Western States Takeaways

It's been a week since the big day. I've had a little time to reflect on what went right (not much) and what went wrong (a lot) - so I am ready to write some of this down in the hopes that I can do better on the next one.

WHAT DIDN'T GO RIGHT-

Gear

The Hoka Infinite. These are great road shoes but they are worthless on icy trails.

• Poor choice of shoes. I was in my favorite pair of road shoes, the Hoka Infinite. They had no lugs. From what I had heard, this trail is generally not technical and I went with comfort first. Given the ice that we had to deal with early on, this was a disaster. I had a new pair of Stinson 3's with an aggressive tread but was a little wary of wearing new shoes. Bad choice. The Infinites were TERRIBLE in the high country on the ice and in the mud. No traction at all. Definitely should have rocked the Stinsons.

• Handhelds. I went with 2 handhelds instead of a vest for my bottles. My hands could not grab tree branches or bushes to steady myself on the ice. I also could not balance myself very well. Having my hands free would have been a big help up in the mountains. I should have gone with the vest. Hindsight. No way I could have known that.....
• I did not have my 3rd bottle for dousing until Robinson. I am not sure how I would have done this differently, but after Lyon Ridge it got hot, fast. Having the third bottle for dousing with cold water from the stream crossings would have been a huge help. 

Nutrition

• I expected to be able to eat breakfast at Squaw before the race (as they advertised breakfast for the runners starting at 3:30am). I arrived early to take advantage of this. "Breakfast" was a tray of muffins and coffee. That was all they had. Now that's not their fault, but I guess I have a different definition of breakfast. I had planned on having some protein in the morning - bacon, yogurt, etc, maybe with some oatmeal - but none of that was provided. I should have clarified that - it is my fault for assuming. I did have a clif bar and a banana with some coffee when I woke up back at the hotel so I wasn't completely empty but I started with much less in the tank than I had hoped.
• Mixing hydration and nutrition from the start was a bad idea. My plan was to go with Tailwind while out on the course, then eat well at the first aid station. Well, the trip to the first aid station took a lot longer than planned and I was not staying on top of my Tailwind intake. I had no concept of time up there while I was sliding around all over the damn place. My tank started low and I did a poor job of getting calories in. Meanwhile I was burning a TON of energy on that ice. I should have had some gels on hand as a backup plan.
• The aid station food did not correspond to what I had planned on. Especially the early ones. All they had were clif shot gels, these little clif chewy things, and some chips & cookies. Warm soda. Not at all what I expected or planned on. So I ate what I could, but those clif blocks made me want to barf. I wasn't prepared to go it on my own, and I counted on those aid stations for some protein and solid carbs, which they did not provide. I WILL NOT make that mistake again.
• Did I mention that I simply did not get enough calories in?
• I think the diarrhea/vomiting at Last Chance was a result of running so hard for the previous 10-12 miles. I had just burned myself out trying to make up time. And that was a bad place to be heading into the 1st canyon. I didn't know what I was up against. 

Other

• I had a couple bouts of my exercise-induced asthma (bronchioconstriction) that I think was made worse by the heat and altitude in the high country. The dust in the air was problematic as well. It wasn't so bad when I came down out of the mountains but it was a real problem for me between Red Star Ridge and Robinson. 
• I was cocky and arrogant heading into this race. I NEVER FOR ONE SECOND even considered the possibility that I might be up against cutoffs. Seriously, the thought never entered my mind, and I had no mental plan for what I would do if that happened. When I barely made it through Dusty Corners I was in a very bad place mentally. I did not have a "just finish" plan ready to go in such a case. I was thoroughly and completely humbled. 

I do not know if having changed any 1 or 2 of these things would have altered the outcome, but I do feel certain that taken in conjunction they set me back far enough that I could not recover. 

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Training

• I felt fan-damn-tastic heading into this race. I really nailed the training. I worked my ass off. It didn't work out on race day, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Despite WSER being one of my worst races, from a purely training and nutritional standpoint, I feel that I was in as good a place to start a race as I had ever been.
• Aside from race day, I feel like I nailed the nutrition plan. Clean and lean. I felt great and looked great. I did everything leading up to the race Meredith and I talked about, all the way down to electrolytes and hydration on race week.

Crew

• My family and friends who were there to support me were outstanding. Even though my crew could not get to Duncan Canyon, I was fortunate to have a guardian angel there who patched me up and kept me going. When I saw the rest of the gang at Robinson, they were amazing in skirting me through before cutoff. Can't say enough about them all.

Misc

• Even though a lot of things went terribly awry, I still made it 48 miles and only missed the cutoff at Devils Thumb by 10-15 minutes. I was able to make up a lot of time and, thanks to my amazing crew, stay in the game a lot longer than I probably could have otherwise. So, I am proud of that. And of them.
• Packing the bags of ice into my vest was wonderful. I cut several tiny holes in a gallon ziplock bag that they stuffed into my pack, and it would drip cold water on me. This was AWESOME. I should have done this earlier. Unfortunately this didn't come into play until I met my crew at Robinson (mile 30) and picked up my pack from them.  
• Having that 3rd bottle that I picked up at Robinson to douse myself in cold water from the rushing streams was great as well. Great idea from Meredith. Really loved that. 
• If I could have only made it to Michigan Bluff........

What I plan to do differently at Vermont:

• EAT MORE!!! 
• I think it will be a good idea to put myself on a food timer at Vermont. After 45 min-1 hour, ding, eat something - a gel (Huma Gels are my fave), a sandwich that I may have to carry with me, something. I can't "forget" to take in calories. While I would love to be able to go by feel, the fact is that I seem to have the most success when I have a reminder. I would also love to eat as clean as possible but the fact is I need calories in my tank. I need to be more aware of what they are going to have at aid stations as well so I am not surprised.
• I've read that nausea can be a symptom of hunger. I have to push that off as long as possible. Because I had nausea early and often at WSER.
• I'm going to wear the vest with the bottles from the get-go. I'd like my hands to be free. I will also have the baggies ready to stuff with ice early on. I hear it's warm and humid up there - the conditions are exactly the same here in Texas right now. I should be able to handle it, but I really like that ice pack idea.
• EAT MORE!!!
• I didn't have any problems with sodium intake, and aside from when I got sick at Last Chance, I actually never felt dehydrated at States. I did use the S-caps. Will probably stay with those since I am setting the Tailwind aside for the early miles.

I have read that VT is "100 miles of hill repeats". And, that it IS NOT easy. The good thing is that the terrain seems very similar to what I run on every day around here in North Texas - rolling hills on roads and gravel trails. The weather is very similar to what I run in as well. If I can play it smart and NOT get myself into any deficits early on, keep the HR down and the pace comfortable, then I should be able to finish. My coach Ryan Knapp will be there to crew for me and bring me in over the last 30 miles. I will admit that my confidence is pretty shaky, so really the goal is just to finish this damn thing and move on. 

I resumed running a little bit yesterday and today, just some easy shake out miles. The quads are a little tender but otherwise I feel OK. I have just started looking at the Vermont aid stations and started to get the lay of the land in Windsor.

I can't help but feel a lingering twinge of disappointment that I let down my coaches, crew, and friends. I look forward to a better day at Vermont and a shot at redemption again someday at States. So with that in mind, I will say, see you in Windsor!

Off and running......

The beautiful, rugged hills of Bandera

Last weekend was the annual running of the Bandera 100k in the lovely Texas Hill Country near San Antonio. While I was not technically a participant, I had a great time keeping my FOMO in check by volunteering, crewing, and pacing out on the rough-and-tumble course that seems to breed more rocks every time I get out onto those trails. It enabled me to revisit the ghosts of my disappointment at the 2016 Cactus Rose 100 (where I was forced to drop after 50 miles) and hopefully exorcise those demons along the way.

In looking ahead at the spring calendar, I am considering a few different events that could serve as tune-ups for the summer's big events. The most likely candidates for training "races" would be local events like the Cowtown 50k and the Grasslands Trail Marathon - and while neither of these would remotely resemble the terrain I'll face in the summer (Cowtown is entirely on roads for all intents and purposes), they would give me a chance to work on a new nutrition plan and get some decent training miles in. I had planned on looking into Jemez 50 in New Mexico as a training run in May, but it sounds like that race may be a little high on the difficulty scale given its proximity to Western States. We'll see.

Training has begun in earnest, with time trials, hill repeats, and strength work taking center stage. My mileage is still relatively low - in the 40 mile/week range - but that will certainly increase in the coming weeks and months. While it feels good to get back to work on the roads and in the gym with a definite end-goal in mind, what is most exciting to me right now is my partnership with Meredith Terranova of Eating & Healthy Living LLC. We are developing a new nutrition plan focused more on metabolic efficiency (reducing my need for carbohydrate calories during training and racing) and looking at a number of the variables around race day nutrition that could be affecting my performance. It has been an illuminating beginning, as I feel we are getting to the root of many of the problems I have had in long races over the past couple years.

Between working with Ryan Knapp at M2GE and Meredith at E&HL, I feel very confident that I'm working with a great team who will give me the tools I need to get to the finish line at Wasatch. I feel like we're off to a good start!

Well, there's that....

Well, I have good news and bad news on the great vegetarian experiment of 2015. The good news is that I made it 21 days! The bad news is I only made it 21 days. Unfortunately after 3 weeks I found myself completely uninspired by my dietary options, eating bland foods with relatively low caloric density. I was hungry all the time - not surprising, considering I was trying to fuel my aggressive training schedule with quinoa and bean sprouts (ok that's slight hyperbole, but it certainly seemed that way). I might be able to make this work with some full-time help from a dietitian or nutrition expert - or a lot more time on my part to do the research and planning myself.

The thing is, I am not now and have not been for a couple of years what one might consider a full-on "carnivore". Meat has been, for me, more of a side dish or garnish than a main course. I still consider myself plant-based in my dietary choices. Yet meat products do add essential amino acids and proteins that are difficult to get elsewhere (there is vigorous debate on whether these nutrients can be obtained from plants, but all I can say is that I have noticed a difference in how I feel during my strength workouts - that's not scientific, it's just how I feel). My diet is pretty simple and straightforward anyway. I'm going on 3 years without significant injury, I feel lean and strong, I'm running very well...should I mess with a formula that clearly works for me?

There's also the question of the ethics of eating animals. Rather than go on and on about that here, I would just say that while I am acutely aware of the problems inherent in the industrial farming practices and the mistreatment of animals for our food supply, I do believe there is another way that could be taken into consideration. 

In that regard, I do work hard to make sure my animal protein options come from responsibly farmed sources whenever possible. In many cases I pay a premium for this, but I believe it's worth it. I will still incorporate meatless days into my weekly routine in order to keep some variety in meal plans. That won't change. Nearly all of the meat I consume will be either chicken or fish (like it was before). My focus will still be on eating lean and clean.  

So like I said, there's that. I've gone down this road before and it may just not be for me. And that's OK. Who knows, I may have a go at it again sometime. I'll continue to look for ways to get better, eat better, and recover better. But for now I'm taking down my NMA badge. Although I still like to consider myself running on plants, for the mean time that will also include occasionally enjoying "not-plants" as well. 

Can you be an accomplished ultrarunner and a vegetarian (and not be named Jurek)?

Apparently so.

The New Me! (Sort of)

So I have finally done it. I've toyed with the idea for a while now, played around with it off and on over the past couple years, doing a sort of a one step forward/two steps back dance that, were I a politician, would clearly be labelled as "waffling". (I prefer to think of it as testing the waters.) It's a big decision I am have not taken lightly. It's a major lifestyle change. So, here we go-

I am going vegetarian. (No, really this time.)

There, I've said it! It's kind of liberating to get that off my chest. I like to think of it as my new "dietary identity". I've been what you might call a flexitarian for the last couple years, having basically eliminated pork and red meat from my diet, allowing for fish and chicken almost exclusively. I've been increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and the like and have reduced (although not completely eliminated) my consumption of grains; in that regard, I have eliminated white and processed grains, opting for whole wheat and unprocessed varieties when available.

I've actually been at it for a couple weeks now. I have experimented in the past but my heart was never really "in it". After further exploring food choices and considering the wide variety of options available (not to mention reading the bios of some pretty incredible athletes like Scott Jurek, Michael Wardian, Bart Yasso, Brendan Brazier, Rich Roll, and generally cool dudes like Matt Frazier who are all plant powered) I feel much better about my chances of sticking with it on this go-around.

I've been asked on more than one occasion "Why"? I could go on and on about the state of our food supply, how destructive our meat supply is to the environment, use of antibiotics, etc, etc. That's already been covered by others in far more depth than I care to go into here. (I'm far from an expert anyway.) But the bottom line is that I believe that this is right for me. It's a model for the way that I want to interact with the world. I've been coming back to this idea time and time again. And I've found that when that voice in the back of your head doesn't stop talking to you, you might want to listen to it. 

So I am off - 10 days in and feeling great! I'm encouraged by the variety of vegetarian options at local restaurants that I had never noticed before. I'm also looking forward to continuing to add to my repertoire of salads and hot dishes that use some wonderful meat substitutes like tempeh, seitan, and yes, even tofu. We'll see where it goes from here - and, of course how it affects my running and recovery - but I think it could be a good move for me in the long run. 

So to speak.

Food Stuff

One of the most hotly debated and oft-discussed topics among runners is that of diet. I'm not talking about diet-ING, which makes me think of the fad diets that promise quick results without any real effort. (In my experience, there are no quick fixes.) What I mean is how we as wanna-be athletes get our daily stores of the calories we need to fuel workouts and maximize recovery. There's an old adage that "a hot furnace burns any fuel", and I know a number of folks who adhere to this philosophy. It seems to make sense. Calories in, calories out, right? 

I don't subscribe to this idea any more because it wasn't until I ditched it that I started to see real progress - in weight loss, muscle tone and race performance. For much of my life I had been a carb-heavy eater. Pasta, bread, and grains always represented a sizeable percentage of my daily calories. And to make matters worse, much of that was processed, white flour pasta and bread. Not good. When my activity began to drop off between 2007-2011 (when I effectively stopped running altogether), I quickly gained weight despite my attempts to reduce my calories. 

The tide turned when, with the help of my coach back in 2013, I learned about the value of "quality" calories and what it meant to eat clean. Gone were the dairy, grains, and sugary drinks, and in were fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and oils, and water. Between the mileage I was logging to prepare for my various races and events, coupled with a greatly modified diet, the pounds melted away. It was a gradual process but over 3 years I lost over 40 pounds. The change was evident in my race performances as well, with PR's falling in every distance I would enter. Running became easier, faster, and a lot more fun.

An important thing to mention as well is that my running is also pain-free. I'm going on 3 years now without a significant injury (which I would consider anything that's kept me down for more than a few days). I was forced to stop running back in 2007 due to a string of chronic injuries that had me hobbling around the house and wincing in pain whenever I would climb a staircase. I'm convinced that there's something to my diet that plays a part in this as well, whether it's the inflammation brought on by those processed carbs and sugars or simply carrying less extra weight around (not to mention changes in my shoes, stride and running form).        

These days I keep it simple. I am not quite as hard-core as some others I know, but there are some rules I follow pretty closely. I rarely eat cheese and dairy, and when I do it is only as an additive (half and half in my coffee, or cheese crumbles in a salad) or as a treat. I am not anti-grains, but I have greatly reduced the amount of grain that I do eat and have all but eliminated those that come from processed white flour. I make sure that rice, pasta and bread are brown (in the case of rice) or whole wheat. I've dabbled with the idea of becoming a full blown vegetarian, but instead have chosen a more gradual reduction of animal products in my diet, opting instead what I call a "fish & fowl" approach. (I think that's pretty self-explanatory.) I eat a salad every day - and by salad, I mean a mixture of 8-10 different fruits and vegetables with a base of spinach and kale (no iceberg lettuce) with a light dressing. I'm pretty partial to asian food at the moment: sushi, tofu, stir fry, pho, and vegetable spring rolls are regulars. Eggs and oatmeal are the norm for breakfast. And coffee. I have learned to LOVE coffee. 

That's about it! I try to not obsess over whether I'm being a faithful follower of this-or-that diet. I just make the best decision I can in whatever situation I am in. I allow myself to slack off every once in a while and just try my best to keep it "clean". That being said, I could still stand to knock more sugar out of my diet and maybe work a little harder to incorporate more vegetables and plant-based protein into my daily regimen. I could still very easily see myself going full veg someday (a-la, the No Meat Athlete). That seems like a great fit for me, but I'm just not quite there yet. For now, I'm happy, I feel great, and I think I've found a good balance that works for me.  

One that doesn't involve eating tons of Twinkies or bananas!

So after a week and a half of no meat I have begun the questioning process of whether this program is actually the best thing for me long-term. Having suffered from anemia in the past, and the accompanying exhaustion that goes with it, I am extremely sensitive to my body's needs for protein, iron, and the amino acids that form the building blocks of healthy immune system function and muscle recovery. Having said that I am also aware of the questionable sources from which most of our typical meat products originate.

I am inclined to deduce at this point that I am over-thinking this. The simple fact is that my body needs protein. At this point I am not convinced that I have the requisite knowledge to get that protein from only plant-based sources. So my journey continues. I have much to learn.

As far as training goes, it hit me today that I only have a couple of weeks until my next ultra. I charted 12 miles today and should get in a solid 18-20 tomorrow. I have a 3-day running weekend ahead of me as well that should get me to around 80 for the week. We'll see how the mileage adds up but outside of a trail marathon I will run on Sunday my training will be on relatively flat or rolling roads with little or no technical terrain to navigate. I am hoping that the speed that I'm able to maintain on these runs will carry over to the 60k at the end of the month. 

Monday Menu

I had planned out a relatively simple fall-back meal plan for today. Breakfast consisted of a couple of egg/spinach/feta cheese burritos wrapped in spinach tortillas. It was delicious and quite filling, but I admit I whiffed on the tortilla selection. I didn't have the best selection in the world from which to choose so I selected what I thought was the best of several poor options. The laundry list of unpronounceable chemical compounds should have been my first red flag:

What IS this stuff?

Anyway I will do some homework and seek out a better option next time. I think the breakfast burrito is going to become a regular part of the breakfast rotation. It was very tasty, clean, and kept me satisfied for most of the morning. A mid-morning snack today consisted of a mixed bag of cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, and raisins. So far, so good.

I had been looking forward to trying out a new sushi place that had several vegetarian friendly options for lunch. Today I would try the summer vegetable roll, a mixture of asparagus, seaweed, carrots, tomatoes, mango, cucumber and mixed greens wrapped in rice paper with a bowl of miso soup. The sushi was OK, but I was not keen on the flavor profile. Perhaps sushi just seems to taste better with a protein. I don't think I will be going for this one again. I'll try a different roll next time, possibly including a tuna or salmon option. A mid afternoon snack today was oatmeal with bananas, raisins, almond butter and a little honey. That helped ward off the hunger brought about by a light lunch. Dinner tonight was a homemade "burrito bowl" - brown rice, boiled sweet potato chunks, avocado, and a blend of black beans, chickpeas, and onion with a touch of salsa. I roasted some corn on the side as well.

As time goes on I'll have to look to vary the menu up a bit. I have a few things that I can fall back on but since the point of this exercise is to broaden my culinary horizons a little bit, and hopefully to support better and healthier running in the process, I can't keep going to the same stand-bys!   

Vegging Out!!

There was a time when I would have scoffed at this stuff but nowadays this looks so delicious.

I am a big believer in the idea that most fitness gains do not actually take place on the roads or in the gym. Yes, training is important, but in order to take full advantage of the gains made in intense training it's critical to make sure that we put just as much work into what we're doing in the kitchen as what we're doing in the weight room.

I will readily admit that my diet may not be the cleanest out there but I have made serious strides over the last year and a half or so. I've (mostly) eliminated dairy from my diet. I have entirely eradicated the scourge of processed carbohydrates, and while I still enjoy whole wheat bread and pasta from time to time, they're definitely on the endangered list. I've added the healthy fats like olive and coconut oil, nuts, almond butter, and fish. Fruits and vegetables are a staple at every meal now and I've begun to enjoy veggies that I had never heard of much less considered for my daily diet just a couple of years ago.

The results have exceeded my wildest expectations. PR's, a BQ, ultras, several masters and age group wins and podium finishes, you name it. Improvement across the board. A better diet combined with a better approach to training has brought me farther in less than 2 years then I was able to come in the prior 13 years that I had been running. Not only was I running faster but I was running better and that irksome pudge around my waistline that I have been unable to shake for years (and seemed to be getting bigger) was melting away. Yes I burn a lot of calories but I have always been active and burned a lot of calories and it wasn't doing me any good before. It wasn't until I cleaned it up in the kitchen that I really made progress toward becoming 'lean'. 

But with all that being said I still have work to do. I still consume way more sugar than I should. I put it in my coffee, in my daily bowl of oatmeal, and the Clif Bars I keep around the house as "healthy" snacks are loaded with it. While I have eliminated the processed flour and carbs I still eat processed meats at the various sandwich shops around my place of employment. Such meats are undoubtedly loaded with sodium and come from animals that have been shot full of steroids, hormones and antibiotics. But they're cheap and I have justified it to myself with the thought that "well at least it's lean meats (chicken, turkey) and it could be worse."

OK maybe I haven't eaten this badly but sometimes it feels like it....

Well I am not one to settle for that and I want to take the next step. After a week of generally poor dietary choices, choices that I could feel in my runs this week (strange as that may sound, I can definitely tell if I am eating light, lean foods vs heavy foods that sit in my gut) I am going to get outside the proverbial box. (For me, anyway.) So I am going to turn the tables this coming week and declare a SUGAR FREE VEGGIE WEEK!! I have never tried a vegetarian diet but I could use the change of pace. I am going to develop a plan this week for what I am going to eat. I am going to stick with the giant salads that I enjoy but I am going to supplement with some new things that I have wanted to try for a while. We'll see how I feel at the end of this week, how it affects my workouts, and where I'll go from there. It will take some work and planning but I think I am up to the task.

So let the great experiment begin! I'll be blogging this week about my progress, what I am eating, how I feel, etc. OK time to get to work on planning all of this out!