2012 Ice Age Trail 50 Mile Race Report - Cramps n PR's





2012 Ice Age Trail 50 Mile Race Report

To run or race the Ice Age 50, that was the question I had rolling in my mind for the last month.  To accomplish the latter, racing, I was going to have to very comfortable in my ability to do the former, run.  Going into the race I had been able to consistently train without major injury.  I also was able to more closely dial in my nutrition and gear for racing.  I had better trained my body to burn fat, was using VESPA, and had just received my new shoes, the HOKA stinson evo.  Friday arrives, my bottles get filled, packets get picked up, and I pretend to sleep for a few hours.

The morning of the race I had the pleasure of sharing a ride with, the eventual winner, Zach Bitter.  The conversation was non-stop from the moment we got into the car, man were we wide awake for 4:30 in the morning!  We caught up on training, eating, and racing.  We also talked about our goals for Ice Age, his were slightly loftier than mine.  After the destruction of my body in my last 50 mile race, a 10:35 finish, I had set my main goal as an 8 hour finish, with a stretch goal of seeing that finish time start with a 7.  We got to the race and quickly got our things together.  This was the first time I have ever seen the line for the men’s bathroom longer than the women’s.  Well everyone got ready, Jeff gave us the course run down, told us about Craig and his Ice Age 500 (extra crazy!!), the national anthem was sung, and bang off we went.

The front of this race was FAST!!!  This concerned me as I have trained my body to run on fat, and if you begin to tap your glycogen stores too quickly that is what your body will utilize, and in an ultra that just won’t work.  I fell in with a large contingent of LPTR’s and we quickly blew through 5 miles in a little over 40 minutes, yeah everyone seemed to be moving fast.  Around mile 7 I caught up to my friend David Schmidt, whom I paced last year at the Kettle 100.  We compared race goals, settled in, and began conversing.  Anyone who runs with me knows I LOVE to talk while running; it seems to make me faster!  Well it must have been working because we cruised into highway 12 in about 2:30ish, which is a 7:30 finish.  I was feeling great, the pace seemed sustainable and my nutrition was spot on, I was using VESPA and a combination of coconut water and gels.  Dave and I refilled, re-grouped, and headed out.

I was really looking forward to this section of the course, not for its technical aspects, but rather because the turn around at Rice Lake would allow us to see who was in the race lead.  I had earnestly thrown my vote in Zach’s direction and was hoping that would be the case.  Well Dave and I were making great time so the course leaders, Zach in front, did not pass us till after Esterly Rd, which meant they were only about 4 miles ahead of us!  We hit the turn and off we went.  This was very exciting; the last ultra I ran had 60 starters, while this one had 350.  Being that Dave and I were probably in the top 40 meant we passed a lot of people after the turn, and it was fun seeing everyone have a great time.  Right around mile 25 I started to have issues running up hills so I told Dave to go on, I would power hike the hills, and catch up after highway 12.  I also began to feel small cramps in my hip adductors and calves so I swallowed every bit of salt I had.  I ran through the highway 12 aid station, begged some salt tabs, and took off. (Photo 1, 2)

27 miles into the race I was still on a 7:30 finish pace, but that was about to come to a screeching halt.  At mile 28 my body locked up in a full assault body cramp, from my forehead to my toes every muscle I had seized up.  I stopped running, started taking in more salt, began walking, and tried to figure out what was going on and how I was going to fix it.  Barring a disastrous injury I had never before let the DNF thought cross my mind.  Had I not been between aid stations I would have called it a day.  As soon as that thought came, I realized it was time for the mind to will the body into motion.  (Photo: Smiling through cramps) I began a process of jogging and stumbling, while cramping, which would have impressed even the best drunken Frankenstein impersonators.  During this stretch between highway 12 and Horserider camp I had the pleasure of running with and getting to know some great people, amazing enough the only muscle that seemed to be working properly was my jaw so the conversation began!  The first of these guys was John Nagel, from Juneau Alaska.  The minute he told me where he was from I mentally pictured myself running with Geoff Roes, why you ask, well I figured if he was Geoff and I was keeping pace with him, then I was still ok!  Come to find out John not only knows Geoff but works as a guide at Geoff’s Alaskan Ultrarunning Camp.  The second individual was Logan Polfuss.  Logan has run an impressive list of races already this year and has several more to complete.  He was battling his own demon’s this day and he was working through them by talking, well holy smoke that works for me!  We started talking, my mind told my cramping legs to shut up, and I am pretty sure everyone we passed was extremely impressed at how quickly we both were running while seemingly not breathing due to speaking.

Shortly before Horserider camp the leaders passed us again with Zach in the lead, I informed Logan my bag was in Zach’s car so I either need to pick up my pace or pray that he stuck around after his finish!  We ran into Horserider where I saw Dave’s wife, I asked where he was, and she promptly lied saying he was only about 20 minutes ahead of me.  I didn’t see Logan so I put on the tunes and took off looking for Dave.  By this point I was angry with my body and decided to remind it who was in charge by promptly picking up the pace.  I began to pass people hoping to catch sight of Dave.  Well I did, except he passed by me about 25 minutes before the aid station, Dave’s wife had told me 20 minutes when it was more like 60, but I was cutting that time down.  I hit the turn and then raced back to Horserider where I dropped my waist pack, grabbed my hand-helds, and flew out of there like I was racing a 5k.  The final 7 miles Ron Bero, a fellow LPTR, and I began playing tag on the trail.  He was feeling the climbs and I was smashing the down hills, not sure if this was my anger or my new shoes!  Ron and I were passing people and running for home.  Ron pulled ahead about 30 seconds and we ran through like that.  I came around the corner, sprinting, with a huge grin on my face, and was greeted by a finish time of 8:35, a 2 hour personal best!!!  I was ecstatic I had met my original goal of finishing in 8, but more importantly I had overcome a debilitating 11 mile stretch of cramps to finish strong.  My energy levels remained consistent, even through the cramps, and I credit both VESPA and my higher fat diet for this!  My recovery has been fantastic, 1 day post race I went for a monster bike ride. I credit my diet, and my new HOKA's for my speedy recovery, these shoes are fantastic and a review of them will be coming shortly.

Congratulations to everyone who raced on Saturday.  Congrats to Zach Bitter on his win, and thank you for not leaving with my bag!  Thank you to all the volunteers and everyone else who graciously helped me out through the lows!

Gear Used
Shirt - Sugoi Race T - Performance Running Outfitters
Shorts - CW-X Stabilyx Ventilator - Performanace Running Outfitters
Calf Sleeves - CEP - Performance Running Outfitters
Hydration - Nathan 2VElite waist pack - Performance Running Outfitters
Shoes - HOKA ONE ONE Stinson Evo, provided by iRunFar
Nutrition - VESPA, Gels, Coconut Water, Salt

Still not tired of talking, John Zinzow and I

Dave and I at the Finish

My Diet (OFM) and Why

My Diet (OFM - Optimized Fat Metabolism)

I've had a lot of people asking me about my diet.  If I were to really classify my diet into any category it would sound something like this.  I follow pescatarian, paleo, and low carb high fat and protein principals, yeah silly.  I am not 100% strict with these ideas however; I will eat lean meat (Organic chicken, buffalo, and venison).  A more accurate description of my diet is the following simple statement; I follow the 80/20 rule, 80% (6 days a week) I eat a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, fish, organic dairy, and very little grain carbs and the other 20% (1 day a week) I am not as strict.  A good example of my diet would be Ben Greenfield’s Food Pyramid.  This approach works very well for me as I have two young daughters.

I like to cook and more importantly I love to re-construct recipes to more closely match my diet while preserving their taste and enhancing it.  90% of the time I have great success in this hobby as my wife and daughters can attest to.  The other 10%, well I guess there are just some recipes that are just meant to stay unhealthy!

A typical day for me involves 3 main meals and 2 snacks.  My 1^st meal of the day, breakfast, is also my largest.  This happens for 2 reasons.  First I usually work out early in the morning, and complete these workouts without consuming anything but water.  I do this because this helps train my body to utilize fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrates.    Second I like to eat breakfast with my family and this is the most convenient time to work out without affecting family time.  I then follow this up with a snack, lunch, another snack, and then dinner. 

These are some of my usual breakfasts; homemade waffles or pancakes covered in nut butter (Almond, Peanut, and Nutella), hard boiled eggs, 1/2 a banana, and fruit, or a parfait made with Greek Yogurt, almond butter, cinnamon, vanilla, flax, 1/2 a banana, and frozen fruit.  For beverages I have water, decaf green tea, and almond milk with a tbsp of whey protein powder.   My two snacks are a 1/4 cup of mixed nuts, and 1/2 an apple.  Lunch follows an afternoon workout and is usually blended beet juice and almond milk, and a fruit smoothie consisting of organic almond milk, frozen fruit, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, & protein powder.  Dinner is a large selection of vegetable, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, organic cheese or eggs, lentils, or lean protein source like fish, buffalo, or chicken.

I have found that a diet high in good fats and lean protein and low in carbohydrates from grain and sugar sources has multiple benefits.  The first benefit in relation to fitness is training your body to utilize fat as an energy source and not carbohydrates.  This is essential for endurance athletes because as humans we have an indefinite supply of fat in our body but very limited, 90 minute, supply of carbohydrate for energy.  By teaching your body to burn fat you will have more consistent energy through out your workouts or races.  Because of this diet I am able to utilize a product called VESPA which enhances fat metabolism, and REDUCES, not eliminates, my need for carbohydrates during long workouts or races. As a benefit because I have a reduced glycemic load my insulin receptors are more sensitive to sugar, so when I do consume gels during a race I receive a much bigger boost.  This diet also aids in recovery post work out or race.  Ben Greenfield has numerous podcasts detailing diets similar to this and their benefits, he gives great tips on using fat for fuel for speedier recovery, and the benefits from the great nutrients available in healthy fats

In response to specific questions I recently received regarding recipes I have created I decided to begin posting a recipe every 2 weeks from my collection.

The 1^st will be the recipe I use for my gluten free, low carb, protein packed waffles and pancakes!

Enjoy!

As always do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions.  You can contact me by replying to this post or at the following e-mail nmwied@hotmail.com

Recipe - Gluten Free Protein Power Pancake-Waffle Mix

Gluten Free Protein Power Pancake-Waffle Mix

1 batch = 8 pancakes (Made w 1/4C) or 4/5 Waffles (Made w 1/2C)

3 Egg Whites
3 Whole Egg
½ C OrganicGreek Yogurt
½ C 2% Low Sodium Organic Cottage Cheese
2 TBSP Vanilla
1 TBSP Cinnamon
2 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP Flax
1 TSP Baking Soda* (Optional for Pancakes ONLY If you want the pancakes to rise like normal batter)
½ C Gluten Free Oat Flour
½ C Quinoa Flour
Additions (Chocolate chips, Nuts, Berries)

Combine egg whites, whole eggs, cottage cheese, & yogurt in blender and blend completely. With Blender running add vanilla, cinnamon, Flax, (*Baking Soda*) and honey blend completely. With blender running slowly add flour and mix fully, and then pour into bowl.  Blend as many batches as necessary for the amount of pancakes/waffles desired.  Add in whatever else you would like (Chocolate chips, Nuts, Fruit).  Let the batter sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

If you are making pancakes set your griddle to 300 if electric, or low/med heat if on a stove. 
If you are making waffles on an electric waffle maker set it to 3 or medium.

After making the entire batch, I refrigerate extra pancakes and simply warm them up as needed for meals for the next 14 days.  If you are making waffles I freeze the extras and pop them into a toaster, similar to store bought frozen waffles.

APRIL Training Recap

This was a busy month, but a great one for training!  Although my total running mileage decreased from March I had two really long runs and a fast 5K trail race.  The first of these was 31 miles on the Ice Age trail which covered 80% of the Ice Age 50 mile race course.  This run was completed slightly below race pace.  I not only felt great during the race but I also recovered by the next day which was a surprise.  The second was a 27 mile effort at race pace, followed by a 6 mile tempo run the following day.  I felt great during both of these efforts and again recovered quickly.  Another factor leading to the reduction in miles was my vacation to Belize.  While in Belize I did run on the beach, but just for fun an hour here or there, scuba dive, and hike several Mayan ruin sites.(Photos at bottom)  Interesting to note was that this vacation came between the two long efforts, and the rest that vacation provided allowed my body to absorb the load of the first run, and come back to run the second at race pace without any fatigue.  I am a big believer in REST and you can read more about my thoughts on rest in an upcoming post. 

This month I began working the VESPA nutrition company.  This is a great endurance product for individuals who have an appropriate diet, one high in good fats, with protein, and very little grain based carbohydrates (Optimal Fat Metabolism Diet).  To learn more about this product, its mechanism of action, and the diet which is appropriate please click on the link.  To read more about my diet please read this post and enjoy the new recipes!

I also got two new shoes the Montrail Rogue Racer and the Hoka One One Stinson Evo, I have run in both of them and they are very different and awesome!

I love to run fast, but hate speed work; I would much rather go anaerobic blasting up a steep hill.  That being said I do see the benefits of speed work; a faster foot cadence, race mindset practice, and increased muscle strength.  It is for this reason that I register for local 5Ks.  This month I raced in the Bear Trax Brownie Shuffle Trail 5K Race.  (Start Photo) (Finish Photo)This was a fantastic event supporting a great cause.  I managed to run a fantastic time of 16:53 (5:23 min/mile) which was good enough for 5^th place overall and 4^th male.  This race result, the long runs, and my consistent training, have me feeling very confident in my ability to perform well at the Ice Age 50 mile in a week and half!  Now its time to TAPER and decide which shoes to run in!

TOTALS

Run     163      23:35:52

Swim   6.5

Bike     47

Race Results (Start Photo

Bear Trax Brownie Shuffle 5K Trail Race

16:53

5^th overall, 4^th Male

BELIZE PHOTOS

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Main Temple, Lamanai Mayan Ruins, Belize

Nurse Shark, Scuba Diving off of Ambergris Caye, Belize