Re: Resurrection Pass Trail Adventure


"Dot" <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote in message
news:B9Qvi.422748$p47.415610@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
OR: 60k the year I turn 60

What, only 60k? It's supposed to be double your age in miles. :) :)


Overall comment. Damn, you have come a long way. Some of us may have
gone longer and further but you're doing these self-supported. Running
long in general has it's druthers and simply carrying one or two bottles
until one gets to the next buffet station is an effort. The logistics
and execution of hauling your life on your back to get from point A to B
before the time limit is truly a success story.

I did do a few Alaska stints back in the 60's so I have some idea about
the weather. One can write about it but it's not until you're there,
that it really hits home. I didn't run back then but I did get to spend
most my time outside from 80F down to -70F. The entire weather spectrum
has good and bad. Bears in the summer but not in the winter. No bears in
the winter but possibly freeze one's ass off. The fact that you take
what nature provides and suck it up, is real dedication and downright
gutsy.

One disclaimer - that fact that you choose to live in such conditions
raises another set of questions. :) :)

Doug whispered the idea of an ultra in my ear. I can ?blame? him.;)

Guilty,with a sheepish grin!!

Seriously, I thank Doug for introducing me to such fun and challenge.
When I started getting into more structured running, I just wanted to
run ?a little more? with no real goal other than stress relief in
mind. Sooo, be careful what you whisper in impressionable kids? ears.

Point taken. There a dozen or more local ultra geeks that will stand
next to you, some with loaded guns. I'm sure you know, there is a
love/hate relationship with this type of running. In a way, it's drug,
but not an illegal one that comes through the mail. No asterisks for us.
I had some great mentors when I started that gave me direction an
probably the reason I still do it today. As corny as it sounds, it's
blast to pass it along. Enough sweetness. :)


The ultra options in mainland Alaska are fairly limited, and any
summer races would have to wait until I retired in June 2005. But I
needed the time anyway to build base and get some muscle weaknesses /
imbalances at least partly straightened out. I volunteered at the
Resurrection Pass Trail 50/100 race in 2005 and 2006.

I often suggest to people that have some distance inclination to do
precisely this, volunteer at a race, especially near the end, to get
some perspective. Some fall in love while others are never seen again.


My Goals
1. Make it to the starting line. - yep
2. Do the 60k of the Resurrection Pass Trail between the two
trailheads ? the only road intersections. - yep
3. Have fun. ? yep yep
4. Don?t be eaten by real bear. ? still here although still wondering
about sounds in brush
5. Don?t be eaten by figurative bear. ? reached trailhead without
meltdown, although almost dissolved
6. Consider completing the 50-mi course of the RP race being held the
same day IF I thought I could complete it safely even outside their
cutoff times. - No. I opted to live to run another day rather than
risking overuse injury of hip flexors and other core area stuff where
I?ve had problems before. I may run slow and seem mentally slow
sometimes, but I do tend to learn and be conservative.

I think you made the right decision. To push the extra 12 could have
turned this experience ugly. The step for step effort in the later
stages is not linear in energy. Very often I hear people say I've done a
50K and now I'll do 50 miles - it's only another 19 miles. What the
inexperienced find out the hard way is the last 19 is as hard or worse
than the first 31. As you have experienced, budgeting one's effort for
the entire distance is a art.


http://home.att.net/%7Eakrunning/ResPass2007/index.html (pics this
year)

I know it's the time of year but the scenery is unbelievable.

Lack of roads also means, there?s no aid stations, no safety patrol,
no sag wagons. You?re dependent on yourself to get to the next
trailhead. If we?d had a convenient 50k or even 50mi on 10-mi loops, I
would have used something like that as an introduction to longer
distances. But that wasn?t an option other than as training runs. So
this was a huge leap for me ? not just in distance but logistics since
I?d have to treat water along the way and carry more gear than normal.
A new challenge.

You got more drive than I have. I won't even camp when I do a race as
many of my friends do. I want a motel/hotel running water and stocked
aid stations. I'm so damn spoiled. ;)

Then comes *first* bear scat pile, but pretty small.

Oh ***! Wait it is ***. :)


I saw several larger piles in the pass (vegetarian bears),

Gotta worry about the those that like meat.

This is the weather when I know my needs are less than 10oz/hr. This
means fewer water stops. However, increased pee breaks took about the
same time the water stops would have taken ? and longer when
everything started getting sticky wet later.

I know an ultra female runner that used to run with a lazyJ so she
didn't have to stop. I have a hard time picturing this device and
running with it.


Of course wearing CW-X shorts didn?t help matters with the pee breaks
and rain, but we rarely have weather warm enough for cold-blooded me to
wear loose shorts. I did discover that power hiking plus some peeing
was faster than running / hiking plus lots more peeing. And I think
every experienced ultra runner has suggested practicing walking -
either for the hills or tired legs at end, although they never
mentioned avoiding extra pee breaks.;)

:) :) #1 and #2 duties are hard to predict. ;) I will aid that I always
carry TP in one pouch. One or more leaves don't do the job and any
excess can cause some serious chafing. And if your above tree line it's
more difficult. I leave it at that.

Surprisingly, up to the last cabin (about 30 miles; 7 miles beyond my
longest run), I was able to maintain very close to my estimated
splits. Then the last 7.5 miles were hiked only (pee considerations)
and that was slower than anticipated (24).

You did a bit more running early on because the hills were "easier"
than what you train on. I'm wondering if the early hill running, even
feeling easy, took a little more than you expected and why the last 7
was all hike. I never have problem talking myself into hiking early in
the race knowing I will still be able run the last 20%. Just something
to ponder.



I?ve also wondered if using Vaseline on legs (1) might have
facilitated getting shorts up when wet or (2) helped with the
stickiness of the rain pants on knees.

I think with pants it would cause more sticking. I never noticed any
sticking with shorts. If your wearing compression shorts I would expect
them to behave like pants.


What would I do differently before the race that could be done
differently: Train running downhill in full raingear with wet legs and
pack on wet trail.;) Hazards of short summer season and not having
much rain in early part.;) Obviously with more time, I could have
built a larger base, more long runs, more intensity, etc, but given my
recovery rates, where I was, my knowledge or lack thereof of the
course, etc, I don?t think I could have built much more this year
safely.

A simple amen. Live for tomorrow.


Going forward, I would probably do some things differently, but
exactly what will depend on snow and breakup conditions.

You have some very difficult conditions to weather - pun intended.

Schedule
In an earlier thread about long runs, Doug and TrailRunner seemed to
agree that a few runs in the 7-8 hr range were what I should build my
long runs up to ? and those runs spread over a few months. And that
advice was right on ? I just wasn?t able to quite get to that level.


I liked Trailrunner?s approach of the 4-hr back-to-back runs since
that meant I didn?t need to worry about long runs and frozen water for
more than 4 hr in Feb. His suggestion was to do long runs every 2 wks,
alternating the single long run (7-8 hrs) with b2b (4hr/4hr with the
2nd day being walking, with running if the body allowed).

Traildude has some good experience. I think B2B's are a great way to
ease into long runs. My only difference is not striving to keep them
equidistant but 2/3-1/3 or 3/4-1/4. If the goal was 8 hours I would work
to 5:3 or 6:2.



I was only able to get 2 of the 7-8 hr runs in, and usually I do much
better on the 3rd of whatever. Oh, well. I did have 3 in the 6-6.5 hr
range.

Jumping to 7-8 is big leap so 6-6.5 was reasonable time. I'm glad to see
you did not push it.


I do recognize the value of the alternating b2b and single long run
that Trailrunner suggested. I just couldn?t pull it off.

I know it takes more time but there is nothing sacred about doing these
on a two week interval. It could be three. It adds some time to the
schedule but it may offer a more gradual ramp.


I did struggle with the longest runs, but some of that resulted from
running uphill with heavier pack than normal. I seriously questioned
whether I had bitten off too much for this year, but Doug politely
ignored the question, which I took as a response to just keep plugging
and I?d adapt if I did it enough times. FWIW, DOMS after a couple of
my long runs was much more severe than after my actual adventure. Duh.
Maybe that?s why we do these things.

Not quite. Inching up on the long runs shouldn't cause severe DOMS.
Let's say your comfort long run is 3 hours(an imaginary line in the
sand). If you stretch you next long run to say 4 hours the first 3
should be ok and that last hour is new territory. Recovery should not be
that long. Two or three weeks later you do 4.5 -5. The first 4 should
feel ok with the last part new territory.

In my case I do laps(5 mile total distance and about a hour a trip) up a
hill. I may start with three(run two, hike one). A few weeks later I'll
do 4, maybe run two, hike two. The next I may hold at 4 and run 3 and
hike one. I find the smaller increments slow me down for maybe two days
but just lethargic not DOMS. One has to pick there interval but feed
back is pretty quick.


Fluid / electrolyte / fuel strategy: I made up baggies of sports drink
4:1 Clip2:Ultra + vitamin C (negate iodine) for 32 oz servings ahead
of time so all I had to do was dump one baggie plus treated water in
bladder, bleed air, and stick in back in pack. I?ve also liked
SlimFast for a non-fruity taste, and a more basic drink ? heck, I like
chocolate milkshakes.

You were peeing a lot - how much salt and at what interval?

I really had a lot of fun and looking forward to next year when,
hopefully, I'll be better prepared. Having been on the course once,
I'll have a better idea how to train.

I change little things just about ever year - some because of time and
others for variety. I never seem to get complacent.

An outstanding effort! You are now officially nuts!

-Doug


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