Day 19 - 1000 and over the first hump

Robert Zucsin, Rathin Boulton, Martin Milovnik, me and Suprabha Beckjord all passed the 1000 mile mark today with only 75 metres separating Suprabha and I! Cooler temperatures but still with fairly high humidity - it didn't rain.

I ran 97 laps today to tie with Trishul for top points in the Commonwealth Championships. Rathin has been struggling for the last few days and today was one of those days that always occur when you think things can't get any worse... Nevertheless he is still in second place with Trishul crowing away at the top.Trishul has had blister problems that are slowly getting better.

Shoes are getting to be a problem as almost 40% of the course was replaced with fresh concrete last August/September and is a very rough surface to run on in parts. Martin said today that one pair of shoes only lasted 15 hours...

Day 18

This morning was ideal as I hit 40 laps at noon. At 43 I took a break which turned out to be more comprehensive than planned. Consequently I ran strongly after the break and took another break as the rain arrived and this turned out to be a half-hour break and I started running again but somehow my energy bubble burst and I began to struggle through the evening having to take more shorter breaks until finishing at 11:45 with 95 laps - a total I have reached three days in a row.

I have been thinking about mentioning the race crew for a day or so.

Day 17

Another tough day. This one seemed to attack my mind from early-on and the whole morning was a struggle and consequently the whole day which was saved by a great evening and again reached 95 laps. Very happy about that.
Smarana also ran well with Rainhald and in fact most people seemed to have an ok day. I think that Suprabha and Martin passed me so I am last again. And that's alright with me.

Day 16

Last night I couldn't finish the post as I was too tired but it was a good day as days go in terms of laps, as I reached 107, the highest daily total since Day 1. I was soaked all day as the intense heat and humidity tested the bodies reserves and it looks like I overdid it slightly. Its very difficult to tell how much is too much but after a great morning today things began to go downhill. All morning the humidity must have been close to 100% until finally, it threw it down. I developed a blister under my toes and then my energy and focus went and ended up with 95 for the day. The weather is said to remain like this for sometime.

Srdjan hit 1000 miles today.

Day 15

How and why things occur is not usually for us to know. Quite often we can explain an event... after it's happened. We apply theories based on our understanding of what's happening but few are true prophets. Maintaining a steady pace will eventually bring the miles - its pretty simple. What actually happens is a little different and quite often the steady pace is an elusive creature that can only be embraced for short periods and max potential is not realised. Trishul came back to the race this year having enjoyed a rest last summer and came prepared to do battle with various sponsorship deals and a hired helper as well as Kaarin, his wife and his dog, Dart. Blister-free socks, blister-free insoles, surgical customisation of shoes and 20 years of ultra and multiday experience help make Trishul an expert. However for the umpteenth time he developed a deep blister that slowed him up for three days. Today he came up with a new explanation and cure. It seems he was able to detect heat on his heel and applied strips of Aloe Vera to the affected area and cooled it down.

Day 14 Yesterday... Today

Didn't quite make today's goal - 100 laps. Got to 98 and will take that. Most people seemed to have a good day today despite the heat which was not as hot as expected.

Checking 2003 results and day 14 was one of the worst days of the race - 80 laps with only a 79 on day 30 to take the spot.

2003 - 733
2004 - 762
2005 - 750

Todays weight 182 lbs

Day 13

Today was a better day for some people and Srdjan is still working hard at his lead over Asprihanal who struggled with Tsvetan for much of the day, walking. They call walkers The Pedestrians and most people get to spend some time not running. Asprihanal made the minimum so he was happy with that. Suprabha is going from strength to strength as each day passes.

Shandhini is ordering shoes today as the rough surface starts to take its toll on the footware. Martin was saying tonight how a pair of shoes only lasts 3 days. Trishul was shocked at the effect the new concrete was having. He brought 17 pairs with him and will need more!!!

The weather is forecast to rise to the mid 90's for the weekend.

There's a new url for the 3100 site:

http://www.srichinmoyraces.org/3100/index_html

Day 12 - As It Is

Top of the list of runners is Srdjan looking very strong. He has settled into a pattern that is maintaining his lead. He is followed closely by Asprihanal who is having to work quite at the moment. He has opened up a gap on Smarana who has been suffering from shin splints for the last week or so yet has been putting in some solid performances as his recovery continues.
Rainhald is having a great race keeping close to 111 laps everyday. Stutisheel had a special day yesterday, Wednesday, and looked better today. Tsvetan is the quietest of the runners and trails Stutisheel closely and has a little breathing space over Trishul who has been suffering from killer blisters which can lead to other problems but today he had a better day.
Robert has also been doing well as was Pranab until he was hit by shin splints but is gamely trying to overcome the condition and today had his best day for some time. Rathin is leading the backpackers, Abichal, Suprabha and Martin who has had an injury to his foot slow him down but again this is making progress. Suprabha seems to be gaining strength and we wish her contiued success.

Day 5 - Changes

Yesterday I was too tired to post and then had technical difficulties this morning.
and quite a few visitors have been dropping, by which is nice.

Three days ago, I struggled to get to 80 laps for the day and today I was at that point at 8 pm. It is a constant source of amazement how the days can be so difficult and slow and then change without an obvious cause the next day.
Today Smarana and Martin have issues slowing their accumulation of miles. Both are experienced multiday runners yet these things still happen.

I ran very well this morning until 10 and then eased off for the rest of the day to monitor progress and to see how the knees would respond and everything seemed to hold up which I am very happy about.

The cooler weather is a tremendous help.

Day 4 - Guarantee

There are few guarantees in this sport. Toeing the starting line is to dance with the unknown. The intense heat of the last few days, having more impact because of the cool Winter/Springf, gave way today to cooler drier weather coming off the Ocean some 10 miles South of the course. Too late for Kuranga who departed yesterday and will be missed.
Last night I had to work very hard in the last few hours to get to 92 laps and my knees were sore this morning resulting in a very slow day with little to show for the days work. However Pradhan, the medical man had diagnosed constipation as a probable cause. That situation seemed to resolve itself at the end of the last lap of the day... so all was not lost.
The runners laps are counted and given as they pass the counter station and this is the most relvant information we deal with. Consequently we look at the scoreboard only occasionaly so I didnt get a look to see what's happening at the top of the board today. Assisstant Race Director Sahisnu is doing the Marathon Team website updates and a great job it is too. He doesnt finish until after 1 and is in work before 7am. It does look as though I've hit the bottom of the table at the moment as Suprabha overtook me today and that brings me back to the title of this post. I wont be last. Guaranteed.

Day 3 - Reaching The Goal

Another extremely hot day and fortunately at some point today it seemed as though the humidity backed off some what before returning this evening. Consequently I went into survival mode and crawled until 5 minutes to midnight. This was a seriously tough day and I had to settle for 50 miles which is still no joke, regardless of what I think about it - it's a long way. Kuranga was having some problems today and again, Pranab was first to leave after getting in his miles not sure how many but he is looking very strong.
Trishul, Rathin and myself are holding the 3100 Commonwealth Championships. Trishul did 101 laps today.
A lot of kids from Thomas Edison High are drawing to the end of their term. Some of them remember us from last year.

I'll weigh myself tommorrow to see if there's any good news.

Day 2 - Reality

Day 1 finished with a bit of a struggle but I was still optimistic this morning and started off at a good pace but only held it for a couple of hours before I began slowing and having to walk. One problem was my lack of sleep last night and my back was uncomfortable all day, plus the heat and humidity. Pranab seemed oblivious to the temperatures and ran in a good day and finished early. My total for the day was very disappointing but it was all I could do. So despite all my plans and hopes 50 miles is what I have to accept. I guess there's something to be said for training... I hope that this is just the acclimatisation period the first week is a time of adjustment.
So I now have 120 miles and still weigh 190 which is good, in some ways.
Stutisheel has his daughter,Anastasia, Nastea for short, as his helper and she is such a treasure. All day she selflessly served the runners with drinks as they came through and offered food. An Angel.

Day One

So at last the race is underway. The race began after a minute of silence with the race founder, Sri Chinmoy. Very humid conditions in the early morning and the day got hotter and hotter. Had a great morning, ok afternoonand a poor late afternoo/early evening nut as the night progressed I realised I could still set a PB for the first day which I did, 127 laps almost 70 miles and finished just before midnight. Almost everyone seemed to have a good day. We will see the results tommorrow. A bunch of guys dropped in to say hi today. Tim Korounis brought some South African gentlemen with him including Brian Collings who will shortly be running Western States. I didnt see who was leading tonight but Kurunga had a good day as did Pranab

Hours That Seem Like Minutes

It seems to be the case that whenever I step outside of the normal routine something appears to warp time. Either it speeds up and it seems almost impossible to get things done or time slows to a crawl and drags along interminably. The former seems to be the most frequent state I've been in recently. The poetry magazine got rolled over, the handbook didnt get a look in and the latest MR magazine did not roll off the printer, the websites didnt get moved onto Plone yet I still didnt have time to do all the training I wanted to and was totally busy all the time.
Efficiency.
Thats what it all boils down to and nowhere is it more practicable than the 3100 mile race. Certain things have to happen. They happen in a certain order and in a particular way and making the best use of time and resources requires a plan! Yes, a magic wand. The key is Energy Management and this will be a important issue over the next 2 months.
Trishul has hired a helper and also has a friend coming to help with Chiropractic adjustments or something like that. These two things alone will give him a lot of help and enable him to remain focused on his objectives for longer periods of time. It's not only physical but also psychological support that one gets from helpers that enables one to get more from a given situation, helps you think when your brain has switched off, reminds you of your goals when you're taking a longer break and just taking care of the basics is an enormous help.
However some people don't have these issues or at least appear as if they don't and are able to stay out on the track for long periods moving quickly - the elite runners - but behind this is a solid framework of doing what has to be done in the most efective way in the least amount of time.
There is no substitute for speed but persistent effort and maintaining standards will bring results. Pretty basic really. When you've got that down, that's when the hours seem like minutes.
I weighed in today, 190, and we will be keeping an eye on what happens there.

8 hours to go. I wish all the runners good luck and may we all realise this dream.

Another road less travelled

So, in addition to text I think I will be able to post a little mp3 file of life on the road. I don't know how interesting this will be but after a few days we will no doubt get around to Asprihanals famous joke collection...

The Daily Soundbite

Not quite the fabulous stream of consciousness ( Large video file: you need big pipes for this) that was captured by Lotus Films 2 years ago but 2 months from now, I'm sure it will prove to be useful...

MC Sahishnu 2003 style

You are ready, aren't you?

Last Days

Yesterday I ran my last long run, some 17 miles The temperature was relatively hot and humid and 30 degrees warmer than it had been last week. This sudden increase in temperature makes things a little more difficult for the body. All day I didn't drink enough. With five days left before the start my awareness of the body's condition is increasing and maintaining a higher fluid intake over the next few days will help the body adjust. During the race eating and drinking are functions that need balancing very carefully. The course is a loop of .5488 mile long so we are usually not more than 10 minutes from the aid station so the runners are in an ideal situation to regulate input. Getting that balance right is a little tricky and requires experimenting. Food will not digest properly if the stomach is continually diluted with water. The acid that helps break down food is a vital part of the digestive process. A little water often and then holding off before eating will help the body enormously. And again eating small amounts of food often will not overload the stomach. After a big meal the body wants to shut down for a while and digest. We don't really have that luxury.

I ran by the course tonight and it's all starting to come back - the vans, the tables, the chairs. the worn out shoes, the 6 a.m. start, the thunderstorms, the high humidity, the screaming kids in the playground, the interminable ice-cream van jingle. These last few days are really just that: by the time its all over, we will have been through an amazing amount of issues, problems challenges and found solutions, answers and gained an experience that we bring to a new perspective on our daily lives.

Love thy feet

It seems pretty obvious from the start that the feet are going to take a battering of serious proportions and most people can relate to the odd blister, but few people can imagine what 3100 miles in the rain and heat moving nearly 18 hours a day will do.
This is why training is so useful. Running every day and a longer run on weekends is going to get the feet used to moving for long periods. It will break in the shoes so you will know how comfortable they are or if they're not then you can fix the problem or find a pair of shoes that do work. It is definitely not a good idea to start a race with a make of shoe that you have not tested before. I train in New Balance 854's which are available in the UK but not in the US and I use a size US 12 4e/2e and in the races use a 13 4e. Anything smaller gives me problems and I have to cut the shoes. However because my feet are used to this shoe I am able to pull on a new pair at any time without having to break them in.
Blisters are the most common problem. A runner needs to find their own way of dealing with them as there are several opinions and methods.As soon as a blister comes into my awareness I stop and puncture it, clean it and change shoes or socks. Maintaining awareness of the condition of the body at all times is necessary, even down to the smallest of details. This isnt always easy and is why 'pushing' will deafen one to the body's condition. One can't afford to let a situation escalate out of control so I like to eradicate the source of the problem as soon as I begin to feel any heat or 'hotspots', as we call them, as this is the precursor to blistering. Changing shoes and socks will help immediately as will cooling the feet in ice or cold water or even just cleaning the feet will help. Any time spent on foot care is worth it. Prevention is better than cure. I have seen several people with blisters covering almost the entire sole of the foot - huge things 2'' or more in diameter and the runner unable to walk now risks infection. Multiday running takes the body to the edge of its capacity and its not an edge to go over.

Other common foot injuries are collapsed arches which can be supported with orthotics. However training will strengthen these muscles and running with orthotics is something a lot of people do these days. Again introducing orthotics during the race can cause other problems such as blistering...
The metatarsals also take a hammering as does the Achilles and injuries to these can stress other muscles in the chain. In a multiday race the weakest link becomes more than just a TV show.
Earlier in my multiday career I had severe pain in the soles of my feet. Each step was intense (and thats where I learned that technique of walking on rice paper without breaking it that was featured in a Kung Fu program in the 70's). The nerve endings became inflamed and for days I struggled before it finally eased off. And there's another topic - How pain mysteriously comes and magically goes.
So there's my tuppence worth on why its good to train regularly, regardless really, of the distance.