50 MILES VS IRONMAN TRIATHLON

Hi folks. Its been 8 days since I scaled the 50 mile ultra mountain and I have been thinking back to that day and trying to wrap my mind around the task and comparing it to my 3 Ironman distance triathlons.

Which was tougher??? I said initially that the 50 miler was more stressful to my body. However, I examined some facts from each discipline and came up with these conclusions.

Ironman distance Triathlon.
1. Longer amount of hours and effort. First one I did was in 16 hours and 45 min...then the next two were in the upper 15 hour range.
2. More areas of the body aching. Back discomfort from the Bike. Knee issues from the marathon segmernt of the triathlon.
3. Psychological Aspect . I was constantly fighting my inner demons during the Ironman races. Will I be fast enough to beat the bike cut off?? Can I deal with the day turning to night and still being out on country roads with only a neon necklace to ward off stray cars. My races were small events compared to the corporate races in the M-Dot format.
4. Nutrition knowledge was less when I did the three Irons. (Most recent one was 2002). I never bonked, but I know I was not properly fueled besides Gatorade and water.

50 Mile Ultra Marathon
1. It was a solo event, so I controlled the run...I was under no pressure to beat anyone or try to stay with any person. I say that was a benefit. Also, having my son run the last 20 with me was a huge benefit.
2. Body issues. I traumatized my tendons to my left ankle at mile 25 or so.. I kept running. Not really smart. Once I got that issue controlled in my mind. (ibprofen helped) I was able to finish. I ran it in 11 hours. 54 minutes.
3. Fitness level was about the same as the Irons, but I felt I had alot in the tank when I finished. I think I can run a 100 miler some day. I am not sure, I could do a double-Ironman.
4. My nutrition was much better. Roctane Gels were used and really helped. PB and J sandwiches were beneficial as were the trail mix and the Coke-Gatorade-Water I constantly used.

Those are some points and I have concluded that the Ironman distance gets a slight edge on which is tougher. Very slight. I also know if I attempted a 50 miler in August when the temps are in the 80's with humidity I would easily vote for the ultra-marathon being tougher.

I am blessed to be healthy enough to be able to. complete 3 Iron distances triathlons in my late 40's and do a 50 mile ultra at age 56. I know I will do a 100 miler some day and I am not done wtih long distance triathlons either. Speaking of 100 milers....good luck to Donald in the Western States 100.

Those are my stories and I am sticking to them.

On a work note. Things will be lots of fun covering the Cavs now that Shaq is on the team. He is a funny guy and he'll keep us on our toes..LOL!!!

Life's a Blast

50 MILES, LOTS OF SMILES

The 50 mile Birthday ultra run was a smashing success!!! Race Director J.T. is happy and so is the runner himself....J.T.!!!

What day. Its a day later and I have my left foot propped up and its red and swollen. I will have to see a professional about it. More on that.

These things all happened.

1. Nearly arrested

2. Garmin nearly died

3. Ran some mileage on pavement...yuck

Weds night I tested out my new head lamp. Princeton Tec. Turned out the lights and ate pasta with the lamp!!

Thurs morning..cool. slight rain...I headed to North Chagrin Reservation. Had all the supplies and was ready. Started at 3:30am. Plan was to run 2 or 3 mile loops and get to car at Strawberry for supplies..

Got in my first loop and returned to the lot. Whoops!! Ranger there with lights flashing. "May I see your license? Are you aware the park is closed???" I stammered some responses, he checked the license and then...after making me wait 10 minutes issued a warning. Leave the park and do NOT return til 6am. Ohh yeah..my license tag was one day expired.

So from about 4am till 6am this is what I saw. Ran on Chardon and Chagrin River Road. Headlamp was great for the drivers. They saw me coming. By 6am I was 11 plus miles in and could return to Strawberry and resume on the trails.

Saw Betty and met Becky and they encouraged me. I started free lancing the park and using my Garmin to keep track. Did loops to Squires. I would return every 3 miles are so to load up.

I used tons of water.. 8 GU ROCTANE. (Love that stuff) Trail Mix, 6 ibprofens in a small bag with salt. I would grab a pill and couple pinches of salt when I took a pill. Gatorade was also used.

I played mental games to keep the run fresh. Kept The Bride aware of my progress. She was gonna come by a couple times and and my son Pat planned on getting there to run the final 20 with me.

25 miles in, I felt discomfort just above my left ankle. I thought it was a tendon getting traumatized but I kept running. I was really fighting it but what kept me going was something all endurance athletes rely on to battle through adversity. The inner will to test yourself to the limit!! I had been watching David Goggins videos on YouTube and they inspire. I also thought of the kids who deal with Cerebral Palsy. I have been associated with the Cleveland organization this past year. Last summer, I swam for Team Dawud. (see my sidebar, me in swimcap and Dawud in helmet) I became friends with Kristen who's daughter Julia has CP. I thought of the strength and courage these kids and their families muster up to perform daily tasks is remarkable. I knew running 50 miles would be thought as a big deal by many, but deep down I knew the kids with CP have more toughness and determination that a race filled with ultra runners.......so....I pushed on...and on.

The weather remained overcast and somewhat cool. Perfect Day!!!!

Patrick arrived at mile 29 and that was perfect timing. 3 weeks ago, he ran 50k to celebrate his 30th birthday. I was dragging a bit when he got there and we starting running some different trails that he is accustomed too...and after awhile he was getting the lay of the park. Up till about 38 miles I was slowing a little more and fighting the pain in left foot. But by mile 37 I started to really get my rythmn and we were moving very well. 10 minute miles and the pain was more in the back of my mind.

The Bride showed up again at mile 42 and we had cookies..some o.j., which I never had in a race before. It helped. We kept going and I could see the end. Running sections of the park that had roots actually helped, because I was focused on the ground and could feel like I was moving very well. By mile 48 the Garmin was warning me that power was low.. I was obsessed with breaking 12 hours and beating the Garmin to finish. It worked. 11 hours, 54 minutes.

Afterward, I iced my left knee and my left ankle and we headed home. Two strip steaks bit the dust. I ate everything in sight.

This morning I spoke with my doctor who says I just traumatized the foot and to keep it elevated and keep the Aleve coming. If it persists, I will get an ex-ray. He also referred me to an orthapedic professional who is a runner and who would understand why I need to do this and why it is so fulfilling to attack a challenge and not back down and why we always must strive to be our best...every day....every mile.

Life's a blast!!

THE BIG 5--6

Another week of solid training is in the books...
Heres how I broke it down.
Monday, upper body and leg workout..
12 minutes of Rope Skipping high cadence
Tuesday 6 mile trail run...attacking hills..and strong tempo..working on easy gait, but quick turnover...
Wednesday--Same as Monday
Thurs..5 mile trail run running uphill much of the first 1.5 miles...work on strong finish to the run..in the rain
Friday Light lifting and Skipping Rope
Today early start to a planned 11 mile trail run. Got underway at 6am..cool morning..but perfect... Heres a couple of pics of what I ran into at North Chagrin Reservation. Got 5.8 miles in before I met up with Andy, Dale, Betty and Dick and Suzanne. I ran another hour with Andy while the others settled into their own paces and trails. I finished with 10.5 miles. Good effort and best part is I am at the stage where my legs are recovering very well from longer runs. For the week, 22 miles, which was a planned down week. Next week, I will ramp up the mileage.
Weight situation. I dropped another pound and thats 13.5 to date. I am close to the weight I am comfortable.
Also...next week, I hit the big 5--6. So, in keeping with the insanity that is my birthday-fitness challenges..I am pondering a way to bring it in. Last year at 11:59pm, on a high school track, I did everything 55. 55 laps on the quarter mile track. 55 reps on each weight exercise..etc..
This year, I just might take off an try to run my own 50 miler. I did the math. I can plot a 2 mile trail in the woods. If I run 25 of those...I will hit 50 miles. That way, I have many chances to swing by the car and grab any water-gu's-nourishment I need. Buddies, Tim, Suzanne and others are running the Mohican 50 miler next Saturday and I am really bummed that my schedule won't permit me to make it to Mohican. I wish them well.

JT...BORN TO RUN

Greetings.
Training for the first ever attempt at running a 50 miler is going well. The only stick in the mud is I don't have a race that fits my schedule...so I am working on that... I am really considering staging my own 50 conquest and will enlist the likes of my son, and others to run some of it with me.
Have been getting in some long Saturday runs and the cross training with weights, or balls or rope skipping has gone well too. Last week, when my son ran his 31.8 miles for his birthday, I got in one 16 miler and another 15 miler and other runs...... a total of 40 for the week.
This past week, I only totalled 27 miles...but got many of them this morning... 17.5 miles with Tim and also with Suzanne at North Chagrin. Both are running the Mohican 50 miler.

My Eat Clean approach has been great. 12 pounds lighter and its helping my ultra-training. I slipped a little the past few days..in fact, right now I am eating a Hormel spaghetti dinner.... get this....1400 milligrams of sodium. Holy heart attack.
Its still possible my next race will be a triathlon. A sprint triathlon. I have done very little biking or swimming as I have been concentrating on upping the trail mileage.

I have tweeted about this book and I can't say enough about it. "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. (CLICK HERE FOR AMAZON REVIEW & Q AND A WITH AUTHOR) Very entertaining look at the Tarahumara runners of Mexico's Copper Canyon region and about how some elite runners competed against them. I have actually started re-reading the book, it was that good. I highly recommend it. He makes some good points about how man was designed to be a marathon machine..and how long distance running is the reason man is still here...as many thousands of years ago..the only way to survive was to hunt the prey, by simply running it to death. He also makes the point that, although people think ultra runners are insane, they are simply doing what evolution has commanded them to do...run...long..sustained efforts.
I think its a great book. No, I have never met the author, nor do I have any connection with him or the publisher. Any endurance athlete will read this book and I think see parts that resonate.
Next week, I will concentrate on some tempo runs.

Work is a little less insane, now that the Cavs were eliminated from the playoffs, but it seems, LeBron James is always in the news. Refusing to talk after the loss. Not shaking hands and then having surgery on his mouth. I said on the air, he should have been more gracious in defeat, but lets not make this look like he caused the swine flu. He apologized and I think he will grow from the experience.
Keep Training.. Life's a Blast.

OUR SON THE ULTRA MARATHONER

Pat did it. Our son completed his goal. He wanted to run an ultra marathon to celebrate his 30th birthday. his 30 miles would have been fine...but since I had run a 50 k about 6 weeks ago, he mapped out a course that was 31.8 miles...just over 50 k. Why not one-up the old man??
He recruited his friend Bridget, who is married to his longtime pal, Chuck. Bridget used to be a bike messenger and she knew she could go the hilly mileage. They started in Chardon. Pat had the camelback..Bridget had lots of water in the back of the bike, and I packed lots in a cooler.
I was gonna sherpa the run. Diving in and out along the way and running about half the mileage.
Chucks house is about 1200 feet above sea level. Chardon is one of the high points in north east ohio. So the run would take two big elevation drops and climbs before finishing in Ohio City where Pat lives.
I ran the first 2.5 miles, said so long and ran back to the starting point to get the car. Pat wanted to do 6 hours. It was warm but not real hot. There was a breeze and some cloud cover. Driving to catch up to the pair, I did not see them... "No way they have gone this far"?? But they had. He was making good progress.
Near 12 miles is Chagrin River Road and Wilson Mills. The bridge was being worked on. I tried to talk the construction guys into letting them walk through when they got that far. Nope. So, we had to put the bike in the trunk and drive a detour of 5 miles to got to the other side of the bridge which was only 200 feet away. I told Pat, that its just a long water break. Don't let it get you down. We got to the other side..Pat ran 200 feet extra to make sure and off we went. I ran 2 miles up Wilson Mills, then ran back down to the parking lot on the south end of North Chagrin.
They were making good time. By the 22 mile mark (Monticello & Mayfield), Pat was feeling dizzy and storm clouds were coming. We rested a bit...he ate more and drank more and the air cooled, but the rains came. Not heavy rains, but cooling rains.

Pat was struggling at the point and I could see the doubt on his face. The Bride called and was worried about the weather. I called Fox 8 and the experts said the storms were lessening in intensity and any new ones to come would not have thunder. That reassured the pair and of course The Bride.
He kept motoring. The run down Carnegie is more than 5 miles. Then a tour past Progressive field and then over the Detroit/Superior bridge and home free. Finish point was The Old Angle Tavern on West 25th. Pat and I went to his apartment two blocks away and Bridgets family joined her in the Tavern. I got Pat the bag of ice...15 in the ice bath and he was on the road to recovery. Though he felt lousy the rest of the night..he was very happy to reach his goal.
We are very proud of the two of them. Pat ran in just over 6 hours. I tallied 15.9 miles in my sherpa-running buddy role. As I write this the next day, Pat is demolishing a good chunk of pork grilled on our grill. I think he's gonna be fine.
This Saturday I am aiming for an 18 mile trail run. Anyone game???

TRAILS TRADITION AND FRIENDS

I write this on a Sunday with a thousand things going on. First, the training. This past week, I had 2 strong upper body workouts and 2 leg workouts. I had two 6.0 mile trail runs and I capped the week off with a very strong 15.9 mile trail run at North Chagrin. I treated the first hour as a very quick paced, out and back down on the Bridle Path. It was cool and very pleasant. I felt real strong and definitely feel the effects of weighing 11 pounds less than when I started the Clean Eating Lifestyle. I got in just under 7 miles in the hour..stopped...got plenty of fluids,..a Gu Roctane, and half of a pb and j. Saw Betty, Andy (props on Rite Aid marathon) and Pat. I took off and worked on getting 16 miles in. Weaved all over the trails and got the workout in. Near the end, I saw Mike, Tim and others and they were trying to see if I wanted to run the Punxtawney 50 K in September. We'll see. After, an ice bath, I was good to go, but somewhat ravenous. Ate under control on Saturday, but today, I am going bonkers. We are cooking out at the station and look out!!!! Monday AM, I will get in a solid weight workout and then 45 minute run and then, its one of the favorite days of the year. We honor the veterans and our family in Euclid, always mans a corner and cheers wildly for all the vets. We really appreciate the service to our country. The Bride and I will entertain family as per usual and burn a few more burgers and dogs.... Work has been insane with the Cavs in the Eastern Conf finals and perhaps you saw LeBron James miracle shot friday night. Nothing he does amazes me. I have seen this stuff for years. He made that shot after being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and usually the cover means some kinda jinx. Didn't work this time. Cavs have a tough battle with the Magic. Weds, my oldest son Patrick turns 30 and he will be running 30 miles to celebrate it!!! I will run about 12 miles with him and another friend of his will be on her bike with him the whole way. He will run from near Chardon to his apartment in Ohio City on Clevelands near west side. I am really proud of Pat. He is now in year #3 of triathlons and I love racing with him and training too. Its pretty special.

Kudos to Darrell Nagy aka "Pudge". He's my childhood buddy who qualified for Boston and realized a long time dream this past April.

Heres a picture. (He is 17430 in white cap, arms raised) Pudge ran a 3:52:49...very strong . Us 50's guys gotta stick together.

Finally, you heard of the turtle who was mugged by two snails. Cops asked him what happened and he said "I'd don't know, it happened so fast". Its a little joke I use when I speak but it means more to me. Everything is relative. My speed might not make an Ironman champ blush, but my speed is my speed and my progress as an athlete is MY progress. I train hard and you trained hard as well. Don't be discouraged if a part of your training is not moving at the speed you want. It will come. Just keep plugging along.
I also want to thank the Sherwin Williams Womens Club for having me speak at their annual dinner. I love my public speaking and I always use the forum to try to motivate others and keep people reaching for more in their lives. Several of the women told me afterwards they are working on their running and biking and I simply encourage them to try their best.
and ohhhh yeah...Life's a Blast.

MAN ON FIRE!!!!

Greetings from the city that TNT buffoon Charles Barkley refers to as "The Mistake by the Lake" Cleveland Ohio. Charles is harmless and memo to Chuck. The joke is about 25 years old. Get some new material. Another memo to Chuck. You'll feel differently Mr. when you need to come to the world class Cleveland Clinic for health concerns. I will give him credit for one thing. He predicted the Nuggets would make the finals and he might be right.

Enough of that. Our city just put on the Cleveland Rite Aid Marathon and 10K on Sunday and a record amount of runners took part. 12,400 according to officials. Many Cleveland runners, both road and trail know Elizabeth Hansen. Wow!!! what a race she ran. She finished second overall in the womens division of the Half Marathon. I was really excited for her and mentioned her on the 10pm news. Great job E-Speed. Check out her blog (on sidebar) and I am sure she wrote about it.

Finished a great week of training. The effects of dropping 9-10 pounds have been great. More zip. Quicker stints when skipping rope. Weight training is more intense. Its all good. Capped off week with a 12 mile trail run Saturday and followed by some tempo on the treadmill for a 14 mile day.

However, I am an endurance weenie compared to Epic Bill Bradley. His motto is "Show up and Suffer" Heres the link to his website and check out the video on the Triple Ironman. That says it all. The man is on fire!!!!~! Wow!! He never claimed to be a great runner. He is just mentally tough and he will out work most people. He is getting me all charged up. The 50 miler is gonna get done...Hell, if I focus on Bill, it won't be long before I do a 100 miler.

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Enjoy your training...your racing and your Life!!

Life's a Blast!!