Providence Fine Furnishings Show

The DeWitt Woodworking Booth

My friend Rick (a fellow CRUD runner) and I just returned from pulling a trailer to Providence RI and back, which turned out to be almost exactly 2000 miles each way. This was my first such show so I expected, and did, learn a lot about better ways to display my furniture if I decide to do any more shows in the future. As for the show itself, it was a busy 3 days that passed quickly due to a constant stream of people coming by and talking. I was able to get away from my booth a few times and cruise through the exhibits. Several very well known furniture makers were also exhibiting at the show, so it was great to meet them and see their furniture up close. Of special interest was Brian Boggs, one of the foremost chairmakers in the country, who actually built a chair during the 3 days of the show. He did this almost exclusively with hand tools. Several well-known woodworking programs, such as the North Bennet Street school from Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design also had booths showing student work.

Brian Boggs Booth

Booth and Show Attendees

Some Amazing Marquetry

John Landis Cabinetmakers Booth

Rick had the opportunity to check out a lot of downtown Providence and the Brown University campus during the day while I was at the show. We also got out for runs each morning and checked out a few bars at night. On Saturday, they had what is called "Waterfire" which was quite unusual. The Providence river runs right through downtown and they light fires atop small concrete posts that run down the middle of the river. Classical music played and various street vendors were out. Gondolas moved up and down the river with couples having dinner and wine.

For running, Rick and I found a paved bike/running path that started in Cranston near our hotel and ran west for a long ways. The fall colors were amazing and we seemed to be the only ones out on the bike path each morning. I'm not sure where all the local runners were.

Training Log

This was supposed to be a "back to normal" week though the driving didn't help any with getting my runs in. I did what I call a half workout on Tuesday, meaning I did a normal workout protocol (in this case a cut-down run in which I increase the pace by .1mph each .25 miles) but I just didn't do it as fast as normal because my hamstring is still bothering me. If things were going well, I'd warm up then start the cut-down at 7:30 pace and speed up over the course of the hour to about 5:20 pace and hold it there for awhile. The first 2 runs in Cranston were about 7 - 7:20 pace, and the longer run on Sunday was more like 7:45 - 8:00 pace.

Mon 10/22 – 0
Tue 10/23 – 1:00:00 on TM, cut-down from 8:00 to 6:30 pace (loaded trailer and driving to RI)
Wed 10/24 – Token 5:00 jog in Indiana (driving to RI)
Thu 10/25 – 0 (More driving to RI)
Fri 10/26 – 1:10:00 flat/rolling pavement, Cranston RI
Sat 10/27 – 1:45:00 flat/rolling pavement, Cranston RI
Sun 10/28 – 2:06:00 flat/rolling pavement, Cranston RI
Week – 6:06 / 48 miles

First Snow

View from the "DeWitt High Altitude Hotel"

Today was our first real snow of the year here. Yesterday was warm and sunny, and today it was a high of 28 and about 4 inches of snow up here. I wasn't quite ready for a snow run, so today was a treadmill day. Generally the goal for me the week after a 100 is simply to get myself ready to resume normal training the following week. I actually felt as good as I've ever felt after a 100, but I still took it very easy and mostly walked this week. My hamstring is sore, but no more sore than it was before the 100 so I'm pleased with that. The next 10 days will be a challenge to get some decent training in because I'll be driving 30 hours to Rhode Island, standing around my furniture booth for 3 days, then driving 30 hours back.

Good luck to everyone running the San Diego 100 (yesterday but I don't know any results yet) and the Javelina 100 next weekend!

10/8 - 10/21 Log

Mon 10/08 – 0
Tue 10/09 – 30:00 on TM, 7:30 pace, a few strides
Wed 10/10 – 0
Thu 10/11 – 37:30 – 5 mile Palmer Lake town loop (rolling hills)
Fri 10/12 – 0. Drove to Cassoday KS
Sat 10/13 – Heartland 100 (14:26)
Sun 10/14 – 0. Drove home.
Week – 15:34:00 / 110 miles

Mon 10/15 – 0
Tue 10/16 – 0
Wed 10/17 – 15:00 on treadmill
Thu 10/18 – 0
Fri 10/19 – 0
Sat 10/20 – 45:00 rolling dirt trails
Sun 10/21 – 1:00:00 on TM, 7:40 pace
Week – 2:00:00 / 15 miles

Thoughts on Training

In theory, running more training miles would lead to better performances but there is a point of diminishing returns, as well as certain risks associated with such a program. There are also risks associated with my low mileage program. Many physiologists think that the best way to improve MaxVO2 is to simply run more miles, at least up to about 75 miles per week. Above that the gains are miniscule and are only made by directly addressing Max V02 via fast repeats. Sort of like the difference between a $500 bike and a $1000 bike is much more than the difference between a $1000 bike and a $10,000 bike.

Of course MaxVO2 is much less of a factor in races of Ultra distance. Running economy and efficiency is probably the most important factor in situations where you are staying sub-max for a long period of time (for example, 2 runners may both be able to run 10 miles at 5:00 pace, but when they run at 7:00 pace for 3 hours, one of the runners is working much harder). If all you did was look at their 10 Mile PRs you’d never know which one would make a better ultrarunner. Of course the 2nd runner could work on his economy and things would even out again.

In my own “serious running” past, my best times from 1K to the Half marathon all came during periods of moderate/high mileage (75-100 miles per week) that included 3 key workouts; a tempo run, a VO2 interval workout, and a long run. But, I ended up injured frequently. I have found that running more consistently for longer periods of time can lead to almost as good of results, and I prefer to race all through the year rather than peaking for just 1 or 2 events, so I think my current training philosophy works well with doing 6 – 8 ultras a year, as I have been for several years now. The main difference I have found is that a low mileage plan leaves less room for error in your races, meaning you have to be honest about your fitness levels and set your goals accordingly. Then, you have to execute a good race plan and be mentally strong because you don’t have the tons of miles to fall back on.

A fascinating thing about ultras, versus say a 5000m race, is that the fittest runner doesn’t always win an ultra race. Rather, the one who runs a well-paced race, is able to stay hydrated and fueled, and stays mentally strong through the rough patches is often the one who wins. This is why I have been able to actually train a bit less the last few years but stay at a similar or higher performance level than my first few years of doing ultras; I’m just a better, smarter ultrarunner now than I used to be. I also think there is something to be said for the long term benefit of all the long races; I don’t feel as if I need to do as many long runs now that I have the muscle memory of so many of them in my legs.

My basic training philosophy is to simulate your race as much as possible in training. For example, consider the Leadville 100. Many people run a lot of miles, including hills, for this race. But then consider the average finishing time is about 28:30. I did the race with my father this year and we finished in 28:42. I estimate that we ran 30 miles and walked 70 miles. We didn’t run up ANY hills during the race. So, it would make sense for most people training for mountainous 100s to spend the majority of their training time walking since that is what they are going to be doing a lot of come race day.

So, whether it is night running, eating on the run, mixing walking and running or whatever you expect to be doing in your race, incorporate that stuff into your weekly training.

Here is an “old” training week (Sep 1999):

Mon – AM 5 miles on flat dirt. Noon 7 miles Garden of Gods trails.
Tue – AM 6 miles on TM 40:59. PM track workout totaling 13 miles. 3 x 2 miles with 2:00 jog recovery. 10:19, 10:20, 10:13.
Wed – 9.5 miles trails in Garden of Gods.
Thu – AM 4 miles on TM. Noon 9 miles on roads, structured fartlek. 2 x (1:00 hard, 1:00 easy, 2:00 H, 1:00 E, 3:00 H, 2:00 E) with average pace being 5:20.
Fri – 8 miles TM
Sat – AM 10 miles total, including local road 5K in 14:44
Sun – AM 22 miles on Sante Fe trail at 6:45 pace
Total – 94 miles

Current Ideal Training Week:
Mon – 0 running. Walking with dogs.
Tue – 1:00 total time running, including 4 mile flat tempo run (5:45-6:00 pace)
Wed – 2:00 rolling dirt run.
Thu – 1:15 total time running, including 4 mile uphill tempo run (7% grade / 8:00 pace)
Fri – 0 running. Walking with dogs.
Sat – 2:00 flat dirt run, at about 7:45-8:00 pace
Sun – 1:30 hilly dirt run.
Total 7:45:00 / 60 miles

Heartland 100 Brief Report

I ran the Heartland 100 on Saturday in Cassoday KS and managed to break Eric Clifton's course record; I ran 14:26 and his record was 14:30. 5 time winner Mark Henderson from Texas was 2nd (I believe about 17:35) and Carrie Sauter from Maryland won the women's race in about 20 hours. Carrie ironically was also using the race as a training run for ATY, though she will be well warmed up by the time I start my 24 hour race, since she is doing the 72 hour event in Arizona. The results should be posted in the next day or so (http://www.ksultrarunners.org/).

My biggest worry prior to the race was wind, and there was plenty of that on Saturday, along with some lightning, rain, and a brief period of hail. But, the rolling prairie lands of the Flint Hills turned out to be a beautiful place to run. While I think of Kansas as being flat, it was nice and rolling the whole way. I believe the course has 6000 feet of climbing (and descent) so it never gets boring at all.

This was primarily a training run for ATY, and in that sense it went well. I stuck with my plan of walking 5 minutes per hour the whole race except for the last 2 hours when I became concerned about missing the record. I ate one gel every 25 minutes the whole race, and drank water the whole way rather than any sports drink. For salt, I just took a pill each time I started to feel cramps starting; it probably worked out to about 2 per hour. I believe the high temp was around 78 degrees, so that should be about the same as at ATY (hopefully minus the wind).

Overall a very well organized event put on by some very dedicated volunteers. The course markings were perfect and my wife Judy had no problems getting from one crew station to the next. The whole vibe was great and I'd highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a more lowkey 50 or 100 mile experience next fall.

Another Beautiful Day

Today was one of those days when I know why we live here. I would have liked to run more today but have to keep the 100 on Saturday in mind! I also finished up the last of the furniture pieces I'll be taking to my show in Providence in a few weeks. Here is a photo I just took.



This Edward Abbey quote seemed to fit well today:

"One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am-a reluctant enthusiast... a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards."

10/01 - 10/07 Log and Heartland Thoughts

After my 75 mile beach week, I took it easier last week and will back off even more this week prior to the Heartland 100 on 10/13. I have never run a 100 before where it was being used as a "long run" but that is sort of the way I'm approaching this one. This will be my only run over 3.5 hours, so it is an opportunity to experiment with a few things. In particular, I am going to try to mix walking in right from the beginning. For the 24 Hour race, I know there is no way to run the whole way (for me anyway). In previous 100s (LT100, Vermont, and WS100 DNF) I have let the course dictate where I walked, but that obviously won't work at a flat race like ATY. Also, I have found that 8:30 pace just isn't comfortable for me, so while that is about the average pace I'm shooting for at ATY, I think it makes more sense for me to run a bit faster than that, and then mix in walking.

Heartland Prediction: 14:29, which would be about goal pace for ATY, and Eric Clifton's CR is 14:30 so I'd love to get one of his records. When I think of Kansas I think of wind, so that could be a factor.

Notes on Training below:

Palmer Lake is .83 miles around. I have started doing laps around it on some of my runs just to get used to running on perfectly flat dirt.

Treadmill Hill workout. I normally do one hill workout and one flat workout a week. I will start that up after the 100 mile race but just did a moderate hill workout this week to see how my hamstring would hold up. The min on/off means I ran the whole time at 8:00 pace, but for 25:00 I alternated a minute of flat with a minute of 6% hill. My normal hill workouts are either 4 miles at 8:00 pace/7% hill, or 30:00 on/off at 8:00 pace and an 11% hill.

Mon 10/01 – 0
Tue 10/02 – 1:50:00, including 10 miles in 71:55 around Palmer Lake
Wed 10/03 – 0
Thu 10/04 – 1:10:00, including 5 miles in 37:20 around Palmer Lake
Fri 10/05 – 1:05:00 @ 8:00 pace on Treadmill, with 25:00 of min on/off (6% hill)
Sat 10/06 – 1:50:00 slow/rolling/windy. Greenland Open Space.
Sun 10/07 – 50:00 Greenland Open Space.
Week – 6:45:00 / 55 miles

Fall in Palmer Lake

Today was a beautiful sunny day in Palmer Lake; maybe the last no shirt day for awhile since we have some colder weather moving in. While fall in Colorado isn't like Vermont or Virginia, it is beautiful in its own way with the Gambling Oak turning red and the Aspens turning yellow. Here are a few photos I took while walking my dogs today. I do just about all my runs from my house, so these photos show the types of terrain around here. Basically from my house I can run flat, rolling, or very hilly depending on which way I go.

Looking at town from above the lake. The mountain in the right of the background is Chataqua, and the canyon there to the left of Chataqua is called Limbaugh canyon; we live right at the base of it. Some great single track trails go up the canyon.

Spruce Mountain, a few miles north of town; there are two 8 mile loops in the meadow and a 4 mile loop up onto the mesa and around the edge of it. This area is all part of the Greenland Open Space (there is a 50K here in the spring).

Some fall colors on the road to my house.

The small lake in town has a smooth dirt trail around it; I have measured it to be .83 miles, so 6 loops is 5 miles. This lake is the Northern end of a trail called the New Santa Fe trail, which runs for 15 miles south. It gradually loses about 1200 feet over the 15 miles, but is basically flat and smooth, and each mile is marked. A great trail for biking and running, particularly in the winter when the higher trails are snow covered.

Ultras on Low Miles

I believe that you don't have to run high mileage to be successful at ultras, so I've decided to start posting my own training log to demonstrate my approach as I get ready for ATY (a 24 hour race in AZ on 12/31). In this post, I'll put the last several weeks, then post a week at a time in the future. If you like to run high mileage, have the time, and your body can handle it then by all means go for it. If like me you tend to get injured and have a lot of other interests, you might consider my approach. Speaking of injuries, I have a chronically tight/strained hamstring right now, and it hurts if I run faster than about 6:45 pace, so I am doing all my runs very slow for the time being. Normally, I run two quality workouts a week however. More on that later.

Mon 8/15 - 0
Tue 8/16 - 0
Wed 8/15 – 30:00 flat on TreadMill
Thu 8/16 - 0
Fri 8/17 – 15:00 flat
Sat 8/18 – LT100 with my dad
Sun 8/19 – LT100 28:42
Week – 29:30:00 / 106 miles

Mon – 8/20 - 0
Tue 8/21 - 0
Wed 8/22 – 1:10:00 hilly w/Kelly
Thu 8/23 – 0
Fri 8/24 – 40:00 hilly w/Kelly, Jeff, Dan, Jim
Sat 8/25 – 1:55:00 flat
Sun 8/26 – 1:06:00 flat
Week – 4:54:00 / 34 miles

Mon 8/27 – 47:00 flat
Tue 8/28 – 1:02:00 flat
Wed 8/29 – 2:00:00 rolling
Thur 8/30 – 40:00 TM, 10 x :30 strides
Fri 8/31 – 1:02:00 flat
Sat 9/1 – 2:01:00 rolling w/ Rick
Sun 9/2 – 1:00:00 rolling
Week – 8:32:00 / 63 miles

Mon 9/3 – 3:00:00 rolling (ADT Marathon 2:51:41/3rd). Just ran 6:30 pace the whole time.
Tue 9/4 – 0. Hamstring very sore.
Wed 9/5 – 20:00 TM
Thu 9/6 – 48:00 flat
Fri 9/7 – 0
Sat 9/8 – 0
Sun 9/9 – 2:10:00 flat
Week – 6:18:00 / 50 miles

Mon 9/10 – 50:00 flat
Tue 9/11 – 2:01:00 flat
Wed 9/12 – 0
Thu 9/13 – 1:00:00 flat
Fri 9/14 – 1:01:00 flat
Sat 9/15 – 3:15:00 rolling
Sun 9/16 – 0
Week - 8:07:00 / 63 miles

Mon 9/17 – 53:00 flat
Tue 9/18 – 0
Wed 9/19 – 1:15:00 TM
Thu 9/20 – 1:30:00 TM
Fri 9/21 – 0
Sat 9/22 – 0. Flew to NC (next 7 days all hot/humid/flat asphalt)
Sun 9/23 – 1:46:00 flat at beach on roads
Week – 5:24:00 / 40 miles

Mon 9/24 – 1:46:00 flat at beach on roads
Tue 9/25 – 1:48:00 flat at beach
Wed 9/26 – 1:00:00 flat at beach
Thu 9/27 – 2:00:00 flat at beach
Fri 9/28 – 1:35:00 flat at beach
Sat 9/29 – 1:46:00 flat at beach
Sun 9/30 – 0. Fly home to Colorado.
Week – 9:55:00 / 75 miles

My first step into the Blogosphere

After recently starting to read a few friends' blogs, I've decided to start hosting my own. If nothing else, it will force me to write up some race reports and other such things. Ok, onto to the latest news....Judy and I just returned from a very relaxing week on Emerald Isle, which is on the southern end of the North Carolina outer banks. We spent a lot of time on the beach and out in sea kayaks. I also got a very heavy (for me) training week since I had plenty of free time away from work. Back home now, I'm racing to get some new furniture pieces ready for a show in Providence, RI at the end of October. Before that though, I'll be running a low key 100 mile race in Kansas.