Masters Running

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Tale of Two shoes - public message to Coach Coastwalker about my 29 mile DNF on rocky Mt. Si 50-miler (Read 341 times)


MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803

    Dear Coach Jay, A. walking/walking/walking Thanks for the advice in the prior topic on applying your racewalking form to taking walk breaks in regular running events. In particular, after seeing so many event photos showing my arms crossing way in front and trying various countermeasures, the idea of reaching out to grasp a tug-of-war rope and pulling back to the torso was a big help in keeping my arms to the side not only when walking but also in the running part. I started with the early start in the quiet darkness at 5:10 am with a Marathon Maniac friend who’d done Mt. Si last year, viginfresca and her DH and a Japanese runner. By the time I saw them on the out-and-back at their mile 11 (my nine), francesca was an experienced ultra-goddesses leading the way. I don’t care about DNF’s at all anymore as it’s all good exercise I wouldn’t otherwise get but I did regret not getting to see her still running strong eight hours later late in the afternoon too. Otherwise, my run went so well for the first couple of hours that, based on the 5:1 run/walk ratio in my first barefoot 50K two weeks ago, I could hardly wait for the one minute of walking I had planned for every four minutes of running in these 50 miles. Only glitch was having to disregard all the event’s directional signs commanding “run” just when I wanted to walk. However, who would have thought that swinging arms back and forth could be so tiring but, after three hours of steady progress right on schedule to finish in the 12 hour time limit, I was alternating one-armed swing walk breaks to give the other arm a rest. B. tale of two shoes Unfortunately, even though the route was mostly on the same rails-to-trails venue of my first 100K last fall, miles and miles of newly spread out (and even steamrolled in with asphalt) man-made, sharp crushed rocks began to hurt right through the soles of the yellow/blue Swedish aquasock beach shoes I was wearing for protection. By mile 20, the soles of my feet were starting to burn like hot asphalt as my knees would buckle and fail on some of the larger stones with every stride of my feet like a blow. The trail was bad and I felt half mad but the dewy grass along the Mt. Si Golf Course Driving Range was blessed relief and I didn’t care if any of the drives hit me or not. I tried to think about position and style while peering into sunny glens in the wayside forest becoming more-and-more enticing as a sweet refuge from the ruthless rocks now tenderizing my burning soles. Pretty soon walking wasn’t any relief at all but on I went though my soles were spent and I prayed for a swift release. The last hour was all nearly walking along the endless trail until I found myself at the mile 29 drop bag post. Mr. Thighs and Calves wanted to keep going but, with arms hanging and toasted feet barely shuffling anymore, even my brain was saying to stop, to stop, so I turned in my number and got a sag wagon ride back to the start at Snoqualmie Elementary School and a refreshing ice bath provided by one of the Marathon Maniacs, . . . though I think my feet melted all the ice! In hindsight, I should have worn the sturdy-soled Merrell Bahria thongs that served so well in last year’s 20th Century 100K (which concluded on exactly the same last miles as Mt. Si and which were also fine in the last two years' more mountainous 50-milers at White River). Unfortunately, for some reason, the Merrells had produced my first blister since 1998 when I wore them for protection in 15 chip-seal miles in my test walk of last week’s Yakima River Canyon Marathon. However, even another blister would have been better than soles on fire and I’ll be wearing the Merrells again for sure in next month’s 20th Century. . . . . . . shoes: left is right, right was wrong . . . . . Thanks again. - your new walking buddy ps - though seeking as much exercise a possible in my weekend running over the years has had me eschew any walking at all as much as possible, I’ve always admired the rare race walkers out here for their intensity and perfection of style, . . . especially now that I’ve found out I can’t even swing my arms correctly. Smile I don’t think I’ll ever be coordinated enough for the race walking you do but I hope to continue to keep learning as many tips as possible from your experience for the regular walking that I’ve finally learned is necessary - and okay - to make ultras a part of my reqular weekend fitness events too. As a start, though I’ve always avoided anything having to do with training, I can hardly wait to read each and every word in the narf/mcgovern references you cited and read as much as possible about your upcoming exploits. Do you have race-walking blog? In this regard, however, I always figured race walking was just an odd alternative to the boredom of running in the first place, kind of like my barefoot running started. How did yours begin? Incidently, as a weekend fitness runner, even a DNF is good exercise but this was only the fourth one in 30-plus years of marathons. However, in few of them, DNF or not, have I ever learned so much. Thank you for giving a new life blood to my running.

    "Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)

      Um...I don't know if anyone's told you this, Tet, but 50 miles is really FAR!!!! Shocked So, I'm having a hard time thinking of 29 miles as a DNF, regardless. I don't know if anyone's told you this either, but you're a crazy man! Tongue I'm in awe my friend. Which is how you usually leave me.
      "I think I can, I think I can..."


      GreenMan

        Well that sounded pretty tough. But you're smiling in the picture. Big grin Flying Finn turned me on to Five Fingers. http://www.j600.com/nike-air-rift/nike-trainers/vibram-fivefingers-classic-barefoot-running-shoe-violet.htm I'm taking them for a first ever spin tomorrow. Things could change for me. jjj
        Iron Mt. Trail Runners blogsite .... JJJessee blogsite ....Spring is here. Go outside and play.


        MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803

          jjj - great! check out www.barefootted.com. He's planning on running the Leadville 100 miler in them in August. Let us know how they do on those rocky eastern trails.

          "Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)

          coastwalker


            Hi Tetsujin, Congratulations on going 29 miles in such trying conditions! I don't think I could make it that far in the best of circumstances. As Lil' E said, 50 miles is really far, and so is 29 for most of us mere mortals. I winced when I read what it was like to go on the crushed rocks, even with the aquasocks. I can only imagine how wonderful the dewy grass near the golf course must have felt after that! It sounds like steel-toed, hard leather shoes would have been more appropriate for the crush rocks, even more so than the Merrell's! I'm hard pressed to figure out why your arms should be getting so tired from your arm swings. Arm swings are natural to runners and walkers, and all you are doing is adding some focus and a little zest to the pull-back. I wonder if you are working it too hard, or if you are (perhaps without knowing it) tensing up your shoulders and upper arms? Stay as relaxed as you can, and see what happens if you back off the intensity of the arm swings. My arms are usually just a little more fatigued from racewalking than running because the arm swing is a bit more aggressive, but it isn't horrible, and I get over it a minute or so after I stop. Then again, I'm not going 29 miles...! I can't imagine what it will be like to try to walk fast in sandals, but I can't imagine running in them either, so what do I know? So you'll give it a go, and decide if it works for you. I'd love to try racewalking barefoot, but my feet are such a mess (structurally), that I'm afraid of doing more damage to them. So I wear the lightest, most flexible shoes I can get away with. Sorry, no racewalking blog. I was tempted to start one a while ago, but I didn't know if I'd only be talking to myself, or if I'd have any time to devote to managing it if anyone else dropped by. But I've been temped in recent days, thanks to you, to write a "Racewalking 101" post for this forum to see if it is of interest and/or helpful to anyone. Maybe next week I'll be able to find some time to work on that. Briefly, I started walking when the bunion on my foot became too painful to allow me to run. I could walk painlessly, so I did, rather than do nothing. Then I saw that Dave McGovern was holding a racewalking clinic in Cambridge, MA (an hour or so away), and signed up. I subsequently had my foot operated on, but was fairly well hooked on racewalking at that point. Also, my other foot is still bunioned, and I want to avoid having that one operated on, if I can. Racewalking, because of the dramatically-reduced impact on the feet with every footstrike, should help forestall the need for that operation, if not helping me avoid it all together. Let me know if there is anything more I can do to be helpful. Meanwhile, thanks for the detailed RR, congratulations on going 29 miles in such difficult conditions - you and the other ultra folks leave me in awe too. Thanks also for the photos that illustrated your RR - I laughed at the ice bath shot!! Jay

            Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

            arf


            MM #405

              {{{ ultra-buddy's poor burning feet }}} Sad I think you were smart to stop at 29 jon...now that I see the road conditions, I don't know how you even made it that far. Congrats on a gruelling training run ...can't wait to see you Sunday, irisharf Smile
              Mariposai


                Love the report, love the pictures (specially the one on the ice bucket) and love the insanity of you ultra runners. It seems like you had a blast, that you learned a tons from your "outing" and I am sure you are already scheming your next one. You are such an inspiration to me my friend.

                "Champions are everywhereall you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard

                Franc59


                Half Fanatic #36

                  Jon, Having experienced what a few of those rocks, that ended up in my shoes and socks, did to my feet, I can only imagine what yours went through on the trail at Mt. SI!!! Coraggiosissimo for hanging in there for so long!!!! Great pictures, the one with the blue tub is a keeper! I'm counting on our finish line pictures at the 20 Century 100K!!! Francesca
                    It is always hard to believe what you endured when I see your smiling face in one of the photos. You really need someone to take a picture when you step on a really nasty scalpel of a rock. Then it might be more believable to me that you actually ran 29 miles on that crushed rock surface in those Swedish socks. Your incredulous fan, enke.

                    "During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."

                      The picture at the end - the best! You look so dang happy despite the pain; though I suspect the ice bath was numbing it quite nicely. I love reading your reports and comments. My first ultra is in May, and I've been pondering the run/walk ratio as I know I can't run the entire 50k. I'll be working on a run 5 min/walk 1 min during my training runs over the next couple of weeks to see how it works out. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

                      Leslie
                      Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
                      -------------

                      Trail Runner Nation

                      Sally McCrae-Choose Strong

                      Bare Performance

                       

                        congratulations on making it thru 29 grueling miles in tough race conditions!! you are amazing!! and the fact that you're smiling in that picture puts you way high on my admiration list!!

                        denise

                          Jon, That was a great read and sorry you had to stop at 29 but you did the smart thing. Years of experience. A rookie like me would have fried his whole year. Congrats Tall

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                            {{{Tetsujin's feet}}} You have courage and strength to walk 29 miles. I very much like your photos (especially the one of you in the bucket) Smile I used to racewalk but only for 1-mile and on a track. It's very difficult to keep the special form, especially with a referree on your case the whole way. I can't imagine doing something similar on a sharp rock trail for 29 miles. But you saw some very beautiful sights and had an adventure! Please take care of yourself.