Bear Creek Half Marathon and Fine Tuning Nutrition

Source: Brazen Volunteer

I have to say I like to throw in a trail half marathon every once in a while.  Mind you my running over the last a couple months has been without much if any elevation.  So I knew signing up for the Bear Creek Half Marathon with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain was going to be a bit of a challenge.  Add in that it is August in the East Bay and this is probably one of the historically hottest half marathons that Brazen Racing does.  OK then, sign me up!  Sorry quads.

Source Brazen Volunteer

At least I knew a bit about the course.  Covering much of the Briones Regional Park, I had at least run half of it and could be strategic when to kick in and hold back.  The elevation gain though is a bit deceptive.  There are not many long climbs, but the combined effect really compiles over time.  And, there are a couple pretty long declines which are sure to demolish your quads if you haven’t trained for it.

It was overcast at race time.  Of course we all hoped that it would stay around for the entire race; however, we knew that was a bit optimistic.  The first three miles is a slow subtle climb to the top of the first hill.  This section was new to me and on the elevation chart, I thought this was going to be the toughest of the climbs.  

Source: Allen Lucas

However, I was very much aware of the following descent, a little more of a mile of well-groomed fire trail.  Mount Diablo was starting to show behind the different layers of fog and mist which provided an awesome picture opportunity.  Unfortunately for me, this is when my phone camera decided to go on the blink.  I had been looking forward to this section and opened up my pace, fully aware of the results that would show up a couple of days after.

At the bottom I caught up with Tony (Endorphin Dude) which was nice.  Our paths have crossed before but this time I got to hear about his first 100 mile attempt and his desire to qualify for Western States.  He had been doing fine for the first 80 miles, ahead of his goal time, and then had a really tough 6 miles to miss the cutoff by 12 minutes.  Next up is Rocky Raccoon.

The Wall - Source: Allen Lucas

After a couple of miles up and down, roller-coaster type single track, I began the next climb beginning with single track trail out of the Alhambra Staging area.  I am used to running this section at the beginning of a run and typically with a headlamp, so it was nice to see it in the light for a change.  The feature though on this trail is an approximately 30 foot “wall” of a hill and hitting it at mile 7 was a big challenge.  With heart rate through the roof, I stopped for a break at the top of it.

The next section is a slow steady climb up to the “Lagoon” which are a couple of twin ponds followed by the drop into the valley.  The rest of the race would be in areas I had not run and I had thought, again referencing the elevation map, I had passed my final big climb.  The heat was on and we were full exposed to the sun which seemed to sap much of our strength.  By the time we got to the aid station at about mile 10, I was spent.  But wait, more climbing?

Yep, and this was probably the steepest section of the race (with the exception of the 30 foot stint at mile 7) and took us up onto the ridge overlooking Walnut Creek and Lafayette.  It was a gorgeous view.  I had left Tony (Endorphin Dude) back before mile 7, so I wasn’t surprised that he caught up with me on the ridge.  He asked if there were any more hills and thankfully I could confirm that there was nothing left but a very steep drop into the valley right around the corner.  Now last year, our family worked the last aid station which was at the base of the final downhill.  I remembered how people really struggled going down so I was prepared and excited.  This would be the final masochistic romp on my quads so I had to make it count.  With little trepidation I ran down the hill like a champ.

The final climb to the finish. Source: Allen Lucas

At the final aid station I chomped on some watermelon and started the final single track.  Last year, this was full of poison oak; however, this year Brazen went out the day before to remove most of it from the trail.    This is an awesome section which affords a triumphant final mile before the finish if you have any energy left.

At the finish, my wife was waiting as well as the kids with an “Its It” ice cream sandwich at the ready.  I finished in 3 hours and 15 minutes.   I had no expectations going into this race so I was extremely happy with this run and my effort.  

Strava stats found here.

Things I learned - Nutrition

As I have written in the past, I have really been playing around with my nutrition.  I have really never gotten it dialed in.  Up to this point I have stayed away from Gel’s like the plague, using either Pocket Fuel (a nut butter whole food blend) or Clif Builder Bars.  That changed when I discovered Gu’s Roctane at the Way Too Cool 50K.  It was during the last 10 miles of the race, ready to try anything to help me finish that I found that it picked me up, at least that is what I wanted to believe.

Cool Shirt Logo Too!  Source: Brazen Racing

Roctane is different from standard Gu formula by adding histidine, branched chain amino acids, and citrates. " Plus the addition of OKG, an amino acid complex that lessens damage to muscle tissue during hard training or racing and speeds recovery," according to the Gu website.  Since this formula focuses on the needs of the long endurance runner, I wanted to see if I would have the power swings that I have had with past Gel products.  What was reassuring was that each Roctane was to be consumed at 45 minute intervals.  

I also had at my disposal 4 different varieties: Vanilla Orange, Chocolate Raspberry, Strawberry Kiwi, and Cherry Lime.  I would have to say Vanilla Orange and Cherry Lime are winners and I will pass on the Chocolate Raspberry (too thick in texture if that makes sense).

I figured that this would be a good setting to see if Roctane would be a good primary fuel source.  Yes I know, I could do this on a training run and trying something new on race day is ill advised.  But keep in mind I had already tried this at as a last resort at Way Too Cool.  I would have to say the strategy worked as well if not better than when I was using the nut butters.  I had no blood sugar /power swings and the 45 minute duration was perfect.  The only challenge I had, and this is something I need to figure out if I will continue with Roctane has to with my water intake.  I found that my gag reflex would kick in when I drank water due to residual “gunk” at the back of my throat.  I am not sure if this is because of the gel or if it was because of the heat, so I will be keeping my eye on this.  To get around it during this race, I would eat a slice of watermelon to “clean the pallet” which eased the gagging. 

All in all, a good training race for upcoming endeavors.  And thank you Mr. NotThatLucas for taking such wonderful pictures to share.

Trailquake 2014 - Magnitude 8.8 on the Fun Scale!

Having lived in the East Bay and having direct access to Mount Diablo and the Oakland Hills, we really have not branched out in running in the South Bay or the Peninsula.  So on a whim, as well as a way to kick our butts into gear, we signed up for Brazen Racing’s Trailquake Races.  Emma and I would run the 10K and Beth would run the 5K with our younger kids, Sophie and Myles.

For me, Beth, and the girls, this really was a bit of a whim.  Beth and I have been recovering from various and sundry injuries and illnesses with Beth on a 4 month hiatus and myself 2 month hiatus. For me, this has also led to a 15 pound weight gain. For Emma and Sophie, for some strange reason (only because it is a California School testing anomaly) did not run in P.E. for the second half of the year.

And while most of the family has really embraced the running lifestyle, our son Myles has not really enjoyed running.  In fact, it has been a challenge for him not to end the race in tears.  In fact, he has missed the last two races because he was sick.  Now at 7 years of age, and being healthy, how would he do?

Located in Sanborn County Park on the San Andreas Trail, it is a stone’s throw away from Saratoga, we were treated to what I would have to say is one beautiful but challenging course.  

The first 2.25 miles was a fun climb through a redwood forest with over 1,800 feet of elevation gain.    Most of this run was on single track, so at times you would have to yield to a downhill runner.   We definitely were not going for our PR’s which would be difficult to do on this course in normal running shape, so the occasional stop and start was not a problem.

       

The downhill was, though, what I was looking forward to the most.  With 4 miles of moderately technical downhill trail, the quads were going to be taxed.  Emma was struggling to some degree and took a header half way down.  Being the good papa that I am, I was a quarter mile a head of her and had no idea until I stopped so she could catch up.  Like a trouper, she had picked herself up and kept on going.  Needless to say I kept her in my sights the rest of the run down.

In the end I would have to say this is now one of my favorite 10K courses.  We finished the 10K in a “I am happy with it” 1:55.  I say that finish knowing that the person who one finished a full hour before.  

That said, I caught an interesting exchange with the 10K winner and his not so happy, I assume father.  It seems that his father was not too happy with his 10K time at 54 minutes and continued to chide his son for the failure.  Clearly there needs to be an education on what Trail running as well as course differences on performance.  Oh well.

For Myles, this was his best run ever!  Always a kid we have to drag, at this race we found him deciding that he would run downhill ahead of his mother and sister by himself!  No complaints with the uphill either.  Hopefully we have turned a corner.  In fact he said he had so much fun he is ready for a 10K….we’ll have to wait a bit until he has a few more 5K’s under his belt before I feel comfortable with that.

It was a good run for Beth and Sophie also. Sophie found her running buddy, Bylthe, at this race and kept with her until the finish.  She also loved the technical aspects of this trail.  Beth will have a complete recap of the 5K on her blog, you can find it here.

So while this is the farthest we will probably drive for a race, it was definitely worth it.  We are already talking about doing it next year.

And thank you Allen and the other Brazen Volunteers for the pictures!

An Awesome Weekend at the Diablo Trail Adventure

We had an awesome weekend setting up and participating in the Diablo Trail Adventure!  This Brazen Racing and Save Mount Diablo event is held each November right in our back yard in the Castle Rock Regional Park and Mount Diablo State Park.

  

It started on Saturday where we meet up with the race directors, Sam and Jasmin, and the other volunteers for the setup.  If you have ever volunteered for Brazen Racing, you will know that they are an extremely organized well-oiled machine, which meant that we got set up relatively quickly.  Since this is a Save Mount Diablo event, there is a greater than normal number of participants especially with the family hike that started in Borges Ranch and finished at Castle Rock Regional Park.  All went well on the setup and we headed home to get our rest for the following day.

We awoke to a lovely chilly (41 degrees at the house) but sunny day.  Emma would be running the 10K (pretty much doesn’t run the 5K’s anymore), Sophie and Myles would be running the 5K, and I would be running the half marathon.  Beth would be Myles motivator so that he would keep moving and having fun so that he would be wanting to do another run.

This was Emma, Sophie, and Myles second run in as many weeks, so they were in a good mindset.  In fact they all PR’d over the previous week.  

My run, well, was a good run and I am happy with the results keeping in mind that I hadn’t really done any training, or exercise for that matter, for the previous three weeks.  In fact, figuring that I wasn’t a 100 percent from Strep throat as of Wednesday, finishing the half in 3:07 was good. 

Mind you, I had been telling Beth all week that my target was to beat my Lagoon Valley half time of 2:28.  That would in itself be a lofty goal since this course is 0.5 mile further and has 500 more feet of elevation gain.  I even downgraded my expectations to closer to 2:38, similar to a race I did a couple of years back; however, even with that time, that course was a little under a mile shorter than this one.

At the start line I positioned myself in the middle of the group.  My strategy was to power hike the climbs and make up time on the downhill.  I would make up the majority of the time on the longest climb in the last 4.5 miles reasoning that I could sustain my flat road pace of a 9:30 minute mile through this final section.

I can say that this strategy was working for me.  I made it to the first climb, Sunset trail, a nice single track I am normally running down than running up on time.  Arriving at the second aid station and knowing that the next would be 5 miles after the longest climb, I picked up two Gu’s.  My thought was that I would need to refuel twice on the climb and if I could keep my blood sugar levels up then my downhill strategy would be fine.

I also began the climb up Dusty Trail and then on to Wall Point ahead of schedule.  Here I met up with a fellow runner, Sam, and we talked about running.  This was his first trail half marathon; however, he was having problems with his knee going downhill (which I got really concerned for him knowing what mile 9 looked like).  He was making a good pace up hill and took off.

I made it to the Curry Station aid station at 1:50.  By this time I knew my 2:28 was out the window; however, I was still on target for 2:38.  I drank two Dixie-cups of Coca Cola and took another Gu for the run back.  When I look at my stop times, I spent no more than 2 minutes combined at the aid stations which I feel pretty good about.

When I made it to the point of the long decent, I had lost another 5 minutes.  I still felt this was ok since it would be easy to make up on the downhill.  Well after the first mile, pace going pretty good, I started to feel the drain.  Very subtle at first but about 1.5 miles into the decent I had lost my energy.  I started feeling a slight amount of hamstring tightness and pulled it back a bit. 

Once I got to the bottom of the steepest grade I was spent.  I was now being realistic with my finish time; however still wanting to be less than 3 hours.  I found myself alternating between running and walking trying to keep my overall pace under 13 minutes; however, was really finding that a struggle.  By the time I was a mile out and with 9 minutes to spare, I realized that I would be just happy with my time and finish.  I came across the finish line at 3:07, being met by my wife and kids as well as our friends the Berhens.

Like I said before, I am happy with my time.  I was sick a short time before, and even with the suggestion of my wife to downgrade to the 10K I went for it.  While it wasn’t my best performance, I have set a good baseline for the next time I run this race.  

Also, I have to (as I have done a lot with my runs lately) rethink my refueling strategy.  I was concerned with the distance between the second and third aid station which revised my normal refueling.  I also typically stay away from Gu’s unless it is a last resort.  I think in this case I started a cycle of carb loading that I wasn’t sustaining at the level of exertion and caused my blood sugar to drop.  In a lot of ways, if I had waited until I got to aid 3, then had a Pay Day Bar and the soda (like I normally do) I would have probably have done better.  I really need to nail my nutrition down.  If I am going to be carb focused I either needs to keep more gel’s or sugar with me or stay more fat adaptive and focus on lower glycemic options.

That said, this is an awesome event and a weekend that our family will be enjoying hopefully for years to come!