***The Official Running Thread***

Nov 16, 2023
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The Lake Sonoma 50 in mid-April.
1050 elevation holy sh!t. Sounds like you’re way ahead on your training. Good on ya. If I would have did anything differently I would have done more long runs leading up. I finished 66 but the beating on my legs was brutal.
 

Kento

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1050 elevation holy sh!t. Sounds like you’re way ahead on your training. Good on ya. If I would have did anything differently I would have done more long runs leading up. I finished 66 but the beating on my legs was brutal.
I hope I am. With the rain and mud, I haven't been able to do much elevation training, at least on anything with any kind of grade.

Wavering between being amped vs. apprehensive about the race. A little less than 10 weeks off.
 
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Nov 16, 2023
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I delt with the same exact situation. During my longest run leading up I think I got under 2k ‘ haha. I would 100% recommend a vest, nuun tablets and maybe some caffeine tabs or gels. Leading up I also started using the nutrition I was going to use during the race on my longer runs to see how my body would handle it. Judging by your training to me. I think you’re gonna do great. It was a total mix of terror and excitement leading up to it but really ended up being a blast.
 

Kento

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Thanks. The uphills are something I dread but it's also the 10,000' of downhill that worries me a little. Once the quads are shot, even walking downhill is sucky. At any rate, it's a beautiful course.

The Avalon 50 would be pretty awesome too. Didn't know it was a thing, that's cool you did that! I backpacked the TCT with my wife several years back (when I was not in good shape) and what a beautiful hike that was. 6,600 isn't a light elevation climb either. Did you end up hiking the steeper uphills? That opening climb out of Avalon must have been a joy.

I usually consume one of those GU gels every 45--60 minutes and chase it with gatorade-mix. I've done this over a 4 hour-ish stretch of running but not much longer. I'd want to mix it up a little as I'm going, needs to be compact since it will be in the pockets.
 
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Nov 16, 2023
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Thanks. The uphills are something I dread but it's also the 10,000' of downhill that worries me a little. Once the quads are shot, even walking downhill is sucky. At any rate, it's a beautiful course.

The Avalon 50 would be pretty awesome too. Didn't know it was a thing, that's cool you did that! I backpacked the TCT with my wife several years back (when I was not in good shape) and what a beautiful hike that was. 6,600 isn't a light elevation climb either. Did you end up hiking the steeper uphills? That opening climb out of Avalon must have been a joy.

I usually consume one of those GU gels every 45--60 minutes and chase it with gatorade-mix. I've done this over a 4 hour-ish stretch of running but not much longer. I'd want to mix it up a little as I'm going, needs to be compact since it will be in the pockets.
I did hike all the up hills. I honestly think speed walking them was faster than I could have ran them and the last three miles were downhill and it was brutal but I just ran them because I wanted be done so badly haha. I have a pretty tough stomach so I wasn’t shy with the nutrition they had at the aid stations also. Doing that climb in the dark was pretty brutal. Excited to see how you make out. I went on the race website and I’m going to try to do it next year. Have you been using any magnesium ? It helped me out a ton with recovery and sleep during training and after the race.
 

Kento

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I did hike all the up hills. I honestly think speed walking them was faster than I could have ran them and the last three miles were downhill and it was brutal but I just ran them because I wanted be done so badly haha. I have a pretty tough stomach so I wasn’t shy with the nutrition they had at the aid stations also. Doing that climb in the dark was pretty brutal. Excited to see how you make out. I went on the race website and I’m going to try to do it next year. Have you been using any magnesium ? It helped me out a ton with recovery and sleep during training and after the race.
Especially the steep ones, what, you lose a minute or two a mile pace but so much energy conserved.

It appears they have the stations well stocked. I will bring my own nutrition but won't be shy if they have something that looks good. That's right, I was looking at that Avalon course. Early start. Were you able to dump your headlamp, assuming you used one? Not that those fire roads are easy in the slightest but be thankful you didn't have to go up Hermit Gulch or Fenceline.

I plan on getting some new shoes in the next week or two also so pretty psyched on that front.

I don't take magnesium but I've generally been sleeping OK, especially the days I'm running.
 
Nov 16, 2023
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Especially the steep ones, what, you lose a minute or two a mile pace but so much energy conserved.

It appears they have the stations well stocked. I will bring my own nutrition but won't be shy if they have something that looks good. That's right, I was looking at that Avalon course. Early start. Were you able to dump your headlamp, assuming you used one? Not that those fire roads are easy in the slightest but be thankful you didn't have to go up Hermit Gulch or Fenceline.

I plan on getting some new shoes in the next week or two also so pretty psyched on that front.

I don't take magnesium but I've generally been sleeping OK, especially the days I'm running.
I’m familiar with those trails because we had also backpacked it a few years prior and I was relieved when I saw the course map for the race . yeah I was able to dump my headlamp and my jacket at like mile 13 because we had drop bags which was cool. What shoes are you gonna get ? I ran that race in the altra Olympus. A little on the heavy side but they got the job done.
 
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Bob Dobbalina

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The Mrs and the BIL had their race cancelled at 7:30 yesterday. The race was scheduled to start at 8
 

nolibos

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Been hoping you’d chime in with your experience.

At about what distance did blisters come into play? I had one marathon where I got a big blister on the bottom of the ball of my foot and it was pretty tortuous. If it was a certainty that at some point I’d be running with blisters I’d have to take a long time considering if it was worth it to me.

Did you ever use a hydration vest or poles? I don’t think I’d like running with something in my hands but I noticed a lot of the faster runners runt with a bottle in their hand.
I always get a blister on the outside of my right pinky toe. It bubbles up and pops in the later stages. I have never taken my shoes off during a race. I feel that blister pain is something I will run with.

The only time I use a hydration pack is for long training runs and "Barkley" style races we have around here (Marin County, and near Foresthill, CA).
During Races you want go as light as possible, with gear and clothing, to help your body stay cool. Take advantage of the aid stations!
 
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nolibos

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Yeah, the shrooms are a hard pass. Appreciate the advice on all this. Bringing smoke into flared-open virgin lung folds is terrible. But at least you control the cotton mouth. Edibles where you get walloped by it unexpectedly at a point you're running low on water is worse. As far as bathroom needs, obviously the world = urinal but as far as dropping a deuce? Do they have port-a-potties at the turnaround point and/or any other stations? It's all about the AM double dump but the more I run towards the afternoon and eat as day goes on, probably of churn increases. Obviously something you can't avoid on the 100 mile races but one step at a time here.


Anyways, my legs were a little tired after yesterday's adrenaline wore off and with rain Sunday, skipped what would normally be my rest day. 5 days on 2 days off should be good. Started off sore but just cruised probably a little faster than Zone 2, ~14.1 miles at somewhat steady 8 minute pace, finished about 1:52. Half Marathon split at about 1:44:15, which is personal best by at least 3 minutes. Pretty stocked since I didn't really set out to do that in the slightest, was actually trying to go slow and just went steady, didn't plod but didn't overly exert myself either. Gotta say, the combo of Zone 2 and intervals over even just a few months has definitely made me substantially faster. Although I'm also just running a lot too.


Oh yeah, btw, if you succumb to the sickness, there are still 16 spots left in the LS50.
At mile 80 or so, aid station at TRT 100 the aid staff were pouring whiskey shots; I knew it was a bad idea, but I had to do it.
 
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Kento

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So much malaise the last several days but been getting progressively better sleep. Just a terrible downward spiral of stress before that. Hadn't run at all in 4 days so was pretty fresh. Ran 11 miles in about 1:28:30, which included a 1 minute traffic light break. Was OK - left foot had been completely numb the previous 3 miles so needed the time to relace everything and was good.

Zone 2 out the window for sure but still, sore calves and hamstrings at first but those mitigated with time. Still ran at a pretty cruisy pace, 8 minute miles or so.

Read that book Born to Run 2 and decided why not bake up some of those pinole cookies and see how those work. Probably not greatest control experiment as had eaten a few other snacks previously throughout the day. Potential placebo effect for sure but ate one of them about 10 minutes before my run, brought some GUs in case but overall, that one cookie fueled me pretty easily, didn't need anything else. Even if nothing else, can still mix back and forth with the GUs for longer runs. Bland as sh!t though, will need to add some additional ingredients to make it tastier.

Hope trails are dry by Saturday because I definitely want to go for a big run before going snowboarding Sunday/Monday.
 

One-Off

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So much malaise the last several days but been getting progressively better sleep. Just a terrible downward spiral of stress before that. Hadn't run at all in 4 days so was pretty fresh. Ran 11 miles in about 1:28:30, which included a 1 minute traffic light break. Was OK - left foot had been completely numb the previous 3 miles so needed the time to relace everything and was good.

Zone 2 out the window for sure but still, sore calves and hamstrings at first but those mitigated with time. Still ran at a pretty cruisy pace, 8 minute miles or so.

Read that book Born to Run 2 and decided why not bake up some of those pinole cookies and see how those work. Probably not greatest control experiment as had eaten a few other snacks previously throughout the day. Potential placebo effect for sure but ate one of them about 10 minutes before my run, brought some GUs in case but overall, that one cookie fueled me pretty easily, didn't need anything else. Even if nothing else, can still mix back and forth with the GUs for longer runs. Bland as sh!t though, will need to add some additional ingredients to make it tastier.

Hope trails are dry by Saturday because I definitely want to go for a big run before going snowboarding Sunday/Monday.
How long are your long runs at this point?

Pinole = pine nuts?

I 've been allternating 16-18 mile long runs the past month, plut the 20 mile one where I bonked. All zone 2. Because the zone 2 pace drops off so much at the end I don't know if the protocol is having the desired effect. Pace still really slow. I have been surfing a lot though and Duffy said that could mess up the training. On one of my recent runs the first couple of miles was under 9 minute pace, but generally on long runs it ends up around 10 - 10:30, which is slow. I have a couple more weeks and then will have done 3 months. Kind of looking forward to doing intervals and tempo runs again.

Also, I'll have one day a week up in the SM mountains to trail run. No way to do zone 2 going up hill unless I walk. I have to figure out the shoe vs sandal dilemma....
 
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Kento

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How long are your long runs at this point?

Pinole = pine nuts?

I 've been allternating 16-18 mile long runs the past month, plut the 20 mile one where I bonked. All zone 2. Because the zone 2 pace drops off so much at the end I don't know if the protocol is having the desired effect. Pace still really slow. I have been surfing a lot though and Duffy said that could mess up the training. On one of my recent runs the first couple of miles was under 9 minute pace, but generally on long runs it ends up around 10 - 10:30, which is slow. I have a couple more weeks and then will have done 3 months. Kind of looking forward to doing intervals and tempo runs again.

Also, I'll have one day a week up in the SM mountains to trail run. No way to do zone 2 going up hill unless I walk. I have to figure out the shoe vs sandal dilemma....

The recipe in the book is bonkers as far as proportions. Curious how they would work on longer runs with just one or two of them.

My long runs are generally between 18 and 25 miles but that's mostly been flat pavement. I want to up the mileage on the longer runs in the trails. 9 weeks away and feeling pretty solid, not completely adhering to that training plan as trying to do so causes more stress than I need; hard to make the time for that. But I get the long runs in.

I try to start out at ultimate Zone 2, easy breathing conversational pace. For first few miles, that's about 7:50 - 8:15 and if I had actual discipline, that time would slow down as the miles stacked up but no. I end up actually increasing my pace, which I offset with a 30-second light jog/walk break every 4-5 miles or so. Enough to take a good focused swig of water and/or gel. That can offset a bonk btw; find a tree to take a leak too. Be surprised how much that can help. You're not running a race, there's no need to kill yourself.

But anyways I end up finishing my runs on a generally negative split, which is resulting in personal bests on longer runs coming almost every time, despite what is supposed to be a Zone 2 run. Good thing to remember that that easier pace to start will leave you enough energy to finish strong. Just keep that nutrition going.

Surfing has always fucked up everything but snowboarding. Too much duckdiving fatiguing out the calves and that whole muscle chain. I was very honored when this one local at Kirkwood commented that I had a vert surfy style when snowboarding as I started boarding long before I started surfing - they do feed off each other well. I don't even give a sh!t if I could land it but launching a big method surfing would be a bucket list item for sure. Alas.
 
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tacos

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Kento

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Ran 6 miles yesterday at around 8:05 pace, faster than I meant to. A little sore from running somewhat hard the last two days after a 4-day "break" but I was motivated to run a solid section of the Lake Sonoma race course. The plan was to run from the S. Lake Trailhead up by the ranch to Warm Springs and back but the trail got weird around Buck Meadows area. I followed what I thought it was but after a while, didn't feel right about it. Knew I had a long ways back and no need to kill myself. Still a solid 21 mile run.

And that was seriously the hardest run I've ever done, not even close. Kicked the everliving sh!t out of me. Lots of deadfall. Most streams were small enough to jump over in stride but a few of them took some negotiating. Lots of water flowing, logs, rocks, mud, etc. to deal with. About 4 miles in from where I started, I am pretty sure there must have been an easier way but steep muddy slope into the water with a semi-mossy log about 3 feet off or so that take you the whole way. Sinking rapidly past my ankles towards the bottom of the slope, I jumped for the log but got a little more push than I expected. Kind of a diagonal angle onto the log and naturally overshot it just enough, slid into the water. Statue of libertied my water bottle holster with the key fob in it (no way am I carrying that on me again; lesson learned) so couldn't really break my fall. Cracked my ass on that log but good.

I brought a couple of those cookies and three GU gels, which I carried in my back pocket. 2 of the gels had exploded everywhere when I hit the log. One was intact which I ate. But that pinole cookie, not only did it not even remotely crumble but drove into my right ass cheek and that's the source of the actual injury. Sure I'll have a bruise but realized later had a charlie horse, i.e. dead ass for the remainder of that run - ~17 miles to go. Every stride was painful. Another lesson learned - don't carry stuff in your back pocket. Grab the GUs at the aid stations.

Some other tricky crossings but planned it well. And I have to say 2 of those pinole cookies lasted me the whole run pretty handily. Dry though, need to figure out a way to moisten them up. I ran out of water hard, had to ration 2-3 gulps worth over the last 5 miles.

It was also a ton of fun and a really beautiful day. But ups, downs, mud, boggy, obstacles, etc. man it was hard. I did a little trail maintenance, cleared some deadfall on the way back. Not gonna lie, I walked a lot of those uphills. My ass was kicked. Couple minor nicks but otherwise unscathed. Legs are tired; can't believe I am going snowboarding tomorrow. "Recovery run" indeed.

But all in all, 21 miles, 3,800 vertical feet in 3:48. All things considered, I don't think that's terrible.

Next time I'm running the opposite section. I'm very glad I did this so I know what awaits me 9 weeks from today. Jesus Christ I'm in it now. :drowning: :roflmao:
 

Kento

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Thats a run! Holy crap! Everything but wolves and bears coming at you!
And yet it was one of the most fun runs I have ever done!

Needed the p*ss taken out of me. Been overwhelmed with a constant stream of stress, this was exactly the level of mental reprioritization I kinda needed. Really appreciate the uplift you all gave me when I really needed it.
 

One-Off

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Another runner's high moment. I ran 20 miles zone 2, this time going by RPE (conversational pace) because the battery on my heart rate monitor went out a couple days ago. I was going to go longer. I started up a trail in Temescal Canyon but got to a point where it was roped off with a sign saying that it was "closed due to flooding" and "thick, deep mud." Since I was in sandals I turned around.

A funny thing happened running back down Temescal Canyon Blvd. The kids at Palisade High were out and they crowded the sidewalk. There was grass on the side so I went there and ran. It was nice as it cushioned my knees on the descent. Then I hit a part where I sank ankle deep in mud. I mean it looked like grass but it was just super soggy. I could hear the teenage girls laughing at me from behind.

This song came on when I got back down to the beach, feeling good, no pain, no fatigue, no issues...



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