Race Report: 2015 American Canyon 25k

The 2015 American Canyon 25k, held on February 7th, was my first race of the season. I love this race; it is always around my birthday. This was the fourth time I have run the event and my second go at the 25k distance. I don't have many return visits to the same race course, and I was curious how I would stack up against my performance from a year ago.

As with last year, the course was muddy and slick. A storm system had rolled over Northern California the day before. Race morning the rain abated, leaving humid and warm conditions. Numerous runners remarked on how it was much warmer than they had anticipated. 

My goal was to finish under three hours, which would be almost a minute per mile faster than 2014. I felt like I was healthier yet heavier on the start line, which was on the opposite side of the Auburn Overlook parking lot from the historical start/finish line. This would actually come into play before the day was through. At 7:00, Race Director Harlan Reymont shooed us out of the parking lot.

25k course profile (out and back)

I like to go out fast at this race. The trail immediately funnels into descending single track, and I like to get near the front of the conga line. Running amongst the front of the pack for the first mile takes a lot out of me though, and as the fire road traverses around Robie Point I usually get swallowed up by the pack. I had my heart rate under control by the time I reached river level, about 3 miles in.

At No Hands Bridge aid station I stuffed a handful of potato chips into a zip lock bag and began the climb to Cool Meadow. I had two bottles of Tailwind, comprising 600 calories. I planned to complement that with whatever looked good at each of the three aid stations. The race marked the cusp between the base-building phase and strength-building phase of my Western States training. As I climbed, I ran as much as I could while keeping my heart rate below 85% max. As a reward, I set PR's on the Strava segments along the climb.

In 2014, the leader of the 25k had passed me on his return through Cool Meadow. I kept my eyes up, scanning for any sign of this year's leader as I approached. I knew if I could get somewhat further along the outbound leg before I saw him that I would be on pace for a sub-three hour effort. Rudy Von Ravensberg, from Reno, came into sight just before I began the descent to Highway 49 aid station and the turnaround. I was on track.

I crossed paths with the rest of the top 7 as I danced down the technical descent. Rocks, roots and mud demanded my focus, and I grunted encouragement to the other runners with out taking my eyes off the trail. I cruised into the aid station, grabbing a handful of potato for my zip lock baggie, and ran back up the hill without breaking stride. I saw a few more friendly faces on my return trip. Those at the very back of the pack were still grinding their way up to the meadow; determination and grit oozing out of each and every one.

Photo by Keith Sutter

The last time I ran down the Western States Trail to No Hands Bridge was in June. My early-season legs chewed up the rocky trail. The sun occasionally peeked through the clouds, and a cool breeze blew. I tried to compare how I felt with my condition at States, but I could not discern a significant difference. Although, I could breath just fine today.

Another lightning fast aid station stop where I filled a bottle with water and grabbed some banana and an orange slice before heading across the bridge. I tossed the orange peel back towards the trash can (missing it completely) and thanked the volunteer who was already moving to retrieve it. I promised myself to keep running the climb to the finish, save for the steep switchbacks and occasional heart rate mandated hiking.

Overall, I was impressed by my aerobic capacity. I found I could run up most grades without flirting with that 85% threshold as long as I kept my cadence up and focused on easy symmetrical breathing. I caught up with the 15k carnage on the home stretch, commiserating about the brutal elevation gain in the final miles. 

I gained the final stretch of single track with 20 minutes to break three hours. One and a half miles with 400 feet of elevation stood between me and my arbitrary goal. I fought off the apathy and kept running. I crested the hill at the Auburn Staging Area (the historical start/finish line) with seconds to spare, but still had to traverse the parking lot to finish in 3:00:55.

I'll take it. A 14 minute PR and an 8th place finish.

In addition to running stronger, I wanted to reduce my time spent in the aid stations. In 2014, my overall time minus moving time was 10 minutes and 49 seconds. This year, it was 1 minute 7 seconds! This is an area where I stand to make huge gains in year over year performances. I leave a lot of time at those buffet tables. No rest for the weary in 2015!

Huge thanks go out to Harlan and the Sierra Pacific Endurance Sports Volunteers. This event always has that grass roots community feel to it. From the low key start to the finish line chili, it never disappoints. Breakfast at Auburn Alehouse doesn't suck either! I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with a return to the American Canyon Trail Races.

The deets:

A Breakthrough and a Breakdown

As my weekly volume creeps up through the forties, shades of my previous levels of fitness and comfort peek through the pain. An eight miler on a favorite training trail resulted in numerous Strava segment PR's, although my heart rate was about 6 beats higher than nine months ago. I am feeling strong, but still a bit slow.

February is my birthday month. Last weekend was the annual Tahoe trip, which was the first in 11 years with no snow. I didn't even bother bringing my skis. I did get in a nice long run along Lake Tahoe though. That was a first. The ketogenic diet has been adapted to make room for some beer consumption. Between the birthday dinners and San Francisco Beer Week, it would have been difficult to abstain. So I am eating low carb all day, running on low carbs, and then removing any restrictions for dinner. It isn't shaving off the weight, but my body fat % is still dropping. Hopefully the volume increases will keep everything in check until I get to the other side.

Wednesday weigh in, February 4th:

• Weight 196.9 (+0.5 lbs)
• Body fat %: 18.79 (-0.39)
• Ketone level: 0.3 mm

The low ketone level was not a surprise. I have been experimenting with pre and post exercise ketone levels and found that after an hour or so of running, my levels rise by about 1.5 mm. This phenomenon is well documented, and reinforces the notion that ketosis is easily achieved with exercise. American Canyon 25k, this Saturday, will be an opportunity to experiment with race fueling and actual blood ketone levels. I hope to be in optimal ketosis by race morning, and check my ketone levels during and after the race to see how my selected fuel sources effect my blood chemistry.

All other aspects of training are firing on all cylinders. My MAF pace is improving, and I feel ready to begin the strength building cycle. Hill repeats and longer long runs should get me in race-shape for the Marin Ultra Challenge 50k in March. I will also be volunteering at the Lake Chabot Inside Trails race on February 21st. Say hi if you see me!

The Grind Continues

Forty miles a week is a mythical volume for me. Upon arrival, I feel weary. Niggles cast doubt on my endurance. Scheduling the time to train challenges my organizational skills. Once achieved and maintained, however, the forty miles per week bring confidence, comfort and clarity. Last week marked my return to the volume, and I hope to stay at or above 40 miles per week until June. Provided I can stay healthy, of course.

I continue to leave pounds of fat strewn along the side of the trail. I lost the ability to remain in ketosis on the weekends. Between my strategic use of complex carbs like sweet potatoes on my Saturday long runs and post run recovery brews with friends I didn't stand a chance. Weekdays are still low carb, and by Wednesday weigh in I can get back into nutritional ketosis. I'd like to see if I can fend off the fatigue despite my weekly transgressions. Here are this week's numbers:

January 28th, Day 24:

• Weight: 196.4
• Body fat %: 19.18
• Ketone level: 0.6 mm

3.5 pounds and a tenth of a percent body fat lost. My pace is quickening, slightly. My energy levels are good, and I am enjoying the flexibility of deciding how much and when to run as the days come. Sometimes the plan pans out, sometimes life gets in the way. As long as the weekly volume target is met, it doesn't matter. I doubt I'll ever return to being coached.

Physical therapy, however, remains a useful tool in my arsenal. Tight calves and some IT band issues are under constant surveillance. With just ten days to my first race of the season, I am focusing on form and pace. I have been tempted to begin strength-based workouts like hill repeats. I've stuck to my guns and remain in the "base" training phase until race day. I'll have a good bench mark for my hill skills that way.

I had a great morning showing David the southern end of the Miwok 100k course on Saturday. It was my first run in the Headlands in months. I need to spend more time there. Running just seems easier amidst those panoramic vistas.

 

Stumble, Stumble, Crawl, Crawl

Training continues at a good clip; I'm shooting for 40 miles this week. If all goes according to plan, I will not dip below that volume until the week before Western States. I recognized last year that 40 miles a week made me feel strong but not too worn out. Using 40 as a rest/reset week feels right. The calf and IT niggles are returning. I am getting A.R.T. as needed to facilitate flexibility and keep injury at bay.

At least the running part is going well. The long MLK weekend resulted in a fall from the ketosis bandwagon. Twirly and I helped her parents move out of their home of 30 years. Of course, moving and beer go together like peas and carrots. Over the course of the three days, I consumed well over 100 grams of carbs per day. Beer was not the only culprit. My mother-in-law bakes some mean cookies. I lost count around seven.

That said, the progress was not completely derailed. I lost some body fat and managed to get back into nutritional ketosis by this morning's weigh-in:

January 21st, 2015, day 17:

• Weight: 199.7 lbs
• Body fat%: 19.24
• Ketone level: 0.6 mm

Ironically, I am feeling just as motivated by this week's minimal progress as I was by last week's major losses. I know that if I implement my plan I will do great things this year.

This weekend will mark my return to the Marin Headlands. It has been months since my last run there. I'm excited to show David some of the Miwok 100k course. May seems like a long way away, but I know that summer will be here in the blink of an eye.

Training Update: Holy Ketosis!

Comparing these first ten days on the ketogenic diet to my previous attempt is like oil and water. Yesterday afternoon's easy five miles felt spectacular, despite having only 750 calories for the day before my run. I am feeling satiated and energetic. I even had a beer on Monday! I have been starting every day with two hard-boiled eggs and a couple pieces of string cheese, followed by snacks of mixed nuts and green olives. For lunch I'll have a salad, leftover's from dinner or some baked tofu. Dinners have been some form of animal protein and a salad with some veggies. I feel great and the fat is melting off. This stuff really works. Check out the numbers:

January 14th, 2015, day ten

• Weight: 199 (-4.2 lbs for the week)
• Body fat %: 19.48 (-1.42%)
• Ketone level: 1.8 mm

Over 4 lbs in one week isn't what I would call healthy, but it is in line with my ketogenic experience. I weighed 209 lbs on December 9th, so I have lost about 2 lbs per week. Most would agree that rate is healthy but rapid. The ketone number is 50% higher than I was able to achieve last summer. It indicates that I have entered what Dr. Phinney calls the "optimal ketone zone". A few more weeks in this range and I will be "keto-adapted". The bottom line is that my body will be burning almost exclusively dietary and body fat for energy even while exercising. While this may not help my performance, it will allow my loss of body fat to continue at a good clip. And losing that fat will help my performance. Recognizing the diminishing returns will be the challenging part. As my mileage increases, I will be strategically adding some simple carbohydrates into my diet to fuel the additional volume. I am interested to see just how many grams of carbs I can get before slipping out of ketosis. 

For the mean time, I'm having a blast. In this age of instant gratification, seeing the fat slough off so quickly is motivating. Feeling full on less food has been remarkable. Now that I have distanced myself from carbohydrates, I see how addictive they are. They breed hunger. Fat makes you feel fuller. I'm sold, American.

In training, I am in the midst of a rest week (25 miles). Easy runs and strength training. Up next is a three week ramp up to the American Canyon 25k. I have been striving to stay at MAF pace (HR~142) for this base building phase. After AC25k I'll be shifting gears to a strength building phase. Hill repeats, longer long runs, a focus on my TRX routine and other core workouts will be the keys to developing the power I'll need to attack the high volume training that is to come.

Is anyone else out there having as much fun as I am training for 2015? How about a Wanderplace Diet-bet, any takers?

Western States Redux Training: Begin Again

Looking for less light in 2015

With the holidays behind me I feel ready to tackle training for my second Western States 100 in 12 months time. While I gave running a rest in the second half of the year, I continued to consume as if I were training. Between the San Francisco Giants playoff run (Dynasty) and the holidays I packed on a hefty 17 pounds after States. When I sat down to sketch out my training program, it was obvious that  weight loss would be priority one.

I wanted to lose 30 pounds in 7 months. Not an impossible task, but I wanted to get down to race weight before the heavy lifting in the spring. December was easy; I began training again. The shock to my system and some smarter eating habits jump started the process. I knew once my endurance came back that I would have to implement some new strategies.

I played around with a ketogenic diet last fall, I decided to try it again at the start of the year. I'm finding it easier to stick to this time around, as I am eager to see results. Besides the lack of fruit and beer, I love everything about the diet. I can eat eggs, cheese, most vegetables, more meat, more eggs. The beer prohibition sticks in my craw, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Besides, there will always be gin for those special occasions. I am testing my blood once a week on weigh-in day (Wednesday) and will provide some progress updates as the season progresses. 

 Here are the starting numbers:

January 5th, 2015, day one of <50g/day carbohydrates

•     Weight: 204.2
•     Body fat: 20.9%
•     Ketone level: 0.1 mm

 January 7th, first weigh-in

•     Weight: 203.4
•     Body fat: 20.9%
•     Ketone level: 0.6 mm

The initial weight loss was likely water weight. I am pleased to find myself entering nutritional ketosis within 48 hours of beginning. The expected sluggishness did not deter my training. After peaking at 35 miles this first week I am taking an easy week of 25 miles the following week. That should get me back to feeling more energy. The next cycle of training is a three week build up to 50 miles, culminating in the American Canyon 25k on February 7th.

Reset with a rest week, and the cycle will resume. Every month I have a training race or big weekend planned as part of a peak week. I'll unveil it as it unfolds, but I am confident I have the tools to get me that silver buckle in June. As long as I stay healthy, it will happen.

Time To Go To Work

Hat-tip to Eric Schranz and Ultrarunnerpodcast.com for sharing the following piece written by Mario Fraioli. As I begin my 24 week WS100 training this week, inspiration is highly valued.

Time To Go To Work

By Mario Fraioli

The dark early morning sky gives way to a rising light from the east as two runners drop down onto the dirt trail at the mouth of a coastal lagoon. Headlamps aren’t necessary at this hour, but the duo proceeds carefully as their eyes adjust to the constantly changing shadows beneath their feet.

Fifteen minutes into the run the regular exchange of words gets spaced apart without warning as the runners simultaneously press a button on their respective watches. Their tempo increases along with their leg turnover as all audible communication seems to cease almost immediately. Despite the fact that the dialogue has died down, there remains an unspoken understanding between the two. It’s time to go to work.