Perley Wilder 30K

Wilder Races part 2!

The morning after I had to stop running at mile 52 of the Wilder 100k because of heat exhaustion and vomiting, I woke up feeling hung-over: very dizzy with a headache. Ate a big breakfast and lots of fluids. It was nice to have an appetite again. After breakfast I drove up to watch some friends run the 50k and the 30k. In the car I had just I finished off a cup of coffee and a bottle of Pedialyte. I was thinking to myself: I'm feeling a lot better, my legs are really sore, but my friends that will be running in the 30k also rode 100 miles on their bikes the day before, if they can do it I can too. I thought it could be "fun" to run at a slow conversational pace and if we walk the hills it could be a good recovery run.

Ryan summed up the race very well (if you don't know my friends call me Riggs):

Animal and Ryan watching to see if I could

 in fact run 100 yards and therefore, a 30k.

“There’s no way I would’ve started the 33-34k on Sunday morning if I’d been alone. Ten minutes before the start Riggs found a phone booth and changed into his Super-Saucony uniform. Tony told us, “Riggs said that if he can run to those kybos and back he’s running the 30k.” And of course he could. Tony took off alone while Riggs, Animal, Ben and I ran 8:30s together. One other guy, Josh, stayed a few steps behind the first four miles. We’d somehow managed to “drop” the field. When we walked up the first big hill, Josh continued running. At mile 14 Riggs asked if we’re okay. We were. He was going to chase-down Josh who was 10 minutes up the road. With that Riggs was gone. And within the span of a mile he’d put 2-3 minutes on us. A few miles later, up the one long remaining climb, we could literally see in the gravel where Riggs’d pawed so hard at the road he left shoeprints in the gravel dust. He ended up catching Josh and putting nine minutes into him. Afterward Riggs said that his final 10k was sub 40:00.”

I don't know what happened something just clicked: "a second wind, runners high". I don't know how I could go from painfully sore and stiff to zero pain. I knew I would hurt later in the day. I was probablly still upset from dropping out in the 100k with over an hour lead.




Tony wins the 50K in 3:58:39!



Abel Wilder 100K

The short story: DNF, 52 miles in 86-89 degree weather...

The details are still fuzzy I was on 7:45 pace for the first 36 miles; Over the past couple days I’ve been attempting a think back on the details of the events that morning. I was hydrated and had ample nutrition during the first 45 miles. Drinking NUUN from my Nathan 70oz hydration vest, eating breakfast cookies and Perpetuem chews. I avoided Gels because I knew I ate too many it would upset my stomach.

When I reached the small town of Cherry Grove I took my first walk break. I walked thought town it was almost 10am and I could tell that I was cooked I wanted to just finish at this point. There was a woman working in her yard and I inquired about the temperature and she said that it was already 82 degrees out. I remember walking past a Pepsi machine and Community Center thinking how nice it would feel to stop and cool off inside. I continued on walking and pulled out phone with only one bar of roaming service to call my wife to tell her that I alive and I would call her again in two hours. I jogged and walked from mile 36 to 38 when I got a second wind. I was running 7:30 to 8 minute miles when I ran into my friend Tony and another support car with water for the runners around mile 40. I was feeling good I was thinking I only had two more hills to worry about; little did I know there were many short steep hills that would just destroy my legs.

At mile 42 the real suffering began this point was known as the waterless crossing. If the creek hadn’t dried up this year it may have been a game changer. If I could have stopped for a while to cool off in the water I could have felt a lot better. At this point I started to run 8:30 miles and stop and walk every time I could feel my chest pounding. This would range from a minute run / a minute walk to a 4 minute run / 4 minute walk.

Once I arrived at mile 46 I found a small tree in the ditch for shade and lay down to rest. I couldn’t sleep because my legs would spasm if I stopped shaking them out. I had been taking only fluids for the last hour but I was becoming very nauseous, the thought of taking a sip of NUUN only reminded me of gagging on salt water. About 15 minutes later Tony drove up with water and a banana and it was enough to bring me back to life. I pushed on and the more I ran the less I felt like taking walking breaks. Once I hit mile 38 I started hitting sub 8 minute miles again. Just after mile 50 I knew I would need to conserve energy so I started to walk even though I still felt ok. I walked/jogged to the bottom the “Oriole hill” (350ft climb over a half mile) then I walked with stubborn focus up the hill. Tony was going to meet me at the top and the race directors stopped to ask if I was okay. I responded: “Talk to me at the top of this thing.” I couldn’t think about anything but one foot in front of the other.

At the top we stopped and talked about how I felt. I was cramping up if I didn’t keep my legs moving. I told them I wanted to drink water, Gatorade or NUUN but anything I added to my stomach mad me even more nauseous. After sitting around for 15 minutes I finally puked three times I thought I would dry-heave, but it looked like water. I pulled the pin, done: 52 miles.

With I laid in the back of the van I attempted to drink water, soup and even Pedialyte. It all made me nauseous. I was twitching and cramping all over my body. I called Kristin to tell her what happened. 4 hours later when the first runner finished; I finally had the strength to walk one hundred meters to congratulate him. Later that night I was finally able to eat a six inch sub and a few pieces of beef jerky.


Heat Exhaustion: weakness, nausea, vomiting, headache, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps. Check all the above.

Saucony Peregrine 2 Review

The Peregrine 2 is almost identical to the original with a few tweaks to the upper. Most of this review will be based on 650 750 miles I’ve ran in the original Peregrine because I have only put 60  150 miles on the new shoes. I plan on racing a 100k gravel race on the Peregrine 2 in about a week so I will post an update in that soon.

Changes in the Upper

Photo of Peregrine 1 after 650 miles

The new upper has lighter more breathable materials as well as fewer overlays. The webbed overlays of the original was the first thing to fall a part for most runner. I didn't notice any deterioration until almost 600 miles but I expect to still get about 800 miles out of the shoes. I like the overlays on the new design of the upper they feel more breathable and I seem to have more wiggle room in my toes.

Outsole

The both models have the same rugged outsole. Unlike a majority of trail shoes these are not the Vibrim rubber; they are a good balance of grip and hard durability. I've run many miles in snow, mud, gravel, dirt, grass and paved roads. They really standout off road but they don't feel too clunky on paved roads. Most of my training routes are in suburban neighborhoods so these have worked well and very responsive for the soft grass between the road and the sidewalks. If the surface is very soft or you need extra traction these will preform much better than a shoe designed for the roads, but you sacrifice flexibility in the shoe. The stiff sole also provides a bit of a spring on toe-off. It's amazing how flexible the shoes become after a few hundred miles. They won't be as flexible as the Kinvara but they still have a little bit of a natural feel with a touch of stability.

Midsole

Peregrine 2, Good looking shoe!

The 4mm heel to toe drop provides a performance ride. I've been able to log plenty of miles on the midsole and they have yet to feel flat. From my experience I will be able to log as many miles as I do in other road trainers (like the Kinvara, Ride) maybe more. I also feel confident that they will hold up well in Ultra races I've run all of my 30 and 40 mile long runs in them. I love that I can attack gravel roads and not have to worry and landing on sharp rocks because they provide ample protection.

Gravel Races *update
After racing 73 miles and 80 miles of training runs in the Peregrine 2 I like them even better now than the Kinvara. I feel like I could run anywhere under any conditions in these shoes and my feet would stay happy. I look at these shoes and want to go hit a trail that I've never been on before, get lost and run for hours. The rock protection is amazing but they don't feel clunky when you need to run on paved roads. The traction is great; I can still remember pawing at loose gravel on a steep ascent and the felt like I was wearing spikes. After putting all of those miles on rocky gravel roads my feet felt fine no hot spots or bruised feet. Feel free to read my race report of winning the 30k (http://pursuit-unlimited.blogspot.com/2012/05/perley-wilder-30k.html).

Conclusion

If you like the Peregrine 1 you will like the Peregrine 2. If you are looked for a competitive trail shoe for marathon distances or longer where rock protection is necessary you should seriously give these a try. Since I've been recovering from a shin injury training for the 100k and I've been avoiding paved roads and these have been great daily trainers too.

Return to Speed-work

Speed work is an important part of any training program; whether it’s long tempo at 85-90% of marathon pace or 200 meter all-out sprints.

I have been struggling with some lower leg issues so I’ve been avoiding anything faster than 6:30 for the last couple months. So it was a shock to the system 3 days after my 40 mile training run to break out a 4:37 mile at the Grand Blue Mile (4/24). My hamstrings freaked out in the first 20 meters, fortunately everything loosened up ok. Four days later I ran a solid 8k in 25:52 at the Drake Relays (4/28). My legs were holding up well, but two days later I found out that I was ramping up the intensity too fast. During my final 30 mile training run before the “Wilder 100K”, on a hilly gravel course, I was pushing the effort on the hills and probably not drinking enough fluids. I hit the wall HARD, at mile 25 I had to walk, it took a while to gather my composure to finish the run. It was a good lesson not to start out too fast, because it could be very miserable to have to start walking 25 miles into a 62 mile race.

Greg Bell, Derek McChurch and Myself won the
GBM Corporate challenge again this year!

I finished up the week with 12 – 16 mile easy runs and a 15:30 5k (5/5). Even though my race pace for the tough 100k will range between 6:50 and 8:00 minute miles I feel it is still important to train the high end speed.

The lower legs are holding up well and I feel like all of the races have really added a spring back into my stride. I’m just glad to be racing again pain free!

40 Mile Training Run



Sunrise 5 miles into the run.

40 mile training run in preparation for the Wilder 100k.

Tony Joined me 15 miles into the run. His shirt reads:
"follow me for a good time"

Brian joined us around mile 25.

31 miles in. Uncharted territory.



40 miles and an award better than a finishers medal:
Breakfast pizza!



Old shoes

When to replace shoes? I have about a dozen shoes sitting around the house and I feel that I’m good about saying “good bye” to old shoes.

I just received an email today from Saucony to order new shoes because it’s been more than 6 month since I ordered from their website. Along with the email I received a discount code for savings on shoes. (Great marketing idea; if you would also like deals from Saucony sign up at the bottom of their home page: http://www.saucony.com/store/SiteController/saucony/home)

But this email got me thinking about replacing shoes. I have a hard time giving up shoes. I’ve worn one pair of Kinvara’s for over 900 miles. Other times after 600-700 miles I can feel my lower legs becoming extra sore. Shoe companies recommend 300-400 miles sometimes less if the shoes become old as the materials just break down over time. There are a lot of factors that can shorten the life span.
· Runners Weight
· Pronation
· Heel strike vs. Forefoot/Midfoot
· Shoe materials
· Personal Preference
When I say personal preference I mean some people enjoy a fresh cushioned feel, others like a broke in feel and basically want something to protect their foot from hazards on the ground. I’ve read stories of people using a shoe for 2000 miles, they were able to put the left shoe on the right foot and the right shoe on the left foot after 1000 miles. That is very extreme but at the other end of the spectrum is only wearing the shoes for 100 - 200 miles which may seem like a waste, but these people may only run 10 miles a week at a 15 minute miles and really beat up the shoes or a person may shuffle and drag their feet. So after 6 months the cushioning is distorted or the outsole could be worn-out in spots. This is also true for minimalist racing flats that have minimal midsole and outsole and the upper may fall apart after only a season of racing.
So when is the best time to replace your shoes? I suggest before your feet and legs become additionally sore. The first signs for me are sore shins or the balls of my feet. A sore foot or shins doesn’t always mean it’s time to replace your shoes. If you ran a hard workout or increased you’re miles recently it may just mean you need to recover. But if it seems like you are not recovering and your training has been consistent then it may be time to look at your shoes.

Other signs to look for when you shoes may be worn out:
Outsole worn through:

Midsole noticeably compressed more on one side of the shoe:

Holes in the upper fabric:

Saucony Summer/Fall 2012 Videos posted

This is the best site for videos and news on the lastest running gear!

Saucony Summer/Fall 2012:

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/sneakpeek.html?ccode=SAUFA12&video=SAUFA1201

I'm excited about the Kinvara 3, Kinvara Trail and the Ride 5. Since I've been struggling with shin splints I think I may need a little more cushioning and support; Or maybe I should replace my shoe more often than 800-900 miles.

The Hattori LC with laces looks sharp... I have a weakness for bright colored shoes.