Eat good, Play hard, rub elbows = Live long

I haven't been feeling like running long lately. 3 to 5 mile runs have been just fine. The only long outings for me the last month were a 17 mile run two weeks ago and a 42 mile bike ride last weekend. I really enjoyed that bike ride. I rode with a few old friends. Old as in I've known them awhile but also old as in past middle age. All but two of the nine in our group were in our 50's. We still were spinning at about an 18 mph pace. Not bad for old guys. I was fortunate that it was their recovery ride.
This morning on a local TV station there was a interview with a local Doctor that I found very interesting. The Doc was talking about the places on earth where people live long, their habits, and how we too can live a long healthy life.
One thing he pointed out were that although we here in America live a long life as a whole, we also live the longest with disabilities. Interesting.
The habits he said were important and were those practiced by people who live long Healthy lives were, Have a purpose in life, enjoy time with family and friends, be part of a social group, be spiritual, alcohol in small amounts (he did point out that alcohol is not necessary though), and a good diet, ie; leafy greens, lean meat, healthy fats, and exercise RIGOROUSLY for at least 45 minutes three times a week! So I don't feel bad about my easy 6 mile trail run this morning. But I did throw in a few sprints in the middle miles just to make sure it was somewhat rigorous as the Doctor ordered.
One other thing the Doctor said that confirmed what I've tried to get across to many including a family member (which led to a heated discussion) was that genetics only account for about 20 percent of our overall health. The rest is what we eat and the lifestyle we choose. That reminds me of something I heard from another Doctor who believed the same thing. He was trying to explain that although we may be predisposed to certain illness through or genes, we can turn off those expressions by what we do with food. He said, "In biology, the first thing we learn is nothing acts on it's own"

Couldn't hang!

“What’s the matter? Can’t hang?”

Those were the words to me from one of three young ladies walking down the hill at Friedrich Park yesterday. 

“That’s right” I said. “Not today”

We all laughed.

 My friends Tom, Travis, and Lalo were running up the hill on their second hill repeat while I waited at the base.

I had arrived earlier and after a one mile warm up I ran up the hill only to feel very weak half way up. I kept wondering why I was feeling so lethargic. Last week I crushed this hill, running all the way up five times. I began to try and recall what I ate that Monday of last week. Was I not fueled properly today? I did not attempt another hill climb and just Ran a loop around the park and back to the hill anticipating my friends arrival.

Was it the 18 mile road run last Saturday? No, I rested yesterday. Or did I? The pain in my glutes and my legs feeling like cement reminded me. Sunday morning I worked out with weights concentrating on Squats, lunges, and dead lifts. That did it! I don’t do that often enough and when I do I go all out.

Speaking of fueling, I found this cool blog, or should I say it found me. Another runner at the North Fork 50 I ran last month contacted me requesting pictures. Turns out she’s a nutritionist. When I’m not reading about running, I’m reading about nutrition ( Some say too much).

Deb McInally is very interesting and shares very beneficial   information.

I like Deb’s quote in her profile, FOOD is FUEL. If you put crummy food into your body, you are going to get crummy results!

Todays workout;

4 mile power hike with short sprints after 4 sets of 10 Box jumps (actually on a rock) and three sets of 12 pushups thrown in.

Fueled by: a breakfast of steamed cremini mushrooms and tatuma squash with two eggs over easy cooked in coconut oil with onions and garlic.seasoned with turmeric.

For lunch, a raw salad of Iceberg lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, red onions, garlic, ginger, yellow and red bell pepper, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, almond chips, olives, celery, sharp cheddar cheese, topped with local extra virgin olive oil.

Post workout dinner, Tuna fish with celery, half an avocado,   two natural Bison franks .

And a couple of beers. Hey I'm not perfect!

Recovery

The day after running the North Fork 50, My friend Anthony asked if I'd like to go Jet skiing with him and his buddy at Chatsfield Lake in Littleton Colorado. "Are you Crazy! I can't walk without my leg muscles trembling."
I tagged along with him and his buddy Vince to the lake. As sore as my legs were, it took some real skill climbing up over the back of the jeep to hop into the back seat. I sat lakeside under a tree and people watched while drinking some "refrescos" as they rode the jet skis.
Back in San Antonio I ran two miles on the road four days later (Wednesday), four trail miles Thursday at the weekly group run in Eisenhower Park, two road miles with 12 pushups squeezed in every quarter mile Saturday, a 4 mile brisk walk with V on Sunday morning and four miles today with five hill repeats at Friedrich park with some of the gang. I was surprised I was able to run all the way up the steep hill 5 times.
This is definitely a result of the mountain running.
On the way to meet the gang today a truck comes up behind me honking. It was Anabel!  She pulled up beside me, we lowered our windows and talked at a red light.
As much as I enjoyed my trip and  running in the mountains, it is great being back on familiar trails with familiar faces. As John Denver wrote, "Hey it's good to be back home again." (even though Chris said he didn't miss our hot humid weather while he was hiking in New Mexico).

North Fork 50 mile trail run. June 30, 2012

The North Fork 50 in Pine Colorado is not the steepest or most rugged trail run but with 7200 feet of elevation gain it qualifies as a genuine mountain run. I texted my friend Brian that I was a bit concerned because I'd read a race report where a guy dropped at mile 31. And the weather man in Denver predicted very high temperatures for Saturday and to "limit your outdoor activities." Brian texted back, "you'll be OK." and "It's a good thing you're only doing a 50!"
 I arrived at the race very early. No one was there but me at 4:45 AM. The race start was at 7 but I wanted to make sure I arrived on time since I didn't get to attend the packet pickup/race briefing the day before. There was an option to take the 6 AM early start and I took it along with about 7 others. Soon I found myself running in front all alone. It was just what I've always wanted, to experience peace and solitude in the mountains. It just turned out that way and I loved it.
My nutrition plan was to start with two water bottles. One with carbo pro and the other with plain water, nuts, gels and whatever was provided at the aid stations. At the second aid station where my drop bag would be, I'd switch to my hydration pack. The one Rich lent me. The morning was cool but I warmed up quickly on the first accent at about mile one. The trails were much smoother than what I'm used to. The trails are well groomed compared to the loose rocky trails of the San Antonio area. I was able to get into a good power hiking rhythm climbing the ascents because of this. At times it felt a little spooky though. Running alone. There were some exposed burned out areas from a fire in the area years ago. And there were thick wooded areas where I imagined a bear may be lurking or a mountain lion may be roaming. I thought about pulling out my iPhone to see If I could get a signal and listen to pandora but the sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind, the flying Crackling yellow beetles, the chirping crickets, the lone hawk swirling above, and the ground squirrels and rabbits running around were all the music I needed. This and songs in my head would provide my entertainment for the first three hours of my run. Running alone the song "running down a dream" by Tom Petty played in my head. As thunder storms later in the afternoon were materializing it was "riding the storm out" by REO. At one point when the trail straddled a mountain stream the music in my head was interrupted by the smell of a wild animal. It was a strong odor. Not of a dead animal but of a live one. Was it a moose? An Elk? A bear? Whatever it was I didn't hang around to find out and hoped it wasn't a mountain lion that would see me as fleeing prey. reaching the 10 mile aid station where I expected my drop bag, I was told they hadn't arrived yet. Oh well, I continued with two bottles and never felt the need to change that.
 I saw my first human after about two hours. A hiker then a mountain biker. I was to see the lead runner pass me a little after three hours of running by myself. Up to this point I got the feeling of what leading in a race may feel like. Although I doubt lead runners in races would pause to take pictures. The day was warming up and it would prove too much for some runners. The ascents were steep and long but as I mentioned earlier it wasn't too difficult climbing them. And the altitude at 8500 ft. above sea level at it's highest never did affect me negatively. I did have to pause and catch my breath after some of the climbs but I attributed this to fatigue. The downhills were the killers though. At one point I Wanted a descent to end! I needed a flat trail or a climb! The pounding made my quads begin to ache after about 30 miles. At the 31 mile point we came back to the start area then headed out for the last 19 miles on a slightly different course. 6:20 was my time at mile 31. The climb back out was the steepest of them all. This one did not allow for a rhythmic power hike. There were wooden steps placed along the uphill trail to help climb this very steep ascent. At the top I rested and admired the view of the South Platte river below and the surrounding mountains. At this point my lower body ached but I kept thinking about how I had convinced myself before the race that I was ready and prepared for this race and would hold nothing but positive thoughts throughout it, and also a decal I saw on a truck in Denver the day before stuck in my mind. It said "Stop your Crying," this became my mantra for the rest of the day whenever I felt pain anywhere in my body. As I sat resting on top of the mountain a runner dressed in all black came by and sat beside me. I asked if he was ok. He grunted yes but I wasn't so sure. I asked if his legs were tired and he said "No,"I think it's my hydration" he took off and I followed. For the rest of the race I sat at every aid station. The volunteers were great and offered encouragement to all the runners. One guy didn't let me sit too long though but that's a good thing. I made friends at one aid station we visited several times. It was good to hear your name yelled out as you're approaching. At mile 40 I thought Brian may be around. There were signs of puking on the trail :-). My walk breaks were more frequent after I left the 40 mile aid station. As I was walking a person walked out on the deck of cabin way up on a mountain side and began waving and yelling "way to go!" I couldn't keep walking! I waved back and began running until I was out of her sight. Walking again, another runner came up and introduced himself. Chris was from Tucson and we began to exchange stories. Chris is 49 and was running his 49th ultra. In September he will turn 50 and run his 50th ultra at the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler. Chris got me running again for awhile but he was feeling stronger and went on ahead. The climbs were taking me longer to climb now. The rhythm had slowed. Half way up a steep climb that winded around a mountain I found Chris sitting on the ground next to the trail. He was tired and out of water. I tried to sit with him but found it difficult to get down (stiffening legs) and knew I wouldn't be able to get back up without help. I gave Chris some water and made sure he was OK before I left him. Still worried about him though. Not far up the trail the runner in black was laying on his back grunting. I asked if was OK. Again he grunted yes. I checked his water and his bottle was half full. I told him to rest, until he's ready to go, we're almost there I said. Just then, I'm thinking, "they're dropping like flies" when all of a sudden my left hamstring tightens up so hard I couldn't walk! I cursed it! "Don't do this to me now!!" I massaged it as I walked stiff legged until it settled down. A mountain biker came up and asked if there were runners in trouble. I told him what was happening up the trail and he rode off to find the guys in trouble. Apparently runners ahead had notified the aid station at mile 47. After the last aid station at mile 47 I started a power hike I intended to keep up to the finish. I couldn't run anymore. But then with less than two miles to go and on a descent, knowing the finish was near, I found strength in my tired sore legs. Turning onto the last mile stretch I see Brian! I throw my arms up in the air and he does too. I look at my watch and say "come on let's go! if I keep running I can break 12 hours!" We ran together to the finish as he told me about the Leadville marathon he ran earlier in the day. 11:53 was the time as I crossed the finish line. I had a wonderful running experience in the mountains this day. A run I had dreamed about for so long came true.
Chris made it in and we talked about our experience along with Brian. Unfortunately the runner in black didn't finish and according to Chris needed medical attention which was on it's way. I pray he'll be OK.
Brian and I drove to my friend Anthony's house 40 miles away and sat in his back yard where we enjoyed some Grumpy Old Man Porter.
I sat there enjoying the the view of the moon hovering over the front range of the Rockies, listening to Brian and Anthony exchange stories about climbing fourteener's, and grateful that I am so fortunate for all the good things in my life.
Photos here

UPDATE! 07/03/2012
The guy in Black made it after all! Here's his report;
http://trailandultrarunning.com/homestead-aid-station-ultrarunning-to-death-at-the-north-fork-50-mile/