This applies to obvious things in our environment – like the changing weather throughout the year; as well as other things like relationships that come – and go – and then come back together again, businesses that thrive – wither and then come back to life, or as was the case of my White River 50 experience, emotions that go from good -  to terrible – to oh my god I’m gonna die – to great….all over the course of a few hours of racing.

The seasonal nature of things plays in out so many ways.

I’ve seen this enough in my own life that I know it’s how things work. Sometimes the seasons play out over the course of a few hours. Other times it takes many years…but they always do play out.

Yogis have understood the seasonal nature of things at a cosmic scale for thousands of years.

Acknowledge the seasons and know that when things are not going so well…they are bound to improve. Likewise, when things are going great – take the opportunity to “prepare for winter” – that is to say, remember your successes and draw on them stay strong and confident in your purpose when things become challenging. This is where journals become powerful tools, as do vision boards, affirmations or regular meditation on a positive intention.

A look at the first climb during my White River 50 mile run.

Instead of thinking about this as a race or some kind of extreme endurance event. I simply though about it as “just a fun day in the mountains.” I literally told myself this out loud. Good thing I live alone or my roommate would have thought I was psycho! Eventually, I came to truly believe what I was saying and I totally realized that doing the event was not only possible, but it could actually be sorta fun.

Our playground for the White River 50! Yes - that is Mt. Rainier.

I also managed to give my friend Sean a little prodding…and he decided to run it as well (on practically no training!). It also helped that two good friends Charles and Jenny were also signed up to run. My game plan was to just go as far as I can without risking any major damage to my body. I was fully prepared to drop out if I thought I would injure myself.

The course was 44 miles of single-track trail (the other 6 miles are on a dirt fire road) in the pristine White River wilderness near Mount Rainier (in the hills surrounding Crystal Mountain Ski Resort). The views from the course are mind-boggling good. Many times I caught myself just staring off to the right or left – with epic views of Mt. Rainer and the Cascades.

Besides being gorgeous, the course is gnarly. In terms of sheer elevation gain and general course difficulty, it rivals the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon in my opinion. What makes CCUM a little tougher is not so much the course, but the weather (it was over 100 degrees in some parts of CCUM) and the general remoteness of the race and travel involved in getting there.

White River has ~10,000 feet of climbing split into two MASSIVE CLIMBS followed by crazy long descents.

I can’t overestimate these climbs. It felt like running up Mt Si (for those of you in Seattle you will know what I mean) and then some….and then running down about the same distance…then repeating that effort! For veteran ultra trail runners this might not seem like a ton, but for me it was.

Sean’s blog has a great image comparing the White River course to the Boston Marathon with its infamous “Heartbreak Hill” that is worth checking out.

I’ll break down the race into Pre-Race, Race, Post Race and Lessons Learned.

Pre Race

• Found a last minute room for the race at the Crystal Mountain resort. It was a few miles from the start line, and right where race registration and other pre-race stuff was happening. Very convenient!
• My gear (pictured below) was pretty basic. With weather predicted in the mid-70′s to low-80′s and sunny, I was planning to wear a t-shirt (North Face Flight Series) and shorts (Nike running shorts) along with a visor and sunglasses (they sat on top of my head most of the day since the course was mostly shaded).  I wore my Inov-8 Roclite 295′s for the first 37 miles (hilly and gnarly trail) and Brooks GTS Racers for the final 13 miles (downhill and flat/smooth trail).

Gear

• Fueling Strategy (250 calories per hour). I wanted to stick to simple food and get most of my calories in via gel to prevent any stomach issues and maximize absorption. Some people want sandwiches and real food (cookies, chips, etc) during these race (and the aid stations are stocked with this stuff!) but I try to stick to simple sugars. I fueled on:

1. Hammer Gel (in flasks, run with 1 flask and the rest in drop bags). I went through 15 servings of Hammer Gel along with 3 GU packs from aid stations.
2. GU Chomps (in drop bags). I went through 6 bags of chomps.
3. Hammer Endurolytes (2 per hour – more if sunny/hot)
4. Cola (after 37 miles – provided on course). I consumed about 32 oz of cola in the last 2 hours.
5. Coconut water (in drop bag at 32 mile point). I consumed an entire 32 oz Zico container.
6. Banana pieces (at aid stations). I consumed 4-5 pieces.

• The course has a ton of aid stations, with the options for dropbags at a bunch (like 6-8 places) along the course. Still, it was recommend that runners use two handheld bottles (or the equivalent) to get them through longer stretched. I wore an Amphipod 22oz handheld and a waist-belt with two 10oz Amphipod bottles and a pouch to carry GU Chomps and Endurolyte tablets. I was very happy with this approach.

Sean made this handy cheat sheet that we each carried. I circled the aid stations where I placed drop bags. Took this photo post-race, it is soaked with sweat, coke and god knows what else.

• I used three drop bags. In each I placed 2 packs of GU Chomps, in 2 of them I had spare socks (only ended up changing socks once),  and in the last drop bag I had a different pair of shoes (a pair with more cushion for the long 6 mile descent after the second climb – around 37 miles in). I also had a liter of coconut water in a drop bag…that I snagged at around 32 miles in (halfway up the second climb).
• The race featured all kinds of cool (and random) swag….in addition to a t-shirt and socks, we got a drink “cozie,” a pen, an umbrella and a trucker hat (at the finish)! Much of the swag was provided by SCOTT sports, who sponsored the event.
• The pre-race meeting was held in a small bar right in the little lodge/hotel we were staying at. Pretty cool vibe. A lot of people seemed to have already run the course at least a few times. With around 300 entrants (240-something actually ran), this was the biggest field yet.
• Ate a massive pasta dinner at the pre-race carbo load and hit the sack early to prepare for the 6:30am start. Both Sean and I decided to forgo the “early start”..convinced that we wouldn’t need to worry about hitting the time cut-offs…we had 13 hours to finish the course officially (14 hours with an early start). I ended up regretting this decision later on during the day. More on this later!
• After hitting the porta potty and getting drop bags in their appropriate spots, I headed to the race start – a dirt road along a flat mid-forest airstrip for small aircraft (a giant grass field). I positioned myself towards the middle of the pack, along with my friends.

The Race

Somewhere on the course. Looks pretty...I don't remember it at all..must have been zone out! Photo by http://www.nwtrailruns.com/

• Miles 1-4 to Aid Station #1 @ Camp Sheppard: I trotted along with my friends, and the whole field was just running in a giant pace-line it seemed. I kept my eyes on the trail and the shoes in front of my as we meandered along pretty flat and winding trail. The pace was totally slow and comfortable – on purpose! In one spot there was a downed tree to climb up and over, but overall this trail was pretty straightforward. I almost tripped about a dozen times….and realized I needed to really pay attention to the trail and not zone out. We rolled through the first aid station around 4 miles in – I topped off a water bottle and carried on. The whole time I focused on taking in Hammer Gel and staying relaxed.
• Miles 4-12 to Aid Station #2 @ Ranger Creek: This stretch of trail begins flatish…then the first mountain climb of the course begins! Over a six-mile stretch we climb almost 3000 feet! If you aren’t sure if that is a lot or not…let me just say that it is. It’s like climbing more than the height of Mt. Si (Seattle-ites will know what I mean). I focused on nutrition and hydration, power hiking any of the uphill portions and running short stretches of flatish trail throughout the climb. I was right next to Sean for most of this portion of the run and he kept me entertained (as well as another runner) a very long joke that took like an hour to tell .

That mountain in the distance is the first climb...we started at the base at the left hand side, and run up to the top and then along the ridgeline to the right hand side of the picture.

• Miles 12-17 to Aid Station #3 @ Corral Pass: Think the first climb was done? No way! The first couple miles of this stretch continue climbing for another 400 feet, then it flattens out to a rolling section along Corral Pass. Epic views of Mt Rainier and lush valleys almost make the pain go away. There is an out and back section here where you get to see where the competition is. During this stretch I felt quite good, running most of it. I saw some more friends, including Barefoot Ted during the out-and-back portion. There was some snow on the course, but they did such a great job building snow steps and putting in some fixed lines that it wasn’t much of an issue. My Inov-8 Roclite 295′s did an amazing job keeping me firmly grounded.
• Miles 17-22 Aid Station #4 @ Ranger Creek: We continue the out-and-back portion of the trail, and then begin a long descent…6.8 miles on a single track trail! At first it was a relief to be running downhill. After a mile this thought changed as my legs were starting to totally fry. I took a few short walk breaks on the downhill to let my feet/quads recover.

Sean looking strong. He trained all of 4 days to prep for this race (no joke) and finished in under 12 hours.

• Miles 22-27 Aid Station #5 @ Buck Creek: The downhill continues and at times Sean and I wonder if we are off trail or something. There aren’t many other runners around and it seemed crazy to run downhill this long. Well, it is crazy to run downhill this long, but we were not off trail! Eventually…..we hit flat ground, thank goodness, and emerged near the race start area to take on more aid. I felt better after a few miles of flat ground, and Sean pulled ahead of me a bit so I was pretty much on my own here. Felt fine overall and started to mentally prepare for the second mountain climb to come – which is over 8 miles long!
• Miles 27-32: Aid Station #6 @ Fawn Ridge: After a few miles of flat terrain, we began to climb. I caught up with Sean and my friends Charles and Jenny also caught us. We power hiked together up the mountain. This mountain was a little shorter than the last one, but steeper! After taking aid – and refilling my water bottles with coconut water from my drop bag (it’s amazing stuff…need to do this again next time, and at my next Ironman race) I powered through and kept climbing. I felt good and decided to push a little harder, breaking away from my friends and pushing up the climb. At this point time-wise I was a little nervous of the aid station cut-offs. We were about 1 hour ahead of the aid station cutoff time at this point….this race really had a pretty aggressive required pace to avoid being pulled from the course. Maybe I should have taking the early start after all? This would have given an extra hour of cushion to finish. Oh well…nothing I can do about that right now.
• Miles 32-37 Aid Station #7 @ SunTop: Does this climb ever end? It went on and on and on and on. At one point some mountain bikers passed me and I asked how much further and they said “you’re almost there…maybe a mile at most.” Total Liars!!!!   That climb kept going for eons. I powered through, eventually emerging on Sun Top, enjoying the epic views of the mountains and downing some watermelon, filling my shirt and hat with ice and changing my shoes into a more cushioned road shoe (Brooks GT Racers). I was still over an hour ahead of the aid station cut-off. The next 6 miles would feature a long downhill on a dirt road. At this point, I really did feel relieved since I knew that I would finish the race no matter what.
• Miles 37-43 Aid Station #8 @ Skookum Flats: I knew this part of the course would be challenging for me. I’ve been battling Plantar Fasciitis since CCUM and while it wasn’t affecting me so far, this long downhill on a dirt road was scary. I started running down the hill, and after half a mile had to stop. My feet felt like they were going to explode. Over the course of the next few miles I did more walking than running, and tons of people passed me. Fitness really didn’t mean anything at this point….my feet just couldn’t handle the pounding. At points I was walking backwards to take the pressure off my feet. Sean caught up with me and we made it down to the end of this segment together, as he was also battling some IT band issues.I again started to worry about missing the cut-off time for the next aid station.
• Miles 43-50 TO THE FINISH! Once we hit the aid station at Skookum flat, Sean waved goodbye and hammered the final stretch in a successful attempt to break 12 hours. I loaded up my water bottles with Coke, and walked the first 1/2 mile along the flat and well cushioned trail. By this time my feet had recovered and stopped throbbing, so I started running. I felt better and better every mile so I picked up the pace, reeling in many runners that passed me during the long downhill. After a seemingly endless 7 miles, I emerged onto a road and gave it everything I had for the last quarter-mile into the finish.
• Final Time =12hrs 13mins 54secs (201/244 runners).

Me = DONE!

Post Race

What I love about ultras is the everyone just seems to hang around for a long time at the finish. Even with my late finish, all the athletes were still there, including the top finishers (many of whom congratulated me and the other finishers!). This kind vibe is unique to the sport. There was a great potato bar with tons of toppings and other food for refueling.

The first thing I did upon finishing was take off my shoes and sit down. My feet were so sore I could hardly walk, but the rest of me (my legs in general) felt surprisingly good! I’m looking forward to getting this plantar fascia problem solved. Even the next day, my feet were the most sore part of my body. My legs recovered surprisingly quickly – though I still feel like am a little more tired than normal during hard training sessions – and it has been a couple of weeks since the race. It will probably take a full month to feel 100% normal.

Back at the hotel, in a post race coma.

Lessons Learned

Barefoot Ted once told me that running 100 mile is like living a lifetime in a single day – with all of its ups and downs. I’ve never done a 100 miler, but I can say 50 miles of running/power hiking has that kind of feeling and definitely takes you to places you don’t go in typical daily life. All kind of emotions come up unexpectedly. I went from feeling pretty darn depressed at mile 38 to feeling re-energized and ready to rock and roll by mile 45. Things go from bad to good to worse to amazing – sometimes in the course of 10 miles! Knowing that things will get better when you feel like crap is powerful knowledge and can power you through some really tough times. This great quote I blogged a few weeks ago came to mind several times during the run:

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn -Harriet Beecher Stowe

I witnessed the power of staying present to what was around me, and not getting caught in any kind of negative self-talk. Staying positive is absolutely critical. At one point in the race (around mile 32), I was hiking with a man who had done the race several times and was a veteran ultra-runner. He was talking constantly, and often just complaining about stuff and generally not being positive. After 10 minutes I had enough, and pushed ahead fast to get away from him and his negativity! Staying upbeat when positive is that important when you are pushing that hard.

In terms of nutrition and fueling, when all else fails – really nailing nutrition is so important and can help you finish a race that you have no business finishing . I made a nutrition plan, stuck to it – and had no issues with digestion or hydration. I also learned that coconut water is like liquid gold during a hot race and coke is jet fuel and worth drinking plentifully during the final couple hours of a long event.

My last lesson is that conventional wisdom – the kind that says you need to run a lot and be super healthy to run an ultra – is totally wrong. I came into the race with a bum knee and feet, but did what I could to get healthy before the race and approached it with the attitude of just enjoying the day in the mountains and seeing what would happen. Things ended up working out for the best – but I was fully prepared to drop out if my health was at risk.

I think a lot of people can complete these kind of events – and they should not let someone else tell them they haven’t trained enough or aren’t ready for it. If you really want it bad enough you can do it. I am totally convinced that any reasonably fit human being can complete a 50 miler with a marginal amount of training. Just go into the challenge with a positive mindset.

Breakfast stop at "Waipiti Woolies" coffee shop and store on the way back from White River the day after the race..

Even more correctly stated, life is an ultra-marathon and not a sprint.

Ultra-marathons are often held on rugged terrain in all kinds of weather and conditions. It’s rare when you run an ultra non-stop from start to finish. Pacing is critical. You learn to take advantage of flats and downhills to run, and conserve energy on climbs by walking often. Fueling is also critical: with hydration, electrolytes and steady flow of calories.

You go through all kinds of highs and lows in these races…people talk about the proverbial “second wind”. In an ultra you will come across a second, third and maybe even fourth or fifth “wind”! Staying positive (through self-talk and encouraging others on the course) is key.

Life mirrors this.

Proper rest and nutrition are critical to performing well at work and in my ability to be aware during the day (nothing like low blood sugar to get me day-dreaming!).When I eat a lot of garbage I don’t perform well at work and my relationships suffer.

I push through the lows – challenging projects, conversations, etc. – knowing that things will get better if I just stay focused and keep making progress. It really does help to stay positive even when things don’t go well in the short-term…..knowing that the long-term successful outcomes are often preceded by bouts of short-term struggle.

Coming into the finish of The North Face 50K Ultramarathon in December 2010 (San Fran, CA).

All runners got a poster for participating in the race

I shouldn’t call this a race report since the objective was less about racing and more about experiencing the culture and the beauty of the Copper Canyon region of Mexico. Arriving at the starting point of the race involved 2 flights, a 2+ day ride in a van and an 18 mile rugged and hot hike down into the canyon town of Urique. The days prior to the race were filled with intense hikes and general overload of the senses with a new language (Spanish) new food (quintessential mexican) and new people (both Urique locals and Tarahumara Indians). I ended up finishing the event, which was my goal. It took me 12.5 hours, far longer than I hoped – but I don’t care too much about that. Crazy and unexpected things can happen after pushing the human body for many hours.

I had an amazing time and plan on returning next year. If you are at all considering doing an ultramarath0n or even visiting the Copper Canyons – I highly recommend it. I felt totally safe the entire time, and see that much of what I had read in the news about violence and killings  and foreign travelers being at risk was overblown. Do your homework before going, but also recognize that the popular media is really good at creating attention grabbing headlines that aren’t always indicative of reality.

The Arrival

The whole crew. Photo from Barefoot Ted (www.barefootted.com).

Day 1: There are many ways to get to Urique Canyon. My method was definitely not the fastest, but it was cost-effective, safe and made for a good chance to meet other interesting people. I flew into El Paso and stayed overnight at a Motel 6 with another racer that I met online. The hotel was clean and safe, and 12 of us were all meeting here to board a van driven by Doug “Diego” Rhodes, who operated a hotel near Urique and served as a guide to visiting gringos. The next morning we awoke to the sight of a large white van parked outside. We immediately wandered out to meet our fellow adventurers. It was exciting to meet the people we would be spending the 10 days with! Everyone was super cool, including a large contingent from Seattle, two people from Ohio, one from California, three from Utah and one from new Mexico. Amazingly, it turned out that 4 people in the van were vegan!

Day 2: We headed south and immediately crossed the border uneventfully (there is rarely much traffic heading south, but always traffic coming back to the US). Heading through Juarez was not a big deal. It’s been tagged as “the most dangerous city in the world” by popular media but it seemed just fine. We past plenty of trucks filled with armed guards, humvees and dudes with machines guns on the streets (military) – but I didn’t see this as much different from other places I’ve been to in South America (Lima or Quito in particular). Diego made sure we moved swiftly through the city.

We departed Juarez after a quick stop to exchange money and continued heading south through a flat and windy desert, stopping in the small town of Cuatemoc for the night. The next day we continued driving to Diego’s hotel…which is more like a ranch. It’s in a beautiful part of the country, with rolling hills pierced by rocky cliffs, pine tree forests, bright blue skies all the time and an elevation of 6000 feet. Here we met Caballo Blanco himself! Caballo is the race director and all around supporter of the Raramuri people (also know as Tarahumara, Raramuri is their traditional name), he would be our guide into the canyon and make sure everything was cool leading up to the race. He is an incredibly genuine and nice dude.

Day 3: The next day we had an off-day, and we welcomed some additional travelers joining us at the ranch. All-told, 27 gringos’ met up at Diego’s place! In the morning I led a yoga class to help get us loosened up. Various groups spent then spent the day exploring. My group went on an adventure that had us hiking and scrambling up the side of a mountain near the ranch. We hit the summit where there was a large flat plateau and started running! We explored a bit and eventually spotted a trail that descended the other side of the mountain toward a small town. We took the trail and made it down into the town, and returned back to Doug’s place via a dirt road. In the afternoon. A few of us went out on another hike to visit Tarahumara burial caves, complete with lots of human bones.

Raramuri burial caves. Photo by Pat Sweeney (bourbonfeet.blogspot.com).

Day 4: After lots of food and a night’s rest, we prepared for our departure to Urique, which required an 18 mile hike up and over a mountain ridge, and down-down-down 5000 feet into the heart of the Copper Canyon. Our luggage would meet us in Urique via van. All 27 of us loaded up on tons of water and food and proceeded on the hike. It was gorgeous, one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done. We spotted hawks, buzzards and wandered close to some “grow fields” if you know what I mean. The temperature rose sharply through the hike – well into the 90′s. The trail was at times steep and made of loose slippery rock pieces and dirt. The adventure had begun!

After 13 miles we hit a part of the trail where Caballo let us loose to run the rest of the way into town if we wanted. It was another 5 miles or so, and a bunch of us took off. It was a tough run for me. I was super dehydrated from the heat and my legs had absolutely no energy. I trotted along slowly and eventually made it into town. The first night I stayed at Entre Amigos, run by a gringo named Keith, with about 10 other racers. It was a gorgeous property full of tropical fruit trees bursting with fresh fruit (papayas, grape fruits, oranges, lemons, limes) and a super huge garden that all guests were allowed to raid at will. He had a bunk house with dorm style beds and a few double-bed room. He also had a bunch of campsites. I opted for a campsite, and since I didn’t have a tent, I just slept with my sleeping bag on top of a tarp under the shade of a mango tree and the stars! We had free use of the kitchen – and cooked out own dinner of fresh beets and kale from garden, with rice, salsa, tomatoes, avocados and tortillas we picked up from a small store in town.

A large mural in Urique

Days 5-6: My friend Jim from New Mexico and I opted to move into a clean and simple hotel room right in the heart of town. Staying at Keith’s was nice but we realize that sleeping on the floor would get old after a few more nights. We got a room with two double beds and a private bathroom at what was dubbed “the nicest hotel in Urique” for 300 pesos per night (less than 30 dollars).

The next two days featured hikes of the entire course, led by Caballo. You might be thinking…”Hey, isn’t it crazy to hike the entire course in the days before running 50 miles?” The answer is absolutely yes!!! Which is why I chose not to do the hikes . Others did do the hikes, covering 18 miles one day (first major loop of the course) and 22 miles another day (second major loop of the course). The last 10 miles were a repeat of part the first loop and they skipped that. A second reason why I didn’t do the hikes is that I was feeling incredibly sick the day after our hike into Urique. I was massively dehydrated and had a raging headache most of the night. I opted to lay-low and rehydrated. I went out for a 20 minute run in the heat to help acclimatize on each day instead. After a couple of days I felt back to normal.

The best hotel in Urique, and I only saw 1 scorpion while staying there

Arnulfo is all smiles as his young kid horses around on his back. He is a Raramuri running champion and featured in the book "Born to Run". Incredibly friendly guy.

The preferred footwear for Raramuri are Hurache sandals made from old tires. They can run incredibly fast over technical terrain with this footwear!

Day 7: Rest, eat, sleep! This was a true day off. The town was buzzing with energy as Raramuri hiked in from all over the canyon. More gringo’s arrived and it was fun just walking around town and meeting people. I led a little impromptu yoga class in the town square which was fun. We had an audience of Raramuri watching us!

Mark from Dallas and I the day before the race, sporting our race bibs!

Pre-race festivities in the town square

There were always bunch of dogs just wandering around town. Most of them were nice - except for the two that tried to bite me while out on a short run! They appeared healthy (as opposed to what I see in some other places around the world). Photo by Laurie Colon.

Crystal (Left) and Laurie (Right) from Ohio with Carlo (far Left) and Jim (far Right) - members of Team USA! Crystal was the 3rd overall woman finisher and Laurie was fifth.

The Course

Urique is nestled deep in the heart of Las Barrancas del Cobre (The Copper Canyons). The race course traversed the canyon floor and climbed several mountains outside of town.

The course featured three loops of 18, 22 and 10 miles – that all begin and end right in the heart of town. In terms of course severity – the overall conditions made it by far the most challenging terrain I have ever run on. Technical trails. Rocky dirty roads that made it tough to run fast even on the flats or downhills. Searing heat (it was over 90 degrees for most of the course, and probably hit 100 in certain spots). Some crazy long and steep climbing. That said, many other gringos who were veteran racers of 100 and 50 mile ultras said the course wasn’t that bad as far as 50-milers go, and that the total elevation change wasn’t super hard (9,000 ft total climbing). It’s all in the eye of the beholder I guess .

Loop 1: The 18 mile loop had a 10 mile out of back along a dirt road (note: all dirty roads here are riddled with rocks, they aren’t nice and smooth roads like we have in the USA!). This stretch had a bunch of “death hills” (as Caballo likes to call them). The next 3-5 miles was an epic climb on technical single-track up a mountain followed by a winding and long descent on a dirt road back into town.

Loop 2: The 22 mile loop to Los Alisos features a long flat 6 mile stretch on dirt roads before climbing brutally up the side of a mountain for several miles. This part of the course is very hot and exposed with little shade. After hitting an aid station 11 miles in, you turn around and run back!

Loop 3: The final 10 mile repeats the out and back “death hills” from the first loop.

The weather for the entire week of the race was hotter than normal, and race day looked to be the same. Hydration would be super important.

The Gear

Pat Sweeney took a picture of me before and after the start of the race and I look exactly the same! The one on the left is from 6:30am and the right is from 7pm.

My gear was as follows:

• Lululemon lightweight top
• Lululemon running/yoga shorts (they have a liner….eliminates chaffing)
• Bodyglide – use all over or suffer!
• Headsweats visor
• Sunglasses
• Amphipod 22oz handheld bottle
• Amphipod waist belt with 2 x 10oz bottles and pouch for food/electrolyte tabs
• Hammer gel flask – holds 500 calories of gel
• Inov-8 Roclite 295 trail shoes
• Ironman triathlon socks
• Medical tape (I tape my pinky and big toes to prevent blisters)

Nutrition

• Orange flavored Hammer gel bottle (big one) – use this to refill gel flask after each loop
• Nuun electrolyte tablets – 9 tablets
• Hammer Endurolytes tablets – 10 tablets
• Cliff Shot Bloks – two packages
• Cliff Bars – a couple in my drop bag just in case

Packing for the race.

During the race I planned to consume 250 calories per hour and I came in just under that in actuality. I took in 2500 calories total during race day, which was OK given that I was moving so slow for the last 10 miles. I was never really hungry during the race, and afterwards I was so tired I skipped dinner and fell asleep at 7:30pm! Not being hungry is a sign that I took in enough calories, though I was probably under hydrated a little.

I carried 40 ounces of water with me (handheld bottle and waist belt), with 1 Nuun tablet in the handheld bottle and the other bottles just plain. I carried Nuun with me and dropped 1 tablet in my handheld each time I refilled it (about 1 time per hour). I took 6 Endurolytes during the race – at random times and gave some tabs out to Raramuri that I saw cramping. A key strategy for me was to dump at least 10 ounces of water on my head and back every hour if possible. When I saw an aid station, I immediately emptied my bottled on myself before refilling. This strategy totally saved me from imploding due to the heat.

My calorie consumption was as follows

• Loop 1 – 18 miles – 500 calories of gel, 200 calories of shot blocks, a ~3 banana halves, 5-6 orange quarters and 2 cups of pinole (ground corn mixed with water) at aid stations
• Loop 2 – 22 miles – ditto
• Loop 3 – 10 miles – 500 calories gel, 1 banana and 2 pieces of orange

My feet had zero blisters, which other folks found hard to believe while chatting afterwards. I’ve always had pretty resilient feet and been blister free for most of my running life. Also, the Inov-8 Roclite shoes are incredible and wrapping my toes in tape (it stayed on for the first 35 miles) helped for sure.

The Race

Guadaloupe Coronado and the Big Climb (~18 miles) aka “if you aren’t awake you will be now!”

Mile 15 of the race, a young and and old Raramuri are running together. Note the footwear and simple clothing. Neither are holding bottles or carrying fuel. They rely entirely on aid station support. Amazing. Photo by Leah Kangas.

Mile 1: The race start was 6:45am. The Raramuri are known for going out incredibly fast. It was crazy to see about 100 people take off sprinting as if they were running a 5K! The experienced runners (Raramuri included) stayed in the mid pack and waiting for the carnage to take place during the first major climb. I went out nice and easy as we cruised the flat paved road through town and onto a very rocky dirt road with mild rollers for the first mile.

Miles 2-5: We hit some major hills. Caballo calls them “death hills”. They aren’t that bad by themselves, but in cumulative they will crush you. At this point in the race I start walking anything that even smells like a hill! Some folks try to run even the long hills…I don’t know what they are thinking! The weather stays pretty cool and there are quite a few aid stations…about 1 every 2 miles or so.

Mile 6-8: We hit a turnaround point and retrace out steps. I notice that a lot of the locals are cutting the course! They are taking small trails that veer off the road and re-join the road later on. They aren’t saving that much time…maybe a quarter-mile at most, so I ignore it. The way I see it, I get to use my technical gear and they get to use home field advantage of local trails .

I really begin to feel that this course if harder than I thought. The footing is tough even on the dirt road, with tons of large and small rocks and sections with soft dirt/sand. It’s super tiring on my feet and lower legs. I start to get concerned about my ability to finish.

Miles 9-13: Turning off the dirt road, the technical single-track and climbing begins. I walk a ton of this…since we climb for what seems like forever. A bunch of people pass me…and then the field thins out a bit. There are no aid stations on the climb. I’m glad I brought both a water bottle in my hand and two 10 ounces bottles in my waist belt. I am pretty sure I’m not going to finish this race…I am just not in good enough shape and my legs are dead.

Miles 13-15: Finally…an aid station! I grab some oranges and some strange “bags” filled with water. They are like the milk bags we used in school, only filled with water or a Mexican sports drink called “Zuca.” I grab one bag and bite the end, squeezing the water in my mouth. I grab a few more and squeeze them into my water bottles. I grab a few oranges and a cup of pinole. Wow, that pinole is good stuff! The route descents down a twisting dirt road. At times the road is too steep for me to run comfortably, so I sadly walk parts of the downhill.

Mile 16: I round a corner and smell like someone is smoking a joint…a big a strong one. I look to the right and left and see no one in the fields. I keep running downhill and catch up to two young kids (they may have been Raramuri or local Urique boys, not sure) who have been racing since the start, they were about 1/2 mile ahead of me most of the race running in jeans, cotton t-shirts and sandals! They looked like they were 12 years old at most. I then notice they are passing a joint back and forth…I laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of being out-run by two young kids in jeans and flip-flops smoking a joint. I can’t make that up if I tried.

Uh Oh! I'm walking on a flat section of road around 15 miles into the race. Photo by Leah Kangas.

Miles 17-18: Reality sets in about how hard this course is. Caballo Blanco passes me with a big smile on his face and some words of encouragement. He is running light and smooth. I am assuming at this point that I am not finishing the race. My legs are totally trashed half-way down the descent and my feet really are super tired from all the rocks. Regardless, I need to run back to town so I continue on and feel better as we enter back into town to complete this big loop. I head to my drop-bag and refill my Hammer Gel flask and grab some more Nuun and Endurolytes. I decide to start the next loop and see what happens.

Los Olisos Out and Back Loop (~22 miles) aka “a run through the blast furnace”

Miles 19-25: I feel very good during the flat to slightly rolling stretch through the Urique river valley. I pass quite a few people, including a few “gringo’s” that were starting to feel the heat as the temperatures were climbing into the 90′s by now. There were several places to take aid and I enjoyed some banana pieces at each along with 2-3 orange wedges and a cup of pinole. I ran about 80% of this stretch, only walking a few of the bigger hills.

Miles 26-29: After crossing a suspension footbridge I begin the climb to the grapefruit orchards of Los Olisos. The temperature is climbing rapidly and I estimate that is hits at least 100 in this part of the course. The landscape turns into a moonscape devoid of much vegetation as I climb the steep trails. Footing is tough and the trail is narrow. I really struggle just to hike this section. Runners are going both directions on this trail and there are steep drop-offs at some points. I dumb water on my head all the time to stay cool. I’m diligent about taking Endurolyte tablets or dropping Nuun in my bottles. I pass out Endurolytes to a Raramuri who appears to be cramping badly. He is very thankful.

At one point I hit a steep and narrow part of the trail with a cliff on one side and a rock wall on the other. I’m trying to go one direction and runners are coming back at me in the other direction….and a Burro is also trying to navigate the trail amidst all the chaos. I go spread eagle against the cliff until the Burro saunters by and I continue on. Only in Mexico!

Miles 30-33: Hitting the turn-around point I am totally out of water. I ran out long ago and am very dehydrated. I drop some iodine tablets (thanks Mark!) into my bottles and refills at the one aid station (the water was from a nearby spring since they couldn’t carry bottled or bagged water up this trail). I laugh at the sight of the station being manned by a couple big security dudes carrying M16′s! I devour some oranges and carry on back down the mountain slowly. I am super tired and still worried about just finishing. Looking around though, I am inspired by the Raramuri, persisting with little gear or fuel – I keep moving on.

Miles 34-40: Completing the descent I retraced the flat section back to Urique, which is suddenly much tougher than on the way out! My feet are incredibly tired and I run about 50% of this section. I can’t believe that I am walking flat and even some downhill sections but nothing I can do about that. The weather is burning hot. I dump water on my head to keep cool at every chance I get. I run the last mile back into town and hit my drop bag for a refill of Hammer Gel and water. Looking at my watch I realize that no matter what I will finish this course, even if I have to crawl. I have enough time even if I end up needing to walk the last part of the course.

Guadaloupe Coronado Out and Back Loop (~11 miles) aka “death hills”

Miles 41-45: I run out-of-town for a few miles. I see people running the opposite direction towards the finish line. These folks are completing in about 9-10 hours. I’m very jealous! I see some friends and that is cool. Once I hit the first small climb I start walking again, and find running next to impossible. Ever little hill has become a death hill. Caballo was right!

Miles 46-50: It takes absolutely forever to get the turnaround point. All my energy goes into maintaining forward motion and the sun starts to go down and the weather cools. There are fewer people out on the course so there is less to distract me. I’m walking and walking slow. No more power hiking. I try running occasionally and it’s super painful. My friend Bookis rolls up next to me and that motivates me to jog again. We stay together through the turnaround, where I take aid. I tell Bookis (he ran the entire race in Luna sandals!)to not hang with me since I’m not capable of running any more. I continue walking most of the next few miles, and the darkness comes quickly. By mile 49 it is almost pitch black, with just the stars and moon out. I hit a dirt road and occasional trucks passing by force to move to the edge of the road to avoid becoming roadkill. They help to light my way. At one point I almost impale myself on a bull cow that happened to be standing in the middle of the dirt road…lucky for me I heard it’s moo in time!

Mile 50-51: I see the lights of Urique and run back into town. I actually feel a lot better now. Amazing how seeing the finish provides a great burst of energy! There were tons of people in the village, and they were having a finish/awards ceremony on a stage in the town square. There was no post-race tent or food stuff given out. In fact, when I finished it took a few seconds to even find one of the race volunteers to tell him I finished! Surprisingly, instead of him telling me my time he asked me what my time was! I was too tired to talk so showed him my watch, he wrote it down and said good job. 12:32:01. Several hours longer than I thought it would take, but no matter, I finished! I saw some other gringo friends: some recently finished and laying on the sidewalk in recovery while others had been done for hours. I gave some high five’s, took a photo and stumbed about 100 yards back to my hotel room, where my roommate was resting (he got food poisoning and didn’t race).

Start/finish area the morning after the race. Victory!

Nick and Jamil Coury are the only gringo's to finish in the top 10. I think they finished in less than 8 hours. They've both raced here many times. Photo by Barefoot Ted

I met these two kids after arriving in Urique. The one on the right is 14 years old and finished the race last year in 10 hours! The one on the left is the same age (I think). They both finished the race this year, very fast. Photo by Laurie Colon.

The Long Journey Home

Friends departing Urique outside Mama Tita's restaurant.

The morning after the race we said goodbye to friends departing via bus, and then piled into our van for the long and hair-raising climb out of Urique Canyon via a 90 minute twisting dirt road winding its way up the mountainsides. We had an overnight stop in the small Mexican town of Cuatemoc before continuing on to El Paso. My flight home became more interesting when I missed my connection in Denver (after sprinting across the entire terminal!), resulting in another overnight stay! I finally arrive back home safe and sound.

This Copper Canyon experience is one I’ll never forget. I’m already planning on returning next year.

Raramuri waiting for a bus to take them part of the way home. They will then have to hike 50K through the canyon to their homes outside the town of Batopilas.

4 wheel drive

I’m going to expand on the first principle I stated in Part I, that I think the outcome for endurance events are more driven by factors beyond raw fitness than of fitness itself. Nutrition, mental focus, pacing, gear and other factors are just as (if not more important) than how high your VO2 max or lactate threshold is.

Let me explain. In my last 50K race, The North Face Endurance Challenge in Marin Headlands, I was never once out of breath on the course. However, I clearly suffered greatly and my result did not reflect my fitness. How could this be? Simple. I did the following things:

• I went out way too fast, running the first 8-10 miles about 10-15% faster than I should have. It didn’t feel that way during the run, but in hindsight this was the case.
• I bonked hardcore after 16 miles. I hit mile 16 having consumed a couple gels and a few pieces of banana and boiled potato. This might seem enough calories, but given the course severity it took almost 3 hours to get this far and that was way too few calories. Also, given I was running faster than normal my caloric burn rate was far higher than normal training.
• I had terrible shoes for this course. I wore Mizuno Waverider running shoes. They are lightweight training shoes, meant for smooth pavement. I also wore them for the Ron Herzog 50K and realized they weren’t great on trails, but I didn’t remedy the problem. I was slipping and sliding all over, given how wet and muddy the North Face course was. Footing was a real issue during the race.  I would slow down my pace at times and it just took way too much mental energy to focus on where my feet were going.
• I ran carrying a single water bottle. Big mistake, as I slowed down in the second half of the race, I would run out of water/calories between aid stations and just suffer. Rookie mistake. I should have carried two bottles or used a hipflask system. Had I not bonked I would have been fine with 1 bottle, but the slower pace after mile 16 meant I was running/walking slow and needed more fuel between aid stations.
• I wore a great Gore-Tex running jacked which kept my upper body warm, but my legs were freezing cold given the rain and the fact that I slowed so much. Studies show that cold muscled perform worse – far worse – than warm muscles. My legs were frozen for most of the race. This was of course exacerbated by my bonking and slower pace after mile 16.

Had I addressed these things by wearing appropriate clothing, using proper trail shoes, carrying more fuel and starting out more slowly (and using walk breaks early on); the result surely would have been very different! Live and learn! Addressing the non-fitness related variables has a big impact on race day. The longer you plan to go, my opinion is the more these other things count. Especially, bad footwear can easily take someone out of commission in an ultra-marathon (a bad blister or foot issue can bring down the toughest runner!). Same goes with an incorrect fueling strategy.

Will continue this multi-part post later.

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Going for a 90 minute run on some flat dirt trails today. I trail tested my new Inov-8 Roclite 295′s yesterday. They are too small…back to the store they go!

Here are the primary events I have in the plan for 2011. IMCDA and the Portland Marathon are the major races. Aside from these events I might jump into a few Olympic distance triathlons or some 5K to half-marathon races as part of training efforts.

3/6 Copper Canyon 50 Mile Ultra Marathon (Goal = finish!)
4/30 Wildflower Half-Ironman Triathlon (Goal = finish and test race strategy for IMCDA, <6hours time)
6/26 Ironman Coeur d Alene MAJOR RACE (Goal =  <11 hrs = <1:05 swim <5:45 bike <4:00 run)
7/30 White River 50 Mile Endurance Run (Goal = finish in top half of the field, <10 hours)
9/24 Black Diamond Half Ironman (Goal = top 5 in age group, <5:20 time would be nice!)
10/6 Portland Marathon MAJOR RACE (Goal = <3 hours and qualify for Boston Marathon)
11/5 Ron Herzog 50K (Goal = top 10 finish, <5:30 time)
12/3 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Miler (Goal = finish in top half of field, <10 hours)

I know many of you who read my blog also race…I’m interested to hear what you have on tap! Leave a note in the comments with your plans for 2011.

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I’m super slow in sorting through all the wonderful pics and vids from my trip to the Galapagos and Ecuador. Hope to get a post up before the end of the year with a recap .

Starting to do more strength training and speed-work; on the track, on the bike trainer and in the gym. It feels good! In my longer runs last fall (the Portland Marathon and both 50K races) it was clearly muscular strength holding me back not aerobic fitness, so I hope the heavy squats, deadlifts and track repeats will eliminate the bottleneck.

Where it all went down at Masonic Park outside Granite Falls, WA

Yesterday I did my longest and toughest run ever, the Ron Herzog 50K (which ended up being around 32 miles, a little more than 50K). I stumbled upon it a week ago while looking for trail runs online and decided to give it a shot. This is a small race and when I showed up it seemed like a lot of the participants knew each other. I think around 50 people were there. The race FREE….with  suggested $25 donation to support the ALS association in honor of Ron Herzog, an ultra runner who died of the disease.

The course was 90% on old logging roads. What was the other 10% on? I’ll get to that! For the first few miles the logging road was covered with pretty hefty gravel and good-sized rocks and then the road became mostly dirt with some small gravel in spots and climbed steadily for about 8 miles to about the 10 mile point. Yes, that 8 miles of climbing! Occasionally the road would flatten and even go downhill for while, but the overall trend for the first 10 miles was mostly uphill.

I am not certain on the elevation gain, but I overheard one of the runners around mile 7 mention that the start was at 600 feet, and that we were at 1800 feet around then….so I’d estimate the high point was around 2,500ft or so. This is a total guess so if you are reading this and know the actual elevation – please leave a comment and let me know. I’m also guessing on the race distances….since I wasn’t wearing a GPS and the course was not marked with distances.

At the 10 mile point we left the older logging road for a freshly cut logging road and climbed steadily for a while before entering a very thick forest. I mean really thick! This is where the 10% of the course that isn’t on logging roads begin. In the course description they mention that the route covers several miles of “tank traps.” I had no idea what this meant when I signed up. Everyone was talking about them at the race start though. In fact they gave you an option of avoiding the tank traps through an “out and back” along the last half of the course (I’d day about 5 people did that). I am still pretty confused about what tank traps are, but I’ll describe to the best of my ability. They are series (perhaps a few dozen) of gully’s about 5-10 feet deep and 20 feet across (roughly) that were probably used at one point to test and train military tank operators (there is an army base nearby). However, this part of the course is up on a mountain and totally covered with dense wilderness. So I have no idea how a tank would make it up here. Thus the confusion. Anyway…I’ll continue with the story.

The tank trap section of the course lasted for about 3 miles. The brush and woods were so thick I was constantly having to climb over trees and logs, and somehow navigate through this maze. Everything was super slick with rain and moss and grime. I slipped a bunch. My shins were ripped up a little from the brush. There was no real trail to follow, so I followed a series of pink ribbons that were tied around trees by the race director to make it through. Without those ribbons I would have been hopelessly lost for sure. There were small streams following at the bottom of each tank trap, which ensures that every part of clothing, including my shoes, would be drenched.

The weather was pretty cool – around 45 degrees and light rain that kicked in around mile 6 and stayed through until around mile 26. I was soaked for most of the run, including my shoes and socks – and incredibly cold until the final few miles when the rain let up and I hit a second wind and was able to run faster.

After the tank traps we has a small stream crossing (not too big a deal, I actually hopped from rock to rock and didn’t have to step into the stream at all) and continued another 3 miles until the first aid station. Yup, you heard me right, the first aid station was 16 miles in! I was lucky that I wore a fuel belt with 4 x 8oz water bottles and a couple of energy gels. However, even this was not nearly enough water or calories. More on this later.

The aid station was awesome though, they had all kinds of food – including little boxes of Nerds candy (one of my favorites!), jelly beans, dried fruit, PB&J sandwiches, Hammer Gel, HEED energy drink, water, etc. I was so hungry at this point I stuffed my face with dried fruit, loaded up my Fuel Belt with HEED and chugged a bunch of water. I filled my shorts pocket with boxed of Nerds and stuffed a handful of jelly beans into my jacket pocket. I also ate half a PB&J while I walked away from the aid station. That last part was a mistake. I’ll come back to that.

The course continued on for another 8 miles with rolling terrain, trending slightly uphill the entire time. At mile 24 there was another aid station – but this time is was in the form of a few jugs of water left on the side of the road – self-serve! The next 5 miles were essentially trending downhill along a winding dirt road, eventually hitting pavement for a few miles flat stretch.

At this point I saw the first signs of civilization, in the form of a log cabin home, and make a right turn onto a more highly traveled paved road. 2 and a half miles down this road we turned into the parking lot for the finish line. What a welcome sight!

So that is the course in a nutshell….here’s more of a take based on how I felt during the race. I’ll start out by saying that I really had zero expectations going into it. I just wanted to finish with a smile on my face. I thought finishing in around 5 1/2 hours would be decent and very doable, but was ready to walk as much as need be.

The starting line, just beyond this red gate.

Here’s what really went down:

• Gear and attire: I wore my Mizuno Waverider lightweight running shoes, Sole-brand running socks, and Lululemon shorts with a built-in liner. I wore a Lululemon Silverscent top and a North Face Hyvent water-proof and breathable lightweight running jacket. Under my jacket I had a Fuel Belt with 4 x 8oz bottles filled with water and 2 x Power Gels in the little pouch in the Fuel Belt.
• Mile 0: It was barely light out and cold. We’d start running before the sun had risen over the horizon. A minute before the race was going to begin, I ask the race director about the aid station at mile 8 (I read on the website there would be one there) – “there isn’t one” he replied…whoops! I quickly ran back to my car to grab two more 8oz bottles for my Fuel Belt…good call. Made it back right as we started.
• Mile 1: I start out jogging pretty slow. Learning from my Portland Marathon experience a month ago – I’m going to be super conservative this time. I’m probably doing 8-9 minute miles.
• Mile 2: I’m towards the back of the pack, but pass by a few people here and there. I keep my slow and steady pace, the road begins to climb and my heart rate climbs as well, but my pace stays the same.
• Miles 3-8: The road is steadily climbing uphill the entire time. I pass several folks on the uphills. I settle into a nice rhythm and have some conversation with a couple of guys around me. One ran the Leadville 100 ultra-marathon this year! Eventually these two guys pull ahead and I don’t go with them. Focus on just taking it easy. People are so friendly and talkative during this race! Welcome change from other races I’ve done.
• Miles 8-10: There is nobody ahead of me and nobody behind me. I feel very strong and steady. Regularly drinking water, and almost through my supply! So glad I ran to the car to grab the extra bottles.
• Mile 10: Am I lost? Where am I? Pretty sure I am on the right road, but there are a bunch of turn-offs and I’m not seeing any little pink ribbons (they are placed at turn points to tell us where to go). Eventually I see one and stop worrying as much. The scenery is beautiful, there is a fog covering everything and a light rain. The forest is full of tall pines and some Alders. The temperature drops as I continue climbing up this mountain.
• Miles 10-13: Tank Traps! I spend the next 40 minutes (I think, I didn’t wear a watch) navigating through several miles of steep mud-ridden gully’s, climbing over trees and branches and generally bushwhacking through. Four people pass me during this stretch. They are motoring through this stretch while I am barely walking through it. My shoes are slipping on everything (I wore lightweight street running shoes not trail shoes, another mistake). I go slow to limit the chance of injury.
• Mile 13: Stream crossing! Not a big deal. Glad to be out of the traps and running again.
• Miles 13-16: Re-pass a few folks and settle into a nice rhythm along this pretty flat logging road. I am super thirsty and hungry at this point. Getting very very cold.
• Mile 16: Arrive at the first aid station and stuff my face and pockets with a whole bunch of candy, grab half a PB&J sandwich, and some other food. See folks grabbing their drop bags and changing into new socks and dry shoes at this point. Good idea. I continue walking out of the aid station eating my PB&J.
• Miles 16-20: Alternate between slow jog and walking. At first I run for 3-4 minutes and walk for 30 seconds. Then I start running less and walking more. People continue passing me. The boxes holding the Nerds brand candy that were in my pocket start falling apart so I just eat them all! The PB&J is not settling well..or maybe it was the ton of Nerds I just ate? I should have just stuck to the energy gels. Anyway…I’m walking and focus on just moving forward.
• Miles 20-24: My legs stop working. My hands get really swollen as do my feet. The same thing happened at Portland Marathon last month. I am super cold so maybe that is it? Something I ate or didn’t eat? Who knows…even walking hurts. I start chatting with a couple older gentlemen who tell me to just keep walking and I’ll feel better and can start running when we hit the downhill. At this point I don’t think I’ll be running any more at all. My feet hurt like hell from the swelling. I reach into my coat pocket for some jelly beans and realize with all the rain they’ve turned into a soupy mess of sugar liquid. It ends up coating my hand so I lick my hands like a giant Popsicle. The things you will do when you are really really hungry!
• Mile 24: I hit another aid station…it’s really just a few bottles of water on the side of the road! I refill and continue walking. At this point I am well over four hours into the adventure….maybe close to five.
• Mile 25: We begin a long 5+ mile winding descent. My legs start feeling better and I alternate walking and running. Those older guys were right, my legs are working again! Woohoo!
• Miles 25-28: I start running more and more and walking less and less. I really do hit a second wind. The swelling in my hands and feet starts to go away. As we descend I get a little warmer and the rain lets up to a light drizzle.
• Miles 28-30: I am now running a lot faster – even faster than the beginning of the race. I stop to take a short walk break and another runner – Seth – catches me and asks if I want to run with him, I say sure and we continue running along and keep chatting.
• Miles 30-32: Seth and I make the final turn onto a paved road for the final few miles to the finish, we keep picking up the pace and do the last mile in < 7 minutes (I would guess)!
• Finish: Cross the finish line….little fanfare – no medal or time-chip map. Just someone with a stopwatch and a bunch of high fives from other runners. I like the low-key aspect of it all! My time – a whopping 6 hours and 40 minutes. I also realize that racing and ultra really isn’t about the time. Nobody was asking each other about their time. It’s as if nobody cared about that anyway. They were only asking if you “had a good time” as in “did you have fun?”. What a refreshing thing. Normally at a road race people get so caught up in how fast they run. Here, just finishing is all that matters. Time was pretty much irrelevant. All that mattered is how you did based on your own capability and expectations.

Post race smile!

I learned a lot through this race.

I learned that no matter how bad things seem at the time – they will get better if you are able to tough it out. I learned that the mental aspect of endurance sports is really a massive factor. It’s all about not giving into little aches and pains and knowing that things will turn around if you give it time. I learned that being prepared – the right hydration, nutrition and gear is hugely important in long races. I was freezing for a lot of the race, short on water for the middle portion and didn’t eat enough early on. This meant I was walking more than I would have liked but eventually bounced back and finished with a smile on my face.

Hot spiced wine in a Hammer Nutrition cup...gotta love the irony.

After the race everyone hung around chatting – and cheering on the final finishers (I was close to the end of the pack!). Many of the runners were veterans of countless 100 mile ultras, and they were all super nice and helpful. As per race tradition, all entrants brought a can of soup – which were mixed together into two massive pots of stew to be shared amongst the finishers (and yes – they had a veggie pot)! They also had a big pot of hot spiced wine which was incredibly tasty.

Post-race stew...including a pot of veggie soup!

I’m now a little more prepared – at least mentally – for my next ultra-marathon – the North Face Endurance 50K in San Francisco. I’ll be dialing in my gear and nutrition approach between now and then for sure.

Bathrooms were everywhere...just step a few feet off the side of the road!

I’ve been fascinated with the study of endurance for years. I am always amazed at people who are able to endure and outlast more than anyone else.

In the case of endurance, the best study is through direct personal experience. In my own experiences of pushing my edge -  whether through racing Ironman Triathlons, cycling 200+ miles in a day or swimming across Puget Sound – I’ve discovered more about my self than through anything else.

By enduring, I’ve also stumbled across a few techniques that anyone – regardless of physical ability – can apply to significantly increase endurance.

One word of warning though: the tips I’m going to provide are incredibly simple, but applying them will consistently in your life will not come easy, at least not at first.Yes, they are easy to grasp and put in practice, but tough to stick with. However, at the end of the day, I think you will find that the benefits will come once you push through the initial difficulties.

So what are the 5 simple tips for superhuman endurance? Here they are:

1. Breath through your nose
2. Adopt a slower carb diet
3. Slow down
   
4. Reduce stimulants
5. Cultivate presence

1. Breath Through Your Nose

The single daily practice of nasal breathing has had a greater impact on my overall well-being than any other single technique. The ancient yogis have known this for years, and have developed an entire study to the science of pranayama to gain mastery over the breath.

It is also the most simple thing to do, and unless you have a severely blocked nasal passage, it open to anyone to apply right away. Mastering the full technique of nasal breathing while training, however, takes much more practice.

Babies are natural nose breathers. While eating, playing and sleeping they go about their businesses breathing effortlessly through their nose That means you were at one time as well! Chances are though, that you now spend much of your waking (and perhaps sleeping) hours sucking in air through your mouth and not using your lungs effectively.

Why is this so critical? Consider a few facts. First of all, the body was built to nose breath. The nasal passages act as turbines, that not only cleans and moisten air (important for healthy immune support) but also create a vortex as you breath that helps air to travel down further into the lungs. While most of us limit our breathing to the upper portions of our lungs, it is the bottom of our lungs that contain the most capillaries for exchange of oxygen into the blood and waste out of the blood. More oxygen and less waste = a cleaner body that is able to do more aerobic work.

Furthermore, mouth breathing is linked to the fight or flight response system of the body. When you breath through your mouth, you are engaging the nervous system in a manner that stimulates more stress and heart activity (raising of heart rate), whether you are being chases by a lion or not! On the other hand, nasal breathing has a cooling and calming effect on the body. While nose breathing and exercising (after you have conditioned yourself to do so) you will be able to train at a similar intensity but at a significantly lower heart rate.

The more oxygen you can get into your bloodstream, the more toxins you can remove and the more calm you keep your nerves – this will all help you to endure more, with less effort.

Many other benefits exist, as I have written about in my previous post on nasal breathing. Take a look, and start making it a point to breath through your nose NOW. Start applying the technique throughout your day – especially in light exercise like walking around or up stairs – and eventually start applying it to your exercise routine as well.

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2. Adopt a Slower Carb Diet

Note that I did not say “Low Carb Diet,” as a vegan and endurance athlete, that would be incredibly unwise. Furthermore, there is plenty of research that indicates a moderate amount of carbs are actually beneficial for health.

By Slower Carb  I am referring to a diet that is structured around plenty of whole grains and fresh vegetables and a reasonable amount of fruits. The important is to eliminate completely any white starches or sugars from your diet. This includes white rice (go for wild or brown rice instead), white bread (stick to whole grain bread), pastas, sodas, juices and any other refined carbohydrate source.

Typically, “Slow Carb” diets also limit fruit intake, but this is not something condone. I think fruits (in moderation) are superb foods and important for overall health. Slow Carb dieters are also fans of animal proteins, which of course I am strongly against……for many reasons. Overall however, the point is to eat foods that are low-glycemic (i.e. don’t cause a big spike in your blood sugar) and in their natural/whole food state where possible. This is the key.

Perhaps the greatest abusers of refined carb sources are endurance athletes! Eating lots of rice, pastas and energy drinks while training a lot might be OK for a while, but ultimately (especially in the off-season or when you are done racing) your body will revolt. The pounds will pack on and in some cases you might be left with lingering health issues (especially in old age).

I remember a dramatic example from my high school cross-country team, where one of our star runners was famous for drinking at least 1 x 3 liter of Coca Cola every day (sometimes 2 x 3 liters on the weekends)! Half-way through our junior year, he hit a wall. He was running in a race and had to stop…he could barely finish. He went from the rising star of the team to almost not finishing the 3.1 mile race. What happened? The overload of sugar eventually caused his body to force him to stop running. He had chronic fatigue that lasted for weeks. Eventually…he got of the Coke and was able to run again. It was a hard and slow slog.

By sticking to slower-burning sources of fuel – primarily from whole grains and veggies – you’ll avoid the ups and downs that come with eating processed foods. While training, you’ll find that your energy will be more stable, and your recovery will also improve. I just finished reading a great book, Ultra-Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes….where he is a proponent of Slow Carbs. Dean frequently runs 100+ mile ultras and has run >200 miles at one time on several occasions….I think he knows a thing or two about endurance . Check out his book, especially the epilogue where he discusses the details of his dietary habits.

3. Slow Down

We always like to move so fast. Rush to work, rush home. Work out quickly so we work up and sweat and can go rush back home to quickly eat dinner and then crash on the sofa. Training quickly is good if it is done deliberately quickly for a specific purpose. The problem is that when we rush we also run the risk of burning our selves out before we reach our true potential.

I experienced this first hand in high school, with races (be it running or swimming, both sports I competed in) limited to fairly modest distances. I really struggled to be competitive. I saw my peers running or swimming circles around me, even though I put in a good effort. It wasn’t until I moved on to college and started training for longer distance triathlons (with swims over 1 mile, and runs 10K and longer) that I started to see more potential. It wasn’t just the distance that was the issue, my training was done way to fast. Most workouts I would be pushing my body at 80% of my max heart rate….day after day. I wasn’t training my aerobic endurance engine by training in this way.

Every body is built differently, but I believe that we all would be well-served to take more time to train our selves to operate at a lower intensity for longer periods of time. This applies to any sport, be it running, swimming, tennis, hiking, skiing…or even yoga (yes I know…yoga is not a sport, but you know what I mean!). For running, try running at 30 seconds to even a minute slower than normal but go 20% longer than normal. Try to keep your heart rate relatively low (at most 60% of your max, if you track that), even if that means slowing down. If you are up for an extra challenge, try nose breathing while running!

It also applies to weights….next time you are in the gym, use less weight that you normally would use and slow down each rep to a minimum of 4 seconds down and 4 seconds up. See how you feel about that!

Over time, you’ll notice your endurance engine tuning in and you’ll bound to be going longer and feeling better – even as you continue to do carry on with your other/shorter/higher-intensity workouts.

4. Reduce Stimulants

When you borrow money from a bank, you not only need to pay the money back, you also owe interest. When you borrow energy….through coffee, Red Bull, colas or your other stimulant of choice…you have to pay back….in forms that are not pleasant. There is no free lunch. Sorry.

I am not saying that drinking coffee or other forms of caffeine and sugar is bad, I am just saying that when you borrow energy and stimulate yourself through artificial means, it takes its toll. Own up to that, it is a fact.

When you jack yourself up on sugar, for example, you have an inevitable crash. We’ve all experienced that, and those of you with kids can witness this effect first hand! The same thing happens when we drink that Venti Latte first thing in the morning. We can plow through the stack of papers and power meetings, but at the end of the day we’ll feel worse for wear….which is why we often recharge with more stimulants in the afternoon.

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Real endurance comes from within. Detoxing from caffeine and sugar addiction is not easy, but there are plenty of tools and tips on the net to help you wean yourself (I’ll post more about these resources in another post). Even if you have no intention of completely going off stimulants, it is worthwhile to trim down your intake and witness the results. After an initial (albeit painful) detoxing period, I think you’ll find a new-found energy that lasts longer and brings with it deeper clarity and insight. Remember, life is a marathon not a sprint.

5. Cultivate Presence

During some of the most difficult feats of endurance in my life, I’ve entered into a space where I was completely aware of the present moment. I wasn’t thinking about how many miles left to run, the heat radiating off of the pavement, or the choppy seas. In fact, I wasn’t thinking at all, I was just being.

Athletes frequently talk about “the zone,” that experience of being totally and completely engrossed in an activity. In fact, during Michael Phelps epic quest for 8 gold medals in swimming this summer, he stated  that the most important thing for him was to maintain his focus on the race at hand. Thinking about the days of head would just be a distraction…and overwhelming. His intense focus was the real key to his success.

Athletes, business-people, moms, students and people from all walks of life can apply present moment awareness to improve the quality of their lives. Relating to endurance, when you are completely present, you stop telling yourself excuses about why you should stop running, riding or doing what you are doing.

Instead, you see situations for what they are – and the inevitable result is a sense of peace with what is rather than a revulsion to it. For me, cultivating present moment awareness during my yoga practice helps me to practice longer and hold even the most challenging postures without much strain.

A great way to bring this practice into your own life, is to find a comfortable seat and for a set amount of time every day (say 10 minutes – 20 minutes is even better), close your eyes and focus on your breathing (through your nose please!). If thoughts come, just let them pass like clouds overhead, and come back to your breath. This simple meditation can then be applied to any activity you might be doing – physical or otherwise.

If you want to learn more about this topic, I highly recommend reading The Power of Now by Eckhardt Tolle.

Next time you are out exercises or playing a sport, try to just focus on your breath instead of getting wrapped up in your thoughts. Over time, you’ll notice an ability to endure longer – without getting caught up in the drama of fatigue or boredom.

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So there you have it. Five super simple tips for superhuman endurance! I didn’t say they would be easy to apply, but they absolutely are simple and can be put into practice by almost anybody, regardless of physical ability.

So I urge you to now take on one (or maybe all five) of these tips and apply them to your life for the next 10 days (30 days would be even better!). Just do it and see what happens. With consistent and sincere application of even one of these tips, you’re bound to see your endurance skyrocket.

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p.s. if you have endurance tips of your own to share, please leave a note in the comments!

If you like this video short by L-Studio, you can read more David at his website. He is an active member of the  Navy Seals and avid ultra-marathon runner and triathlete.

He took up endurance running fairly recently and as his first triathlon completed the grueling Ultra-Man (more than a double Ironman!). I love to see stories about people like David, who are shattering our limiting beliefs about the human potential.