Why I run ultras

I read a blog entry called Confessions of a Running Addict. (Thanks, Bob.) An excerpt asks: "Why do I run? More’s the question, what if I didn’t?"

That's always a great question. For me, it's almost always about meditation and relaxation and getting in touch with my "real" life. A research buddy of mine recently asked me a similar question about why I run ultras. He wanted some quotes for a presentation he was giving at the Mid-Atlantic ACSM conference. I decided to go with a little slant in my answer because it's sometimes easier for me to answer the question: Why not run ultras? Here's the actual slide from the presentation. The photo is of my friend Dave at mile 120 of the 2006 Badwater 135-mile Ultramarathon. He arrived at the time station beaten down from the desert and her unforgiving ways and moments later, he pulled from the strength of many around him there, he grabbed his own bootstraps, peeled himself out of the chair, and said to his crew: "Let's go up the mountain. I want you all to cross the finish line with me together!" And he took off... and he climbed the last 13 miles (which rises up nearly a vertical mile!) to the Mount Whitney portal and finish line in 3 hours and 40 minutes.




Now, look at Dave's finish line photos. The answer to the question of why is there.

on war and peace...

Heat wave

I met Dennis and Gunhild at 8 am and we decided to run the Hangman Valley loop, a 13.3 mile loop on the roads with many very long hills and a couple of steep ones. I still have a viral cold that's been hanging on for over 2 weeks now, so I wanted to sleep this morning. However, I wanted more to run with friends for a change. I've missed the laughs that accompany our runs with Dennis.

It was 26 degrees F at the start of our run and 28 degrees when we finished 2 hours and 13 minutes later. 83% relative humidity and 5 mph winds. We ran 13.34 miles with 2,564 feet of total elevation change. I know all these details only because Gunhild is the master of GPS data. She even sent me this awesome map and details of the run!

I was a little slow on the uphills but I was able to hang on the flats and downhills. It was the first day in many where the sun came out. It was very bright and the snow glistened in the rays. It felt like a heat wave. The views of the palouse were outstanding.

The last mile my right hip flexor started to tweak so I slowed the pace, shortened my stride, and walked a bit. I had a massage later in the afternoon and by that time, I had no more hip flexor pain. I will be cautious tomorrow. I will run alone so that I can run to the beat of my own drummer this time.

What a fabulous run we had.

US Figure Skating Campionships - Spokane, WA

Spokane has the privelege of hosting the 2007 US Figure Skating Championships, and I had the honor of attending tonight. Tonight was the Senior Women's Competition and I was WOW'd! It was a fabulous show! There was so much talent, glitter and glam. These girls are fabulous.



17-year-old Kimmie Meissner won tonight. She was stunning in her poise and strength, making her triples look so easy. How she gets herself so high in the air - never mind landing on one thin blade - I cannot comprehend. My favorite performer was Emily Hughes who took 3rd place. It was her attitude that swept me away. She exuded joy and passion and the true grit of a winner.

And the little girls who swept the ice after each competitor, picking up the gifts that were thrown onto the ice, were just the cutest little things!



What a nice night we had!

Coach says run for 3 hours...

...so I did.

I didn't stop to think about how cold it was or that the roads were covered in unplowed snow or that I hadn't run for 3 hours straight since the Las Vegas Marathon on December 10th. I just did it. And THAT'S the benefit of having a coach!

I hired Lisa Smith-Batchen this weekend. After talking with her and explaining my goals and hearing her take on how she likes to coach, I knew it'd be a good thing. Accountability and needing to "make time" are my biggest reasons for getting some help with getting back to ultrarunning shape. I'm very happy with my decision.

And I'm very happy that she "made" me run for 3 hours - despite the cold. I would've wimped out if it were just me telling me to do it.



So, I bundled up appropriately and threw on my new UD Wink hydration system and ran the rolling roads. At times the snow was so high there was no way I could run; it was hard even to walk. All the uneven footing challenged my ankle and it was a little sore when I finished. The Wink is incredible. It's a perfect fit: no bounce, no uncomfortable straps, no slipping off my shoulders, the right amount of storage space. This is a great pack for a petite runner!



My legs feel fine now. That's the benefit of slowing down, which Lisa also instructed me to do. Maybe too it was the post-run sauna session that helped. In any case, I've got the Death Valley Trail Marathon in 2 weeks so now's not the time to trash my body. The 3-hour run was perfect.

Then to top off a great day, David and I met Keith and Allison who are friends of ours from Chicago for dinner. Keith and Ali moved from Chicago to Seattle before we moved from Chicago to Spokane. We've met periodically over the years at races in Washington and also at Western States. My very first Western States I ran with Keith up Squaw to the peak all the way to Cougar Rock. This past August they (with their 20-month old daughter) moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, so now they are even closer. It was very nice to meet Kelly, the youngin', and to see Keith and Ali again. They are great people. We talked about some local races and how we all need to start RUNNING them!

Another weekend down. Back to work in the AM.

Holter monitor & SNOW

I've had some heart palpitations off and on in the past few months. Nothing that worried me. PVC's are common. Then, when we were in Houston, I got 'em bad, about 2 hours worth. My heart would rumble around arhythmically in my chest and then would skip a beat at my wrist. PAC's, as far as I could tell without putting a stethoscope to my chest. It was very uncomfortable. Weird thing is, it usually occurs at rest, not with activity. Therefore, it's not ischemia, just some arhythmia. Due to overtraining? That certainly ain't so! Due to caffeine? Well, I've always been a morning coffee drinker and I did drink 12 ounces of tea the night it happened. I thought it was decaf but perhaps it was caffeinated instead.

It freaked me out enough that I got a Holter monitor, a 24 hour heart monitor that records rhythm. The cardiac tech applied the leads to my chest on Friday at 4:30 pm and I was to keep the leads dry for 24 hours. Yes, it was ok to run and sweat but not too much. I was given a mesh "hose" to wear over my chest to keep the leads in place while running. Sorry, no pictures of that! The small receiver was worn like a big pager, clipped to my pant waist and the miles of wires were tucked into my pants.



There were a couple of times when I pressed the button, which marks the rhythm strip for the cardiologist's interpretation. But nothing at all like I felt that night in Houston. This morning, I ran 5 quick (for me) miles on the treadmill and felt nothing but great during the run (other than the fact that I am still getting over a nasty cold I caught on the plane last weekend). My 24 hours were up at 4:30 pm today, so I finally got to shower! I look forward to hearing the cardiologist's interpretation of the results, though I have a feeling there may not have been any episodes caught during these past 24 hours. Hmm. I am also going to get my thyroid tested. Stay tuned...

And boy oh boy did it ever SNOW last night! We awoke to a fresh 6 inches on the ground. We hardly ever have need for a snow blower, but poor David wished he had one this morning for the driveway!



The dogs LOVED romping through the fluffy white stuff, and even my snow-tired car struggled up the slight hill by the house. This afternoon, while out and about, I stopped to get out of my car to help push the car of an elderly lady over an ice patch in the road.



It seems we are finally over our deep freeze and now...SNOW! It's supposed to warm up over the next week, so it's all going to turn to slush.

It's only the middle of January!

Oh spring, SPRING, please come early this year!