Energize your water bottle with FLÜD

It has everything I need for long runs in hot temperatures: water, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. I played with the balance of ingredients to get it just right. No swelling in the hands, no bloating in the gut, no bonking. I'm coming close to perfecting it - now I need a name for it.

My son calls it "Ghettorade". Cute.

Never mind him. I'm calling it FLÜD. Now that that's settled, I actually do need to perfect it. The last iteration (version 2) worked great and was pretty easy to make:

• 1 gallon of water
• 2 cups of maltodextrin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of lite salt
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Each 20 oz. serving of FLÜD has:

• 447 mg of sodium
• 106 mg of potassium
• 263 kilocalories (Correction: 132 Kcal, July 2, 2008)

I weigh 190 lbs, and I drink one bottle per hour, so that's my hourly injestion rate for all ingredients.

Using version 2, I thought I bonked a little at the end of my last run, but now I'm not sure. Was it bonking or just fatigue? How do you tell the difference? I mean, even if you had all the carbs you needed, you could not go on forever. At some point you would have to stop. What would it feel like at the end?

Anyway, I'm working on version 3 which has 300 Kcal per 20 oz. I'm using a flavored syrup to provide the extra calories, even though it consists of simple sugars. Let's face it - sugar tastes good! Hopefully, the amount of sugar will be so small (less than 2%) that it won't cause bloating problems. I'm planning to test version 3 next weekend.

Hey, if I made this into a bar, I could call it FÜD!

Random Events This Week

• Washed my car, which (mysteriously) made me feel very happy
• Bought some new running gear - more happiness
• Picked dozens of tiny stickers out of my feet (it's a long story)
• Looked at trail specific shoes but didn't buy any
• Lost my bandana somewhere in the Laguna Coast Wilderness
• Saw a Blue Heron on the Oso Creek Trail, but didn't have a camera
• Ran with a total of nine different people this week
• Took Friday off and had breakfast with my wife at Lulu's Cafe
• Finished my "longest training run ever" in good shape (not even a blister)
• Had planned to run about 8 miles at Mount Baldy today, but Jessica mercifully postponed it
• Ended up with just over 39 miles for the week

A trail running casualty in Laguna Coast Wilderness.

This squirrel was the victim of a speeding mountain bike just minutes before. I myself had to move off the trail just after taking this picture to avoid the same fate.

25 miles in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park

Since this was my longest training run ever, I wanted to describe it in some detail, but I think just writing down the names of all the trails we ran is pretty informative all by itself!

From the parking area, we ran down Aliso Canyon, up Wood Canyon, up Mathis, up West Ridge to Top of the World for a water stop, back down West Ridge, down Stair Steps (incredibly steep), across Laguna Canyon Road, up Laurel Canyon and Upper Laurel Canyon Trails, under the Toll Road, up Serano Ridge, down Little Sycamore Canyon (great single track), stopped for water at James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center, up, up, up Stagecoach Trail, then down and back up, up, up Camarillo Canyon, down Serano Ridge, back under the Toll Road, down Upper Laurel Canyon and Laurel Canyon Trails, back across Laguna Canyon Road, back up Stair Steps (ugh!), down West Ridge, down Rubber Ridge, stopped for water at Canyon View Park, down Wood Canyon, up Aliso Canyon back to the parking area, for a total of 24.75 miles with 4,052 feet of elevation gain.

My new hat, new 3 liter Camelbak, and version 2 of my Electrolyte Carbohydrate Hydration (ECH!) solution, worked great! Once the hat gets wet, it stays wet. I don't know if that's an intentional feature to keep your head cool, or just a dumb choice of materials. My head stayed cool anyway, so who knows? The Camelbak was pretty comfortable throughout the run, but I was kind of glad when it started getting lighter. I am so pleased with the new ECH! solution because I had absolutely no bloating, no nausea, and my digestive system felt great the whole time. What a difference! All I did was use maltodextrin exclusively instead of half maltodextrin, half sugar. I also took out the sodium bicarbonate and used only salt and lite salt. My only complaint was that I was bonked the last 4 miles. I thought 260 Kcal per hour would be enough, but I guess not.

(July 2, 2008 Correction: This mix had 132 Kcal per hour, not 260.)

Next time I will push it to about 300 Kcal per hour. That's like eating 3 GUs every hour, but instead of paying $3 every hour for GU, I will only spend $2 (July 2, 2008 Correction: $4) for enough maltodextrin to last the entire 6+ hour run. Now if I can just find something to flavor it with that doesn't require sugar...

Overall, this was a great run that incorporated a lot of beautiful trails. Thanks, Jessica for planning it out for us. Except or the bonking, I felt pretty good after my longest training run ever.

It's the pace, stupid!

This week the weather was cooler. The distance was shorter. Why was I struggling to finish?

The first part of the run was a wild ride down a twisting, turning, narrow single track where I was ducking branches every few yards. The middle part was a lot of climbing on pretty smooth, wide open fire roads. The last part was rolling single track with great panoramic views.

This was a pretty fun outing with a fun group of people. For more about this OCTR run (and pictures, too!), read "My 5X7" on Jessica's blog and "Rabbit Run at El Moro" on David Parker's blog.

Great run! The only thing I can't figure out is why I felt kind of beat up afterwards...

Seven Things You Must Never Do While Trail Running

This is my tribute to comedian George Carlin, who died last Sunday.

The first time I saw George Carlin was in a live performance at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, thirty years ago. In that show he delivered a short monologue that was so shocking, irreverent, but at the same time entirely logical and even charming, that it has become a legend in the Comedy world and beyond: "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television". He has been one of my favorite comedians ever since.

So here are my "Seven Things You Must Never Do While Trail Running: bonk, puke, fall, get heatstroke, get lost, get eaten, or have diarrhea.

I will miss you, George.

New Running Gear

Question: Who wears a full 3 liter hydration pack on a 3 mile run?
Answer: Someone who just bought new running gear!

New Camelbak! I wanted to try it out before my first 25 mile training run this weekend, so I filled it up all the way. A little heavy, but what are you going to do? The straps were pretty comfortable even with a sleeveless shirt, and the water pack did not bounce around. So far, so good. Even on short sprints, I could hardly tell it was there except for the mouthpiece flailing around. Luckily there are lots of places you can secure the mouthpiece.

New hat! Up to now, I've been using a bandana for a sweatband and also to prevent sunburn on the top of my head. Since the bandana doesn't keep the sun out of my eyes, I've been wearing sunglasses. The only problem with sunglasses and trail running is that you are constantly going back and forth between bright sunlight and shade. It's a bit hard to see all the rocks and tree roots on a shaded trail when you are wearing sunglasses. The hat keeps the sun out of my eyes enough that I don't need sunglasses.

With any luck, I'll run over 30 miles this weekend while trying out this new gear. I'll also be trying out version 2 of my Electrolyte Carbohydrate Hydration (ECH!) solution.

The Maffetone Method

This is one of my favorite books about health and fitness. Dr. Maffetone explains why many athletes are fit but not healthy, then shows you how to be both healthy and fit at the same time. Major topics covered are stress and the many forms it can take, diet and nutrition, and aerobic exercise. He is passionate about aerobic exercise.

I've loaned this book out to several friends and people at work, but the last time it wasn't returned, so I bought another copy. Well, guess what - after more than a year I got it back, so now I have two copies!

If you think you would enjoy reading this book, leave a comment or send me an email. I'll give the extra copy to the first OCTR member who asks for it.

Water and carbos and salt, oh my!

The research was done. The calculations were checked.

I mixed a batch of my homemade Electrolyte and Carbohydrate solution, and it actually worked pretty well on my 18.5 mile long run yesterday. See the post below this one for details of the run. My energy level was good and constant throught the run, and I did not have any problems with nausea as I have in the past when taking liquids only. It's very easy and cheap to make, too. Here are the contents which are based around drinking 20 oz. per hour:

• Sodium: Each 20 oz. had 462 mg sodium (more than Nuun and over twice as much Gatorade). About 40% of the sodium was from bicarbonate (baking soda) to neutralize stomach acid and prevent nausea.
• Potassium: Each 20 oz. had 106 mg. I'm not convinced this is even necessary, but there it is.
• Carbohydrate: Each 20 oz. had 263 184 Kcal (about 12% 8.3% vs the much touted 6% in most sports drinks). This is equivalent to eating 2 and a half almost 2 gels with every bottle.
• Flavor: Each 20 oz. had about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to give it a clean finish instead of leaving a lingering sugary taste in your mouth.

(Corrections to above carbohydrate levels made July 2, 2008)

What I learned: I felt a little swelling in my hands during the last hour or so of the run, and I was craving salty food afterward, so I will add more sodium next time. I think the total amount of carbohydrate was OK because I didn't eat constantly when I got home like I usually do. Also, as I started making a ham and swiss sandwich, the sight of the bread did not appeal to me, so I left it out! I had some intestinal bloating during the run, which was uncomfortable and interfered with my breathing, so in the future I will use more maltodextrin and less sugar, or maybe no sugar at all.

I'm also experimenting with forming this mix into a ball, cake, or big tablet that I can drop into a bottle of water. Let's see, water and carbos and salt, oh my! Maybe a yellow brick for the road?

Holy Jim, Main Divide and Trabuco Canyon

It was a gorgeous day for a long run in the Santa Ana Mountains. Not a cloud in the sky and plentiful breezes (though not all of them cool). Starting early to avoid the heat, we climbed from the Holy Jim parking area to Main Divide, then turned right and followed Main Divide Road all the way to the Trabuco Canyon/Los Pinos trailheads. After a short, steep, rocky trek up to Los Pinos Peak, we returned to Trabuco Canyon and started down. Finally some downhill! Although there was generous shade along the upper section of Trabuco Canyon, it got steadily warmer as we descended, and was 102 F by the time we reached the bottom at the end of the run.

View from Holy Jim Trail

View from Main Divide

Jessica and switchbacks

View from Trabuco Canyon Trail

By the Numbers - 18.5 miles with 4500 feet of elevation gain

Ice Cream Loading for a Long Run

This is how it's done.

I'm preparing for a run tomorrow of about 18 miles with a lot of climbing. It is going to be hot, so we're getting an early start. Tonight I'm getting all my stuff ready, and trying to perfect my secret hydration/nutrition/electrolyte blend. If I don't bonk, throw up or die on the trail tomorrow, I'll tell you what it does and why, and also how to make it.

As you can see, I am also developing a new technique called "Ice Cream Loading" that tastes very promising!

Staying On Track

To recover from yesterday's hard run in the hills, I headed over to my favorite dirt track for an easy 3 miles. No rocks, no hills, no mountain bikers. Just me, the track, and a few rabbits. Oh yeah, and my goals. I am training for a 50k race in August, my first Ultra. In December, I have the Twin Peaks 50K in the Santa Ana mountains. December seems so far away..


...but even so, I am going to keep that goal in plain sight!

OC Trail Runnners at Crystal Cove State Park

Before the run: Christy, Kayla, Dave, Jessica, Matt. The usual suspects, plus a newcomer.


Matt and Kayla waiting for us to catch up.
We started down Bommer Ridge as usual, but then took some new trails for me, namely Emerald Trail (a nice singletrack) and Emerald Canyon Rd. The weather was warm, about 88 F, but luckily there were some nice breezes as well.


Dave, Christy and Jessica looking strong.
I didn't see any snakes today, but I talked to a couple of mountain bikers after the run who said they saw three rattlesnakes on El Moro Ridge, just lying across the trail.

Another great OCTR run! 6.84 miles and 920 ft of elevation gain with really nice people.

Oso Creek Trail

Interested in trail running, but not quite ready to tackle the wilds of nature? Don't really want to get into the whole "brown socks" thing? If you live in South Orange County, try the Oso Creek Trail. The trail head is in Mission Viejo on Marguerite at Estanciero.



You can make a 2.7 mile loop (pavement or wood chips) which covers both sides of the creek, or add an "offroad" section at the top for 4 miles total.



I took these pictures while walking with my wife Heather this afternoon. As you can see, the trail is landscaped and very well groomed. Perfect for suburban trail running.

My VDOT Calculator

Calculate your VDOT value as defined by Jack Daniels in the book "Daniels' Running Formula". You can also predict a race time based on your time at another distance. I wrote the calculator in JavaScript. It is not simply a table of values like other "calculators" - it uses multiple iterations to find the point where 2 complicated curves cross. The accuracy is very good as it gives the same values (within 5 seconds) as the tables in the book. To use my VDOT calculator, click here.

If you enjoyed using my VDOT calculator, please leave a comment and tell me what country you are from. Thanks!

Three Strikes

Do you have a heel strike, midfoot strike, or forefoot strike? I hope the answer is "None of the above" because you shouldn't be striking the ground with your feet, anyway. Who started this nonsense???

To the normal person, the word "strike" means a sharp blow. Not what you want to do with your feet when you run! This unfortunate choice of words is one of the reasons there is so much confusion surrounding the mechanics of running, even among people who should know better. The lofty PhD's who look at slow motion movies are calling the first point to make contact with the ground "foot strike". Then the logic goes like this:

Heel touches ground first = heel strike = landing on heel = bad

What nonsense! Nothing is that simple. What if your heel just slightly grazes the ground before you actually "land" on your midfoot or forefoot? Doesn't matter to the experts, you are a "heel striker"! You should be a "midfoot striker", whatever that means.

I know I can't singlehandedly correct all the misinformation out there, but there is something I'd like to say to all the so-called scientific researchers and well-meaning experts:

You've had your three strikes. Now you're out!

The Mall

This morning I went out for an OCTR new members run in Peters Canyon. Besides Devon, Jessica and myself, there were two first-time trail runners, Lauren and Laura. We started at the south end of the canyon, went clockwise around the lake, then followed the ridge back. After a little detour to refill water bottles, Lauren and I went back up the canyon for more miles before leaving the Mall.

I say Mall because it was crowded. Parking was difficult. There were people on the ridge, people in the the canyon, people everywhere! There were groups of four and five that looked like families. Dozens of couples walking dogs. Where did all these people come from? Was it something in the air? Maybe it was the weather. Maybe, as Jessica suggested, it was because Whiting Ranch is closed. I don't know, but Devon joked that he was out of breath not from running, but from saying "Good morning" so often!

Seriously though, I had a great time with the OCTR group and finished with 12.4 miles and 1300 ft. of elevation gain. Too bad the Mall didn't have escalators!

Verloren!

I carry this knife with me wherever I go. Now it's gone. Lost. As the Swiss would say, Verloren.

I lose these things at the rate of at least one per year, and this year is no exception. It may have been at work, at home, or somewhere on a trail. I'll never know, but one thing I do know: Father's Day is this weekend, and I am looking forward to getting a new one.

Anyone know if they sell these by the case?

A Podrunner Moment

I wasn't planning on running today, but after eating dinner, desert and a snack, I felt like running. I drove to a dirt track and ran 4.5 miles, listening to Podrunner at 165 beats per minute.

If everything was about running...

...words would take on different meanings.

• 401(k) - a 250 mile ultra marathon.
• Alternative Energy - Fat or Carbohydrate
• Carbon Footprint - tracks made by shoes with carbon fiber soles
• Handgun - a noise making device used to start races
• LSD - Long Slow Distance, known to cause hallucinations
• Racist - an expert at running races
• Presidential Race - McCain and Obama in a trail race for president
• Running Mate - each candidate needs a pacer, right?
• Wife Beater - a guy who finishes the race before his wife

I thought of a lot more besides these today, and I might post them later this week if I get even the slightest bit of encouragement.

My New Cargo Shorts (and why I like them)

The material of these shorts is lightweight rip-stop nylon, so they don't weigh you down or resist your movements. They feel like regular running shorts. There are plenty of pockets - 4 in the front and 1 in back. Most of the shorts I looked at had an elastic waist, but these do not, and in my opinion that is better. The only place they really touch your body is at the waist, and that is lined with fleece.

So how do they feel on the trail? Super comfortable. To date, I have worn them on 15 and 22 mile runs (commando style) with no irritation or chafing anywhere.

In case you can't read the label, it says Alpine Design. I like these shorts better than the other brands I tried, namely REI, North Face and Columbia. Actually, I returned 2 pairs of the North Face shorts to REI after I found these at Sports Authority. They weigh a lot less, are less restrictive, and the waistband is more comfortable. I would have paid the same as the North Face shorts, but I didn't have to. They only cost half as much.

What do you mean, you don’t stretch?

I've heard of people who say they don’t stretch. I wonder if they mean they:

Don’t have a specific routine? Don’t stretch very far? Don’t stretch before a run? Don’t stretch for very long? Don’t stretch very often? Don’t stretch at all?

I think they may be stretching without realizing it, and here's why:

• If your muscles feel tight and you move them anyway, you are stretching. When one muscle contracts, the opposing one must elongate. The sensation you feel as ”tightness” is the muscle being stretched.
• If you take shorter steps until you are “loosened up”, you are stretching. Each step you take stretches the muscle a little until you have a greater range of motion.
• If you massage your muscles, you are stretching. Pushing on one spot causes local compression, but also causes the fibers surrounding that spot to flex and elongate. They are being stretched.
• If you use the “Stick” or something similar, you are stretching. This is the same as massaging. Compression at the point of contact, stretching on ether side of that point.

I personally like to stretch if I feel my range of motion is restricted by tight muscles. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs, and I see them stretching all the time, often just after getting up. And as far as I know, none of them has ever had an injury as a result of stretching.

Trabuco Canyon and West Horsethief Trails

I wanted a long training run today, so I decided on a 22 mile loop (actually more like a cul de sac) that included Trabuco, Main Divide and Horsethief. After parking just off Live Oak Canyon, I went up Trabuco Creek Road to the Holy Jim parking area, then continued on up Trabuco Canyon Trail to the Main divide. From there I followed the Main Divide Road to Horsethief Trail, took that back to Trabuco Canyon Trail, then Trabuco Creek Road back to my car.

When the sun started to stream through the early morning fog, the branches cast nice shadows.

I don't know anything about this little cave. Maybe it's an artifact from the mining days.

View up Trabuco Canyon after gaining some elevation.

There is a gray squirrel in this photo if you can find it.


Santiago Peak from the South East

Lake Elsinore from Main Divide. Wait a minute...something's wrong! Lake Elsinore should be on my right as I'm heading toward Horsethief Trail. What's it doing on my left? Doh! I went the wrong way! Luckily the error cost me only 10 minutes.

Another view of Lake Elsinore, and this time it's behaving itself!

The trip down Horsethief went pretty well. The last 4.5 miles from the Holy Jim parking area to my car at Live Oak Canyon Road was pretty hard due to sore feet and nausea. I don't know if the nausea was from the roast beef sandwich I ate or the high salt concentration of the water I was drinking. That makes me think - How about a list of things that worked and things that didn't work on my longest training run ever?

What worked:

• Camera - I'm learning how to use it. So far so good.
  
• Hydration Pak - Uncomfortable at first, but works very well.
• Bandana - Can swat gnats in the shade and cover my head in the sun.
• GU - I ate 6 of these during the run and should have brought more.
• Cargo Shorts - I like these so well I'll write a separate post about them.

What didn't work:

• Roast beef sandwich - Satisfying but hard to digest.
• The Running Sail - Too windy and too much foilage.
• Camera case strap - Bounced and slid around to the front.
• Homemade Nuun? - Cause of nausea? Needs more evaluation.

If I subtract the 10 minutes from my wrong turn, then my 22 mile "longest training run ever" took 6 hours flat including all stops to look around, take pictures, empty rocks from shoes, etc.

Inevitable?

March
I've been thinking about joining this Orange County Trail Runners group. It would be fun to meet new people and discover new trails.

April
Wow, this is cool! New friends! New trails! But these people are crazy. They all seem to be training for some 50 or 100 mile race!

May
Wait a minute...If they're training for an ultra, and I'm running with them, then what am I training for?

June
I signed up for my first ultra!

Homemade Gatorade Calculations

Not everyone likes Gatorade, but it does appear to be the most researched sports drink in the world. There are hundreds of do-it-yourself recipies on the web, but I've never found one that actually shows how the calculations are done for easy to measure quantities (5/8 cup??). So here is my recipe which is accurate and also very easy to make:

1 gallon water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lite salt.

If you want to flavor it, add some lemon juice. How does it compare?

8 oz. Gatorade: 110 mg sodium, 30 mg potassium, 6% carb
8 oz. Homemade: 109 mg sodium, 36 mg potassium, 5.9% carb

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's do the math:
1 gallon water = 3785 grams.
1 cup sugar = 225 grams.
1 cup sugar in 1 gallon of water = 225/3785 = .059 = 5.9%

1 tsp salt = 2300 mg sodium, so 1/2 tsp = 1162.5 mg sodium.
1 tsp lite salt = 1150 mg sodium and 1150 mg potassium,
so 1/2 tsp = 581.25 mg each.

1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp lite salt = 1743.75 mg sodium
and 581.25 mg potassium per gallon.
For 8 oz. portion, divide 1 gallon values by 16 to get
108.89 mg sodium and 36.3 mg potassium.

Whale Bone Trail

My usual entrance into O'Neill park has a new name*. I was running (OK, walking) up a steep hill when I spotted a bone fragment embedded right in the trail. There were several small pieces nearby, which was not surprising given the amount of hiking and mountain bike traffic.

For those who are interested, this is an outcropping of the Oso Sand member of the Capistrano Formation. So the bone is 10 to 4.5 million years old, which puts it in the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene timeframe.

*Formerly known as "Broken Arm Trail" in honor of my son's mountain bike accident there about six years ago.

Day Off

My wife didn't have to work today, so I took the day off, too.

We had planned a hike to Holy Jim Falls, but never actually made it to the trail head. I turned around because I didn't like the sound of rocks scraping against the bottom of my car. So instead, we hiked up nearby Rose Canyon as far as the gate to Joplin Boy's Detention Center. On the way home we stopped by the RSM lake and did a little over 1 lap. The whole morning thing was 4 miles, then we had crepes at Lulu's Cafe (my wife's favorite place) in Laguna Hills. This afternoon I went to the OCTR run at Crystal Cove State Park. Runners were Jessica, Dave, Matt, Kayla, Carolyn, Russ and myself. It was Jessica's last training run before her Holcomb Valley Ultra this weekend. We followed the same 5.5 mile course as last week (Bommer, Rattlesnake, No-Name) in about the same time, but some thought it seemed faster. I felt pretty good after 9.5 miles for the day.

I enjoyed my day off, but I'm looking forward to work tomorrow so I can rest.

Why We Run

You probably don't think about things like this very often, but there are quite a few animal species that qualify as "Endurance Athletes" and even "Ultra Endurance Athletes". And they have some of the same problems we runners do, such as finding or carrying enough water and fuel, coping with oxygen deficiencies at high altitude, getting rid of excess body heat, etc.

Author Bernd Heinrich, a zoologist, examines many of these animal athletes and the unique adaptations they have acquired. His book entitled "Why We Run" is kind of a natural history of running. He ultimately ties together varied insights from his knowledge of animals to his own training for an ultra marathon. I won't tell you how he did - you'll have to find out by reading the book.

If you want to read it, leave a comment or email me. I'll give it to the first OCTR member who asks for it.

X Marks the Spot

A few weeks ago a doctor was walking along a hiking trail near my workplace when he discovered a dead body in a ravine. The deceased was a Camp Pendleton Marine with a gunshot to the chest. At this time there are two suspects, both in custody and both fellow Marines.

This is the spot where the body was found. Though much faded due to the recent rains, I could still make out a few blood stains on the concrete.

People who walk or run early in the morning in remote locations are usually the first to discover grisly artifacts from the night before - I hope I never do...

Living Lightly on the Planet

I was at REI this weekend and heard 2 guys talking very seriously about how important it was for us all to "live lightly on the planet".

Live lightly on the planet? You've got to be kidding me! Simply living in the USA already disqualifies you. But then driving your SUV to REI to buy non-essential stuff mass-produced in Bangladesh really takes the cake. Shouldn't those people be building dams and levees instead of working in factories, anyway?

I love the outdoors but don't pretend to be "green" and it just gets to me when I see people who do.