40 mile training run video

Take off in one week!

Whew, lots to update you all with, but I will keep it brief. I ran my final long training run before my trip on Sunday. 40 miles in a little under 8 hours. I even took some video that I will post shortly. Between my Camelback and a small fanny pack, I think I am set to carry enough supplies. I stopped by the local running store and bought a case of sports beans and a new bottle of electrolyte tablets. That mix seemed to cover me pretty well along the 40 mile run so I'm hoping it will work on the Great Wall. Interestingly, while the heat on my 40 mile run caused me some grief I think the benefit was that it forced me to slow down enough that I had almost no muscle soreness the next day. I did have a few blisters so I picked up some new socks too. I was tempted to get some new shoes, but I think it is probably too late to experiment with a new shoe even if I had some blister issues with my current pair of Brooks Adrenaline.

If you are interested in the route I will be taking on my Great Wall Run, a FAQ of part of the route can be found at the Great Wall Forum here. Right now my plan is to get a hotel at or near Simatai and run to Jinshanlin and possibly on to Gubeikou (these are gates along the Wall with tourist access). My understanding is that there is a trail along the wall that is often used that I can follow. I'm still messing around with the Google map that I found of the Wall so I don't know exact distances yet. The FAQ states that one can walk from Simatai to Jinshanlin in 3 to 4 hours. I estimate that I can probably run that easily in 2 hours--so that will make a good stop to refill on water. Luckily, I still remember how to ask for bottled water in Chinese :). Apparently, it is possible to walk from Simatai to Gubeikou in one day so I'm guessing that I can probably run from Simatai to Gubeikou and back while using Jinshanlin as a "aid station." I'll use my GPS to track when I reach 25 miles out and just turn around at that point--either before or after Gubeikou, as necessary.

Forum posts indicate that I will have cell phone access the entire way and I have already gotten a hold of an international cell phone with a Chinese phone number. I'll have a camera and a small video camera with me to document the event. I would like to thank all of those who have already donated! Thank you Mom, Dad, Sandra, Andre, Cruz, Jason, Greg, Gail, Scott, Kelly, Karen, Aunt Edith, and Uncle Wilson! If I have time, I think I will borrow Tim's and Deb's idea of writing everyone's names down to carry with me on the run. I have a suspicion that the solitude of this run might make the whole thing especially intense.

On a final note, I placed the order for the t-shirts yesterday and they should be ready and in the mail to everyone before I leave a week from today.

Lupus Runner shirts!

I'm going to order a new set of lupus runner shirts. If you would like one send me an email (brianjasenthomas@gmail.com) ASAP with your address and the shirt size that you would like. If you're helping us raise money I'll send you one for free--otherwise they are $10 each (this is simply the cost of the shirt and I don't make any money).

Long run and Great Wall prep

My goal was to get two 50 mile runs and one 45 mile run before running Burning River. That would mean one 40 miler yesterday, a 45 miler just before I leave for China, my much anticipated 50 mile Great Wall run, and a final 50 miler in July before tapering. I set out at 5 AM yesterday with the goal of getting a solid 40 miles in before lunch and also testing the running gear that I am planning on taking to China. Unfortunately, some foot pain around mile 30 caused me to slow down significantly so I decided to call it quits 33 miles in at a time of just over 6 hours. I'm not sure what the foot thing is--it doesn't feel severe, but I don't want to create a more severe problem by pushing myself too hard. I still have some time so I'm not worried. Yet.

The logistics of my China run are interesting for a few reasons. First, I will be traveling pretty light so won't have room for much running gear. Second, since it will be a solo run in relatively unknown terrain I will need to carry more food and water than usual. Third, since I am not checking any of my luggage I can't carry many liquids and, I have heard, even transporting energy Gels is sometimes problematic. So, I went out yesterday with my Camelback Lobo back with 70 ounces of water and 4 packs of Sport beans and 5 packs of Sharkies. Over 33 miles, I drank nearly all the water, ate all the sport beans, and 3 Sharkie packs. I also stopped and ate a breakfast sausage sandwich at a gas station (that's sort of like baozi, right?) The water + solid energy food + sausage sandwich seemed to keep my energy up okay so I feel good about my equipment/nutrient choices.

I should have enough room in my pack for 15 bags of sport beans (I've decided I prefer these to Sharkies) or 1,500 calories. Theoretically, if I consume 200 calories per hour that will carry me about 7 hours. Given Great Wall Marathon finishing times, I will really need to plan for up to 12 hours on the move. Consequently, I will need to plan on getting another 1,000 or so calories along the way. My hope is that a lunch of noodles and a few cokes should be enough to make up the difference. Ideally, I'll also be able to get a hold of some Gatorade, but I will have to wait until I am there to see. I've heard that I won't be able to expect much between tourist stops, but I believe these are about 20 km apart on the section I plan to run so I don't think getting a little something else to eat will be too problematic. There are still some details to work out, but I'm getting there!

Trail Marathon Race Report

I woke up bright and early at 4:00 AM to head to Pinckney for the Trail Marathon on Sunday. I've actually found that it is not that difficult to roll out of bed and hop right in the car as long as I get everything ready the night before. Races are definitely more motivation to get up early than regular long runs. I was really looking forward to the event as I haven't been on trails much in the recent past and I felt that getting this long run in was important if I was going to be at least close to my training plan.

I opted for the 7 AM early start, which meant that I was not allowed to finish in under 4:30 (not that it was likely that would be a problem). I was hoping to do an extra 9 miles after the marathon so I figured the earlier I started the better it would be. I met up with Dirt Dawg at the start and actually ran with him through the entire race. If you haven't checked out his blog and new podcast, I would definitely recommend that you follow those links. I first met Dirt Dawg when we were both training for our first 50 milers and have, in fact, not run together since we cruised the first part of the North Country Trail Run together in 2007. Dirt Dawg will be running his first 100 miler at Burning River this year also. Anyway, his company for the 26.2 miles was very much appreciated since headphones were not allowed at the race and anyone who knows me well realizes that leaving me alone to my thoughts is a recipe for disaster. Seriously though, the conversation helped the miles go quickly and, as we headed into the second loop, he put on some speed, which took us to a finish in just under 5 hours with negative splits on the second loop.

Anyone who has run out in Pinkney knows that it is possibly the hilliest part of the Lower Peninsula and it definitely took a toll on me. On top of that, the weather was much warmer than expected and I didn't bring any electrolyte tablets. Consequently, I only added 8 miles at the end of the marathon and, to be honest, those were some pretty slow and ugly miles. In the future, I might try and add my additional training miles to the begining of the race instead of the end because it was sort of a drag to head back out on the trail while everyone else was relaxing after the race. Still, I put in just over 34 miles for the day and after a little air conditioning in the car and a trip through the Arby's drive through I was feeling much better. That's on top of a 12 mile run on Friday and I really can't complain about a 46 mile weekend.

On a side note, the more I think about and start making plans for a 50 mile solo run of the Great Wall of China, the more excited I get. I might have to invest in some trail shoes though as the Trail Marathon left my feet a bit beat up from rocks and roots. I'll post more details about my Great Wall plan as they develop.

P.S. The above photo of Dirt Dawg and I currently appears as the first of a set of photos on the front page of www.runmichigan.com so check it out.