I am typing this up on the day that we would have departed for Japan, a combination of business and pleasure, with in the middle the Fuji 5 Lakes ultramarathon where I signed up for the 100km on April 30. The earthquake lead to a cancellation of our plans. So what should I do with hundreds of miles of quality, high speed, flat training ? Well, there were not too many alternatives besides the Ruth Anderson Ultras in San Francisco. So, two days before a couple of my Dutch running buddies would run one of my favorite races in the Netherlands, the 60km of Texel, I laced up my shoes for the Ruth Anderson 50 mile race.

Ruth Anderson 2011 promised to be a good day for runners, cool and some clouds, perhaps a little drizzle and perfect temperatures. It turned out to be just like that, perfect. My training had been designed for a 100 km, but I decided to do the 50 mile (80.45 km) as that distance was where I had my least competitive PR; a 7:29 ran at the JFK. SO, I came with a clear goal in mind. A solid 50 mile PR. According to my stats, I should be able to run 7 hours….

With 4.475 mile loops, I calculated that I should be running 37.5 minute laps to meet my goal. The course offers a bit of climbing, about 150 feet per lap, and it is difficult to keep constant km-splits. So, keeping track of lap times proved to be more useful, and I was able to build up some reserve over the first 5 or 6 laps, accumulating to 5 or 6 minutes. Laps 7 through 10 saw a consolidation of this reserve, and the last lap I gave up a few minutes to make sure I would not blow up my quads. So, I cruised in with a finish time of 6:55:41 for the 50 mile distance (according to my Garmin 81.5 km). Good for second place overall, first in age group, and a couple of blisters and a bum knee. Can't complain about that.

It may all sound a bit dry and scientific as I talk about km and lap splits and goals, but in the middle of it all I had some good conversations with other runners such as Jason, Victor, Sean, and others. The data evaluation afterwards shows that this new 50 mile PR is more competitive than my 50 km, 60 km  and 100 km PRs, so perhaps I should plan a few more flat paved loop courses for those distances ??? On the other hand, I think I am ready for a break and do some fun-running in the hills without time goals.

The preparation for the BIG end of April race is in full swing, and there most certainly are highlights ! It has been 3 weeks already, so I should have reported earlier, when Mark and I decided to do a training run on the only flat course in Marin County; the levees out by Sears Point Raceway. These levees are intersecting the marshland out by the San Francisco Bay in irregular patterns, some of them are following the waterline and the area is first and foremost known as a birders heaven. Only a few runners disturb the peace with their heavy breathing. Mark brought Levi along and they were going to run "our" standard 8 mile course three times for a total of 24 miles. I decided to do four loops for 32 miles. We all ended up running faster than planned. It must have been something in the air. Mark and Levi were running at 7:10 min/mile pace, but Levi had to pull out early because of an injury. I ended up doing just over 8 minute miles, and it felt easy. Marathon distance in 3:34, 50 k split in about 4:13, and the final 51.2 km in 4:19. Now that is what you call a confidence booster !

Then a week later, Gerda joined me for the Cool Trail Run, an event with a couple of shorter distances, a 21 mile which Gerda ran, and the 34 mile race I ran. We had to leave home at 4am, but those of you who know me, understand that this was no issue at all. Start at 7am, it was pretty cold but we still took off in shorts and a T. One of the attractions was that part of the course used the Western States route, which I wanted to get to know for maybe next year or the year thereafter ??

It was a fairly small event but the aidstations were well stocked and the race organization was very good. Gerda finished 6th overall in her distance, winning the women's title in 3:55 ! I had to settle for 7th place in the 34 mile race, and was happy with the result (5:37), knowing that it could have been better with some tapering. The real highlight of this event though was the fact that the course included a climb out of the American River Canyon which went straight up the canyon wall. 1000 feet of vertical in less than a mile. The climb was appropriately named "K2". Better yet, as I did the 34 mile event, I had to do an extra loop, and got to climb this sucker twice ! So that means a 20+ minute mile, and once you reach the top where the course flattens out, you still can't run because your quads are on fire.

The set-back did, as can be expected, come in the form of some longer lasting quad tightness. So I skipped the next weekend long run, and just now get back from a slow 45 km (28 mile) loop around Novato. Quads are feeling much better, but the legs felt empty. Well, I guess it is nothing that cannot be cured with some more rest and recovery. So, let's keep building distance !

December was a slow month. Travel commitments, trip to a cold and snowy Holland, and just no interest in running for a while. But as January came, the trails started enticing me and I could not resist their call. So the training was re-started and we ended up selecting a race on the calendar to bring in the extra motivation. We ? Yes, indeed, Gerda will be joining me for a 25 miler on the same course where I will be hammering out a 31 mile race on Feb 12 ! But before we get there there is more training to do just to get back to where I was before the winterstop.

Two weeks ago the first Marathon-Plus training, topped today with a 55 km trail run in Point Reyes. Three pretty significant climbs, ocean overlooks, lush forest, and a 65 F day with lots of sun. Where else do you find that ? Better yet, the company of a bunch of great guys and gals. Even Gerda joined for a 20 mile distance. As usual Mark was unbeatable, and I ended up coming in with Jed, followed by Ted and Levi. Picknick at the finishline under a clear blue sky. What a fun event. It was the 17th time Greg organized this event, called the Bandit run, labelled a "training run" because racing is not allowed in a National Park, and it was indeed a very low key social run, more like a training run indeed.  

The Quadruple Dipsea, an oddball race. The course is well over 100 years old as the first Single Dipsea was run around 1905. The distance is not one of the standard distances but is four times 7.1 miles for a total of 28.4 miles. The number of stairs in the course is also unequalled, with a total of about 2200 steps over the 28.4 mile distance. Not the easiest steps either as many are made of stacked natural rocks. And, add to that the rain that fell before and during the race, making the wooden steps slippery as blackice, and turning the dirt trails into a mudbath.

You get the picture. This is a race you just cannot miss. No lack of preparation or health issue can keep the local ultrarunners away from this race. All the guys I have trained with and race with were present, and you get to see them on the course at each of the turning points so you can keep tabs on where everyone is in the field. The volunteers at the race are also worth mentioning, as some of them were very competitive ultrarunners or people with a very long resume in ultrarunning, including course record holders in other races, and even a world record holder in one of the ultradistances !

I ran the Quad back in 2004, but have not run it since then as I have run the JFK 50m several times which is always the preceding week. In 2004 I clocked in at 5:49 but I knew I could do better than that. How much better ? Hard to say as I felt far from top-shape. I just left the starting line at what felt as a comfortable pace, and after seeing the time after one crossing, I ended up making the plan. The first crossing came in about 1:19, so some quick math suggested that with a little bit of slowing down toward the end, a finish time of about 5:30 should be within reach. Once I had the plan ready, I went back to enjoying the race, the trails, the encouragements to and from friends on the course, and the company of one of my training buddies, Mark, who ended up running with me for about an hour.

Downright incredible was the performance of Leor who won the race in 3:54 on a muddy course, missing the course record by only 2 minutes. The female winner, Caren, was every bit as impressive as she bettered the course record. Jason ran very well coming in 6^th. Jed finished strong and with a solid performance. Jeffrey and Rick, who I normally compete with ran strong and finished well ahead of me. My buddy Taylor did well but had to slow down a bit toward the end. John ran a flat race on a solid base of many long races this year. Greg was struggling but we all know he will be back next year better prepared. Charles and Hans put in amazing age-group performances. And Larry managed to finish his 25^th consecutive Quad, which was celebrated at the finishline with a special recognition from RD Tropical John.

One conversation I had at the finishline, where I was celebrating my 5:28:09 result while eating hot dogs, pizza, and black bean soup, was interesting and worth mentioning. I talked with Martin, who has been the finishline official for many years. Martin does not run anymore, has never run the Quad as he has always been volunteering. But he was an ultrarunner in his younger days, proud owner of a silver Western States buckle, and he retired from the same company I am still working for. Martin is typical of the crowd that surrounds these races and continue to make it possible for us to enjoy these events. I plan to look for opportunities to do some volunteering myself.

For almost a week I told myself that the pain I felt in my right shoulder was a pulled muscle, and that it would be better within a week. But the week went by and the pain stayed. Worse yet, as I went for a run on Saturday in the hills with Gerda, I felt it more than before during the descent. The other indicator I got was that I had to sneeze a few times and that was accompanied by a piercing pain. I remembered it from a time many years ago when I broke a rib….

As I could not figure out why I had been able to run for eight-and-a-half hour with a cracked rib, and a week later I had trouble running just one hour, I decided not to take any risk at drawing the wrong conclusion, and I tried it again on Sunday. This time I was going to run further, faster, and climb more to make absolutely sure. They say the definition of stupidity is to do the same thing again and expecting a different result. If that definition is correct, I now officially qualify to be an idiot. The climbing went OK, painful but bearable. I reached the top and enjoyed the always beautiful view (see picture). The downhill was worse. At about a third of the way down I stopped to pop a couple of ibuprofens (standard item in waistpack of every ultrarunner, along with TP). By the time it numbed the worst part of the pain I was almost home, ready to celebrate the tail-end of the weekend. I think I will take a couple of days off. 

Contest: Who can guess what year the picture was taken ?

Not the best race for the record books, but instead one that will take a prominent place in the memory books. 

The Dick Collins Firetrails 50 mile race has been around for almost 20 years, under race-directorship of Carl Anderson and Ann Trason, and has become one of the premier trail races in California. Very well organized, great aidstations, plenty of volunteers, good finisher prizes, and a very competitive field.

And, last but not least, a great course with exiting panoramic views over the San Francisco Bay from the Skyline Ridge. As usual, I wait a day or two to see if any good pictures show up on the internet. This time there was an abundance of photographic material available. Three individual runners had taken the effort to take pictures of most or all of the competitors during their own run. The view of dowtown San Francisco is made by Jean, and the portrait by Monica.

OK, still no reason as to why this run was not the fastest but certainly one of the more memorable. Well, here's why. Imagine, 6:20AM in the morning, no moon, pitchblack, car parked on the far side of the street, a slow jog from the car to the picknick area by Lake Chabot. But then, while crossing the flower bed next to the road, I hook my foot on a 6 inch steel pipe sticking out of the ground, WHAAACK ! Full face plant in the dirt, landing heavy on my shoulder. I got up with a stinging pain in the shoulder, sore knees, scrapes on knees, legs, chest, right arm and hand. Some blood, not too much, but I feel like I have almost dislocated my shoulder. What do you think about that, 10 minutes before the start of a 50 mile race ?

I stagger to the starting line where Race Director Carl is giving his pre-race speech, and almost immediately we take off. Some runners have a flashlight for the first couple of miles in the dark. I stick with Joe, a friend with a flashlight. Easy the first miles, as most of the pain slowly eases off. The only thing that keeps bothering me for the full duration is a toe that gets worse toward the end and a muscle in my chest that acts up as I inhale too deeply, which is about once every step of the 80450 meters of the course.

The result of the race was not even that bad considering the pre-start mishap. Aid stations were spread out nicely, with about 5k in between, so just the right distance for one bottle. I was taking gels at each aid station, so that's about 15 of them. Salt capsules about once an hour as the temperature increased to a comfortable 28 degrees C. But overall the H2O, minerals, and Carbs intake was OK, as I got the finishline still making good speed, and the legs recovered quickly.

During the run all sorts of social fun, as I got to know a few fellow runners and re-acquainted with others I had not seen in a while. As the race was an out-n-back, we could see the frontrunners come back from the turning point, and after making the turn myself, I could see the competition behind me. My running club, Tamalpa Runners, was well represented in the race, so lots of familiar faces. All in all a great event (if it weren't for the faceplant 10 minutes before the start).

So, breaking 8 hours was not meant to be for this day. Instead I got this unexpected reminder that you should not take things for granted, not even if you have just completed a string of successful races over the last months. Instead, you should count your blessings, and this time it came with a 33rd place in a field of close to 300 at the start, and a time of 8:32:56  Gerda asked me the next day why I was so cheerful while I was feeling like a trainwreck, and I told her that this too is part of ultrarunning. Taking a set-back well, is part of the character building you get for free in this sport.

In Holland they say "you will start resembling the people you spend the most time with", or something along those lines. Certaine expressions just don't translate well. Where am I going with this ? Well, at work I am surrounded by chemists, inventing new molecules with certain types of functionality. One very effective class of molecules in my line of work cannot be used because of its toxicological impact. We're talking about a family of components called Alkyl Catechols.
Their problem being that they are skin sensitizers. Some people are sensitive, some not. If you are sensitive to them you develop blisters and severe skin irritation. If you are not sensitive you can all of a sudden become sensitive when you get this stuff on your skin, and every subsequent skin exposure to it becomes less pleasant.

Why am I telling you all this ? Well, this Alkyl Catechol is the "active ingredient" in the oily substance that covers leaves and stems of a plant that grows abundantly in California, and especially along race courses of Ultrarunning events. So, it goes without saying that I have had some unpleasant encounters with this innocent looking plant. This year alone the misery seems never-ending. Just when the itching and the red patches and blisters are gone, there is a new run-in with it.

 
 
Usually it goes like this: Raceday everything is fine. 3 to 4 days later the itching starts. Another 2 days later the red patches start becoming tiny little blisters. If you accidentally pop the blisters, the liquid from it can infect other places on your body. By the time it is all over, you're close to three week past raceday. The photo shows the outside of my lower right leg about 8 days after contact. As this location is exactly the place where your lower arm touches your leg when you sit down on a chair to untie your running shoe laces, it goes without saying that the inside of my right arm showed a similar pattern. I should be back to normal in about a week, just in time for the October 9th Dick Collins Firetrails 50m, with undoubtedly another encounter for more itching fun !

In Holland they say "you will start resembling the people you spend the most time with", or something along those lines. Certaine expressions just don't translate well. Where am I going with this ? Well, at work I am surrounded by chemists, inventing new molecules with certain types of functionality. One very effective class of molecules in my line of work cannot be used because of its toxicological impact. We're talking about a family of components called Alkyl Catechols.
Their problem being that they are skin sensitizers. Some people are sensitive, some not. If you are sensitive to them you develop blisters and severe skin irritation. If you are not sensitive you can all of a sudden become sensitive when you get this stuff on your skin, and every subsequent skin exposure to it becomes less pleasant.

Why am I telling you all this ? Well, this Alkyl Catechol is the "active ingredient" in the oily substance that covers leaves and stems of a plant that grows abundantly in California, and especially along race courses of Ultrarunning events. So, it goes without saying that I have had some unpleasant encounters with this innocent looking plant. This year alone the misery seems never-ending. Just when the itching and the red patches and blisters are gone, there is a new run-in with it.

 
 
Usually it goes like this: Raceday everything is fine. 3 to 4 days later the itching starts. Another 2 days later the red patches start becoming tiny little blisters. If you accidentally pop the blisters, the liquid from it can infect other places on your body. By the time it is all over, you're close to three week past raceday. The photo shows the outside of my lower right leg about 8 days after contact. As this location is exactly the place where your lower arm touches your leg when you sit down on a chair to untie your running shoe laces, it goes without saying that the inside of my right arm showed a similar pattern. I should be back to normal in about a week, just in time for the October 9th Dick Collins Firetrails 50m, with undoubtedly another encounter for more itching fun !

Consistency. The third 50k this year and all faster than I would have run them just a few years ago. I figure I am still thriving on the months of high mileage quality training with Mark in preparation for Miwok. Hope that base will carry me through the Firetrails 50m too.

For the Redwood Park 50k we (Tim and myself) carpooled over to Oakland and over the hill to Redwood Park. The course consisted of a 20k loop and a 10k loop, followed by a repeat of the 20k loop. I ran easy the first part, with some conversation along the way. Tim was ahead, but he was not signed up for Firetrails. I wanted to race but not so hard that it would take me long to recover.

The course was well marked, even though some participants complained or even got lost. Maybe their vision got blurred ? During the last 20k I passed about half a dozen folks who were suffering badly. I was keeping the pace constant and ran the 20k loop in exactly the same time as the first time I ran it. When I got to the finishline, Tim had been waiting for me for about 9 minutes, but I saw the clock showing 4:49:14, which, for a course with just over 5000 feet of accumulated climbing, is not bad at all. Tim got 6th overall, I got 9th (2nd and 3rd in the 40-49 category).

As I write this, I have already done my recovery runs, an interval and a longer training run. Took me about a week to feel fresh again, which was this morning, running with Gerda and Mark on our home trail up to Indian Tree. Mark told me that the number of spots for the Quadruple Dipsea is almost sold out, so after coming home I went on the Internet and signed up right away for this race in late November. But before that there is a big 50 Miler on the calendar. Just two more weeks to go to Firetrails; I'm ready.

I just noticed that it had been a couple of months since my last entry. Recovering from Miwok took a little longer than expected, but I think I am back ! After a lot of work-related travel in June, I started increasing the mileage again, and when my friend Arie from the Netherlands visited us, we ran the Skyland Mountain 10k in Los Gatos on Saturday July 10. My 43:56 was acceptable but not great. What was great was the post-race picnick with lots of food and a raffle where I picked up a great bottle of Ponit Noir. Arie is still the faster short distance runner and he finished in 40 and change. A few days later we participated in the Tamalpa Runners track meet in San Rafael, where Arie once more proved his speed in the 200 and 400. On top of that he paced me in the 5k for a target time of 20 minutes, which I missed by 7 seconds. Oh well, maybe next time….

Things took a turn for the better when we drove to the Oakland hills for the Skyline 50k on August 1. This was more my kind of race. Arie, just back from his Tour de California by car, would pace me for the last 10k or so.
The start was at 7am, the weather was perfect. Coastal Fog is a blessing for runners like me who do well when it is cold. You can see me in the picture in the second row with my yellow FCA shirt. A group of almost 10 runners took off from the starting line as if we were doing a 10k. I followed at a safe distance, enjoying te conversations with Joe and later with Eduardo from team Pamakids. Somewhere around mile 6, Jason passed me; he had missed the start by a few minutes, so he was running a catch-up race. The course is great, with a lot of single track and fire roads, and only a few short sections of pavement. In the middle part of the race I was running along with the top 3 ladies, they were climbing well, as I was doing a speed-hike on a couple of the long steep uphills. In the end that payed off. I knew there was a flat section between 38 and 42 km and I was clocking 4:40 to 4:50 kilometers there. Just before I had to start the last hill, I met Arie, my Dutch visiting friend, who was going to pace me for the last 9 or 10k and together we knocked off the last miles, picking up a few spots in the standing as we passed a few competitors. I was hoping for a sub 4:45 race, but Arie insisted that sub 4:40 was possible. Either way, it was looking very promising considering my fastest time on the course was 4:57. I could keep the pace high, especially the last 4k on the flat bikepath. I credit my carb intake for the ability to keep going fast: 7 gels, 4 Salt Caps, and about 6 bottles of GU2O sportsdrink. I crossed the line in 4:37:30 in 13th place. Needless to say I was happy with the result. During the post race BBQ we talked with a bunch of other finishers, renewed friendships, and made some new friends. That is one of the great things about Ultrarunning. It is a small enough community to actually get to know a lot of the folks you compete with.