown materials (myoglobin) flushing through the kidneys. So, if your weight is down and you feel good, just slightly increase your fluids and continue on your way down the trail.

My weight is down and I'm puking? How can I stop puking?

This is a little trickier. For some, puking is a common part of their ultra experience. Certainly, the stomach can simply rebel, and getting rid of all the stuff that's been sloshing around in there can be liberating. Many runners say they feel much better after puking and can "start anew" with fluid and calorie replacement without any problems. Puking, in that sense, seems to be part of the solution to a problem. But what if puking is the problem itself? What if it can't be stopped, and despite an ultra effort, calories and fluids refuse to be absorbed from the gut and you become more and more dehydrated and fatigued? In this case, the runner should stop or walk and let the body rest because the body needs that fuel to propel it down the trail. You must let your gut recover.

As you know, running an ultra is stressful on the body….way more stressful than many even think they know it to be. When you place demands on your muscles to keep moving you forward, the blood in your body gets "shunted" to those muscles to fuel them with the oxygen they need to work. And if the muscles are hogging the blood, then some other parts of the body must be sacrificed at the expense of the muscles. Unfortunately, the gut is often sacrificed. And if you keep shoving precious fluids and calories into a gut that cannot absorb them, then they have to go somewhere, and they may come back up and out. So, if your weight is down and you cannot keep fluid and calories down, then you must slow down or stop - decrease the work of the muscles and let the blood get back to the gut so that it can work and absorb like it's supposed to. Unless you can run without fluids or calories (not recommended at WS!), this is your best bet for remedying the problem. Remember too that heat can exacerbate this problem. That's because much of the body's blood is also "shunted" to the skin to facilitate sweating and thus cooling, leaving even less for the muscles and gut. So, if the body is hot and you are sweating profusely and your weight is down and you cannot stop puking, you must cool down your body first. When running in the heat (and you are likely to encounter some in the Canyons), Ice is Nice! Dousing your head and trunk with water also aids in cooling. Cool the body first, then try to resume fluids and calories. Some tricks worth trying (which may not overwhelm the gut while you are slowing down and letting the blood redistribute back to the gut) are sucking on ice or hard candy, and sampling other simple calories like gels that don't require significant processing by the gut. Some runners find that ginger in various forms can be helpful as well.

My weight is up and I feel fine! Is that OK?

Weight gain is fluid gain. You can acquire too much fluid by too much input (drinking) or not enough output (e.g. low sweat rate in slow runners or in cooler temps, or not peeing out the extra because of ADH) or both.

I repeat: weight gain is fluid gain. The weight of salt is obviously negligible. There is also some contribution from foods, but the dry weight of food is not the primary reason for weight gain. If your weight is up, think fluid, not salt. Sure, it is true that salt can cause you to retain fluid if you take too much, but weight gain reflects the amount of fluid on board and therefore it is the fluid that must go if you are gaining weight. Cutting salt while continuing to drink will not solve the weight gain problem (even if you have "overdone it" on the salt). Similarly, adding salt to an already fluid overload problem will not solve the weight gain problem. This will only cause an overload of both, which is difficult to remedy. The ONLY way to solve the weight gain problem is to get rid of the extra fluid. So, if your weight is up, the most important question to ask yourself is, What should I do with my fluids? Try to keep it simple.

That said, what holds true for weight loss also holds true for weight gain: a little weight gain is usually not harmful - IF you feel fine. Still, in that case, you definitely should decrease your fluid intake so that your weight is down by the next medical check. Do NOT continue the same rate of fluid intake because, well, it's too much! Always remember that if your weight is up, you are in NO WAY in danger of dehydration; you are, in fact, overhydrated. So, decrease the fluids and get your weight back down. If you are feeling fine and urinating fine, then simply decrease your fluid intake and reassess at the next medical check. If you are feeling fine but you are NOT urinating, then the situation is a bit more precarious. That's because if you keep drinking and sweating at the same rate, and you are not eliminating those excess fluids, your weight will go up quicker and you are putting yourself at risk of the dangerous, much talked about, fluid overload hyponatremia, where your sodium literally drops too low from getting diluted in the blood. So, remember, just because you are feeling fine at one point doesn't mean you will be feeling fine down the trail. Take care of the little things as they come up, make small adjustments early, and prevent problems down the trail.

So how much is "a little weight gain?" Dang! I wish you didn't ask me that! That's a tough one to answer. Let me just say that it depends on how you feel. If you run into Michigan Bluff and your weight is up 3% and you're feeling great - with NO problems - then you should follow the advice of "continue on but decrease your rate of fluid intake so that your weight is back down at the next medical check." If, however, you stumble into MB and your weight is up only 2% but you are NOT feeling fine, and you have symptoms of hyponatremia (including headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lack of coordination….think "intoxication"), then that "little" amount of weight gain for you IS harmful and you should stop drinking and follow the directions of the aid station personnel. This doesn't necessarily mean your race is over, but if you don't take care of the problem, it certainly may be! The bottom line is, if you are overweight and feeling fine, decrease your intake and get your weight back down. Take care of it early to prevent trouble later, and beware of repeating the same thing later in the Race!

Remember that one way to lose fluids from the body at WS is through sweating. Sweat rate also increases with a faster pace, and decreases with a slower pace. That may seem obvious but there are a lot of runners who believe if they are slower and "out there longer" that they are more likely to get dehydrated. Reality is, these runners not only sweat less, they also have more time to drink. They are actually at a greater risk of becoming fluid-overloaded. Also, smaller body types have less room for error when it comes to maintaining a proper sodium concentration in the body. So, smaller folks are also more at risk of getting fluid overloaded, just because it is easier - based on total body water - to do so.

Note that a runner does not have to gain weight to develop hyponatremia. One can be dehydrated and still get it. This usually occurs in faster runners who sweat out a lot of fluid and electrolytes and inadequately replace both. Symptoms are similar in either setting.

My weight is up and I feel shitty! What should I do?

Simple. First, stop drinking. Second, pee. Putting more fluids (including electrolyte drink) into an already fluid overloaded body that feels shitty is asking for trouble. So, no water, Gatorade, GU2O or even IV fluids! The only acceptable thing to imbibe is a concentrated sodium mixture, like 4 bouillon cubes mixed in 4 oz of water or soup broth with an extra bouillon cube or two mixed in. The goal is to get a little sodium while NOT adding extra fluids. Salty foods are ok too. BUT, that's just the initial step. You are not cured just by doing this! You should not continue down the trail doing the same thing and expect different results, i.e. to feel better. Depending on how you feel (or how you present to the medical personnel), more needs to be done….and peeing is key. You must rid your body of the extra fluids. And sometimes this is the toughest part of running an ultra….making yourself pee off extra fluids when your weight is up and you feel shitty. Continue on....

My weight is up and I can't pee. So now what should I do?

Under "normal" conditions, if you drink too much, you simply pee it out. However, there is not much "normalcy" in running a 100 mile race through elevation, temperature, and diurnal changes! Running WS puts your body under a great deal of stress. One of the body's common reactions to stress is the secretion of a hormone called ADH (Anti-Diuretic Hormone). Remember that a diuretic (like coffee) causes you to urinate more. So, an anti-diuretic causes you to urinate less or not at all, depending on the level of the hormone in your body. Under "normal" conditions, if you drink a lot of fluids, ADH is suppressed, and this cues the kidney to "diurese," i.e. pee out the extra fluid. However, under stressful conditions, sometimes ADH is inappropriately released and it causes the kidney to hold on to the urine. It is an inappropriate release because if you are fluid overloaded, ADH should not be hanging around inhibiting your kidney from dumping that extra fluid. This ADH is often the nemesis of the ultrarunner that can't pee. (Note that moderate dehydration will also cause the kidney to hold onto urine too….Argh! It gets complicated, I know!). The key here though, is that if your weight is up and yet you can't pee off those extra fluids, ADH is the likely culprit.

So, what should you do in this situation? Well, these are the things you run across at ultras that can cause ADH to be released even when you don't want it around (like when your weight is up and you need to pee off the extra fluids): nausea, stress, and hypoxia (elevation). There is LOTS of anecdotal evidence that decreasing the stress load on your body can help the body to "relax" and get rid of that inappropriate ADH hormone and thus allow the kidneys to urinate. Decreasing stress at WS may seem impossible, but there are definitely things you can do. Slowing down or walking is a good place to start. Cooling down if hot is also helpful. By decreasing the stress on the body and allowing the body to get rid of the ADH, you will eventually see (or hear or feel) the flood gates open and your kidneys will dump that extra fluid. Slowing down and cooling down are likely some of the reasons why runners tend to diurese during the night portion of the run.

How much salt should I take and how can I monitor it?

If you chose to supplement with salt, you must practice this in training. Every runner is different with regards to salt intake during ultras. Some runners take no supplements and get some sodium with the foods and drinks. Others prefer to drink water or sports drink and take salt supplements so that they can better regulate their intake. There is no right or wrong way.

In an ultra, sodium is primarily lost in sweat. It can also be lost with vomiting or diarrhea. It is also excreted in the urine. Some researchers say that all sodium lost in sweat should be replaced; others say it does not need to be replaced at all (at least in shorter, "easier" runs). Many ultrarunners swear that supplementing with salt during the Run is helpful or even necessary. For now, I will side with the experience of the ultra masses that encourages some sodium intake whether by supplementation or salty foods.

For the average runner: Sweat rate averages between 1.0 and 2.5 liters/hour. Some runners sweat more, some less. When heat trained, sweat rate increases (you sweat sooner and more), and the sodium in your sweat decreases (the body conserves sodium). Sweat rate also increases with a faster pace, and decreases with a slower pace. Average sweat sodium loss per liter of sweat is between 900 mg and 1400 mg. Some lose less, some much more. For a mental picture of how much sodium that is, 1 teaspoon of table salt (NaCl) has about 2300 mg of sodium (Na) in it. The amount of liters of sweat per hour can be determined by weighing nekkid before and after running...though I warn you that sweat rate for the same runner may vary tremendously over the course of 100-mile race. So, while it may seem like it comes down to just math, numbers are really just general guidelines and if, followed too strictly, can get you into trouble. There are just too many variables, not only from ultra to ultra, but within one race too (affected by training, changes in pace, altitude, food, temperature, etc.).

Still, the best *general* recommendation I have found is to supplement with about 300 mg to 1000 mg per hour. It doesn't matter how you get it, whether it's through sodium supplements or from the diet. This amount may not replace all the sodium lost in sweat, but we don't know if a runner NEEDS to replace ALL the lost sodium for optimal results. So, nothing replaces your own experience. And remember, do not make drastic changes on Race Day!

Also know that not all supplements are created equal! Succeed! Caps contain 341 mg sodium each, Thermo Tabs contain 160 mg sodium, and Hammer e-caps contain 40 mg sodium (the label says 100 mg of sodium chloride NaCl, but NaCl is only 40% sodium by weight).

All that said, I know there are many runners that do very well with lower sodium amounts than what I state here. That is fabulous. There is no right answer. You should do whatever works for you.

I'm getting muscle cramps. What should I do?

There are 2 main theories on muscle cramping. The first is that they are due to neuromuscular fatigue and the second is that they are due to electrolyte depletion and dehydration.

The best thing to do for muscle cramping is to try to prevent them in the first place. Nothing substitutes for training. Specifically trained muscles will be adapted to the tough conditions at WS. Sometimes, however, cramps are unavoidable. So, if cramping occurs in one muscle like the calf, for instance, then you should do a prolonged stretch of that muscle until the cramping subsides, repeating as necessary. If you have multiple muscles cramping or cramping more proximally, like in the quads, you should assess your fluid and electrolyte status. Is your weight too low or too high? Both may contribute to more diffuse cramping due to dehydration or sodium depletion respectively. Some experienced runners take extra sodium or potassium to help with cramping. It is worth a try! Still, the best advice to try to avoid cramping may be to train specifically for the Race.

Will I know if I am getting heat stroke?

Heat stroke is a medical emergency. It can come on quickly but there are usually warning signs. It does not have to be 90 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit for heat stroke to occur; it has been known to occur even in the 60s. You must prevent heat illness and know how to treat it quickly if you suspect it.

Know that the body's muscles create an enormous amount of heat. Harder working muscles create more heat, so faster runners generate more heat than slower runners. That heat must be expelled from the body. Heat accumulates in the body when heat production exceeds heat loss. Slowing the pace is one way to decrease heat production. The evaporation of sweat from the body is one way to increase heat loss. Sweat does not evaporate as well in humid environments, so humidity increases the risk of heat illness if other factors (like speed) are not modified.

Things to look for: feeling overheated, profuse sweating, and flushed skin as the body shunts blood to the skin in effort to promote sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting as the gut shuts down at the expense of blood being shunted to the skin. If any of these are present, start cooling your body by dousing with cold water and start generating less heat by slowing down or stopping. Ice wrapped around the neck is a very efficient way to help cool the blood as it makes its way to the brain. Consider buying a WS Ice Cap or Ice Bandana! These are priceless in the heat! Scarier symptoms of heat illness include dizziness, confusion, and irritability. Any of these symptoms should prompt a medical evaluation. Sure, some runners get irritable without having heat stroke or another serious medical condition, but an evaluation is necessary. Listen to the concerns of other runners, family, or medical personnel. Because some conditions cause confusion, others may be more aware of the danger signs than you!

Ice application is the easiest first line treatment. Place ice packs in areas of major arteries - around the neck, in the arm pits and over the femoral arteries in the groin region. Never assume that an oral temperature accurately measures the core temperature! The only accurate core temperature measurement available at WS is a rectal temperature. So, please, take heed, and when heat illness is suspected or even in question, just start cooling the body!

What if I get dizzy when I stop running? What should I do?

This is very common and is likely due to postural hypotension. That is, your legs have been working to pump the blood back up and through the body for hours. When you stop, you suddenly take away that pump and the blood can, in a sense, pool in the legs, causing you to feel faint. The best solution….keep running! Or at least, keep moving. However, if you need to stop and cannot keep moving, pump your feet and march a bit in place, and that will help keep the blood circulating up towards your head. If that is not successful and you feel too dizzy and fear you may fall or pass out, then lay down before that happens….or else your body will do it for you! A few minutes of elevating your feet (and even hips) will utilize gravity to get the blood to your head. The dizziness should subside fairly quickly in this position. If it doesn't or you are concerned, seek medical attention.

Dizziness (and even passing out) can happen after finishing the race, even up to an hour after finishing! It happens for the same reason - you've turned off the pumps in your legs. Again, the best thing to do is to keep moving. BUT if you are taking a well-deserved break by sitting or lying down, it is prudent to "pump" your feet and legs to get the blood moving before standing up. It can take some time for your body to adjust to your legs not moving, so it's good to be aware that this can happen, and that it is in fact, fairly common. Also know that dehydration has nothing to do with this kind of postural hypotension. Symptoms should resolve with lying down with your legs up. It may take several minutes or even an hour before the dizziness resolves upon standing. If you or someone you love has any concerns whatsoever, seek out medical personnel.

What if I get dizzy and lightheaded when I'm running or walking? What should I do? This is more serious than the above scenario. If you are dizzy or lightheaded on the course, the first thing to consider is your blood sugar level. If that drops too low, you can be overwhelmed with fatigue and can become light-headed and even your mood can change drastically. A secret handed down from one of the best ultrarunners around is to always carry some simple sugar with you, like some hard candy or similar. This is the time to indulge in that sugar! If low blood sugar is indeed the cause of your symptoms, then you will notice a dramatic recovery. If that is the case, get yourself to the aid station and fill up your tank enough so that it doesn't happen again. Cokes and 7-ups have plenty of sugars too and will perk you up. If, after trying sugar, the dizziness and lightheadedness continues, you should seek medical attention. It could be due to a number of things, including heat illness, hyponatremia, even a problem with your heart. It could also be due to simple fatigue, but in any case, you should err on the side of caution and get checked out. Even dizziness from fatigue alone is hazardous on the trail. The opportunities for falling are many, and that alone, can be very dangerous.

Some final musings...

Peer pressure: Some runners will literally drown in the amount of fluids that other runners require. In general -- but not always -- women tend to require less fluid than men. They tend to have lower body weight and perhaps we really do not sweat as much in general. It seems that they also tend to get in a little more trouble with ADH. Perhaps there's a hormonal reason for that. Probably. But it hasn't be proved yet. So, no matter your gender or what the issue, don't do something based on what works for someone else. Do what works for you!

Swelling: It could mean too much fluid or too much salt or too much of both, or it could just happen from arm swinging or just because it does. Finger swelling is not a very reliable indicator of fluid or sodium status. Generalized swelling, however, like including the wrists and forearms, is more likely to indicate fluid overload.

Spitting: The convenient and inexpensive Spit Test is a good test of hydration status. If you can easily work up a spit, chances are, you are well-hydrated!

Finally, I must conclude with some Psych content. We are, after all, biopsychosocial organisms! More often than not, problems that arise during your Run at WS can be addressed and remedied. Awareness is the first step in addressing a potential problem. After spending months of physical and mental preparation for the Run, it can be difficult to accept that sometimes things occur during the Run occur that require acceptance and adjustment. Listen to your body. The goal of the Staff at WS is to get you SAFELY to the finish line. They want that as much as you and will do their best to help you achieve your goal. However, safety is foremost. So, be prepared, know your body, train smart, arrive uninjured, run wisely, adjust as necessary, and arrive safely at the Finish to celebrate your monumental achievement!

Memorable Long Run at Hellyer

2006-10-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

Date: Oct 7th 2006
Location: Coyote creek trail, (Hellyer)

my impromptu decision of bunking Big Sur marathon, convinced me to do a long run at Hellyer, it had to be similar intensity as Big Sur marathon, since I was counting on this run to be my peak run. So decided to do a 30 mile run at Hellyer.

Carpooled with Char and Arul. Initially I thought Asha run was from Metcalf entrance instead it turned out to be start of trail (hellyer side).

Hellyer vs Big Sur trail, is a like pancake vs saw-tooth. I had to justify my run and get over the guilt of bunking a race :), so I had a urge to do a hard long run. Coyote creek trail is a 15.5 mile trail, so decided to do out and back, with a refueling at the end of the trail.(morgan hill)

I mainly carried following:

Ultimate Direction Diablo hydration pack:
40 oz water
20 oz clip2(2 extra packets)
3 Powergels
3 sportsbeans
Ensure

Based on my other training runs I had decided a 11 min pace would be very good goal, so for the first half maintained a 10:30-11 min pace till turn-around, reached turn around by 2:45hr, almost 11 min pace, and was hoping the same the other way.

After the turn, I started feeling more into running rythm, my legs and cardio were in sync and was running at 10 min pace with walk breaks comfortably, at mile 20 called Char to let him know not to wait for me, since I thought would take longer than 5:30 hours, but Char said
"10 miles hai kitna time lagega".

That triggered the thought of doing a hard 10 miler till the end, from this point I got into a zone and I started treating this long run as a race, once mind was set with a goal, I started running 9:30 pace for the rest of the run with walk breaks. I was surprized to reach mile 26 in 4:25 almost close to my PR pace of 4:17, never since SV marathon 2004, I felt so good running a long run. I was thoroughly enjoying each stride and was confident of reaching mile 31 within 5:30hr.

Last few miles close to the hellyer were shaded which made run even easier, I was pleasantly surprized to reach the end of trail in 5:18hr, and could maintain the same pace for few more miles.

Never ever did I have such a pleasant feeling of running a hard long run, probably this was closest to feeling runner's high. I could feel my training since aug 2006 was paying off, and just hope I can maintain this during HK 50 miler.

My longest run couldnt have been any better, on our way back I told Arul I was supposed to run a marathon but did this long run today, he suggested one benefit would have been a finisher's medal, but I was thinking I got much more than that, I felt my body like a well oiled machine, all parts working in unison towards reaching the goal in a good condition.

I just hope I can do this kind of run again during HK 50 on Nov 4th!!!

What worked:
Clip2: Since 24 hour run , this drink has been a excellent source of energy for long runs, this is a must for ultra's from now on.

Sport beans: Don from Zombierunner suggested this product after my horribly tough run at Mt Diablo, at Rajeev's recommendation tried this product and it is a instant success. It is a great suppliment as a energy source and some electrolytes. (it is not a replacement for suceed though)

Walk breaks: 10:1 rocks

Total calories consumed: 1000 kcal, followed by Ensure as a recovery drink.

Big Sur Trail Marathon

2006-10-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Location: Big Sur, CA
Date: 10/07

Big sur trail marathon was planned as a last training run as a prep for HK 50 on Nov 4th. I had heard rave reviews of the course and beauty of Big Sur country side, so was anxiously waiting for this day.

Course description:
Course description indicated a very hilly course, so was expecting to walk a lot, but wanted to push harder than previous races. my preparation throughout September was great.

Famed Bixy bridge
(picture from envirsports.com)

One of the attraction of running this race, was the views of Pacific coast and bixxy bridge
which had captivated me during Big Sur marathon in 2004. Course also included run through Big sur country side

(picture from envirsports.com)

Race day morning:
Had great sleep, when I woke up in morning at 5:45am, was contended to get a sch a long sleep. while taking shower was thinking about the directions to race, were to park etc etc, suddenly I thought why am I driving 4 hrs back and forth to run a marathon, I will be back by 6pm and will loose the entire day and in the process some precious time with Rashmi who had come for 3 days from SB.

In a spur of the moment decided not to do Big Sur marathon, and my race ended there :). For sometime it felt very stupid, untill I completed my long run at Hellyer the same day.

Curse of racing

2006-10-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

my runs so far this year have been:

Feb 1st week: woodside 50M
April 1st: Martian marathon
May 13th: Quicksilver 50k
June 3rd: Nisene marks marathon
June 10th: Mt Diablo 50k
July15th: Tahoe 50 mile race

During March and April months I could'nt do much of running and racing as a result when I got oppurtunity to race again from may, I just got carried away with all races around, at the end of July I was not feeling good with my recovery from races, especially glutes pain, some pain in hip flexors etc.

So after 24 hour run in Aug I decided I should take a 2-3 week recovery break from running and start out gradually building up for Helen Klien 50 mile race in Nov, for which I have a time goal.

So since then I graudally built up and maintained 4 weeks of 50 miles per week. Past 6 weeks has been one of the best time of the year, with no racing but 3 to 4 focussed runs every week my body is responding well to gradual increase in mileage. I realized racing frequently doesnt allow me for a structured training, and that is the approach which works for me.

Going ahead I hope to follow this kind of routine. with 2 more weeks of training left, I feel much prepared for HK 50 and hope to perform to my abilities.

Training for 100 Miler in 2007

2006-09-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Notes:
Advice from Matt and Shawn seems interesting and doable:
http://ultrunr.com/50to100.html

Schedule listed by Nancy shura is a consideration:
http://www.ultraladies.com/story-vt100-nancy.shtml

Some options for 100 milers:
WS(qualifying and lottery dependent)
RDL 100
Vermont 100 ??
Arkansas 100

For a 100 miler in june/july:

Build up as follows:

Dec: 30 + miles (3 days of running)
Jan: 30+ miles (3 days of running )
Feb: 35-40 + miles (woodside 50k, 4 days of running)
March: 40-45+ miles( pirates cove 50k, 4 days)
April: 50-55+ miles(ar 50miler, 4 days)
May: 60-65 + miles per week(miwok100k,qs 50k,ohlone 50k,WS training camp)
June: taper +race

For 100 in sep:
Peak in july/aug instead of april/may

First 24 hour adventure on foot

2006-08-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

Date: Aug 12th, 2006

Location:
West Valley College Tracks
Saratoga, CA

Total Distance: about 63 miles

Goal:
To run/walk for 24hours around a 400 mtr track. primary goal was to be on feet and see how it would be to run all night.

History of 24 hour runs:
Running around the tracks is not a recent phenomena, the first multi-day walking across the tracks was accomplished by E.P. Weston. Listing a section from Multidays.com

It was at Washington State Rink in 1874 where Edward Payson Weston attempted to successfully walk five hundred miles in six consecutive days. There were 6,000 spectators in attendance composed of all classes of society including the Mayor and the Chief of Police. It was almost necessary to alert the Newark police force and the militia to guard the soon to be prized and historic pedestrian. This was the third time that year that Weston was attempting such a feat. His first attempt was in 1861 where he tried to walk to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. He started at the State House in Boston on February 22 and finally arrived on March 4.

Over the years Sri chinmoy have become the defacto organization for multi day running, infact worlds longest ultramarathon of distance 3100 miles is organized by Sri chinmoy organization. Runners particpating in such events believed in going beyond the mental and physical barrier, and attaining a spiritual state. The winner of these races takes about 40-41 days of continuous run/walk.

Why 24 hour run?
During QS 50 I had thought of running a race longer than 50 miler. I was not prepared for 100 miler but was interested in doing a 100k distance or a 24 hr run. After few days Rajeev expressed similar interests. After googling we couldnt find any organized 24 hr run in Aug, 2006 timeframe.

So we decided to organize our own version of 24 hr run at West Valley college.

Main motivation behind this run was to get experience of
- all night run/walk
- find refueling strategy that would work for longer races (say 100 miler)
- to meet long lost friends

For Rajeev it was a training run for his RDL 100 miler in Sep, 2006.

One fine day on foot?
The idea of running around circles seems very crazy, infact Rajesh had rightly said
"It will be interesting to see what gets you first: boredom of running on the track for 24 hrs or just exhaustion"

Since we werent concerned about distance, we knew walking(one of greatest gift to mankind) is always a option, but I was more concerned about boredom and the impact of running around the track on the body.

During the race week we decided to shop for elaborate list of items required for the run, as listed by ultra running resource. It turned out our expenses were more than the race entry, now going forward I knw race entry is totally justified.

Rush had flown from SB on thursday night, she was our lone support crew in the first 12 hrs, we had decided to start at 6 am on Aug 12th, but we decided to postpone by an hour so as to get some extra sleep.

Race week I had some nagging gluteas pain, but Race day morning seemed totally different, I was feeling great and we were pretty comfortable with the idea of running for 17hrs, based on our time at Tahoe rim trail 50.

Rush dropped me to tracks and after unloading, setting up the aid station we started at 7:15am. We had decided on 20/10min run/walk ratio for the initial few hrs. That worked very well.

(Setting up aid station)
Our Support/Pacer's for the day?
I like Trail running/Ultra running mainly because of the runners, it's a small community, we share our experiences during and after the race. I knew I am going to miss that community during this run, but I didnt know what was in store for us:

Friends from Asha community joined us to pace and support at different points of the day.

Rashmi, Rajesh Agarwal & Sarita, Arul & Gayathri, Kalyan, Mohan, his Dad and Satyavati, Shalmali and Vidyamani, Anurag, Arpana, Dinesh, Anu & Raj, Vandi, Suchu, Anju, Antara, Meghana, Naina, Trisha, Nishad, Malhar, Sameer, Shaunak, Aseem, Sandhya Mohan, Deepak & Aruna, Abhijeet & Anjali, Arun Simha & Sowmya & Vibhas, Anil, Shekhar, Sunil &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;Renu, Rajeev & Renuka Char, Anu Mayuran & Ganesh Pattabiraman, Venkat Kalkunte, Kaarthik, Pavan, Kasturi, Pragati, Samanvitha.

Rajeev's blog has very well captured the series of events and how each one of them made the difference to us. It was overwhelming to see how each one of them turned up at such odd hours:

- some @ brutal heat
- some waking up at 1:45 am and making coffee for these freaks
- some fighting jetlag, still there to support
- some fighting the tooth-ache but delivering lunch/dinner at the right times
- some being their with their usual enthu after a tough race
- some fighting the boredom of tracks but still doing the long run with us
- some reminding us , our motivation "its the beer "
- some fighting the sleep, but still being their to pass-on the support baton
- some fighting the morning sleep and being their with finish banner
- some promtly showing up at 4am to lead us to finish
- ALL being their, inspite of their personal commitments
- ALL being their with their cheerful self
- we were their to relish upma,chai, idlies..in the morning

Thanks for being there friends, it meant a lot to us. Appreciate all your support.

My experience:
The first 12 hours seemed to pass by fine as expected, pacing by Rajesh, Arul in the initial hours were very useful, time just flew by. Rush joined us for some time during the lunch after her root canal, which seemed to be quite painful for her, inspite of that she promptly got us pasta and pizza in evening.

(8 hrs into run, Arul, Rajeev, Rashmi looking strong)

I couldnt eat much of pasta during lunch, but in the evening we were waiting for Cicero's Pizza. At 8pm much needed pizza arrived, we took a break to relish the best pizza in bay area, followed by change of clothes for the night ahead.

9 pm -12 was the busiest time at the tracks more than 10 of our friends joined us to pace, cheer and party, it didnt feel like a long run. that really helped us get over the to midnight without much issues.

12-2am was the period when I slowly started to feel the sleep, Venkat had promised coffee at 2pm so body was waiting for it, and Shekar was entertaining us with his songs. At 2am we took NoDoze caffiene pill, and also hot coffee, that instantly had the affect and we could carryon for some more time. Also by this time my foot had swollen a bit I wasnt comfortable in my shoes, in order to avoid blisters decided to run barefoot with socks. That felt lot better. Rajeev didnt have any issues with foot.

2-4am this was the most quite and pleasant period, temp was in 50's and we needed additional top and windbreaker. Again this section we had the lot people cheering so that made it easier.

4am -7am by this time coffee and nodoze losts its affect, we decided to take another pill and a 15 min break on the tracks, I was waiting for sunrise, coz I had heard sunlight brings new spurt of energy which can carry us to the 24th hour. By 6am the tracks lit up so did our mood and energy levels, we new the finish was getting close.

At 6:30am we decided to stop our adventure and decided to wrap-up. Sam, Anu helped us clear the place and as we were about to leave, some of ours friends turned up with finish banner and camera. In the interest of posing with the banner we did some dummy laps and took pictures with every one.

(Friends Vidyamani and Sam with the custom-made finish banner and balloon)

Infact we also got a finisher's medal.

(Anu with the shiniest finisher's medal)

This was followed by delicious upma, idli and much needed chai. Next day was spent mostly
with some occassional dozing and waiting for a long night sleep.

what worked:
- clip2+cytomax+succeed: We relied on this potion as energy drink for the entire day, it went very well with stomach, had no issues with salts, energy levels.
- cool-off bandana
- Cicero pizza
- NoDoze/Coffee: running overnight is not very tough, it is the middle 3-4 hours which one needs to conquer and once sun rises, we DO get over the sleep threshold and can carryon for few more hours. Ofcourse this is presuming one has same set of pacers joining us in the night :).

what didnt:
- pasta at lunch
- extra wide shoes: I need to carry some older shoes, so that I can cut the front part for extra width

Overall it was a very satisfying experience, all went as planned, no surprizes in terms of injuries but we didnt expect so many of friends to show up and make it such a special event. This will be one of the most cherished run's for me.

The team

Thankyou all you for being there.

Ofcourse this run wouldnt have been possible without Rajeev the runner, he is the best in whatever he does.

Ultrarunners Prayer

2006-08-15T11:47:00.001-07:00

After our 24hr run, our friend Arun Sharma sent us this poem,
Thanks Arun

The Ultrarunner's Prayer
Lord,

Watch over me today as I run.
I have paid the price to run this race through the summer heat,
the winter winds, and up those hills.
There are other days and other races,
but this is the day
and this is the time for this race.

Lord,
Watch over my body.
Keep it free from injury.
As I run, may the tiredness and the pain
be the symbol of victory and not the reason for defeat.
May I acknowledge my limitations,
but not accept less than my potential.

Lord,
Watch over my mind.
May I be intelligent as I run.
May I listen to the signals from within
as I enjoy the scenes from without.
Keep me from foolishness at the start
so that I can finish with wisdom at the end.

Lord,
Watch over my spirit.
As time passes and my committment dims and blurs,
may the inner resources that You give me
come forward and give me the resolve to press onward.
Remind me of the relative shortness of this race and life
and the victory You give at the finish.

Lord,
Watch over my competitors.
As they face the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges
we all face, may they find the peace and strength
that I have found through You.
Remind them that we all are struggling equally
and that their personal Victory is a result of your guidance.

Lord,
Watch over the trails and mountains.
As they seek to challenge me, may they also offer
havens of comfort and shelter from storms.
Please allow me to seek out that shelter
and give me time to enjoy the boundless beauty they possess.
Let the mountains offer me a test and a challenge
but also a passage through which I may safely pass.
As I continue to press to the summit,
may the trail lead me where You want me to go.

Lord,
Let me win.
Not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by beating myself.
Let it be an inner win. A battle won over me.
May I say at the end,
"I have fought a good fight.
I have finished the race.
I have kept the faith."

- Carolyn Erdman & Jay Hodde

Running Resources

2006-08-10T17:39:00.001-07:00

ultrunr.com: Ultra running resource, with all the tips/advice/experience/information on running a Ultra

run100s.com: List of all 100 milers in US

ZombieRunner.com: Online store for running related products, predominantly ultra running.

Multidays.com: Site with all calendar of multiday races, training tips.

Running Injury related websites:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/
http://www.smiweb.org/massage_clinic/guides.html
http://www.instantanatomy.net/sitemap.html
http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spsport.html

Courtesy: Coach Rajeevtherunner.

Run Related products that works

2006-08-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Listing products which has worked great for me.

Refueling/ Nutrition/ Electrolytes:

Clip2: energy drink

Cytomax: sports drink

Succed Electrolyte capsules

Endurex recovery drink

Heat acclimitization:
Cooloff Bandana

Hydration gadgets:
Ultimate Direction Diablo

Trial Food:
PBJ, Banana, Pototoes, Chips, Fruits, Soup

Foot care:
Zombie runner footcare kit

Lights (night running ):
Petzl tikka plus
Fenix L2P

Running Apparel:
- Patagonia windbreaker
- Brooks runnerder-wear
- Brooks singlet
- Brooks shorts

Shoes:
Road shoes: Brooks Addiction (comes in wide, extra wide)
Trail shoes: still looking for a good extra-wide trail running shoe

Training for 100 Miler in 2007

2006-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Ultra Races: Wishlist

2006-07-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

My Ultra wishlist

Non-race Trail runs:
Grand Canyon RRR: 1 or 2 day run. (Completed May 21st 2010, 15:30hrs solo)
Run through Yosemite (Touleame meadows)
Run some sections of Yellowstone
Western states training camp (3day 70 miles)
Rockies 14er's hike/run
New Zealand Trails
UTMB Trails

Races:
The Coastal challenge multiday run(Costa Rica)
Way too cool 50k(Cool , CA) (completed 2006)
American River 50M (Completed 2006)
Boston Marathon
Desert races
Miwok 100k(Sausilito, CA) (Completed 2007, 2009)
Quicksilver 50M(San jose, CA) (Completed 2010)
Ohlone 50k(East bay, CA) (Completed 2006)
Sqauw peak 50M (Utah)
Shadow of the giants 50k(Fish Camp, Yosemite)
San Juan 50M(Lake city, CO)
WS 100(Auburn,CA)
Swiss Jura Marathon: 6 day staged ultra
Sparthathlon
White River 50M(Seatle, Washington)
Pikes Peak Marathon
MMTR 50M(Virginia)
Everest Marathon(Nepal, EBC hike done instead)
JFK 50 Mile (Washington county, Maryland)
Quad Dipsea(Mill valley, CA)
Trailwalker 100
Tour De Geants, Italy

Mount Diablo 50k race

2006-06-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Where: Mount Diablo State Park,
Clayton, CA

June 10th, 2006
Time: 10 hr 44 mins
This was one of the unplanned 50k's. I had run nisene marks marathon a week back and was planning for a Mt Whitney climb via mountaineer's route with Pavan and Girish, my Climbing buddies ;). But this climb didnt materialize.

After few email exchanges with Rajeev decided to signup for this hilly 50k, also thought this would be a great training run for the upcoming Tahoe 50 miler in july.

Race Day:
Rajeev had just landed from New Zealand on friday evening and he decided to run inspite of his jet lag. I was supposed to him up but due to his jet lag he got up early and picked me instead.

We reached the start at 7:30, and after small chat with Sarah, Wendell/Sarah(Race directors) decided to start early at 8:00am(being a optimist had thought of driving to Santa Barbara after the race)

Total Elevation Gain: 8900 ft

Elevation profile:

Pretty much we run/walk course to Mt diablo summit twice. We started with a easy pace, first couple of miles were runnable, soon we start 2 mile steep climb on a narrow trail, the first view of valley:

After the initial steep section we have a downhill section, which allowed us to catch some breath, 1 hr 20 mins into race, lead runners catch up(we started early) with us. 50 k was lead by Garret and Rod.

Followed by Ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes, 4 miles into the race he seemed pretty strong and I was hopeful of him completing this tough 50k. Incidentally after a brief chat with him realized he was again doing the double Ultra this year (Western states followed by Badwater Ultra).

We soon hit another steep section, and my favorite steep, as it opens up the view of entire east bay region:

1 hour 45 mins into race, we hit Juniper campground aid-station, manned by 3 friendly volunteers:

After about a mile of shaded flat section, we again start the last climb to summit, by this point mid-pack runners catch up with us. The steep section wasnt as tough as it seemed and soon we were at the summit, which offered great views of the east bay region, we could see Silicon Valley from the summit:

After a short break at the summit, we start our 7.5 mile downhill. Interestingly we follow different trail way back which is lot gentler on the knees, and the last few sections are covered trail besides a creek, making this section lot pleasant and easier on qauds.

First loop was all about enjoying the course, taking pictures and just appreciating the Nature's beauty. On the way to start point, did my usual quad, calf, hamstring check and all sounded in pretty good shape.

4 hrs 40 mins into race, we were back to start line, we quickly re-fueled with ensure, potatoes, PBJ,chips and succeed. Both of us were feeling good, Wendell convinced us to take steeper section going up as our way back would be lot easier.

2nd Loop turned out to be lot tougher than I thought mainly because of following mistakes:
- re-fueling between start and juniper aid station.
- carrying less water for 5 mile uphill on a hot day was very naive.

After 8hrs 10 mins into race we reached for the 2nd time summit, Rajeev was in great shape, he was waiting for me at the top, Micheal (aid station volunteer) handed me a much needed enegry bar. I was on a all time low on sugar at this point, Rajeev handed out another gel, but I kept thinking I am doing fine with refueling. About 5 mins break at summit gave me a break and we started our run to base.

One of the best pictures of this run was taken by Michael:

Running with Rajeev was a big support, he kept my mindset upbeat and we followed a steady run/walk routine to the finish point. I cannot comprehend how Rajeev managed this run after his 12+hr flight and jet lagged state, he is one tough Athlete, extremely strong physically and mentally.

Thanks Rajeev you made this finish poissible, I owe you one.

After a good break at the finish, Rajeev and myself headed to Anu's place for sumptuous saru/anna and sabjeee. I was never so tired, my legs were cramping every moment due to extreme fatigue, I was just waiting to go home and sleep for few hours, before my drive to SB, which turned out to be next day morning.

In the book "A Step Beyond" one of the article mentions, each ultra is different, every ultra teaches a lesson and if you dont remember then the lesson is repeated untill you remember.

Adventure Unlimited

A month in review (November)

Run with Jets Half Marathon

A month in revew(October)

My Review of Merrell Trail Glove Cross-Training Shoes - Men's

My Review of Amphipod Airflow Endurance Waistpack

Running treat at Firetrails 50m

A month in review (September)

Stevens Creek 10k

Marathon Pace Estimator: Rao's 1200 (Modified Yasoo 800's)

A month in review (August)

18 weeks to CIM

A quest for BQ

Ski Class at Bear Valley 2011

Acclimatization for high altitude runs and climbs.

RDL 2010.. a 100 m journey awaiting

Crossfit Fundamentals @ Sunnyvale Crossfit

Coyote two moon calling

North Face 50m

Nutrition for Ultrarunning 101 (Part 1)

2009 Bday run: Mission Peak to Rose Peak(and back)

Mission to Sunol and more(C2M training run 2)

Mission to Sunol: Kickoff C2M training

50th marathon and beyond

Gear Review: Petzl Myobelt

Tour of Sonoma: Bike and Run in Wine country.

Indian Angle: A coverage of bay area athletes

Last day @ Rio

Adeus Beunos Aires

Mt Hood climbing class is ON

Winter fatass running

Teleported to Kathmandu

End of year Tag

Flashback 2008: A trip to Indian himalayas

A trip to heights of Ladakh

Tagged: Thoughts on running

Running a 50k amidst love birds

Trekking in Bhutan

EBC Updates

Namche Bazaar

And let the drums roll...

Hiking through the giants.

Quest for a Sub 24hr 100Mile run

California International Marathon, 2007

Haile Gebrsellasie: World Record Performance

Trail Tested: IPod Shuffle

On to Road Biking

A Tale of a 100 Mile footrace

Ginkgo Biloba: A magic herb?

Whats so cool: Way too cool 50k?

Ruth Anderson 100k: In celebration of Life

Fitness factor

Jed smith 50 M Race

A month closer to TRT 100

Glimpse of heaven taste of hell

Mark of a champion athletes

Great pictures of Badwater Ultra

Helen Klein 50 mile race, 2006

Aaron's goal narrative

Tapering II

Tapering: Time to rest and patiently wait for HK 50

Ultrarunning 101

Ultrarunning: Fluid and Eletrolyte 101

XVIII. FLUID & ELECTROYLTES 101: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TRAIL AND MEDICAL TENTLisa S. Bliss, MD

My weight is down and I feel fine. Should I do anything special?

My weight is down and I'm puking? How can I stop puking?

My weight is up and I feel fine! Is that OK?

My weight is up and I feel shitty! What should I do?

My weight is up and I can't pee. So now what should I do?

How much salt should I take and how can I monitor it?

I'm getting muscle cramps. What should I do?

Will I know if I am getting heat stroke?

What if I get dizzy when I stop running? What should I do?

Some final musings...

Memorable Long Run at Hellyer

Big Sur Trail Marathon

Curse of racing

Training for 100 Miler in 2007

First 24 hour adventure on foot

Ultrarunners Prayer

XVIII. FLUID & ELECTROYLTES 101:
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TRAIL AND MEDICAL TENT
Lisa S. Bliss, MD