RUNNING, EATING & WHATNOT DURING COVID

Hey folks!

Yeah, I am still around :) 

I was inspired to write this short post after reading the article at TRAIL RUNNER  about Courtney Dauwalter's attempt of FKT at Colorado Trail. After reading that article, I instinctively headed back to my previous race report on Hardrock 100 which is also in Colorado.

Trailrunning, I think running in general now, has taken a deep nose dive lately due to this covid pandemic. Almost all races now are cancelled and have gone "virtual". Even CM50 here for its 10th year will most likely be cancelled. Too bad but what can I do. This is the first time the race will not be hosted. Even if I decide to push through with the race, I highly doubt it whether I can get a permit and/or to make runners, both international and local, come due to health issues involved. As of this writing, the Philippine government has banned foreigners from coming to our country with some exceptions though. 

I cannot subscribe to the philosophy holding CM50 just for the sake of holding it. The situation now is totally different and should be taken with all seriousness. At the very least, we should empathize with fellow runners. Besides, most runners now will think twice about spending on other "non-essential" stuff. Life now calls for frugality.

Some of my friends still do run it seems as seen in their FB posts on those very "rare" occasions that I do check my account. I am just too loathe now to even bother to peek on a regular basis. I would not have bothered to open an account had it not for CM50 but that is another story.

I still run here and there mostly to stay fit and am sure I have gained a few pounds due to lack of races. In my experience, joining trail races is the best way, for me at least, to lose or maintain some weight. The harder and longer, the better. Imagine the amount of time training and the calories spent prior to a race and during the race itself. Sometimes, post race seems hard on the appetite as well. Even a marathon distance alone can use up a 2-days worth of calories! Awesome is it not?

So to offset the lack of races, I normally eat twice a day - brunch and then dinner. Occasional intermittent fasting of at least 16 hours. There was even a time I did not eat anything for 24 hours. I just did not feel like eating anyway. Who said you have to eat 3 meals a day? That is a load of crap, in my opinion, to fatten oneself. Better rule is eat when hungry only. Eating when hungry has more pleasurable gastronomical experience. You seem to enjoy food better that way. I always tell my kids that they will enjoy food better when they are famished. So it is sending a message in a way that being hungry is not bad in itself.

At any rate, I do not know how long these restrictions on travel, races, etc. will last. From all indications, however, we are all in for a long haul. 

Notwithstanding, if there is one best thing that ultrarunning has taught me and that is positive mental attitude. I always see a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how bleak the present condition is. 

Folks, things will get better eventually.

Oh by the way, it is INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY today. Cheers!

While having a beer, you might want to read this article. Hilarious. Do not forget to read the comments as well :)

Cheers,

Jon (will keep on running regardless of ...)

 

Saturday Night with Rick Gaston and Simon's Tribute Run

SATURDAY NIGHT

Last 01 October 2011, some friends from here and abroad gathered together at Chicken Bacolod Inasal along Jupiter St. , Makati City for some sumptuous food, camaraderie, booze and stories on running and more running. BR should have been with us but he flew to LA who, we were told, will run the Dick Collins 50 miler. Good luck and have fun.

In the above picture, you will see from left to right: Jonel (standing), Rick Gaston (in jacket), Simon and Doc Peter (foreground).

Humbling Experience

I thought really hard whether to write this up or just leave the incident in the dust bin of memory. Then I realized I had no reason to tell the story other than to share. So here it is.

A week before the PAU 50K race at Pinatubo, I managed to run Miyamit twice in 8.5 hours which started around 4AM and ended up after lunch. It was Tuesday, a local holiday here. So what a better way to spend some free time than to run - alone. The Tuesday run was good because I managed to complete the first climb in sub 4 hours. Heat training as well. This was followed by another Miyamit run later that week with Noel (#6 at Pinatubo race) and Precy (also a Pinatubo finisher). The week of the Pinatubo race was spent resting - tapering for it. I did not hide the fact that I would race Pinatubo which would do well for my training in time for the ultra race in November. (Race [Pinatubo] like this is perfect because it is not too long and it offers the perfect venue to practice both speed and endurance. Also, no need for longer recovery period.)

Obviously, the confidence came from hours of trail running for the past few months (feet and legs are now attuned to the idiosyncracies of trail running) and having run Pinatubo twice - the last one (Pinatubo Express) under 7:30ish and that was not even a race. To my mind, the combination of these primary factors were enough to produce a good finishing time if not a podium finish.

Then came Friday. A client invited me for lunch at a hotel restaurant here. We opted for al carte instead of the usual buffet. He went for fish fillet (red snapper) with veggies while I have tried his order before, I decided to try another menu - king prawns with scallops in creamy rice pilaf. Mine tasted good. This was how all my troubles started.

Woke up at 2AM the morning of Pinatubo race which was followed by several visits to the john. It is a good idea to unload one's waste before a race but my unloading that morning was characterized by an unusual tummy ache which I never experienced before. So just to be sure, our convoy made a quick visit to the pharmacy for loperamide before heading out to the start line. In a little over 1 hour before the race, the effect would be noticeable. I hoped. Some runners knew my tummy predicament and the common offer of solution was loperamide. It worked for them so I was sure it would work for me this time.

At exactly 5AM, off we went. There were like 8 of us in the lead pack and barely 3K into the race, I had done what was unimaginable - I excused myself, darted off the course and had to unload. The pain and urge were unbearable. My body was obviously purging out itself of the toxin which was good basically but not at the most inopportune time. There was still hope of catching up to the lead pack. I went back to the course and resumed the pace but not for long. The first 7 kilometers were marred by several bouts of quick visits to the bushes. At the first aid station at 7KM, I vomitted big time. All those energy gels, liquid and electolyte capsules which  I religiously took in came out. My body was not absorbing anything but rather dangerously dumping both liquid and fuel from my body at an alarming rate. I knew I was in touble and it did not take a medicine diploma to figure that out. Food poisoning perhaps? With the kind of weather and terrain of the race, the regular and proper amount and intake of liquid and fuel are vitally important. Even so I hanged on and hoped that the toxin would eventually leave my body and my miserable condition would improve. After leaving the first aid station and approaching KM14 aid station, my condition was deteriorating rapidly, I could not even run or walk my favorite section of Pinatubo (the trail part before KM14). Walking was mixed with minutes of resting as in no movement at all. To get over a mound was such a feat. For the first time, there was no strength in my legs and even my body. All there was was utter weakness. I have run and finished an ultra race where my right knee was pretty banged up (TNF100 2009) and managed to finish a marathon with injured lower leg. I prayed so hard for even half of my strength to come back but it was not forthcoming. I did not know why then and still do not know now. 

At the last aid station (around 17KM), I sat on one of the rocks for several minutes and pondered really hard. I and Philip finally decided to stop and it was not easy. Philip had a fever. During our journey where we traded position as the slowest runner, he managed to exhibit mental strength as well. I am not sure if the saying "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" is even apt at this point. With the looming cut-off time of 4:30 and the uphill terrain ahead of us, there was no way we could make it at the crater on time. It took us 3 hours to cover a mere 17kms! (Philip, if you are reading this I hope you are okay now). Even after being transported to KM14 and presumably had some rest, I was still puking and lost several pounds of body weight in the process. Mostly liquid.   

So, the plan to race was quickly replaced by the plan to finish. For the first time, I knew how it felt to be in the back pack. I experienced what it was like to be the slowest runner who had no one to talk to simply because everyone was out in front. It was a humbling experience. No words now could describe it. It was just the surreal feeling of being ALONE and LAST and FRAIL. This made me respect more the runners who honestly struggle it out in the back during ultras. Perhaps they have more mental fortitude than those in the lead or even mid pack. The decision to stop was far harder than it was. It did not come easy for someone like me who has successfully completed all major ultra races (not relay) here and 1 abroad which were far longer and harder. Somehow, thinking of the big race in November made my decision easier. That is THE priority race. 

I neither felt shame, loathing, envy nor regret of what happened even as I sat there helplessly at KM17 aid station and watched all the top ten runners flew by us while waiting for our free ride. Congratulations to them and as I frequently say - you race against those who show up and not those who do not. Or in this case, those who quit in midstream. (Thank you to the couple who allowed us to ride in their rented 4x4 vehicle back to the start line). Perhaps, if there is one regret and that is missing a 50K long training run. As for the record of no DNF, well records are made to be broken. It is true then after all - running is an experiment of one and is a lot like life itself.

Should have I done things differently like not deciding to start at all or just walk the entire course? Under the prevailing circumstances then, the answer is NO.


Cheers,

Jon (who is now figuratively both a fast and slow runner)

POSTSCRIPT

It is time to post the guidelines for FAT ASS 24, 12 and 6 hour runs in the next succeeding posts. (Don and I are thinking of the inclusion of 36 hours as a new category. We'll confirm this). It will be on 8-9 January 2011 at 8AM, Clark Parade Ground.

Folks, mark my words - FAT ASS will play a very important role in the big CHALLENGING ultra races in 2011 -  BDM102, BDM151 and the 200K plus race in June. You want to up your chances of finishing some or all these races, then join FAT ASS  and enjoy the course with ultrarunners whether newbie, or  veterans. As usual, it will be FREE!

Double cheers,

Jon (excited)  

WHAT'S NEXT and THE ULTRA BUG

After finishing 3 ultra races early this year, I caught myself staring at the mirror and asking "What is next"?. I must admit it had not been easy trying to figure out what to do next. There was a sort of post-race lull (the word depression seems a bit strong). No more ultra races this year except the race in HongKong which is still slated late this year, November. Going outside the country to join an ultra race (except HK) is out of the question now and a bit outlandish I must say. Although we do have a plan to run Standard Chartered Bangkok marathon in 22 November 2009 but that is another story. All resources are being conserved for Comrades Marathon in 30 May 2010 assuming of course, I can get a slot even with my qualifying time during Botak 100K last 28 June 2009. (Only 5,000 slots are open for novice for 2010 Comrades.)

"1st November 2009 entries will open to all Novices and will be capped at 5,000. Entries will close on 30 November 2009, or whichever comes first (e.g. if we received 5,000 novice entries by 15th November 2009 then no further entries will be accepted)"

Looking at the 2009 race calendar, only a handful of local races are worth running. On October, there are the Milo Finals, Quezon City and Subic marathons and on November, the Pasig. All 42.2K distance and shockingly in close proximity, October 11, 18 and 24, respectively. Sometimes, it makes you wonder why they schedule races in such a way. For organizers, it is like spreading the return of their capital too thin. Let us admit it, they have to recover somehow. And for runners, confusion. It is like a duel... may the best races win. Next year, we will inevitably see one or two of these races drop their original schedules simply because it is not viable.

So instead of waiting for BDM 102K in March and Comrades in May 2010, I have planned to run Quezon City, Subic, HK and Thailand in that order to keep my sanity intact and the ultra bug in check (but I might drop Quezon City). Milo is out of the question. It was held barely 1 week after Botak. Short races are equally good as well to test one's speed.

It comes down now to the question of how to train again for 42K after being busy with all the ultras early this year. Honestly, the better question is how to train and qualify for 114th Boston Marathon on April 19, 2010. At my age of 40 by 06 January 2010, my qualifying time is 3 hours and 20 minutes. A tough time when one considers that the entire distance has to be run evenly not less than 4 minutes and 7 seconds flat per kilometer just to qualify. Locally, the qualifying time in Subic and Pasig marathons is the only race time that Boston Athletic Association will accept because they are both AIMS-certified. So Subic and Pasig are definitely worth considering especially now that the Subic organizer has chosen a fast downhill course along SCTEX. Great. And when preparing for this kind of race, it is safe to allot 6 months of training just to get things done. Something always comes up which prevents one from following the training plan what with family, work, etc.

For this purpose, I have conceived an experimental training plan which I have been following to a tee. Its effectivity will be tested during the Subic race. If it works then a success. If not, well I can only blame myself. So until then, I will defer announcing further details.

So all my trainings and expenses now are geared towards achieving one or both goals - Comrades and/or Boston in 2010 in their particular order of importance. Why the use of "and/or"? Well, it is logistically challenging in the light of current global economic downturn. I just hope things will pan out eventually.

Cheers.

BEETROOT JUICE BOOSTS STAMINA

Beetroot Juice Boosts Stamina, New Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Aug. 7, 2009) — Drinking beetroot juice boosts your stamina and could help you exercise for up to 16% longer. A University of Exeter led-study shows for the first time how the nitrate contained in beetroot juice leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, making exercise less tiring.

The study reveals that drinking beetroot juice reduces oxygen uptake to an extent that cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.

The research team believes that the findings could be of great interest to endurance athletes. They could also be relevant to elderly people or those with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases.

The research team conducted their study with eight men aged between 19 and 38. They were given 500ml per day of organic beetroot juice for six consecutive days before completing a series of tests, involving cycling on an exercise bike. On another occasion, they were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for six consecutive days before completing the same cycling tests.

After drinking beetroot juice the group was able to cycle for an average of 11.25 minutes, which is 92 seconds longer than when they were given the placebo. This would translate into an approximate 2% reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance. The group that had consumed the beetroot juice also had lower resting blood pressure.

The researchers are not yet sure of the exact mechanism that causes the nitrate in the beetroot juice to boost stamina. However, they suspect it could be a result of the nitrate turning into nitric oxide in the body, reducing the oxygen cost of exercise.

The research was carried out by the University of Exeter and Peninsula Medical School and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. The research team now hopes to conduct further studies to try to understand in more detail the effects of nitrate-rich foods on exercise physiology.

Corresponding author of the study, Professor Andy Jones of the University of Exeter's School of Sport and Health Sciences, said: "Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance. We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training. I am sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results of this research. I am also keen to explore the relevance of the findings to those people who suffer from poor fitness and may be able to use dietary supplements to help them go about their daily lives."

This study follows research by Barts and the London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School (published in February 2008 in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension), which found that beetroot juice reduces blood pressure.

---

0A Adapted from materials provided by University of Exeter.

NOTA BENE:

For those who have not come across this article, I might as well share this. Although, exercising caution is a better approach when reading this kind of "wonder food" or "new miracle supplement". The saying "too good to be true" seems apt.

SUNGLASSES RAISE RISK OF CANCER

This reminds me of the related article I posted here on 07 July 2009 "Alarming Discovery on Sunscreen. Anyway, you can read the full article on sunglasses vis-a-vis cancer by clicking the link below:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/8739/Sunglasses-raise-risk-of-cancer/

The gist of this study is: "Sunglasses make the brain think it's dark and this means you're not starting the natural process of tanning. You're more likely to burn and therefore at more risk of skin cancer".

I reckon that the proper approach to this is to avoid the sun when it is at its peak usually from 9-10 to 2-3PM. The problem is when running an ultra race even during the hottest portion of the day. Personally, I would wear the proper clothing and sunglasses but only after I have exposed myself to the sun for several hours. In other words, I would expose myself, say from 6AM to 10AM so that my body would have already produced the natural substances for protection (melatonin, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, etc.) before donning the protective clothing and/or sunglasses.

Ultra Cooking

So there I was in the kitchen practically the whole Sunday afternoon cooking one of the universal food of runners regardless of shapes, colors and distance - PASTA.

That morning, I went to the market accompanied by my son Nathan. I did not know what came over him but he volunteered to help. He sheepishly said: "Papa, can I come?" As soon as they heard it, his sisters looked at him in disbelief. I caught that fleeting glint in his eyes which warned me of things to come. More on this later.

So what did THEY have for lunch? Shrimp linguine in crushed tomatoes with fresh parsley and parmesan. (I had another dish in my mind).

Italian-style. The tricks (aside from the obvious fresh ingredients) in preparing this dish are (1) Make sure to squeeze the substance out of the heads of shrimps when preparing them, (2) Do not overcook the shrimps, (3) Thicken the sauce by letting it boil for several minutes ... without the shrimps, and (4) Add a dash of chilli flakes when cooking the sauce. (I do not know but it helps to bring out the rich taste of the tomatoes.) When thick, the sauce will deliciously stick to the linguine (never wash it in cold water after boiling!). I would like also to have generous amount of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in it to give it a rich taste.

My daughter always eats a big full plate of this and she is only 9 years old! That serving is more than I can consume even the night before a race.

So what was the other dish?

I had been craving for this dish for the past few days. So on top of the shrimp linguine, I decided to do ultra cooking. The result was angel hair pasta with clams in white wine sauce. I bought 2 kinds of clams and sauteed them in white wine to give that unique subtle taste and smell to it. The tricks in this are (1) Buy only fresh shellfish, and (2) Do not overcook the clams.

Lots of EVOO and garlic and sprinkled with fresh parsley and generous amount of parmesan cheese at the end, the result was a simple comfort dish but exquisitely and gastronomically wondeful! Paired it with white wine, heavenly!

So back to my Nathan. I knew I had it coming but I said yes to him so he will learn at this early stage to appreciate food more, how it is prepared and where to go to buy the ingredients. Just barely 15 minutes in the market, he yanked my shirt and whispered into my ear: "Toys, please". :)