Anorexia Athletica

Yesterday I ran in the Mardi Gras Mambo 10k. I was curious to see what would result from doing nothing but long distance training. Well, I didn't set any kind of PR (I finished just under 37), but the good news is that I never felt tired or exhausted at any point in the run. Since I haven't really done any speed work since November, I just wasn't fast enough to stay up front. Don't get me wrong, I'm irritated that I wasn't in the top five, but the race showed me that I am in shape...just for 33+ miles, not 6.2.


I just started a new book about ultra-running by Pam Reed. In it she talks about how she's struggled with anorexia athletica, which is basically anorexia for the sake of being competitive in a sport. Throughout the book she lists 10 or 12 criteria that you need to meet to be clinically diagnosed. While going through the list I realized that with the exception of two or three, I meet all the criteria. Now, not to slight the seriousness of anorexia (or any eating disorder), but I think it's kind of funny that I fall into this category. I've always joked about being neurotic about running, but there's just no way I'm anorexic. I always mentally take note of what I'm about to eat and then compute that into how it will affect training for today and tomorrow, but I don't usually curtail what I plan to eat unless there is a race the next day. Anywho, it's a fascinating book and is making me take a whole new look at my nutrition for this race, and in general. Not that I plan to make any profound changes, but if you're an information nerd like me, it's cool to read.

We met with the BR Tri club yesterday. I'm not sure exactly how well I was received, but I did speak to the entire club, left a handfull of fliers, and did get a solid promise from one member to "hook us up."

I've got a run at four today with a friend. We'll probably get about an hour and a half. It's been a struggle this week to keep from running and rest after my six hour run on Monday. Next week looks sunny...can't wait.

Post Trial Run

The aftershock of Monday's 33-mile run has been surprisingly minor. There was a small issue with shinsplints and with a little stiffness, but other than that, recovery has been a breeze. Although, I have noticed I've been extra sleepy earlier and earlier each evening. This week has been mostly rest and cross-training on the bike, so no major training to report.

I've noticed that I don't associate very well with people of my generation. I've seen this in two ways: First is that I just don't buy into their culture. The music sucks, they are on the whole very lazy and without respect, and are perpetually focused on self-gratification. Second is that nobody runs! I know, that doesn't mean much coming from somebody who is neurotic about it. However, my running is more a function of getting out and doing something. It seems less and less I see that desire to get out and do something positive (for the community or yourself).

**steps down from soap box**

Had a great run this morning. You ever feel like your legs are operating separately from your body? Yeah, that's how this morning was. I've got a meeting with the Baton Rouge Triathlon club tomorrow...hope I'm received well. Also, Dave is trying to get me to see the new Rambo movie. Talk about lame. Peace.

"Do You Need Help?"

Funny story. Dave, Brian, and I were on the Natchez Trace on Monday doing our first trial run. Our goal was to run at least five hours, but no more than six. So while we near hour five we get a white truck that pulls up next to us. A lady stuck her head out and said, "Is everything OK? Do you need help?" I think her statement sums up what we're trying to do in a pinch.

So while on the Trace we covered a little over 32 miles and did it in five hours 54 minutes. Not bad. I averaged a little over five mph, which is perfect. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. This is how she broke down:

I took off the two days before the test run and carbo-loaded. The night before I had pasta and two granola bars with peanut butter.

I was up at five Monday morning to pack, fold laundry, and get my food ready. While getting ready I mellowed out to David Alan Coe on the iPod.

Brian showed up first so we began packing to head out at seven, but where was Dave. I don't really mind waiting for Dave because his responses are classic. When I called him I didn't even get to say anything before he cut me off with, "I'm coming!"

We finally got on the road a little after seven and rocked out to Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden (metal for the soul). When we arrived in Natchez it was cold. The weather channel had been calling for a wind chill in the 20's all day, but I'm not sure it was actually every that bad. We did see lots of ice and even some snow, but it warmed up throughout the day and wasn't bad at all.

The Toughest Hour: Hour four was brutal. It was right after our turn around point and my thighs were killing. Dave and Brian kept talking to me trying to keep my mind wandering, but it was still a struggle. They didn't know, but I was honestly fighting tooth and nail to keep from stopping to walk.

What Didn't Work: We discovered the GU gels are a fatal move to make. They ripped my stomach to pieces and I was cramping towards the end. In short, they're too sweet...even when taken in portions and cut with water.

What Did Work: Peanuts and Cliff bars. Peanuts were a God send. At one point I didn't want to eat anything, but I was trying to get something down every 15 minutes. I forced down a handful of peanuts and the results were instant. The quick infusion of salt (pretzels worked too) did wonders for the body.

For Next Time: More solid, "normal" foods. I've been focusing so much on energy packed gels and bars that I may have overlooked the importance of simple things like bananas, PB&J's, and potatos. Also need to try Pedialyte. We had it for this run, but because of the state of my stomach, never got to try it. Ultimately my caloric intake needs to be amped up a great deal. We did the math and I wasn't eating nearly enough. I may try chowing down an hour before my next trial.

All in all, a good trial. I was disappointed that I was starting to crash so fast at the end, but Dave made a good call. He told me that our goal was five hours and to get as close to 30 miles as possible. We reached that goal. Get over feeling down.

Tonight I talked at the LSU-TRI club meeting about the run. I got a great response and some contacts that are willing to help out in the future. Also picked up a few poor saps that want to help train with me. Our next trial is February 17 and is scheduled for 8-9 hours. We'll have pictures up of this week's trial soon, I hope. Until then, carry on my wayward son.

Sick Day: The Return of the Brady

Yesterday I ran a beautiful two hour route and felt great. I felt like I could have kept going for another two hours on just my runner's high. After getting home, having a giant plate of Pork Lo Mein, and heading off to bed, my body began doing odd things...and it didn't have anything to do with my Midichlorian count (a little Star Wars reference for all you Lucas disciples). I never could fully fall asleep, my nose was runny, I kept coughing and rolling over all night...blah. So this morning I promptly went to the store and bought a whole nuclear arsenal of cold medicine. I'm over this being sick thing. I made sure to keep myself adequately "doped" up all day and it seems to have done the trick; although, tonight will be the true test.

I just finished a phenomenal two and a half hour run with no problems whatsoever. It's days like these that make me think this race isn't going to be anything at all. Let's hope.

Sick Day: The Empire Strikes Back

A very wise friend once told me, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye or gets pregnant. Then no amount of "I'm sorry" will fix anything." Well, fortunately, I have both my eyes and I'm not pregnant...but that's about all that's been going well for me lately. My sick day turned into a sick week. Big Dave tried to argue the point that if I'm feeling crappy then I should take the day off and wait for a more productive day to train. My reasoning, however, was that the very essence of this race is that it's going to suck, so I need to be familiar with pushing through feelings of "I'm over it." So I've continued to push through it up until about a day ago. I was barely able to run longer that 45 minutes without tapping into my gels for energy.

Today makes the second day of no physical activity and I'll probably wait till late tomorrow to try and get in an easy 30 min run. I've also been fighting some brutal shin splints in my right leg. Ice and Asprin are all I have for that ailment, but hopefully this three day hiatus will ease that too. Also tomorrow I've got a meeting with Pat Fellows to try and get down to the fine details of raising money. The whole media blitz is pending briefly, just until we can get a few more things organized. As for now, I'm back to my bottle of NyQuil and a copy of Star Wars. Peace.

Sick Day

Today I am packing up and driving to Baton Rouge where I'll spend the rest of my time training. I'm very excited because its training ground that I'm use to, which makes getting ready for race day almost seamless. I've had an excellent string of runs the past few days. I know that I won't be able to run any faster than about five mph on race day, but I've been training at about seven mph for between two and three hours. Yesterday was tough, though. I didn't have a fever, but it was one of those days where your body just shuts down. I was tired, had a headache, and thought I maybe was coming down with the flu. I was probably just a little dehydrated. However, as I finish this blog I'm rolling out the door to get in some miles, probably about 20...or at least 3 hours.

Happy running...and check out the Teaser Trailer link on the right. It's only a minute long and, I think, is pretty motivating.

Home Again

We're back from St. Louis. As much as I enjoyed running up north, I'm glad to be back to a climate that I'm familiar with. The cold didn't bother me so much (it never got much warmer than 32), but the wind kicked my butt. Few things are more demoralizing that running headlong into an icy wind for an hour and a half. So I'll stay in Alexandria till the 4th and then head down to Baton Rouge where I'll finish most of the rest of my training. I miss running the lakes at LSU. I've run them so many times that its not unusual for me to run the whole thing and not be able to remember any of the run.

Just got the Black Sabbath live reunion CD for Christmas. Let's not even pretend like that won't be on my playlist for those early morning runs.