Mission Possible -- Badwater

Badwater Training Week #5

"The Old Fool Wises Up"

The week prior to Run to the Sun is no time to continue acting like a fool. My friend and training partner Mike Muench so elloquently stated recently something to the effect: " Don's foolish too soon kick-ass training recently has resulted in his ass kicking him around". So, guys and gals, Don has been a very good boy this week. My ass (more specifically my piriformis) is still mad at me for past transgressions, but we won't dwell on that. It will be interesting to see where the pain begins on the way up Haleakala, and to see how I handle the pain. Oh well, like my running guru John Salmonson says..."we wouldn't want it to be easy !"

Overall, the training week has been as light as I can remember in some time (with the exception of business travel). Saturday was only a 5 mile fun run. Bob McAllaster has been especially compassionate this week toward me, regarding my core/strength training, avoiding anything that might aggravate my condition and Heather wasn't feeling well, so we missed the gym workout on Tuesday night. Wednesday was only a liesurely walk up Tantalus Rd.  I apologize for the boring report, but I promise to give you some good stuff next week. Run to the Sun will make sure of that. Aloha, Don

The Vern, Bob Mc and Bob D.

Aloha Friends !

After all these years, I thought I was prepared for most anything. Obviously not.  Here we are only a month into our Badwater mission and I'm already overwhelmed...overwhelmed by generosity and support. Frankly, it's been tough for me to handle...even to talk about outside of just Heather. You see, some friends of mine have gone to lengths that I was not expecting.

The Vern.  Vernon Char has been my dear friend throughout my short ultrarunning career and has been there for me at Mount Rushmore, Arkansas and Canada (as well as here in Hawaii). He is my mentor, and is constantly inspiring me to be a better human being, by the way he lives his life. Vernon has come to my need again, agreeing to crew at Badwater, not an easy task in itself. I was taken back a little when The Vern said he wanted to help out financially at Badwater, but I said "okay, you can donate to the Challenged Athletes Foundation". He replied by saying "no, I want to give some money to you, to help with expenses". Knowing how hard-headed The Vern can be, and that I was wasting my breath trying to dissuade him, I meekly agreed. I'm still overwhelmed. Thank you Vernon.

Bob Mc.  Bob McAllaster has been a good friend and running buddy of mine for 5 or 6 years. I was there when love was blossoming between he and his wonderful wife Barbi. I've watched him grow into an accomplished ultrarunner, and was there when he finished his first 100 miler, the very difficult HURT 100. Bob is responsible for the HURT blog site and when I got into Badwater, told me he was going to do me a blog site for Badwater. I didn't realize at the time how big of a deal this was and how important it would be. I also didn't have any idea how much work it would be on Bob's part, and I never realized how professional he is to work with.  He is doing a fantastic job ! In Bob's case, it doesn't end here. Bob credits much of his success at the HURT 100 this year with his newly adopted training program, implementing core/strength/interval training. Bob has taken me under his wing and on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons he puts me through my paces with this new workout. I have no idea how many hours Bob has unselfishly devoted to this point...but it's a lot... to make my dream a reality, but the blog continues and the training continues.  I'm overwhelmed. Thank you Bob.

Bob D.  Bob Dewitz is a relative newcomer to the local ultrarunning scene. He and I have only spent a few hours together, primarily marking trail for the HURT 100 race. Bob is just one of those rare, nice guys, and a saavy, businessman, running several successful companies. When I grow up, I want to be just like Bob Dewitz. Bob called me at work, and the conversation eventially made it around to ultrarunning and then to Badwater. I can't remember exactly how Bob put it...but something like "If you are crazy enough to do Badwater, the least I can do is to donate some money to your charity, CAF". I was excited...this would be one of the first CAF donations. In my mind, I'm thinking $25...maybe even $50, would be more than generous. After all, I don't even know Bob all that well. A few minutes later, the CAF notification comes up on my computer "Bob Dewitz $250.00 donation"....wow, overwhelmed again ! Thank you Bob.

Thanks to all my many friends who are supporting me in so many ways.

Aloha !

Don

Badwater Training Week #4 "There's No Fool Like An Old Fool !"

After taking some serious heat from a few of my running buddies for overdoing it the past week and aggravating my hip, I wisely decided to back off. "Elbows" Muench really gave me a well-deserved verbal blasting for not practicing what I preach, but then followed-up by giving me a great massage, targeting the problem area. The massage worked wonders ! Fortunately, with Run to the Sun just around the corner, we all should be tapering anyway. For those of you who are curious about the title for this week, it should be perfectly clear to you by the time you finish reading this post.

Saturday March 10, 2007
Most all of the core-group showed-up for two fun Tantalus RD./Concrete hill repeats. Everyone was in good spirits and Ernest and I used the time to continue working on Gordon to change his mind and join all his buddies at Run to the Sun. It looks like Ernest may have persuaded him. News at 10:00. We had our first MPF Crew meeting at John and PJ's on Saturday night, with a pot luck. The entire crew was there, great ideas were exchanged and the food was fantastic. It was a blast.

Monday March 12, 2007, Tuesday March 13, 2007 and Thursday March 15, 2007

On Monday, Bob McAllaster gave me the 2nd Interval Training session. Guys, if you are not already doing this, you need to. Putting some speed into our training really seems to help. I'm finding all the new stuff that Bob is having me do on Monday, as well as the core/strength training on Tuesday and Thursday is producing very positive changes in my body and my energy level. One of the theories that Bob touts, "routine is the enemy" is starting to make sense. He keeps adding new stuff, to where my body never knows what to expect...and it seems to be working. On Thursday night at the gym, Ernest "the Punisher" Tay got me on the stepper machine. Years ago the Stepper was one of my favorite machines, and it was nice to see my old friend again.

Wednesday March 14, 2007 "There's No Fool Like An Old Fool !"

With Muench still under the weather and the weather being junk (cloudy and rainy), a few Diamondhead repeats seemed my best option. My running buddies, and no one else either,  has ever understood why I like doing boring repeats on Diamondhead. Actually I had forgotten myself until today. It may have to do with the group I run with. You need to understand that when you run with a seriously extreme group like HURT, nothing you do gets raves...nothing ! Someone has already done something farther, faster, higher and tougher than you. Doing a 100 mile race means nothing anymore to them ! Bring it up, and all you will get is a yawn...boring ! To make things worse, most all the guys in the group are younger, stronger, faster and in this case much more fit (and fit looking) than me. We're talking chiseled, athletic bodies here...and mine isn't one of them. Anyway, it all came back to me today as to why I like training on Diamondhead. You see, I was sweating heavily, bare-chested coming back down on loop #4 or #5 (of 8) when two gals in their late 40's were going up. One of the gals looked straight at me, pointed and said to her girlfriend (very loudly) "now that's the way every man should look !"  Okay, I know what you're thinking..."she has a fetish for hairy-chested, sweaty, old men". Well, you may be right, but my ego chooses to think differently...and since it's my story...(right?).  Later, as I met them on their trip back down, they stopped me and excitedly asked the usual questions... "how old are you?...how many trips are you doing?...etc., throwing in at least 2 or 3 "you are in awesome shape" for good measure, so "see"...I was right !  Okay, I'll have to admit that the old mind may be playing tricks....and whether all this is real or imaginary, there's definitely truth in the saying "there's no fool like an old fool !"

2006 Badwater Story: Mike Sweeney

The Marin Independent Journal did a nice three-part series on 2006 Badwater participant Mike Sweeney. Mike Sweeney won the HURT 100 trail race a couple of times and is well known to many Hawaii runners. You can really get a sense of what a racer and their crew go through reading these.

There is also a nice audio/slide presentation to go along with these articles.

Part 1: Running Into hell: Battling for survival in "Worlds Toughest Foot Race"

Part 2: Punishing pace: Searing heat takes it toll

Part 3: Sweeney's mental and physical disintegration forces a confrontation with his crew

Audio/Slides Part 1

Audio/Slides Part 2

Audio/Slides Part 3

After reading the articles and listening to the audio, I am sure you will have a new appreciation for the adventure Don has embarked upon.

When you get excited you forget the basics

I've been avoiding going out to Dillingham for over a year.  My excuse is that driving my old car that far is hard on my hip. So this time I met Don at his office in Kaneohe and hitched a ride.  Don's tricked out Sportscar utility vehicle has not quite the ambiance of riding in my old beast, but it makes the grade for comfort.   

When we got to the parking lot I looked up at the high cliffs and asked Cheryl if we were going up that thing.

'Sure!', she said, 'It will be fun Mike, you'll see.'   And with that she was off down the road.  As with all runs I quickly fell to the back of the pack, while Don in his usual exuberance was off with the leaders.    A hundred yards down the road we started up and I suddenly felt like one of the extras (one of the guys that gets eaten early on in the flick) from Lost World.   But it was all up, and since I like ups I gradually warmed up to the game.   Don, on the other hand, slowly fell back.  For a while we were together on the trail exchanging grunts and then it got really steep and I found myself moving ahead.

What Don did not tell you is that he did not eat before he ventured on this extravaganza.  Nada.  So it was no surprise that he began to feel really weak.  Too busy training to take care of the basics. Too busy to fuel the engine.  To excited about running to stop and take stock of what was going on. He had done maybe 70 miles of training during the week and was ready for more.  It was Bad Water Training after-all.  And somewhere along the way he stopped dealing with the simple facts of 'being there'.  The Zen of the Run had given way to the exuberance of getting ready for Bad Water.   

I had seen that when we were doing our up on Concretes on Wednesday.  He had been dragging a bit up the hill and his body was saying 'Hey dude where you going so fast!' , but his mind was in high gear and just chomping at the bit.  It was a disassociation that is never beneficial.  Better to have the body screaming lets go and the mind saying 'Whoa! Big feller, its a long way to the barn!'.   Anyway I was having some pain that day from poking my eye with a stick--just verifying an old saying-- and looking at Don I figured it was a good time to quit for the day.    And it was.   But old Don goes and runs repeats at Diamond Head!   Looked good on paper.  But the toll on his body was another matter all together.     I read that and I thought,  'Hey Don, you drag your ass up Tantalus a couple of times, and then you go do more?  A bit early for distance, a bit early for working out all damn day!  But when Don gets excited well,  he is not prone to listen to the 'whinner' guy Muench who is mumbling about going out too fast. 

So we did the Peacock Flats run and everybody who had had the sense to EAT before running ALL day was doing pretty good.  And then there was Don, who lit himself up like a match and was having a hard time before we hit the top of the infinite hills section.   Its good to have that 'all done in' feeling and have to push on, Lord knows, its going to come and visit him in late July,  but at this point in training it is perhaps premature.   A good base is what we should be trying for, a solid foundation.  Hey, it's what I learned from Don himself when I was struggling a few years back.   

We finished the first loop and It was a  great 18 something miles. We eat and we are looking hesitantly at each other wondering who is going to say the condemning words.  And there is 'I'm all burnt out' Don pushing for another loop.  It was a good shorter road loop, and an uphill that was runnable---I missed you out there Earnest!--- and it is commendable that Don pushed himself to do it, but I question the wisdom of his doing it.  Too much too soon and done without attending to the basics.  Like eating.  Like building a strong base.  Like listening to your body.  Like planning.   

So now Don is complaining about his hip rotators.  Gee, isn't that a surprise!   He kicks his ass around for two weeks putting in maybe 150 miles and suddenly his ass is kicking him around.  You know you have done to much when your body, or is it your mind, becomes your worst enemy.   Rotators and back problems have done Fallis in on more long runs than any anything else.  And now, within two weeks of Bad Water Training, Don has managed to turn the little buggers into knotted little gremlins who are going to be hell to convince to go away.   

I've been kidding Don about my 'elbows' cure for rotator problems.   I've perfected a cure for it working on little old ladies who are overweight and don't exercise.  Their rotators tighten up and they wobble like off kilter tops as they  walk.   It gets so bad they have to come in and see me for the 'elbows cure'.   It's a rough session but it works.     Don is due for a session, and if he doesn't take care of himself he is going to quickly look like one of those off kilter tops as he tries to climb the road to the House of the Sun. 

Its all in the basics.  And now that Don is a bit done in by early enthusiasm, perhaps we can return to those basics and set a reasonable plan for distance and endurance.   If we don't I am afraid we are going to have to deal with an injury downtime that is has not been written into the plans. 

Mike 'Elbows' Muench      

 

 

Training Week #3 "Sometimes you have it...sometimes you don't !"

Saturday March 3, 2007
We returned to "Gordon's Secret Weapon", Peacock Flats for 33 miles of tough, hilly training. With only 3 weeks until Run to the Sun, it would be the group's last big training day before the event. It had only been 2 weeks since we had been to Peacock, but someone had made the hills longer and steeper, since my last visit. My legs felt like they were filled with concrete. Already being the slowest one of the group only made things worse. I need to start running with people my own age. Whine, whine ! There's got to be some more old geezers like me that still run. Okay...maybe not.

We had a new guy Larry, join us, and I was hoping to at least outlast him, but no way. He stayed up toward the front of the pack, the whole way. Ernest and David Carlsson took turns staying back and babysitting me. As promised, Gordon took us through some uncharted territory, which was good for some rather spectacular spills (ouch) by two of the groups more sure-footed mountain goats, Cheryl and Mike Muench. Prone to fall, I was extra careful. Almost back to civilization, we came upon a deserted lunchwagon in a mango grove, where Ernest tried to order Chicken katsu, macaroni salad, 2 scoop rice with gravy-all-over. A good laugh. You just never know what this fun group will say or do. Most of what happens on the trails, stays on the trails. Bob McAllaster, Rex and Kat all made appearances to liven-up the group.

Monday March 5, 2007
Bob McAllaster added another segment to my training, "Interval Training", which will happen on Mondays. I've been reading about the benefits of interval training, so I was excited to get started. Since it basically involves running muscles, etc., I felt like I would be able to handle it better than the core/strength training that Bob has been putting me through. However, "sprinting" is something that I haven't done in almost 50 years. Fortunately, again, Bob took pity on me and the sprints were very short and not at near full speed. When I got in my car to leave, I was soaking wet. A good workout.

Tuesday March 6, 2007
By Tuesday afternoon, my left hip (rotator) was talking to me, and it wasn't happy. Bob modified my workout, leaving off things that would aggravate my hip. Later that night at the gym I decided to bypass the treadmill and concentrate more on core.

Wednesday March 7, 2007
Ditto...more slacking off due to hip pain. Only one slow, easy Kuliouou with Mike Muench.

Thursday March 8, 2007
Bob modified my workout again which helped and later at the gym I took it easier than normal. Anxious to see if my hip has improved by Saturday.

Laters, Don.

Badwater Training Week #2 (of 20)

It's almost amazing how the body responds to exercise, even at 65. This time last week I was whining like a little girl (nothing personal gals), thinking "are they trying to kill me?" Now, only a week later, I can already feel a positive difference in my fitness level, and especially in how I feel. However, getting plenty of rest, along with the exercise, is crucial...you must get enough rest !

I'm so lucky ! My training week #2 began on Saturday night with a 40 mile birthday run and scavenger hunt, hosted by one of our best local female ultrarunners, Marian Yasuda (and assisted by hubby, Neal). Marian did a fantastic job of organizing the event, including the scavenger hunt, which made the time whiz by, but she also cooked everything from yummy chocolate cupcakes, to pastrami sandwiches and warm potato soup...and lots more, and stashed it along the way at 6 aid stations. What a great gal !I definitely gained a few pounds during the event. Thanks Marian ! Everyone had a blast ! As for Badwater training, all the road miles were perfect.

On Tuesday, Bob McAllaster again put me through my paces by repeating a few of my strength/core exercises and adding some new variations. I could tell improvement on the repeated exercises, but did notice some pain in my left shoulder. Later that night, at the gym, the pain told me to hold-off on any shoulder exercises. You come to expect nagging injuries, no matter what your age, when you pick a sport as a hobby. It comes with the territory. I altered my Tuesday night gym workout to include more ab work, targeting the obliques, and no upper body. I still got my money's worth.

My Wednesday workout partner Mike Muench wisely took a better offer (two hot looking wahine vs. one old guy) so I was on my own (poor me). After surveying the rain in the mountains, I made the decision to change from wet Tantalus Rd. repeats to dry, hot Diamondhead repeats, where I pushed myself to do 14. I chose wisely. It was a very good workout, and definitely more appropriate for Badwater training.

Thursday consisted of a 5 mile walk in the Garden with Vernon Char, the oldest of our MPF Team. Vernon has already begun training for our Badwater adventure and really pushed me with strong power-walking up the hills. At 72, this man is amazing. From there I immediately went to meet Bob McAllaster for his core/strength training session. Bob wisely gave my shoulder a break and concentrated on abs and legs. I can especially feel a difference already in my abs. From there I picked up Heather at work and we went directly to the gym. There, thankfully, I ran into a friend, Fish, and we talked longer than I should, which gave me a welcome break, cutting into my workout time. It was a tough week !