H.U.R.T. 100

Although my birthday is at least 4 months away, I have been secretly wishing for a specific present.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to inflict pain on oneself as a birthday treat?

Well, I got my wish. It arrived last night…

H.U.R.T. 100

Now to stay healthy till then.

Hawaii, here I come!

Headlands Hundred 2009

So, I didn’t burn my shoes, nor did I get real fat (maybe a little) and fall off the edge of the Earth. Instead, I was am foolhardy enough to sign up for a 100 mile run, the Headlands Hundred.

100 miles = approx 160 km = approx 3.8 marathons

They say there is a fine line between stupidity and courage. I must have leaned way over to the dark side and lost my balance. Sure, people sign up for races 10 days before race day, no big deal. To sign up well knowing that this lazy piece of s*** of a body has been slacking since the Miwok 100k in May? Not wise.

Hence, when them legs surrendered at the beating after 65 miles, I had to suck it up quietly and turn to the brain for help. Don’t they say it is all mental? However, when the brain shut down at mile 90, you know you are in trouble. Mental? Yes, you TURN mental, I was there (to spare myself the embarrassment, I shall not describe anything in details here, I shall resign to reliving it through my nightmares).

Take a step, will you? Take another. Yes, that’s the way. Good job! Step by step, little baby steps. Now, let’s try a little shuffle, just a little. Left, right, left, right… that’s the way! (Then BAM!) ENOUGH! No more running, from now on, walking is all we are doing. Alright, whatever you wish, as long as we keep moving.

I had that conversation played in my head over and over throughout the last 25 miles. I thought I had gone mad.

At the finish, this explains it all…

Despite venturing to the deepest gorge of my lows, there was plenty I ought to be thankful for.

Getting to know myself better. When have I ever spent 29h+ with me and myself? Talking exclusively and providing undivided attention and pain to?

A fabulous first 65 miles because I now finally understand what runner’s high is. Unfortunately, I had to learn it the hard way, realising what it was only after it had worn off… Ouch.

You can still sense the runner’s high at mile 50

No stomach issues during the run. I have heard terrible stories of runners not being able to keep food down, puking every few miles and running out of energy. This snobbish stomach took in none of the things I had packed in the drop bags (goldfish crackers, bagels and dried fruits) and selectively went for Theresa’s delicious quesadillas, and the greasy pizzas. Oh, and only margarita flavored clif bloc would please. In the bottle? Lots of ice!!!

4 pathetic blisters to which the biggest had my friend condescendingly snot,” SO TINY!” I was pretty sure something would rub too much in the shoes over such a long time, I could only trust the hydropel and injinjis. Those, in addition to my faithful feet, saved me from pain I could hardly imagine.

Trusty La Sportiva Fireblade. They have always been second to the Wildcat when it comes to going the distance, NOT ANYMORE. Everyone, I am a believer now. Give me them Fireblade! Anytime.

Running skirt. No way am I going back to shorts. What else should I add to my black, blue, green, pink and white collection?

A finish. Nothing worth cheering about but I FINISHED despite being severly un under-trained. What more can I ask for?

What have I learnt?

Put sunblock on the scalp (?). How? I don’t know? Yes, for the first time, I wore a visor and am now left terribly sore right on top.

Slap on a tonne of lub on the back and sides. I am so chafed it looks like rope burn… Not very pretty.

Despite being ravenous at the finish, watch what you put into that mouth, make sure it is not bad or… you would spend the next few days not being able to put anything else in, blah!

Train. Not that it would have reduced the torment, but at least I would have a reason to kick myself when the brain wanted to stop the legs from moving. You are trained b******, GET MOVING! would be my pick up line.

Would I do another one?

If you had asked me anytime between mile 75 to the finish through the couple of days after, it would have been a resounding NO. It was so disgusting I had to turn away when I saw a jogger on the road on my way home. Yikes!

*blush*

Well, it has since been 5 days and sleeping till the sun hung high really helped me regroup.

So, once the swelling on the self-diagnosed anterior tibial tendonitis goes down (fingers crossed), I should be good to go for my next adventure, Plain.

Wish me luck!

Trying not to keel over but I DID IT!

the road to getting fat is paved with salty chips

with the rain gone, it almost feels like it is time to move on post miwok. perhaps this reflection would close the chapter.

looking back, the desire was to “burn my shoes and get fat” should i complete the miwok 100k. now that i actually have, am i fulfilling my promise?

them shoes i have not burned. they were in bad enough shape with mud plastered stubbornly all round. it is fortunate that i find myself to be more of a mule than the mud and have since gotten most of it off. the wildcats are no longer a perfect white but i still adore them.

the pair of injinji-s i dumped. visualise soaked, dark brown, funky smelling toe socks, all 10 toes staring back at you… yes, despite being cheap (i wear stuff till they rot) and nostalgic (they were one of the 5 pairs marching the gobi desert with me), i have decided to rest them in peace. they have served me more than well.

as for getting fat, i must have contracted the “aid station syndrome”. all i was craving for were chips, salty, fatty, unhealthy chips. i have gone through 3 big packs since saturday. yes, fat, i am getting there indeed.

blisters. surviving the gobi march without blisters really pissed some people off. i am really blessed to have accomodating feet. when it got so wet during miwok, i began to wonder if it was foolish to have abandoned the hydropel route. amazingly, a 100k without any liquid filled sacs. thank you feet.

them rubbing went to my rib cage though. being soaked to the skin, the sports bra chafed its way around my rib cage. ouch ouch ouch in the shower i went, it was the most painful thing of the race. this is a first so now i will remember to lube the hot spots or maybe i should just dump the top.

recovery. after finishing feeling really strong on saturday, i could and actually had time to head out on my legs to dinner. sure they were tightening and heavy but hey, i did just run 100k of ups and downs, it was reasonable to be moaning here and there. got up at a pretty decent time sunday morning and found them legs still moving. took the day off from any form of fat burning activity and only began swimming on monday then tuesday.

finally, it was time to feel them legs up. and feeling good they were! it was bizarre! 5 miles along the streets of san francisco they went, starting and stopping to lights, left and right, on and off pavement, throw in russian hill on lombard street TWICE for good measure. oh yeah, them babies are a-ok. alright, the hamstrings did feel tight but i am more than satisfied at how they are recovering.

i will give myself a few more days to ride the euphoria. then, as i have said earlier, it is time to move on.

more chips?

miwok 100k

it is ironic that the longest and toughest race to date in my life was preceded by some trying weeks. for a while, i was actually having thoughts of simply not turning up, totally giving up on a race that had consumed the first 4 months of my 2009.

i am glad i did it. it turned out to be my best race ever.

with cumulative gains of over 10000ft, it was never intended to be an easy course. on top of that, the weather this year didnt quite cooperate. aptly expressed by a friend from bc, it felt like he had travelled all this way to sunny california only to find himself back running on the trails of north vancouver.

the whole race was run in fog that intimately engulfed, rain that skin-soaked, mud that sucked and caked, wind that howled. there came a point when i seriously thought i was close to hypothemia with my knee knacker tee stuck to my skin. i must have looked pathetic until a fellow runner generously gave me his windbreaker (he was using a trash bag). fortunately for me, an angel appeared with my windbreaker and a dry tee at the next aid station.

there was no stomach upset and no pain from the usual suspects. i remember great times spent blasting downhills, consistent pace on the flats and focused hikes uphills. time flies by when you feel strong.

honestly, getting back to the finish before sundown had always been the goal. hence, it still has not sunk in that i had done it in 12:31h.

12:31h??!!

anyway, if you prefer a better write up about the race: miwok

this is it

let’s do it!

week 4: whole lot of nothing

recovery went really well although i can still totally feel the ankle, especially post run and when i walk.

what was not so great was my laptop. although i didnt remember running with it on the 50mile race, it responded like it did. guess it was time to say goodbye to vista and hello xp.

run: 27miles

post post-race random-ness

i am still amazed at how good i am feeling.

half expecting to fall asleep last night and not get up till noon today, i had gotten up weird early. actually walked ‘normally’ to the financial district for breakfast with nik before heading back for an easy short swim.

expecting to slog breathlessly in the pool like i did post-way-too-cool, the swim turned out to be effortless.

the swelling is still there but somehow it feels better.

wait a minute, is it my morning cocktail of 800mg ibuprofen talking?

well then, may i have 800 more?

*before i forget, i realise i did not kick my ankles a single time on the race! you know how sometimes your one heel kicks the other while running? that ‘ouch’ bruise when you shower after? well, i wore my wildcats and my ankles are still in tact! in fact, the wildcat performed super both on pavements and trails. come to think of it, this was my second time wearing them, and in a 50miler. the first was a 15mile. unbelievable!*

post AR50

amazingly, i feel better than post way too cool 50k about 3 weeks ago.

everything is considered ‘normal’ (i did run a 50miler!) except the swell on the left ankle. i will continue to ice, elevate and ibuprofen to get it better.

a massage or more should make the tightness all round go away.

i hate to admit this but the way to miwok has just gotten hazy now. let’s hope this last month is sufficient for recuperation.

week 5: AR50

this week marks the longest mileage on the road trails to miwok 100. nothing exciting throughout the week till sat, where i ran the american river 50mile endurance run.

it must be the after shock of having gotten into the 100k that led me to sign up for this event, for i would not have if i had read the course description carefully. sure, the idea of running 50miles from sacramento to auburn appealed, no loops to fry the brains or drive me crazy BUT more than half the course was on paved bikeways/roads… and unfortunately for me, running a race on the roads is not exactly what i call thrilling.

HOWEVER, it was the perfect setting for a training race. nothing simulates tired legs and an exhausted brain (from trying not to go nuts on the roads) better than pounding your legs over and over out there for hours on the flats before hitting the trails. furthermore, the well run, well spaced aid stations gave me the luxury of relying entirely on support, something i am doing for the first time. did i also mention that having already paid some $$$ for the race kind of coerced me into running for an extended period of time?

before i relate the race, let me introduce a new found pre-race routine. having adopted the philosophy that sleeping, eating and drinking well the week before is far more important than the immediate day/night before has brought me joy. no more worrying about pre-race insomnia because i have accumulated enough rest, going crazy wondering what to eat the night before just to make sure i have reserves, or bloating myself excessively in an attempt to make the body hydrated overnight. here it is:

now to the race proper. the whole race skirts the american river from sacramento to auburn with the first 27miles run on a paved bike path. all 650 eager participants were flagged off at 6am in the dark. i had my run partner (the leopard) for company, we were both doing our first 50miler.

the plan was to run an easy 10+min/mi before hitting the trails, eating and drinking lots along the way. unfortunately for the both of us, her race turned into an ar18 and mine a long lonely first half. she had invited another friend (the zebra) to pace her from mile 27 but the zebra eventually became the force behind my second half of the run.

for the first time, i ate from the aid stations. i had wanted to make this a gel-free race. during the first half, my diet consisted of peanut butter jelly sandwiches and potatoes. the idea was to eat as much as i could before the tummy turned on me. it must have worked for i began to wonder if i was eating too much.

to keep myself motivated on the monotonous bike path, i set a goal to run as much of the 27miles as possible. alright, i stopped at the aid stations to pick up food but that was it. i had never “run” continuously for so long in my entire life!

the only other thing on my mind was the niggling on the front of the left ankle. i would never have expected it to be THE main thought throughout the race.

at mile 27, i found out about the leopard’s heroic battle with her knee and was glad she was smiling (there would be another 50mile pal). i gladly accepted the cheerful zebra’s kind offer to ‘pace’ not knowing what to expect as it was another first for me, having never run ‘with’ anyone in a race.  it turned out to be an awesome experience.

man, another 23miles to go…

i dare say she was the one who got me my sub-10 finish. without her, i would probably have walked much more in the last half of the race. thanks barbie zebra!

come 5h, my digestive system began rebelling, refusing to dispel the erm… gas (too much information but hey this is ultrarunning!). for a good part of the last 4h, i was trotting along feeling like i would get hernia from bouncing-bloated-intestines (does hernia happen that way?). hence, a change in food choices at the aid stations, turning my attention to fruits. oranges, melons and pretzels never tasted better.

the pain from the ankle was radiating upwards and i had to point my toes frequently to ‘pop’ the pressure.

mile by mile, i counted down to the aid stations towards the finish. as the mileage on the watch counted up, i was treading between celebration and dread. i willed the mind to celebrate while the evil in me kept reminding me the long ways to go, mind acrobatics. ladies and gentlemen, this is why i run. not because i love running, i am not even close to liking it. the purpose of me running is to hear the dissociations within my brain, that i so savor.

the hips began tightening at mile 40, now that was entirely new.

the last 3miles of the course was on this big hill which i walked lots on. i had a good mind to walk to the finish until… this 74 year young man reminded me i had to get going if a sub-10 was my goal. grrrr… run the ribbons fool, run it! so i began this ribbon to ribbon ’shuffling’ till somewhere before the 1mile marker that i spotted a blue form: nik. if nik could walk there to wait, the finish must be near! i kept shuffling.

indeed, it was close (but never say that to anyone running a race). it was the longest mile ever.

up a last hill (gasping for air) and yes! the cones leading to the finishing chute were in sight! somehow, i managed to gather all the remaining morsels of peanut-butter-jelly-potato-pretzel-orange-melon in the body and ran for it. i could actually still run! the ankle was hurting, the guts were bruised, the lungs were searing but i made it!

9:53h

the last time i was this overwhelmed with the oh-my-gosh-i-cannot-breathe was during my first ever sprint triathlon in 2006…

IT FELT GREAT!

run: 60miles

april’s fool

i can hardly believe that we have arrived at the second quarter of 2009. wasnt it yesterday when we filled the u-haul truck with all our possesions and rolled our way down from bc? wow, has it been 6 months in san francisco already?

the only consistent thing in life is change

embrace it, you obstinate fool!