Untamed Runner

This past spring, we bought a treadmill. I was skeptical, knowing that I prefer to run outside and that generally, our weather allows for that most of the year. However, I wasn’t planning on being the primary user and the pros of getting one outweighed the cons. Several months later, I’m glad it’s in our basement.

There are obvious times it’s helpful, such as I’m on my own with the kids and want to run. They can play in the basement while I churn out a few miles. Following a massive snowstorm which coincided with a busy week at work where I needed to run in the pre-dawn hours, it was useful. In the past I would have strapped on YakTrax and hit the road but this was safer and more time-efficient.

From a training perspective, it’s been interesting. Without outside wind resistance and because you’re keeping up with the belt as opposed to generating your own speed, the times on the treadmill can be misleading. One way to adjust for that is to set the treadmill at a slight incline. By running “uphill” you’re countering the lack of wind resistance and you’re forcing your legs to move faster. It still may not be 100% accurate, but it’s better.

Some treadmills come with video which feature runs in different parts of the world so you can enjoy “scenery” while you’re running. Even if you have this, running on a treadmill can bring some monotony. I’ve actually plugged into music the past two times I’ve been on it and that has helped tremendously. Because I don’t race with music, it’s not something I want to get used to. However, most of my treadmill workouts are short so there’s no immediate risk of my becoming accustomed to entertainment on long runs. And, it’s a fun way to mix up what I’m taking in while training.

The biggest training advantage so far is rhythm. Because the belt is moving at a fixed speed unless you change it, your legs are moving at a set pace. I’ve noticed that after a week where I’ve had one or two treadmill workouts, my leg turnover is steadier than otherwise. At certain speeds you almost can’t help but have the same speed but at slower ones, it can be easy to adjust slightly over the course of a run. I believe it’s beneficial to maintain steady turnover and the treadmill helps get you there.

There’s also the benefit of seeing exactly how far you’ve gone and how far you have to go. From a race preparation standpoint, this is helpful. While many courses may only have mile markers and nothing in smaller increments, when you’re on the treadmill and are maintaining set goal paces on it, you know how it feels at exact points. In a race, you can draw on this, knowing that in a recent workout, you kept up a certain pace over the final stretch and that’s possible here, too.

I had wondered whether I would use the treadmill more than four or five times per year when we got it. I probably use it at least that many times per month. Though my preference is still to run outside, it’s been a helpful tool.

I haven’t posted a weekly food review recently. Simple reason: I ate everything.

I’m joking, of course. Unfortunately, I just haven’t tried anything new in the past several weeks. I hope to add more to the Running Pantry shortly.

I look for races in cities where I’m travelling in the hope that there may be an event that I can run while on the road. Often my time in an area doesn’t intersect with a running event, but twice this fall I’ve raced out-of-state and both times, it offered a small glimpse into the community where it was being hosted.Most races are similar in their set-up. A start/finish line, the registration tent, port-a-johns, loud music from speakers, large numbers of nervous runners warming up and milling around, etc. When I raced this fall, it was oddly comfortable to be at events where much of what made them up felt familiar. In spite of both areas being very different than where I live, the little bubble of space created by the race was very pleasant within the new surroundings. And, there are small differences.

At the “Run Your Race” 5K in Phoenix, once the race was completed there was a large raffle drawing. Ten or so prizes sat on a table and the race director drew numbers and handed out prizes accordingly. Most of these prizes were very familiar: a water bottle, a bag of Clif Shots, etc. This race was one of twelve hosted by this company and they all started and finished at the same location. As the raffle went on, it became apparent that many of the people at the race knew the director and each other from having participated in past ones. Towards the end of the raffle, the race director picked up one large paper bag and said excitedly into the microphone, “Folks, folks. The Cracker Lady left us a prize. The Cracker Lady came.” The bag had various cracker products in it and from the murmurs rippling through the crowd, it was clear that this was a desirable prize. While it was not symbolic of the area in terms of being a cactus or something else you would expect from the desert, it was a unique prize in the sense that it represented someone from the community who was clearly well-regarded, and it was an interesting tidbit of an insight into their area. (I did not win the Cracker Lady prize.)

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I did the “Run Santa Run” 5K in Medina, Ohio. Like other races, it featured everything you would expect but in this case, some of the volunteers were high school football players decked out in their letterman jackets. All football in Ohio is a big deal and while I don’t know that the race necessarily used football players to make that point, I do suspect that the importance of football there means they’re involved in community activities, and it showed. It was also clear how much the community supported the race in general. There were only a few spectators along the course but the number of police cruisers they dedicated to the race to sit at intersections was notable, not to mention that they had a lead police vehicle for the race and a race truck. The race was a chance for them to show off their town a little, and they took full advantage of it.

In past posts, I’ve mentioned running while travelling as good way to see an area. Especially if you’re running outside of the main tourist sections of a town or city, you get to see both the similarities and small differences that make each town and community unique. The races are another way of enjoying that. We all have local legend spots that make the best burgers, or brew the best cup of coffee, or maybe have the best crackers. We also have local activities and events that are a significant part of our cultural fabric, be it sports or otherwise. These are things that we can enjoy about our own communities and by showing up at races in new areas, we can see these unique tidbits in other areas  and learn just a little bit more about them.

As mentioned in an earlier post, after being shelved in terms of expectations, Kenenisa Bekele won the 2019 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41, just two seconds shy of tying the world record and three shy of breaking it. In a post last year, I said that if he were to break the world record at that distance, he would be the GOAT.

Some make the case that his time at Berlin cements his status as the GOAT and I would argue the opposite. Without a doubt, it’s a phenomenal time but there are two problems. His best time prior to this was 2:03:03 and at that time, it was six seconds off the world record. Three years later (he is three years older) he knocked nearly ninety seconds off of his personal best, yet fell short of the world record. Typically we don’t get faster as we get older and it seems logical that this 2:01:41 may have been within him, but he never ran it. In other words, it’s possible that he didn’t maximize his potential over the past few years.

Between the other contenders for GOAT status, they did set new records and transcended the existing patterns and perceived limits of their time. Haile Gebrselassie crushed the existing 5000M and 10000M world records. Eliud Kipchoge obliterated the marathon world record and then shattered the two-hour marathon barrier when the eyes of the world were on him. To say that Bekele ranks third on my GOAT list is not a knock on him, but praise for two runners who elevated their performances when it mattered most.

In my post, I also said that if Kipchoge were to break the two-hour marathon barrier, he would rank as the GOAT in my book. At the time, I was unaware of the upcoming 1:59 challenge and was considering sub-two in the context of him winning a major in 1:59:59 or faster. I’ve also been wary of including someone in the GOAT argument who did not dominate, as Gebrselassie and Bekele have, at the 5000M and 10000M distances in addition to the marathon.

While we need some structure and rules so that our society doesn’t spin off into anarchy, there are times when we need to consider whether we’re being held back by rules and assumptions that don’t make sense. Kipchoge’s time at the 1:59 challenge doesn’t count as an official record. Two of the rules (fueling and pacing regulations) make no sense for the professional runners out there. The third one, that records need to be set with an event that includes more than one person, broadly makes sense though in the Ineos1:59 case, there’s no doubt that the event was measured properly and wasn’t a dubious effort that is difficult to ratify. In my mind, he should have the official time of 1:59:40. Also, maybe we can consider someone for the GOAT status even if they didn’t dominate at either the marathon or the track events.

Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner of all time based on a number of factors: he holds the ratified world record, he holds the two fastest non-ratified times of all time, he has only lost one marathon that he’s ever entered (and with the exception of the sub-two attempts, he has participated almost exclusively in majors and Olympics), and on the most recent sub-two attempt, he said we would go under that time and did. This was not brash or cocky, it was the quiet confidence that he carries. Even though he is not as decorated at the shorter distances, the level of dominance he has maintained for the last five years at the marathon, and his willingness to embrace two sub-two attempts that are controversial and find success at both, is mind-boggling. There is a consistency there which not even Usain Bolt maintained at the sprints despite his dominance. On top of this, Kipchoge only races twice per year. Training is essential race preparation but most runners would agree that racing is one of the best mental preparations for racing. To only enter two events per year and consistently win without tune-up or preparation races is very impressive.

I still would call Bekele the GOAT if he were to break the marathon world record. Gebrselassie was at his prime during my formative running years and that may be part of the reason it’s hard to let his GOAT status go. But, when you look at the consistency Kipchoge has demonstrated (and his achievements at the 5000M and 10000M are not shabby by any standard) then it seems acceptable to break with tradition just a little bit and move the laurel to his head for now.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenenisa_Bekele
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliud_Kipchoge

Now that we’re coming up on the holiday season, I’m pasting four links below to past posts which cover holiday running, training in all conditions, and winter running gear. Hope you find them helpful, even if it’s a refresh.

In more recent news, I did my baseline mile attempt recently to see where I am at that distance. It was on a treadmill set at a .5 incline, which in theory mitigates any advantage you have by having to keep up with the belt as opposed to driving the energy. Also, as I have zero interest in flying off the treadmill, there were a couple of points on the third quarter where I might have pushed harder if I was on a track or the road, but I was risking losing control on the treadmill so I backed off. 5:50 was my time. I thought I would have been at 5:38 to 5:45 but given that it was a random Friday night with no speed training, it’s an okay start.

On to helpful tips:

Running during the holidays:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/11/15/holiday-running/

Running in different conditions:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/03/26/hello-world/

Winter gear part 1:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/10/25/apples-to-apples-or-mocha-to-mocha/

Winter gear part 2:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/11/01/winter-running-gear-part-two/

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Skratch Energy Bar Miso & Crushed Red Pepper. The taste on this is excellent and it’s very different from the sweet flavors that normally dominate energy foods and bars. The red pepper is not a token presence either; this bar has some kick. I liked it overall and I liked the energy.

A few weeks ago, I received my official “commiserations” letter from the London Marathon announcing I had not won a place in the 2020 race via their lottery. By my math, I had a 7.4% chance of getting in (it’s all random chance) so I had not been banking on it. I also had been thinking about what to do with my running if I received commiserations.

The conventional approach for many runners as they get older is to also move up in distance. This makes sense. Most people don’t get faster as they go up in years and it may not be exciting to run slower than your personal bests, even if you adjust your time expectations to new realities. Also, especially for experienced runners, you’ve developed a maturity and mileage base that suits longer training runs and longer racing distances. Because of this, I had considered a local marathon next spring, at roughly the same time as London.

It therefore makes very little sense on the surface that my approach is to focus more on the mile in the next several months. Why would I do this? Several reasons.

It’s a little shift in training and focus. While I don’t have any trouble loving running, mixing up training plans and racing distances helps ensure that the love for it doesn’t fade. From a fitness standpoint, doing different types of activity can be beneficial for your body and the mile is a distance that requires more speed work than my current training plan. It’s also appealing to think of race strategy in a more detailed way, breaking down 1,609 meters into 200 to 400 meter segments. And, I’d like to see what happens with this kind of approach, especially since I haven’t done a pure speed race in over twenty years. I’ll still be able to do 5Ks and 10Ks, which will be helpful for race preparation, I’ll just be going in with more speed work.

I probably won’t get faster than my personal best (4:49). Right now, though it means I’ve gone out too fast, I can open a 5K in the 5:50s. My guess is that I could currently go in the low 5:40s in an all-out mile and with training, move down. Though I’m unlikely to get a personal best, there is appeal in seeing where I am (going to a track and doing an all-out mile soon) and working from there. At the very least I’ve given something highly unusual a shot, and there is value in learning from that. For now, it’s time to be untamed and see what happens.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gu (Roctane Line) Cold Brew Coffee. I first had cold brew coffee by being impatient. While staying at a hotel, I wanted coffee about an hour or so before running but didn’t want to go 15 floors downstairs to a carafe that was often empty. To solve this, one night I bought a bottle of cold brew coffee to keep in my room refrigerator for the next morning. This Gu tastes just like it and it works well.

In last week’s post, I mentioned I was running a 5K on October 6^th and I wanted to get at least 19:54. The previous year’s winning time had been 20:42 so I partly hoped I could win the race. Races hand out awards differently. Most do the traditional top three overall followed by age group awards. At the Taste of Louisville, there is a prize for first place overall and then it goes to age group prizes. Bolder Boulder gives medals to the top fifteen in each age group. The 5K on Sunday awarded top three overall and nothing else. Finishing in the top three became of paramount importance.

The course is difficult. It’s an out-and-back that starts three quarters of a mile flat, then has a brutal uphill, followed by a long gradual downhill to the turnaround, then reverse all of that. I hit the first mile at 6:40 (sixteen seconds behind 19:54 pace) and I threw out the possibility of 19:54. Partly this was because I was in third place and fourth was right on my heels. First and second were both far ahead. With the need to finish in the top three at the forefront of my focus, it was all about jockeying for place.

We hit the turnaround and I did not consult my watch, but I did start pushing up the hill, hoping to put some space between fourth place and me. At the top of the hill, I noticed second place was much closer than he had been earlier in the race and I started my effort to close the gap. As we crossed the two mile mark, went back down the steep hill, and began the last three quarters of a mile to the finish line, I was gaining on him.

A 10K was also being hosted that morning, finishing at the same spot, and this was a huge advantage with course distance markings. When I saw mile six for the 10K, I knew I had .2 miles to go and when I hit mile three for the 5K, I knew I had .1. This was also an advantage for second place, for he checked over his shoulder at .2 to go, saw me bearing down, and started his kick. He upped the pace again at .1. He was already far enough ahead that this basically settled the race. He finished in 19:44, I posted 19:47 for third (a little faster than the 19:54 I had planned), and fourth place came in at 19:58. For a community 5K, that’s a close race and it was a lot of fun, even without getting into second.

Obviously I made up a lot of time after the 6:40 opening and this was a second way that the .2 and .1 markings were helpful. Given that there were three of us racing at full speed for the podium, I still would have been going recklessly all-out, but at .2 to go, I saw that my time was 18:17 and knew that sub-20 was back in reach. And yet, though I couldn’t have really increased my speed at that point, in the back of my mind I knew I had to keep the pace going to stay sub-20, even if third place became a lock.

So, I was way off-pace at mile one and yet, my final time turned out the way I had hoped. This was probably helped by the fact that it was such a close race among three of us. We pushed each other a bit harder than we might have otherwise. It’s also the case that with the steepness of the climb on mile 1, getting a fast split there is just not realistic. You do have to reach the same elevation on the way back, but it’s a more gradual effort and clearly faster. The lesson from all of this echoes others from past posts, which is you just don’t know what to expect on race day, and the opening of a race doesn’t always dictate the final outcomes.

Speaking of collaborative efforts, the Ineos1:59 challenge has been set for this coming Saturday morning, sometime between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Vienna time. I’m going to push my prediction for Kipchoge up to 1:59:53. I was confident at 1:59:57 but now I don’t think he would cut it that close, assuming he’s working with some margin. We’ll know soon.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Reign Peach Fizz: This is an energy drink from the same company as the Monster line of beverages though designed more for workout use and recovery. I got this as a free sample, not by seeking it out. In a 16 oz. can it has 300 mg of caffeine which would be like drinking six 12 oz. cans of Mountain Dew. I only drank half and it was apparently more than enough. I thought my head was going to blow off and not in a good way. I was pretty fidgety the whole run and focusing was difficult, though it was supposed to enhance that. Long story short, I did not finish the second half of the drink and I won’t be using this one again.

Source used:

https://ineos159challenge.com

In a surprise performance, Kenenisa Bekele won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:41 this past Sunday. This is the second-fastest official marathon time ever, two seconds behind the current world record of 2:01:39. He is in the conversation for being the distance running GOAT so while the time is not unusual with his talent, he also has been inconsistent at the marathon distance and at age 37, some had wondered whether he had another superb performance left in him. This past Sunday’s run was a resounding yes.

I took something else away from this result. Prior to the current marathon world record, the time drops for the past five ranged from 15 to 29 seconds. 2:01:39, set in 2018, smashed the previous one by 78 seconds and there was speculation that no one would be able to touch this on an official course for some time. Clearly someone can and did.

This brings me to my main point which ties in to the idea of two hours being a number which I addressed in a post a few weeks ago. By allowing ourselves to be limited by arbitrary numbers, are we holding ourselves back? The fact that someone nearly broke what was a staggering new record within a year says to me that once we as humans see something is possible, it becomes easier to achieve the mark again. Since the 2:01:39, there have been three other marathon finishes that are faster than the prior world record mark of 2:02:57. There are outliers, such as Paula Radcliffe’s women’s marathon record, which still stands 16 years later and no one else has come close, and Jim Ryun’s high school mile record which stood for 36 years. But, Bekele is no slouch of a runner and probably could have run this time at a fast marathon in the past five years. It’s clear that he and other top marathon runners are capable of getting at least to 2:01:39, and they will. Yet, it took someone who pushed the marathon boundaries to create this new standard that the others can now aspire to.

If the two hour marathon mark is broken at Ineos 1:59 in a couple of weeks, I’m not suggesting that winners of major marathons will routinely run in the 1:59 range. In fact, it’s a huge drop from 2:01:39 to 1:59:59 on an official course for many reasons. But, elite marathoners will be able to approach the distance with the knowledge that it’s possible and by doing so, it will be much more likely to be broken on an official course. Of course, we need to see whether the 2:00:00 barrier gets broken and if everything aligns correctly, we’ll witness that very soon.

We amateur runners can also take something away from this. I often hear other runners talking about time barriers and usually they (and I) mention round numbers, like 19:00 for the 5K or 47:00 for the 10K. We know there are faster times to be posted. While we’re not pushing the edges of what may be possible for humans, a healthy exercise might be to pick a goal that’s not as tied in to our standard sense of measurement. Using 47:00 for a 10K, the mile splits are 7:33.5771. If instead of going for a 46:59, the runner decided to go for a 7:32 per mile pace, it would take them to roughly 46:49. It’s more awkward to say “I’m going for a 46:49” instead of “Sub-47” but in our own minds, we can pick more specific times and use something that we feel is at the edge of our current limits to motivate us, as opposed to something more arbitrary. On that note, I’m running a 5K on a difficult course this coming Sunday. My initial thought was to go for under 20:00. That’s a 6:26.16/mile pace so I’ll go with 6:24 and a 19:53.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel Lemon: Unlike the Tropical Buzz flavor, this one does not contain caffeine. I also can’t say that it tasted exactly like lemon, but the flavor was good. Most importantly, it did not cause any GI issues and it delivered on energy. 

Sources used:

https://bringbackthemile.com/athletes/detail/jim_ryun

https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/radcliffe-runs-21525-in-london

https://ineos159challenge.com

https://www.outsideonline.com/2402853/kenenisa-bekele-berlin-marathon

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a23244541/berlin-marathon-world-record/

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a27244432/eliud-kipchoge-wins-london-marathon-in-2nd-fastest-time-in-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_world_record_progression

Forget Usain Bolt’s 100M victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he was so dominant he slowed down and celebrated before the finish line. Forget Wayde van Niekirk’s 400M world record at the 2016 Olympics which caused Usain Bolt’s jaw to drop. The best sprint race ever occurred in the north section of Boulder, CO and featured a showdown between a city street sweeper truck and me.

One of my staple six-mile runs in Boulder includes a trail that goes under US36/28^th Street. For people unfamiliar with Boulder, this is a major artery through the city. When approaching this underpass on my run, you can first see it from about a quarter mile away. One day while running this route and coming towards the underpass, I noticed that a street sweeper was chugging along the shoulder on 28th, diligently doing its work, and moving towards the spot where it would cross over the trail.

Clouds of dust and debris were billowing into the air as the brushes spun furiously along the pavement. I realized that once it passed over the trail, all of the dirt and debris would be shoved off the road and, gravity being what it is, fall towards the path. Running through it would suck.

I had two choices. Pause, allow the street sweeper to pass, and let the dust settle. Or, there was a riskier route with significance chance of failure: race the street sweeper to the underpass and hope to beat it. There was never any doubt in my mind about which option to go with, and the race was on.

I started pumping my legs and took off like it was a 200M and not a 400M. I did have the advantage of the path being slightly downhill. It seemed that the street sweeper knew I had thrown down the gauntlet and it picked up its speed, determined to make me veer off course at the last second. At 200M in, the outcome was very much in doubt and despite going downhill, I was on my toes, pushing, pushing, for the street sweeper was quickly closing the gap between it and the overpass.

With many clouds of dust, there is the central core which is chock-full and dense, and then there are the surrounding layers which grow thinner and thinner as you move away from it. Given that this was a mass of road crud, I wanted to avoid even the outermost layer of dust, which meant not only beating the street sweeper, but beating it by a decent margin.

Something odd happens when you’re in the final throes of a race and you’re running in a crazed state to accomplish a goal that’s still very much in doubt. All you see is your finish line and the goal measurement. Usually this is a clock at the finish line or a fellow competitor. In this case, it was the street sweeper in my left peripheral vision. The rest of the world goes white and though you feel pain, it’s a tolerable state for you know that relief is coming, and the only thing that matters is victory.

I summoned my remaining strength and escalated my pace towards the bridge, for though I was starting to sense victory, by no means was it certain.

As I came into my last ten or so strides before the bridge, to my left I could see the outer layer of the vile dust cloud, illuminated by the midday sun. I threw in one last surge and crossed under the bridge, having dodged the dust.

As I run under the other side, I checked over my shoulder and saw that the street sweeper was about halfway over the bridge. The margin of victory was narrow, but like so many narrow margins, it was enough.

This was also the point where I remembered that I still had to get back to my building which was two miles away. At first this seemed exhausting, but I was running with the adrenaline of victory and these next miles would be a luxurious victory lap. Me over the street sweeper. Human over the machine.

I didn’t need Usain Bolt’s jaw-drop (though that would be one of the coolest running endorsements ever) to take the crown for greatest sprint ever.

(Author’s reality check: Were I to own and post a video of this 400M race and place it next to Bolt’s and van Niekirk’s online, theirs would get thousands or millions of votes for best sprint ever. Mine would get fewer but hopefully at least four, assuming my immediate family voted for it.)

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Clif Bloks Energy Chews Orange: This product has 25mg of caffeine. I’m not sure how to rate it. Part of my sluggishness may have been the heat the day I used it. My time and energy on the first 3.5 miles was solid but it fell off. Clif is traditionally a good product for me so I may have to give this one another shot. In the meantime, given the heat factor and that the product didn’t adversely affect me, I’d say it’s okay.

Sources used:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/aug/17/olympicsathletics.olympics2008

https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36689353

I doubt I could accurately count the number of races I’ve run. However, I can easily count the number of races where I have volunteered on the support side of the event. One, and it was this past Sunday.

Part of my role as a Runners Roost Race Team member is to put in volunteer hours. These can happen in a variety of ways. You can pace races, or you can work at packet pick-up for events, there are other ad hoc opportunities, or you can volunteer at a race. I figured that it would be interesting to see a race from the volunteer side so at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday, I got into my car and headed for the Rogers Grove Half Marathon and 10K in Longmont, CO.

I knew that setting up for a race would involve a lot of work and this was reinforced when I arrived at 5:45. Some of the folks from the company putting on the race, Endurance Race Series (ERS), had been there at least since 4:30 and while the start/finish area and other tents were progressing well, it was clear we had a fair amount to do prior to the 7:00 half-marathon start. From assembling flags to tying up race banners to icing down a tub full of beverages to getting runners registered and handing out packets to the preregistered racers, everyone stayed busy up until the moment of the start of the race. But that was just the beginning, so to speak.

Following setup, I was stationed in the food tent and while the first runners were not due back until a little after 8:00, we fired the grill up long before that to start stocking the tables with brats, hot dogs, and breakfast sausages. To make it easy on the athletes when they arrived for their post-race snacks, I would put all of these meats on their respective buns, wrap them in foil, and put them in a warming pan on the table. People could simply grab what they wanted and go. While I thought I did a fair amount of folding every week since I handle the laundry at my house, the foil folding I did early Sunday was equivalent to several weeks of laundry.

One contrast between running and volunteering was the different view on the race, which is to say that I had no real view at all on Sunday. When I’m getting ready to race, I’m looking around the start area, figuring out if I know anyone, trying to gauge the competition, etc. Once I’m in-race, I obviously have a fairly clear view of how things are going among the runners. On Sunday, it was busy enough that I was basically aware that the race was happening. I heard one winner announced and beyond that, I only knew what the runners told me when I asked how their race had gone.

In another difference, when you’re racing there are different crests of energy, nerves, and excitement prior to the start, during the race, and when you’re finished. When you’re volunteering, it’s steady hands-on work. Just keep the athletes happy through your designated task and keep on folding sandwiches up, handing out packets, etc.

Did I enjoy the morning? I did. ERS had a very efficient operation so the emphasis was on keeping the various processes moving and helping out the athletes. (Also, as a heads-up to runners out there who enjoy a hearty post-race meal, they’re very generous with their food and beverages.) And, while I’ve always appreciated the volunteers at races, it’s also valuable to have their perspective.

On to the food review of the week. Not brats, hot dogs, or breakfast sausages, but since I did something new with running this week, I’ll write up a non-traditional running food review.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Barbecue chicken legs. This may seem like a no-brainer but one day we had leftover bbq chicken legs and I decided to see how they would fuel me. Honestly, not well. While they more than fulfilled my criteria for the taste and didn’t create any GI issues, I was sluggish. Going forward, I’ll remember to enjoy them post-run only.

105 and 73 were the temperatures for my two runs this past weekend. For the first stop of a three-part vacation, we pulled into Twentynine Palms, CA Saturday afternoon and the original plan was to head into Joshua Tree National Park. With the thermometer reading 105.8 outside, the family opted for the pool and I eagerly laced up my running shoes, picked up a bottle of Powerade from the hotel fridge, and hit the road.

Typically in a new location, I’ll enjoy running and taking in what’s around me. At that level of heat and running next to a highway, my focus was solely on staying smart. This meant staying out of the way of vehicles, not stumbling or going too fast, or forgetting to routinely drink.

My Powerade was hot before the two-mile mark. I’ve noticed on some runs that there are occasionally times where if my instinct is to go faster, my body willingly responds without my having to dig too deep to make that happen. During this run, there were a couple of points when I considered increasing my speed but it was easy to apply the brakes and keep the pace moderate. On my last climb up a hill before the finish, I was tempted to push it but backed off. The wisdom of this decision was reinforced about three-quarters of the way up when I made a surge, figuring I could push it over the last segment, and then quickly backed off. I had never felt the kind of heat that rushed into my lungs as I increased the pace and started taking deeper breaths. Dangerous? Maybe not, but moderation prevailed. The whole time I maintained my focus on the run, though I couldn’t help but notice the numerous lizards scampering on and darting across the path.

When I was done, though we were only a few hours into the trip, I was already thrilled with the vacation. I enjoy running in heat, even if it requires extra attention to the details of staying hydrated and footing, and this was a new record for me.

The next morning it was 73 degrees and I felt I’d traveled to different continent. On this one, I was able to push the pace and not worry about it, and relish the surrounding Mojave.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Hammer Gel Orange (Real Fruit!) Presumably there is real fruit in this and presumably it’s orange. Oddly, this didn’t taste exactly like orange. There was a hint of it but while it was sweet and pleasant, I wouldn’t define it as orange. From an energy standpoint, it was good. I’d run the night before and used this over a six-mile run, during which I felt pretty good. No GI issues. While I wouldn’t grab it again for flavor, I’d be fine picking it up on a race course.