Steve's Wanderings ...

Running

Friday, September 05, 2008

Rebuilding My Running Base - … I Have Promises To Keep …

For most of the summer (going to Mongolia excepted) I have largely limited my training to cycling and spinning.  I’ve managed to get myself in rather good condition, and have noticed that I can train at a “decent” level for a number of days with relatively little trouble, unlike with running which required frequent days of reduced training or time off.  This I have thoroughly enjoyed ...

However, this is NOT training to run!  I had a taste of what that meant in Mongolia as running the marathon was unexpectedly difficult - at the time I attributed it to various factors including travel fatigue, tight muscles. etc.  The sobering reality came a few weeks after my return when I rather impulsively decided to join some friends to run about 20 miles (35 km).  It was largely on a familiar, beautiful course over the mountains to the sea.  For the first half of the run I was feeling a bit slow but reasonably fit.  It was only after cresting the top of the long climb that I felt everything below my chest tighten up and become sore - basically my lower back, hips and legs.  The last part of the run was a brutal downhill descent about 4 miles - 8 km - long.  By this time even walking down this hill was rather painful and running was almost torturous.  I fully expected some of this to occur, but the extent of it was a bit of a shock ...

Belle and I are now talking of running a 100 km trail run together next summer in either California or Mongolia - her first 100 km, which for anyone is always something special.  I have promised my full support for her to see her finish and to help her in any way I can, first and foremost by running with her and being there when she experiences the magic of crossing the finish line.  But this entails responsibility as well as pleasure - I must be able to fulfill my promise in the best way that I can, which means among other things, being in the best possible shape to run as I can be so I can help, not hinder her.

At one time when I was training for the WS100 and other ultras of a similar ilk, I almost disdained going out for short road runs of something like 5 km or so.  I can’t afford that attitude any longer.  What I didn’t let myself realize at that time is that I was slowly letting my training base erode, and that all it would take would be a layoff of a few weeks to lose it all.  That happened late last year and again in the spring due to injuries ...

Fortunately I haven’t lose my aerobic base - this I’ve managed to maintain - even enhance - with regular sessions of spinning and cycling.  But as I have found out all too well, it is NOT run-training ...

I have watched Belle’s training for the Berlin Marathon from afar with a mixture of admiration and envy.  Admiration since I know what she has endured and overcome to get to where she is, and envy since I quite frankly can’t train like her at her level right now ... But I will get there - one short 5km run at a time.  And I will be there for Belle at that special moment when she is about to cross the finish line ...

“… I have promises to keep ...”


P.S. - My new Garmin Forerunner 405 arrived today ...

Monday, September 01, 2008

Running 100km

For many years I had a dream - run and finish the Western States Endurance Run (WS100) - a rugged 100-mile (160km) trail run through the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.  Finally in 2004 I did it!  Barely ... Less than 6 minutes under the 30-hour cutoff time (29:54:46).  Finally I managed to overcome several years of grueling training followed by failed attempts to finish the race.

However, that left a void in my running life.  Since then I have never seemed to recapture that zest, energy, and desire I had while training for the WS100.  That is until I was drawn to the Mongolian Sunrise to Sunset 100km.  But just as I was getting my training in high gear - this time supplemented with spinning and cycling workouts - a series of injuries forced me to “step down” to the MS2S marathon (42km).  Even that proved to be a frustration as the nagging injuries kept me from running much of a race at all ...

I have enjoyed being able to help others reach some of the same goals as me - in particular I was thrilled to help my friend Cath Worth overcome her own demons and run to a fabulous WS100 finish in 2007 after a frustrating DNF in the prior year - her finish time?  25:31!

So when I got to know Belle in Mongolia and her desire to run the 100km I not only wanted to help her, but this rekindled my interest in conquering my own frustrations of not being able to run a decent race, let alone run the 100km.  Belle’s experience in Mongolia is not unlike my own experience at the WS100, and I sensed a similar desire to succeed as I saw in myself at that time.  For me this created a strong bond, as I understand these feelings well.

Since then we have become good friends, keeping in frequent contact with each other.  She is now training to run the Berlin Marathon (which I ran some years ago - a wonderful race!); as for me, I don’t have anything on the horizon.  I am in very good condition but this is from cycling and spinning, not running.  Recently I ran a 20-mile (35km) trail run, after which I felt quite trashed - likely made worse due to the fact that fatigue was not a factor in limiting how much I could do.  It is perhaps the lack of a goal that I don’t really feel the motivation to switch back to so much run training ...

Before leaving Mongolia, I promised to help Belle realize her own dream of finishing 100km, and to be there when it happens.  It is my intention to do whatever it takes to keep my promise!  At the very least offer training help and suggestions and be able to support her on the course if possible.  But my own dream is to run the race with her and have us both run and finish together, so we both can realize this dream together as well.  The ultimate dream would be to do this someday in Mongolia, but that remains to be seen ...  We will see how things go in the coming months ahead - perhaps a race in California ...



WS100 site - http://www.ws100.com/

Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset (MS2S) site - http://www.ultramongolia.org/

MS2S Course

The first 42km of the Mongolian Sunrise to Sunset (MS2S) 100km is quite spectacular.   Featuring two passes - the Chichee Pass (2300m or 7550ft) and the Khirvesteg Pass (2100m or 7000ft) - the course winds it way along Hovsgol Nuur (Lake Hovsgol) before crossing the two passes.  Unlike most of Mongolia which is grassland or desert, the Lake Hovsgol region in the north is located in coniferous forest - the southern extent of the Siberian taiga. It is relatively lush and very green (and beautiful!)

Above you can see a satellite map of the course.  The course is marked using data obtained from my Garmin Forerunner 305 which I wore during the run.  The dark area on the right is Lake Hovsgol.