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Beansprouts
Garry
Welcome to the first issue of the new-look Feets. It will initially be published bimonthly but if I get loads of material it could become monthly (hint, hint!). I won't duplicate other material on the site (e.g. handicap results and weekly reports). Many thanks to those of you who have already contributed something but it would be nice to get some more original material, not just stuff culled from the Net. If anyone would like to have a regular slot that would be particularly welcome.
By the way, I'm not going to spend a lot of time editing pieces (correcting spelling, grammar, etc.) so WYSIWTW - what you see is what they wrote!
A backward poet writes inverse.
A Good Recovery
Liz
So that you know upon what authority Liz tells us about recovery ...
Liz has a BSc in Microbiology and a PhD in Biochemistry (both University College London). After a career working in cancer research (specialising in colon and breast cancers) she trained as a sports massage therapist (Middlesex University) specialising in sports injuries and nutrition. She has lectured anatomy and physiology at Middlesex University.
Hopefully you are all aware how important carbohydrates are to you as runners as they are the number one fuel for energy for virtually every activity and sport and should make up at least 60% of your daily calorie intake.
Simply put, when you eat carbohydrates they are broken down in your digestive system and enter your blood stream as glucose. Any glucose that is not used fairly promptly is then stored as a substance called glycogen in the liver and muscles.
Our muscles use the glycogen in them as their energy source (I won't bore you with the chemistry of that -its mega complicated - does anyone remember Kreb's cycle?!).
Obviously it makes sense to have the glycogen store in your muscles at its fullest before you start to exercise, however there is a limit as to how much glycogen muscle tissue can store. It is likely that for longer exercise sessions - say, more than an hour - you are going to deplete your supplies of glycogen and, therefore, run low on glucose and hence energy.
Probably the best way to top up while actually exercising is with an isotonic sports drink as this will provide glucose, fluid and also sodium. An intake of between 30 grams to 60 grams of carbohydrate an hour is recommended (FYI-one sachet of a 'squeezy' gel provides 15.2g of carbohydrate). This is about the maximum your muscles can take up from the bloodstream during exercise. Greater amounts have no further benefit. Muscles that are depleted of glycogen don't work properly and are more prone to injury.
Under normal conditions it takes about 24 hours to fully replenish muscle glycogen stores. However there is good news and its called a 'carbohydrate window'.
This is a short period of time immediately following strenuous or prolonged exercise where your muscles are able to store glycogen up to three times faster then at other times so if you are in serious training or don't want to feel so tired the day after exercise you need to make use of this phenomenon..
There are all sorts of regimes that have been studied and written about in Scientific Journals but they will all generally point you in the same direction so here are the basic rules:-
Consume some carbohydrate as soon after exercise as possible, ideally within 15 to 30 minutes of finishing. If consuming only carbohydrate, supplementation should occur frequently, such as every 30 minutes for up to 4 hours post exercise, and provide about 1.2 to 1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour (that's about 100g per hour for someone who weighs 70kg or 11 stone) However, the efficiency of muscle glycogen storage can be increased significantly with the addition of protein to the carbohydrate. This will reduce both the amount of carbohydrate and frequency of supplementation required to maximize glycogen storage. If both carbohydrate and protein are consumed, it is recommended that 0.8 g carbohydrate per kg of body weight plus 0.2 g protein per kg of body weight be consumed immediately and 2-hours after exercise (so for our 70 kg person that is about 56g of carbohydrate and 14g of protein). The addition of protein to a carbohydrate supplement also has the added advantage of limiting post exercise muscle damage and promoting muscle growth. Also this regime of less carbohydrate combined with protein will appeal to those athletes who wish to limit their carbohydrate intake in an effort to control body weight. Along with a rapid increase in muscle glycogen this refueling plan can have a significant impact on subsequent exercise performance.
One problem is that exercise tends to elevate your body temperature, which can depress your appetite so you need to find things to help you refuel that are 'easy' to eat. If you experiment with different food options, you should be able to find something that agrees with your stomach and ultimately improves your performance.
You should consider trying branded recovery drinks and/or bars immediately you finish exercising as these are easily transportable and don't need any preparation and you can read on the label exactly what is in them. They also contain the right ratio of carbohydrate to protein. While solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest make it easier to get the right ratio and meet the 2-hour window
Other recovery foods include fruit smoothies, cereal with milk, chicken sandwich, peanut butter sandwich, yogurt with fruit, bagel with cream cheese, or a handful of nuts and raisins. As an example, for our 70 kg person, 2 large bananas contain about 60g of carbohydrate so eating those with half a pint of milk or a carton of yoghurt should do the trick as the dairy element provides the protein.
Happy refueling and remember never try a new eating regime on race day and always listen to your body- we are all different so what works for some won't work for others.
Baldness runs in our family so we have a wig which gets passed down through the generations. It's the family hairloom.
Running Gear
Garry
After Jon's ogling of my fuelbelt and buying a buff the day after I showed him mine (it's not rude, honest!) I thought that more of you might be interested in some of the running kit that I use. If you're not then just don't read any further!
Some of what I will say may be obvious to many of you but we have a number of members new to running so please bear with me. Remember, though, this is what works for me and not necessarily for you.
Clothing
Jackets - I don't have a specific waterproof running jacket. For long outings in cool, very wet weather I use a Buffalo Pertex "windshirt" or a Tyvek jacket unless it's really bad in which case a cheap cagoule comes out. Pertex offers more protection from the elements than Tyvek but is more expensive at £30 up. Tyvek jackets are those white things that look like noddy suits which some of us wear in the winter. They are very cheap (a fiver last time I bought one, albeit a few years ago), very light (you can tie one round your waist and soon forget that it's there), fairly reflective (being white) and wind-proof.
Top - I used to be a confirmed cotton tee-shirt runner, even after my first encounter with Coolmax (the shirt's too short and rather heavy), but I bought a lighter "technical tee" a few years ago and now wear it more than any other top. It doesn't get heavy in the rain or stick to my torso (like cotton does) and it dries out relatively quickly once the rain's stopped.
Thermals - I'm a "smelly helly" man! Helly Hansen's "Lifa" wear are the only thermals I've tried that are snug enough for my skinny frame, and thermals really do have to be a snug fit to work properly. They are excellent as a base layer either alone or with a vest, tee-shirt or more on top. They're not at all windproof but a Pertex or Tyvek jacket over them does that job.
Shorts - I ran for about a decade before trying proper running shorts and wished that I'd tried them earlier. I bought a pair of lycra shorts a couple of years ago (I won a ten-pound token for a sports shop in London and couldn't find anything else worth getting!) but find them excessively restrictive, if you know what I mean! Different runners have a wide range of preferences so my suggestion is to try as many alternatives as you can. But be aware that there's a lot of variation even within, for example, conventional running shorts.
Tracksters - Only worth having if they've got holes in them ;)
Accessories
Buff - A tube of microfibre about a foot long and six inches diameter. Sounds odd but this thing can be a hat, balaclava, neck protection or even a bandage if you take a bad tumble out in the sticks. Light and small so easy to carry and particularly useful if you're not sure whether or not you'll need a hat.
Gloves - I've not yet found the ideal pair but know what they'd be like - mittens rather than gloves made of thermal material (as in polypro, not space shuttle tiles or fire bricks!) and with a patch of Tyvek or Pertex on the backs to keep the wind off. If only I were a better seamstress ... !
Shoes
Studs - Studded running shoes were originally designed for fell running but are increasingly made for general running. If you do a lot of off-road racing in wet and/or muddy conditions then studs can really help, giving you traction that normal off-road soles just can't match. Paul should probably have beaten me at the Broadclyst Bimble two years ago but he wore normal off-road trainers while I wore studs - I stuffed him by four(?) minutes!
Racing flats - Essential for off-road racing and trail ultras! OK, not essential but I wear road shoes more than trail shoes, even though most of my running is off-road. Not being overly heavy, I can get away with lightweight shoes and like the "feel" of the ground you get with flats. I don't find that trail shoes grip much better than lightly treaded road shoes in normal conditions and in really mucky conditions I wear studs.
Trail shoes - I do tend to wear trail shoes for off-road routes after a lot of rain.
Haulage
Water bottles - I use a "Fuel Belt", now sold by Saucony, I think. Rather than carrying one or two big bottles the philosophy of the belt is to carry lots of smaller ones, thereby spreading the weight around your waist which is particularly important for people like me with puny abs! I have the largest belt which can carry up to eight "flasks" (about three pints altogether) but six-, four- and two-flask versions are also available. The downside is that a number of small bottles take longer to fill on the run than a single large one but you can carry a variety of drinks and/or carry empty ones charged with drink powder ready for water to be added.
Bumbag - I don't often carry a bumbag (they tend to give me a stitch since I have such weedy abs to support the weight!) but when I do it's a non-rigid one with compression straps which can allegedly carry anything from a banana to a brick and remain stable!
Rucksack - When I need to carry more than will fit in my pockets I use a Berghaus "Bladdered" rucksack. It's nominally 5l capacity but can expand to 7l and also has a fold-away mesh for a cycle helmet. It's fairly heavy for its size but meets my main criterion in a running pack (and which took me a long time to track down) - stability.
Shorts with pockets - I've never seen any for sale in the UK but bought a pair made by Race Ready in Houston many years ago. (I also saw two Scandinavian runners wearing them at the Tooting Bec 24-hour track race.) Great for carrying sweets, other light food, hat and gloves without needing a bumbag. Mine also have additional ventilation after a close encounter with my aga's hotplate (they melt very quickly)! Caveat - Some people think they look like a skirt!
Gadgets
I only wear a watch when I want to time fast runs on regular routes (knowing that I'm timing helps me keep the pace up), or when I've got to get back by a certain time. I never wear one for races; indeed, many a runner has found that they race faster when not looking at splits.
Other than that, my only other gadget is a compass, but I only use it when absolutely necessary ... and this attitude has been the cause of many a dodgy route in the hills!
I have no heart rate monitor, altimeter, GPS or such like.
My first job was in a running shoe company; I tried but I just didn't fit in. So then I got a job in a gym but they said I wasn't fit for the job.
Booting the Tec
14th/15th Oct 2006
Tom
I left Axminster at 12:49 precisely on Friday 13th October aboard a South West Train to Waterloo arriving as promised at Clapham Junction at 15.36. This was the first 'leg' of my journey to Tooting Bec Athletic Track where the next day, (and for the sixth time since 1999), between the hours of 12 noon on Saturday and 12 noon on Sunday I would be testing my ability to run and/or walk around a 400 metre track for as long and as far I possibly could. A crazy concept perhaps? Well yes maybe, but then as I've always said in the past, "each to their own" How far would I be able to get on this occasion I wondered? Ah well, no doubt time will out….
At Clapham Station I cross platforms and catch a train to Wimbledon just two stops distant. Dragging a large wheeled and over packed sports bag I take leisurely 25 minute stroll down Wimbledon Broadway to get the old legs used to the idea that shortly they'll have a really big job ahead of them. At my Hotel I 'chill out' in my room for a couple of hours before deciding at around 7 pm that it could now well be time to stoke the furnace in readiness for the task ahead. One rib eye steak, a bowl of chips and 2 pints of Guinness later and Tom's ready for bed. A quick call to my wife Chris to say 'night night', head on pillow and I'm gone……..
Up at 6am next morning and following a quick shower I'm ready for the requisite hearty breakfast. Next, back to my room for a gentle workout and some warm up exercises and I'm ready for my taxi to take me to the Track. Arriving trackside at 9:30 am leaves me 2 and a half hours to set up base camp. Shortly afterwards my good running friend and support team of one, Garry Perrott, (aka The Lean Mean Runner Bean), arrives and helps put up the tent and unpack the gear. Although Garry is an extremely experienced runner this was his first encounter with an ultra distance event of this scale so we decide on holding a 'council of war' and I explained to him what his duties' would be. I'd already made a "Things To Do" list which went something like this:-
"Support Team's Chores etc:- Clothing - Plastic carrier bags are marked "Cold Weather," "Warm Weather", "Head Gear, "Wet Gear", "Spare Shoes/Socks", etc. (you can tell can't you that there's Madness in my Method).Food & Drink requirements:- Please ensure that I take (moderate amounts) of liquid consistently, (say every 10/15 minutes), and that I eat at least something, (even a jelly will do), every hour, followed by a drink of water.
Running form:- Constantly observe my 'form'and tell me when you see it 'going off' - whatever you say I won't be a bit offended, on the contrary, I'll be very grateful! This is quite important, because I'm convinced that unless I maintain really good form I'll blow it and not complete to the end. Frankly, as I've done literally no training whatsoever for this event I'll be just happy to stay on the track moving forward for as long as possible."
Garry asked what my objectives were and I told him that realistically the very best I could hope for would be 3 marathons - 78.6 miles. We agreed to make that the target.
A quick look at the Race Programme tells us that there are 45 entries in the event, 8 of whom are female. The oldest runner is 77, (not me!), and the youngest 33, (not me either!).
Before we know it its' almost 12:00 noon and the runners are marshalled to the start line where we are given our final instructions, which in summary went something like this:-
"Will every runner now identify themselves to their lap counter who will mark off their completed laps each time they pass the starting line. Whenever you feel the need to come off the track you must inform your lap counter and again when you come back on. Runners are allowed 5 hours in total off the track for rests, comfort stops etc. Over five hours off the track and you will be disqualified. Each runner's distance will be calculated every hour and the Trackside Leader Board updated to enable everyone to know exactly what pace they are running at and what position they hold in the field. Supporters, running alongside or in front of your runner will not be allowed under ANY circumstances as it could be construed as PACING! If you are seen pacing your runner, he or she will be disqualified! Finally, every four hours the direction of run around the track will be reversed; this is to prevent anyone from turning themselves into an Ooze-El-Um Bird!"
Quite suddenly it's two minutes to noon and there's just time for some quick hand shakes all round with a couple of 'good luck mates' thrown in. The starting gun is fired, we're off and once more it's time for the "mind games" to begin.
The next several hours become a complete blur with just an awareness of being lapped consistently by the faster runners, (nearly everybody!), while meanwhile Gary sat trackside timing my every mile and kept me posted as to progress. By midnight I'd already had several breaks off the track including a half hour for a change of clothing and a massage. By this time some 3 runners had already dropped out of the race, I had covered just over 48 miles was in 40th place and third from bottom of the field. This was about 3 miles less than that achieved by the same time in last year's event but nevertheless I felt that I was still in with a shout for doing a half decent mileage.
I have found in the past that it's usually between the hours of 12 am and 6 am, (I call it the 'Graveyard Shift'), that are the hardest to get through and if you're going to feel rough then it's during those hours that it will get to you. I'm afraid that this occasion was no different and for quite a long while I was hit by recurrent bouts of nausea, (when I had extreme difficulty keeping down even a tiny sip of water), badly aching feet and extreme tiredness. However, with Garry's help and support and some bizarre mental gymnastics of my own, I managed to plod on through the night. Once at around 2 am I came off for another 'comfort break' when a good half hour later Garry was banging loudly on the Loo door yelling, "Hey, Tom, are you all right??" Yes, Tom had fallen soundly asleep sitting on the loo!! Thanks Garry mate, only for you I could well still be in there!!
By 8 am things were looking much better; I was on 66 miles, had moved up the field to 31st place and was 12th from bottom. 4 hours to go and I only needed around 13 more miles to reach my target. At this point I did go off pace and slowed down quite a bit but Garry picked up on this very quickly, "Tom, you're going to need to speed up again otherwise you won't make it". Oh dear, isn't he the hard taskmaster! Incredibly the remaining time passed quite rapidly and with Garry's help I got back on pace so much so that when the gun was fired eventually at exactly 12 noon I was in 30th place with a distance total of 79 miles 144 yards - the 3 marathons plus a little bit to spare. The Leader Board showed that incredibly 22 runners had completed over 100 miles and the winner, 40 year old John Pares from Buckley RC ran 143 miles 444 yards in this his first ever 24 Hour Track Race! Quite, quite astonishing.
Later at the prize giving ceremony I'm presented with the 1st over '70 years of age' prize, which I must admit, was very pleasing. Thank you Garry, thank you legs, you've done me proud……..
Back home in Membury the next day standing on the Bathroom scales, I find that I've lost over ½ a stone but that I'm really none the wiser for it, as I'm already planning to be back there next year!
Here are some pictures of Tom and Garry after the race and Tom receiving his trophy
The View From Trackside
Garry
Supporting Tom was quite an experience. Time did occasionally drag on a bit (the small hours of Sunday morning were pretty grim!) but on the whole it was interesting to watch people going round and round. What surprised me most was the good cheer throughout, with smiles all round right to the end - these people kept going for 24 hours, more or less non-stop in many cases, and were still cheerful at the finish.
Some of the runners seemed to have inefficient styles but they still managed to break a hundred miles. One man ran right up on his toes with short, fast steps and I could never convince myself that his heels ever touched the ground. Another chap made Dave Braunton look a bit of a lightweight but he kept lumbering round ... and round ... and round! And that's what it was all about - keeping going. After all, 125 miles in 24 hours is only just over 4 mph or 15-minute miling. One lady walked most of the time, only occasionally breaking into an easy jog, but managed that distance. Even more remarkably her style had only dropped off a little bit by Sunday morning and she was still race-walking with a powerful style; in contrast, most people looked like they'd been on their feet for a long time by then.
It was sometimes difficult to know how much to push Tom to eat (he never refused a drink but took few solids) but the fact that he steadily moved up the leader board after a few hours suggested that he wasn't going far wrong, and he was always on track for his realistic triple-marathon target. (Well, we did wonder during the last couple of hours so I had to make him run a few laps about half an hour before the end, mainly in case my calculations were wrong!)
All in all a fascinating weekend.
A Spot of Light Entertainment
Courtesy of Dave M
I was having trouble with my computer so I called the computer guy to come over.
He clicked a couple of buttons, solved the problem and gave me a bill for a minimum service call.
As he was walking away, I called after him, "So, what was wrong?"
He replied, "It was an ID ten T error."
I didn't want to appear stupid but nonetheless inquired, "An ID ten T error? What's that in case I need to fix it again?"
He grinned. "Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?"
"No," I replied.
"Write it down," he said, "and I think you'll figure it out." So I wrote it down ... I D 1 0 T.
Running Down East Devon Way
Garry
To summarise our little jaunt along the East Devon Way I can do no better than to quote Montgomery Burns ... "Excellent!" We did have a couple of Homer Simpson moments when the bus didn't make it to two of the changeover points ("Doh!") but they just made the day more interesting! As did meeting a falconer with Norwegian goshawk.
The run included many of the common sources of downers in ultras, both physical and mental. Phil managed to turn his ankle a couple of miles in but applied the LMRB cure - running a long way on it! It's the opposite of RICE (the conventional cure for turned ankles - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) but works for me & Phil at least. John's legs packed up so that he had to sit out one leg about two-thirds of the way through but came back and got round, albeit in some discomfort. Sometimes that just happens - it's not necessarily a lack of fitness or preparation, just sod's law. On the mental side, Eleanor found that a cup of tea at the end of a leg really helped so was really looking forward to the next one when struggling at one point - finding that the bus hadn't made it to that changeover was a real setback. (I know - I've been there, suffered that.) Finally getting your drink later doesn't always help much - the anticipation, the "sweetness of the moment", has gone and it becomes a purely physical thing.
My own low point was the shortest I've ever had. After stopping to talk to someone on Musbury Castle I really struggled to catch the others up at the changeover a few hundred yards down the road and was really shuffling by the time I reached the bus, despite having been running comfortably just before stopping. But after some food & drink I was fine again. Only feeling bad for a couple of minutes in a whole day of running is certainly a record for me!
What impressed me most about my fellow ultras was the good cheer all the way round despite all of these downers. Together with the easy pace, this made the day the most enjoyable ultra I've ever done. And seeing Phil, John & Eleanor at the finish after running a long way into unknown territory made it one of the most rewarding (surpassed only by the Bob Graham Round six years ago).
If mathematicians are neutered, they can't multiply.