Run #1

Run #2

So after running the first leg of the Trace, we got up the next morning and drove up to mile 204 before they close it until late fall. That being the case, we got a later start than we would have wanted so this ended up being one of the hottest runs I have ever done!

That combined with the relentless sun (no trees for shade, as they were all demolished during the storm) made for an excruciating 11 mile run.

The run was fraught with late starts, and extreme heat. We did the best we could and, at the very least, got this event started and underway. Clearly this is not a speed record, as I am only able to currently run on the weekends. That thought was very comforting to me as I was out in the extreme southern humidity.

You can see the GPS from my runs, as tracked on RunKeeper, at the bottom of this post.

We’ve had some amazing folks already step up and support some miles. Please consider sponsoring a mile of this run at RaceTheTrace.com

Thanks for all of your support!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulwu6uL3_YU

Morning Run:

Evening Run:

This event has been a long-time coming and I’m excited to get it officially launched! It has changed a bit since it’s initial conception, but whether you’ve heard about it or not before, in this episode I unpack what it’s all about.

Please consider sponsoring a mile (or many!) and telling all of your friends about the endeavor. You can learn more detailed information about it at http://RaceTheTrace.com

The event should conclude in late July or early August with a 5-mile community run from the famous Natchez bridge, to Loveless Cafe. Be sure to sign up for the email newsletter to be notified of further info on the Race The Trace website.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydhgm89eMGw

Have been long overdue for another video update, so thought I’d pull over for a few minutes and give an update of my progress and training for the upcoming Race The Trace event, now only 75 days away! (Sorry for the poor video, didn’t know the fog would have that kind of effect on the auto-focus.) The website, http://RaceTheTrace.com, should be live at anytime so please leave your email address to receive updates.

We are still in need of an RV camper for the run, so if you know somebody that has one we could borrow or lease, please let me know!

When running the Trace, I hope to be uploading podcasts every day. So between now and then, I am going to try my hardest to record new content at least once a week leading up to the event.

Thanks again for watching and supporting!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9idUdXxqe4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS0qdQh-DmI

Take a look at my form and let me know if you see any red flags. From what I can see, my alignment seems spot on and my foot is striking directly under my body. Afterwards, I still felt great and no blisters!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBITCRwV5QU

This was my first real long run since surgery and the most noticeable part of atrophy is in my feet and ankles.

Otherwise it was a great run to get back in the swing of things and I look forward to keeping a regular running schedule again.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=41bcKHspMME

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0SdD0CdsSI

That being said, they’re not the perfect running shoe. There are a few problems with a few items including the stitching and the traction when trying to use them for running. I’ve now moved on to the Bikila model and hope to do another review of that version too after I put some miles on them. But the KSO is a fantastic minimalist shoe and I highly recommend it for anybody looking at getting into “barefooting”.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY9hoXzk10M

What do you think? Does this seem reasonable? Have you had any personal experiences within your own training to suggest I should take a different approach?

For those interested, I have embedded my current training schedule at the bottom of this post.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTg8jBzEaLM

There are a ton of great organizations out there to raise money for, but I’ve never come across anything that I care deeply about in order to rally behind with all of my heart, soul and mind.  That is, until now…

Today, I’m extremely excited to announce a venture we’re calling “Race The Trace“, an attempt to be the first person(s) in recorded history to run the entire 444 miles of the Natchez Trace Parkway to raise support and awareness of an amazing organization called the Affero Project.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxRAaf_sKhk

Affero is a grassroots online community of global justice advocates which exists to educate, inspire and equip people to help end global poverty and injustice worldwide. It was created to help educate and engage the millions of Americans who want to do something to help their global neighbors in need, but either don’t know much about global justice issues, can’t find charities they trust, or feel like they don’t have enough money to really make a difference. Their revolutionary online giving community is centered on the belief that ordinary people can come together to do extraordinary things.  Here’s how it works:

People join The Affero Project with monthly donations (as little as $1 a month) and their gift is combined with thousands of others, creating a very large pool of funds. Each year we have 12 categories of funding representing a non-profit organization or NGO with project(s) around the world in each category (Aids & Disease, Child Soldiers, Clean Water, Education, Food & Agriculture, Gender Equality, Homelessness, Human Trafficking, Medical Relief, Orphan Care, Poverty & Hunger, and Refugees). Every month community members join online to cast their vote on which category is to receive funding that month. Once a category wins, funds are released to the project(s).

I’m extremely excited to be running for such an amazing cause and organization and I sincerely hope you will take the time to find out more about them and their cause by becoming a member.

About The Natchez Trace Parkway

Stretching from the Mississippi River in Natchez through the Shoals area in Alabama and across the Tennessee Valley to Nashville, this timeworn path has felt the tread of travelers for over 8,000 years. Buffalo and other wildlife were first to wind their way through the wilderness. Later, American Indians, traders, trappers and missionaries joined their fellow creatures on the rough track. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, boatmen floated merchandise downriver to New Orleans where they sold their flatboats and their goods and returned home on foot or horseback, using the well-worn Natchez Trace. Back then the Old Trace went through rough territory dominated by many hazards, such as bandits, American Indians and wild animals. All these hazards earned the route the ominous nickname, “Devil’s Backbone.”

Next Steps

As I mentioned in the video, one of the reasons we’re announcing this venture long before the event is that we hope to include you, the community, in the process along the way. Everything is still in the works… the website, our planning, sponsors, my training (both understanding and execution), the equipment/tools we’ll use, the crew, etc. We think this is going to be a fun ride in putting it all together and we hope you enjoy watching and participating in the process!

It has been a while since I’ve posted a new podcast episode, and I am excited to be at it once again! After the stress fracture in my foot just weeks before my race, I took about 11 weeks off for rest and recovery. Also, my web host decided to flag http://arunsupreme.com as a spam site and deleted all of my files! So, I had to spend some time getting everything set up online all over again.

If you follow that web address now, you will notice that the site is now located at http://tspn.tv which I explain the premise behind at http://tspn.tv/about/ if you would like to check it out further.

It’s good to be back! I look forward to picking back up where I left off and be on the look out for some awesome announcements very soon as well!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsw6OhtTCc

Let me say right off the top that this injury was not directly caused by my minimalist or barefoot endeavors. It is an overtraining issue, pure and simple. To which my podiatrist agrees. I simply ran too many miles, too soon and didn’t allow enough time for my bone structures and ligaments to build themselves up enough. One other possible correlation is that last summer I drastically changed my diet to pescetarian which may have left me with a bit of calcium and vitamin D deficiency which are essential for bone density and recovery. Dunno? I’m going to go ahead and supplement those to try and help my recovery along.

My attempts at this distance pretty closely mirror that of my time using the training site DailyMile.com starting last spring. I initially was a shod runner but that led to shin-splints and I had to start all over again. Around the same time I found out about minimalist and barefoot running and chucked the shoes for good. Throughout my training I tried to adhere closely to the 10% rule that says you shouldn’t increase your weekly mileage more than 10% week-over-week to avoid overtraining. Month over month you can see a steep increase in my mileage starting last summer:

But since then it has been a very gradual stair-step increase in my weekly mileage, only topping out at a 58 mile week:

Gradually over the past week or two I had started to feel a slight amount of pain in my foot, but just shook it off as a pain from stepping on a rock the wrong way. Until this past Wednesday when I went out to run a 12 mile run and I couldn’t make it any further than 1.5 miles without being in pain. I quickly called to podiatrist to help assess the pain when he delivered the sad news on Friday.

At this point, I am in wait and see mode. I may or may not attempt the race on May 1st, but as previously mentioned, I really don’t want to push it and exacerbate the injury any further. With two young children at home, it is extremely difficult to stay off your feet altogether but I’ll do the best I can.

As mentioned earlier, I’ve dealt with shin-splints before but never a stress fracture. This is entirely new territory for me. More than anything though, running almost every day is now just part of my life, and to loose that seems to emotionally hurt the most.

Have you every had a stress fracture yourself? What did you do to get over it? Do you think supplementing calcium and vitamin D will help? Do you think trying to hobble through the race in two weeks will do more harm than good (given I completely rest in the meantime)?

Thanks all for your support and encouragement!

1. My first time to run a race on the trails
2. My first time running a 50k (or 31mi) distance in one clip

Adhering to my training schedule, I was due to run 31 miles on this weekend, but there was no official 50k race anywhere nearby. So sometime last week I started thinking about creative ways to get in a 50k run without being alone the whole time. Initially, I was simply looking for a running group to join up with for a small portion of my run. But, having problems finding a group that didn’t want to charge me, and was running long enough to warrant a substantial drive was hard to find. Then I came across the CCC 15k scheduled for the same day. I immediately fired up Google Maps and realized that running to the starting line of the race would be about 35k, or the exact distance I would need to use the race for the remaining miles!

So that is exactly what I did! It was, without a doubt, a long day. I woke up around 3:30am and hit the road running by 4am. I wanted to give myself enough time to be able to relax and take it easy on the run, but enough time to shed some clothes and eat some food before the race. Fortunately, I was able to do that, running the 22.77 miles in 3:32 (or a casual 9:43 pace) and I arrived exactly 30 minutes before the start of the race.

The race itself was wonderful! By the time I got there it was in the low-to-mid forties with clear skies. Everyone there was extremely friendly and it was an appreciably small turn-out of under a hundred people. Before the race, I also met up with Narash, a fellow Vibram FiveFinger runner who has already run a few ultras in his VFF.

Two days before the race it rained pretty heavy so there were a few patches of mud to watch out for. I got a good reminder of this about 20min in when I took a tumble on a sharp turn. Fortunately, it was just on a mostly muddy patch and not rocky. As far as official race results, it looks like I came in 4th in my age division (out of 16), 20th overall (out of ~85) with an official time of 1:20:30, putting me at an 8:37 pace. Overall, I really enjoyed the race and think I’ll certainly keep it on my radar for next year!

So combining the 35k 3:32 and the 15k 1:20 puts my total 50k run at 4:52, or a pace of 9:23. Granted, I ran the trail race WAY faster than I wanted to (or should have), but that’s an amazing pace for an ultra distance! I highly doubt I could keep that up for my 40mi race only 30 days away. But a boy can dream.

Typically I run solo, but with these longer distances I would really like to run with other people for a variety of reasons. In the past few days I’ve called and explored a variety of running groups in town to tag along with, but to no avail. Groups are either running too late in the day, too short of a distance (I never expected to join them the whole time, but joining up for a 5mi seems unhelpful), or they want me to pay a membership due to join them.

Frustrated with these options, I think I may have found a good solution this weekend. I found a 15k trail race just down the road from me put on by the Columbia Cycling Club, and quipped on DailyMile and Twitter:

“Considering running 35k to the starting line of a 15k trail race on Sat. When do I OFFICIALLY get on the nut job list?”

While it may seem crazy on the face of it, I think I really like this option. Although last week I was on a recovery week, the previous several weeks I have run well over 20+ miles on my long runs. So I think I’ll simply run 35k (~21.75mi) down south on the back roads to get to the start of the race. It should work out where I will have a bit of a break before the 15k (~9.32mi), I’ll run my first official trail run (in my Vibram FiveFingers nonetheless), then I’ll grab a ride home from my wife. Should be fun to run on the trails!

Whew! All of that to say, after this whole experience (plus recently driving my race course) has got me thinking about having a pacer to run with me near the end of my race. I think I would really like to have someone join me on the last let of my race, but I have no idea how to find and coordinate that person. Maybe during this race this weekend I’ll find someone to join me on May 1st for 10mi or so.

Here are some of the questions I have about having a pacer:

• How do you find a pacer to join you?
• What do you look for in a good pacer (maybe physiological or psychological)?
• How long (time or distance) should you expect them to join you?
• Any other tips/tricks or requirements on being, or having, a good pacer?
• Want to be my pacer!?!

Thanks for your thoughts!

1. Safety Tip #1: Proper Gear – First and foremost, you need to be able to see and be seen. Be sure to wear proper reflective running clothing, and if necessary lighting.
2. Safety Tip #2: Be Alert – Pay extra attention to your foot strike as to watch out for unforeseen potholes and debris in your path. Shorten your stride and be ready to jump to action to avoid any objects or idiot drivers.
3. Safety tip #3: Tell Somebody – This is always good advice to heed regardless, but especially when running in dark conditions. Tell a loved one, or write a note to leave on the dashboard of your car, about how long you plan to be out and what your route will be.

I have found some differences between the types of drivers on the road in the early morning versus the late evening. While, for me, it is much nicer to run first thing in the morning as part of a routine, many early-morning drivers are still pretty sleepy with slow reaction times. So you have to be extra alert and ready to the few you will come across. However, while the evening drivers tend to be much more alert, there are generally many more.

What other safety precautions do you take while running in the dark? Do you prefer mornings or evenings, and why?

In this video I quickly discuss my initial take on self support and the challenges therein. Please let me know what best practices you have come upon when carrying all of your own food and gear on your back or waist.

• How the barefoot running movement is driving one CEO to ruin a brand. // via RunningQuest.net
• Declaration of Dependence // via Donald from Running and Rambling
• The Mafia Business Model // via Christopher McDougall (author of the amazing book Born to Run)

I believe every runner should decide for themselves what is best for their own body and not be afraid to experiment with new techniques and forms until they find their perfect gait. Notice, in the previous sentence I never mentioned the word barefoot or shoes! Whatever it takes to get to your optimal running form and technique… do that. For me, barefooting as been a tremendous asset in learning how to hold my posture when running and it will continue to be a part of my toolbox for the foreseeable future.

Making your own is very simple and the following recipe contains a terrific mixture of carbohydrates that provide a great source of glucose (for immediate energy) and fructose (for more gradually released energy and the complex carbohydrates for more sustained energy).

Recipe:

• • 50% brown rice syrup (50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose)
  • 30% honey (or replace honey with agave which has a lower glycemic index and will not elevate blood sugar)
  • 20% Molasses (excellent source of potassium, black strap the highest/best)
  • 1/8-ish tsp sea salt (sodium for electrolyte replacement)
  • Add vanilla extract or lemon/lime to taste
  • May add caffeine powder if desired

I use the Gel Flask Clip-on from Ultimate Direction to carry mine which works very well for transporting. Please let me know if you have, or decide to try out, making your own and what you have found that might work better. I would love your feedback!

[As a production note, sorry for what may have come across as a choppy video, I rambled on a bit and needed to edit the length of the content down to under ten minutes as not to bore you to death.]

After I shot this video, I full-on bonked at about an hour-and-a-half into the run, and had to stop for a bit to refuel.  Not sure if it was all of the Christmas cookies or the cold weather, but cut the run a little short to re-energize myself.

Let me know what your favorite winter running gear is, or if you just bypass the cold altogether and head for the rat-wheel… er, um I mean treadmill, instead.

Links:

• Marmot DryClime Jacket
• EarBags
• Zoot Arm Warmer
• Tune Belt
• Ultimate Direction Gel Flask Clip-on
• Injinji Tetrasok

These little suckers are natures super-food that absorbs 12 times its weight in water and are very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, provide protein, fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. They have no real flavor profile, so they can be mixed into just about anything. Or just eat them alone (with water) for a very light source of some powerful nutrition.

If you’re an athlete, seek these out and give them a try!

I generally do not like industries that market themselves based on fear, like many of the “child-safety” products on the market. But when running on the road for as long as I am (or will be in the coming months) it is nice to be able to comfort your loved ones that if the worst should happen, emergency first-responders would know everything they need to be able to help. A very small price to pay for that peace-of-mind.

If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, you could use the coupon number “ThanksMarc558087” which is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 11/27/2009. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this post to get the discount.

I know that you can find this information out for free by donating blood, but I have a disorder called Meniere’s Disease that includes severe bouts of dizziness and vertigo, which has led me to passing out (in a bad way) when donating in the past. So this was a much better option for me.