Race Day Prep: Bridle Trails Winter Trail Festival

Today I'm running my first race of 2011, a 10-mile trail race, part of the Bridle Trails Winter Trail Running Festival. Because it has an afternoon start of 3pm, I figured I'd use my morning to go over some of the preparation I normally do before most races. Got additional tips or suggestions? Add a comment below.

Course Research

Even if I've run the race or course before, I make it a practice to  review the elevation profile and course description before a race. A little visualization of how you'll manage the course, goes a long way. While valuable for a road race, this information is particularly essential for any trail running, triathlon or adventure race  so you know important details about transitions, landmarks and terrain. These details are often included on the race's website or in the race director's pre-race email. Read up and bring a printed copy to re-review just before the start.

• Review elevation profile
• Bring print of course director's email

Clothing

The last thing you want to do before a race is to arrive at the start line with too little or too much clothing or the wrong gear. Gloveless hands can make your cyclocross race a excruciating experience on a cold and wet day. I quick look at the local weather and packing for the unexpected is important even if the sky looks clear.

My father gave me a great piece of advice he learned during his marathon days: Dress like it was 30° degrees warmer. This is because that's what it will likely feel like when you get into your stride.

While the sun looks bright in the sky today, the thermometer reads a chilly 38° I'm making sure I bring an extra thermal layer. Experience helps  with this this type of planning. I know I tend to run a little hotter than most runners. While my girlfriend is bringing running tights, I'll still be wearing Zoot 6'' running shorts with compression underwear built in. As soon as I start running my legs will warm up to the right temperature. For my top I'll pack a fleece for before the race and will pull it off at the start.

During the race I'll run with Nike synthetic running gloves, two long sleeve technical Brooks shirts and a Nike running cap. While not waterproof, the two layers on my top will provide enough insulation against the cold (once I start running) and won't weigh me down like a jacket would. On my feet I'll be wearing a pair of size 12 Brooks Cascadia 5 trail shoes.

• Running cap
• Light gloves (for short, low elevation races)
• Two running long-sleeve shirts
• Double-layer 6'' shorts (with compression underwear)
• Wicking socks
• Fleece top for before the race
• Change of clothes for after the race

Gear

On longer runs or races and depending on the course (out and back vs. point to point), I may bring a hand-held bottle or a Nathan Hydration Vest. Because today I'll only be running a 5.2 mile course twice, I'll go without a bottle and will rely on the aid stations for water and maybe a energy goo.

On my wrist I'll wear my Garmin 310xt GPS watch. It will give me distance, pace, and timing information during the race. Data isn't for everyone, but I've found that it helps to keep me informed when and how hard I can push myself during the race.

I will also bring along a point-and-shoot camera for snapping photos before an after the race. These events--from a 30,000+ marathon to an intimate trail race-- are always amazing spectacles worthy of a photo.

• Nathan Hydration Vest
• Nathan Hand-Held
• Digital Camera

Breakfast

My pre-race meal usually includes coffee (ok, ALWAYS includes), orange juice, a smoothie made with protein mix, milk, berries and yogurt and maybe some oatmeal or toast with spreadable cheese. I make sure I have this at least two hours before race time so my body can process it before I toe the start.

• Oatmeal
• Smoothie
• Coffee
• Toast

Music

While I almost never compete with an MP3 player, having tunes for the drive to the race or for just before you head to the start can be a great motivator. No matter if you're inclined towards Journey or Lil Wayne, beats can get you in the mood to perform.

• Headphones
• Ipod Shuffle

Other

What am I talking about here? Well, going to the bathroom. As far as race prep goes, this is one of the most important, particularly for early morning  events. Make sure you hit the john at least twice before the race. Don't count on having time or access to the toilet at the start or during the competition. Outside of forgetting your shoes before a race (or bike for a cycling event), this is probably the next most important thing to keep in mind.

• Toilet paper (just in case the porta-potty is out)
• Hand sanitizer bottle

Looking Back at 2010

With 2010 officially over, I logged into Garmin's Connect site to check out my stats from the past year. Since I consistently wear a GPS-enabled watch (I prefer the Forerunner 3010xt), my pace, distance, elevation gain/loss and speed were recorded over a year's worth of outings.

This is what my stats revealed:

Count:

164 Activities

Distance:

1,391.82 mi

Time:

242:47:06 h:m:s

Elevation Gain:

173,654 ft

Avg Speed:

5.7 mph

Calories:

178,623 C

So, over the course of 12 months, I tracked 164 "activities", meaning runs, walks, hikes and a few cycling outings. This includes 10 competitions, with distances ranging from 5k road races to 50 mile ultramarathons. Despite an ankle injury that kept me sidelined for a little over a month last spring, I was still able to put in a respectable average of 25 miles a week. As my stats reveal, I burned upwards of 178,000+ calories. Using the measure of 3,500 calories per pound of fat, this equates to burning 50 lbs of excess weight . Whoa!

I used to think that I wasn't built for running. This past year taught me how wrong I was. Everyone is capable of enjoying running, hiking or walking. You just need put on some comfortable clothing, lace on some quality shoes and put one foot in front of the next.

Best (and Worst) of 2010

Biggest Failure: Lost Lake 50K (May 8th)

My first ultramarathon (an ultra is any race beyond the 26.2 miles) and only third competition ever, Lost Lake 50k (really a 33 mile course)  was a tough trail race. I started off strong, but 14 miles into the race I rolled my right ankle while descending the root-bound trail, I re-injuring an old soccer injury. For the next 19 miles I hobbled up and down Chuckanut Mountain and made my way to the finish with the painfully slow time of 8:06 (that's eight hours)! While failing to place well in the rankings, I still had an amazing experience. Lost Lake got me hooked on racing and on trail ultras.

Longest Run: Carkeek 12-Hour Endurance Race - 51 miles (Oct. 30th)

This was my first attempt at a time-based event. Over the course of 11 hours I ran a 1.9 mile loop in Carkeek Park 26 times in pouring rain. With each loop of the rock and soil trail you gained and lost almost 400 feet of elevation. By the time I was done, I had racked up 8,800 feet of climbing along. This was my toughest day mentally. With my spirits low, I ended up quitting an hour short of the 6pm cutoff.

Fastest Mile: West Seattle Track Training (Aug. 24th)

Following a training run with a group organized by West Seattle Runner, I put in a respectable 5:23 minute mile at the West Seattle High School track. A good start for my first time running on a track.

Biggest Adventure: TIED! Ragnar Relay (Jul. 23-24th) & The Enchantments (Sept. 4th)

Both of these were epic experiences. Ragnar's Northwest Passage 186 mile relay was an amazing team run. Our 12-person team was divided into two groups of six. We began the relay in Blaine, WA, just short of the Canadian border and finished the race 26 1/2 hours later in Langley, WA.

An equally great experience, I joined up with two of my Ragnar teammates and my girlfriend and ran the Enchantment Lakes Wilderness Region loop trail. The 18.5 mile loop includes 5,000+ feet of elevation gain, ice, waterfalls, goats and some of the best scenery in Washington.

Adventures on the Enchantments Trail

Google "Running" and your search results will include thousands of photos of people pounding down city streets and jogging along county roads. However, this is only part of the joy of the sport. Beyond the manicured tracks and paved roads are miles of dusty, rocky and rooted trails calling your name. While you might not get a marathon PR on the steep ascents and rugged terrain, trail running guarantees an adventure.

And that's just what I got this past Saturday.

Waking at 2:30am, I met up with three friends and headed to Leavenworth to run the Enchantment Lakes Trail. This 20 mile loop includes over 5,000ft of elevation gain, technical descents and some of the prettiest sights in the Northwest.

Because the trail starts and ends at two different locations, we first parked a car at the Icicle Creek parking lot, then drove a second car around to the Colchuck Lake trailhead. The sun was now fully out. After a quick pre-run photo, our group took off on the 20 mile trail.

The first four miles of the trial included steep inclines, but the path was wide and easy to navigate. A total joy. We stopped for photos at a few stream crossings, and snapped some jumping shots when we got to Colchuck lake.

Running on trails is all about variety, with scenery and terrain changing by the moment.  The Enchantments delivered in every way.

As I carved up the trail, I used different parts of my feet, varying the strain on my muscles. The path continually changed between rock and soil, offering a refreshing break from the homogeneity of a paved road.

Six miles in, we walked and hiked Asgard Pass, a monstrous climb that reaches 7,700ft in just over a half mile. At the top, our group put on long sleeve shirts to fend off the cold alpine air. Pockets of snow clung to the sharp spires of rock around us. Goats were everywhere, the weather was perfect and the beauty of the upper Enchantment Lakes was unwavering.

Enchantments Lake Wilderness

After a few more photos and a quick snack, we took off again at a steady run. I was happy to be in such a beautiful place, but also looked forward to heading down to a lower (and warmer) elevation.

The hardest part of the trail run wasn't the climbing, but the descents. At around 14 miles, the trail narrows and weaves back and forth, adjacent to a stream that connects a chain of lakes. The roots and rocks make it impossible to run, while the steep descent and my momentum made slowing down even harder.

I stumbled a few times, but luckily never wiped out completely (or at least no one saw).

After a lunch break (and brief 5 minute nap) at Lower Snow Lake, our group finished the run down the hot and unending switchbacks by Icicle Creek.

In total, the run took us about 7 1/2 hours. It was an adventure capped with pizza and beer in Leavenworth. A perfect day. Details of our Enchantments run can be found here.

This was a long trail running adventure. If you have time, I highly suggest it. However, you can also enjoy shorter trail adventures at most parks including Carkeek, Discovery or Interlaken. Oh, and below is a video I made of Saturday's adventure. I hope you enjoy  it.

-Running for Coffee

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kju7r7JqAX0"]

Adventures on the Trail

Google "Running" and your search results will include thousands of photos of people pounding down city streets and jogging along county roads. However, this is only part of the joy of the sport. Beyond the manicured tracks and paved roads are miles of dusty, rocky and rooted trails calling your name. While you might not get a marathon PR on the steep ascents and rugged terrain, trail running guarantees an adventure.

And that's just what I got this past Saturday.

Waking at 2:30am, I met up with three friends and headed to Leavenworth to run the Enchantment Lakes Trail. This 20 mile loop includes over 5,000ft of elevation gain, technical descents and some of the prettiest sights in the Northwest.

Because the trail starts and ends at two different locations, we first parked a car at the Icicle Creek parking lot, then drove a second car around to the Colchuck Lake trailhead. The sun was now fully out. After a quick pre-run photo, our group took off on the 20 mile trail.

The first four miles of the trial included steep inclines, but the path was wide and easy to navigate. A total joy. We stopped for photos at a few stream crossings, and snapped some jumping shots when we got to Colchuck lake.

Running on trails is all about variety, with scenery and terrain changing by the moment.  The Enchantments delivered in every way.

As I carved up the trail, I used different parts of my feet, varying the strain on my muscles. The path continually changed between rock and soil, offering a refreshing break from the homogeneity of a paved road.

Six miles in, we walked and hiked Asgard Pass, a monstrous climb that reaches 7,700ft in just over a half mile. At the top, our group put on long sleeve shirts to fend off the cold alpine air. Pockets of snow clung to the sharp spires of rock around us. Goats were everywhere, the weather was perfect and the beauty of the upper Enchantment Lakes was unwavering.

Enchantments Lake Wilderness

After a few more photos and a quick snack, we took off again at a steady run. I was happy to be in such a beautiful place, but also looked forward to heading down to a lower (and warmer) elevation.

The hardest part of the trail run wasn't the climbing, but the descents. At around 14 miles, the trail narrows and weaves back and forth, adjacent to a stream that connects a chain of lakes. The roots and rocks make it impossible to run, while the steep descent and my momentum made slowing down even harder.

I stumbled a few times, but luckily never wiped out completely (or at least no one saw).

After a lunch break (and brief 5 minute nap) at Lower Snow Lake, our group finished the run down the hot and unending switchbacks by Icicle Creek.

In total, the run took us about 7 1/2 hours. It was an adventure capped with pizza and beer in Leavenworth. A perfect day. Details of our Enchantments run can be found here.

This was a long trail running adventure. If you have time, I highly suggest it. However, you can also enjoy shorter trail adventures at most parks including Carkeek, Discovery or Interlaken. Oh, and below is a video I made of Saturday's adventure. I hope you enjoy  it.

I'm Not An Athlete

I played two, terrible seasons of little league when I was in 3rd and 4th grade. My position was left outfield (or "left out" as my teammates reminded me).

All the youth helmets were too small for my oversized head, so I had to borrow a coach's helmet before meekly trudging out to the plate. I failed to hit the ball even once during any of my  dozens of at-bats.

The only play I was ever involved in was when a ball was hit into the air, struck me in the head while I attempted to catch it, and bounced into the glove of my teammate. See, I told you. I was just terrible.

Despite the bribe of a post-game soda with the team, I told my parents at the ripe old age of 10 that my career in baseball was over.

"I guess I'm just not an athlete" I thought.

And with that, I said farewell to the dream of gracing the front of a Wheaties box. Sports were just not for me.

It took me almost 15 years to realize that I was actually wrong about this.

Nope, I didn't start playing Little League as a guy in my 20s. What I realized was that we are all good at some type of sport or activity. I WAS an athlete, I just needed to find the right sport.

I first stumbled upon this realization when I took up weight lifting in my mid-20s and became pretty good at it. Later when I was introduced to hiking, and found I could trek for miles, my sore ego from playing "left out" didn't hurt so much. Now as a runner, I am a fully-converted evangelist for this philosophy.

Every person has a sport or activity that they can excel at. You just need to find it!

So, the kid  who never hit a single pitch in little league (me), just ran his second trail race yesterday, the 10 mile Grand Ridge Solstice Race organized by 4th Dimension Racing.

I took the race on a day's notice, and my body was still recovering from a fast and hard 6.3 mile run from the night before. Despite this, I put one foot in front of the other and pushed through 2,000+ ft of elevation gain.

To my surprise, I not only finished the race, but captured 5th out of 28 runners! This is the first time I've ever finished a race near the top! Despite the mud and tough descents, I felt amazing at the end of the race!

While I may live my whole without hitting a pitch thrown in baseball, I'm ok with that. I'll just keep running around in the woods, smiling and having fun.

As the familiar bumper sticker reads "Real athletes run, others just play games". For me, that sounds great.

Nipples, Nails and Everything Gross

"It's pretty bad...are you sure?"

I carefully pealed off the bandage and showed Holly my toe, exposing the place where my second largest toenail should have been.

"Wow, that... that just looks terrible" she said.

Holly was right. The toe, missing its nail, looked downright horrible--like an alien amongst four other normal brothers.

The toenail was destroyed on a recent trail race. The downhills had propelled my second longest toe into the front of my shoe. Stomp after stomp, the repeated blows crushed the nail into oblivion.

When I got home I discovered the damage and finished removing the nail. Yikes!

Luckily, and surprisingly, I had no pain. I just cleaned up my toe, smeared on some antibiotic cream, and covered the injured little piggie with a band-aid (and my toes were once so pretty. Oh well, C'est la vie).

I mentioning this to a few veteran runners and it turns out that this isn't that uncommon, especially if you have any toes (like mine) that are longer than your big one.

Below are a few tips I learned from caring for my missing toenails, so hopefully you won't have to encounter this gross side-effect of running too often.

While I'm at it, I might as well cover other gross stuff that comes up for runners.

So... if you're not easily grossed out, and haven't already bolted for another blog, read on...

Toe / Toenail Protection

What causes you to lose a toenail from running? It depends on a lot of things including how much you run, what type of running you do (flat/hills/trails) and your foot anatomy. You might be one of the lucky ones and never lose a toenail due to running. But for many, it's kinda just part of life, particularly if you're running longer distances and doing lots of steep trail work.

A few things can help mitigate this.

• First, make sure the mid-part of your shoes laces are tight enough to keep your foot seated in rear of the shoe. This reduces the likelihood that your toes crash into the front of your sneaker.
• Make sure you have the right shoe size. Some runners will run in a shoe that is a half or full size larger just to ensure their toes don't impact the front of the sneaker.
• Lastly, trim and care for your nails before you head to the track or trail. By keeping things trimmed, you'll be less likely to damage them on your next steep descent.

Skin Irritation

Sometimes on longer runs its the little things that get you. Your quads don't give out on you. Rather, you're defeated by the collar on your shirt rubbing your neck.  Over 10...20...or 30 miles the innocent looking shirt you put on transforms into an unrelenting menace.

By making sure your clothing doesn't move excessively and rub your neck, back or armpits, you can avoid a lot of discomfort. Don't test a new shirt fabric or shirt cut on your longer runs. Go instead with an old faithful.

Also helpful are skin anti-chafe balms like Body Glide. These types of balms, coupled with technical running shorts (the type with the underwear built in) can also help with fend off chafing on the inner thigh (luckily, no photos for this one).

blood on shirt

Chest Area (for men and women)

Yes, I'm talking about nipples. The  simple motion of a technical shirt (with sleeves) shifting back and forth across a man's nipples can draw blood and cripple even the strongest runner. I've seen runners finish marathons with streams of red covering the fronts of their technical shirts.

Not a fun sight to see and probably an even worse feeling to experience. Luckily, this can be avoided. I run almost exclusively in sleeveless shirts or singlets. This is because without sleeves, the shirt is less mobile on your chest. When you swing your arms, your shirt stays put.

Male runners who prefer to stay with sleeves can also cover their nipples with duct or medical tape, or for shorter runs (say, under 10 miles) can use vaseline to protect themselves.

What should women do?

Mo, a female runner recently told me that ladies should invest in a quality sports bra to help protect themselves. "Never go out without it. A quality bra offers great protection and support."

Sounds like great advice.