50 on 50: Running 50 Miles for my 50th Birthday (Nov 16, 2019)
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My signature headstand after completing the run |
Course Overview
Research
- Eat and Run by Scott Jurek:
Scott Jurek is considered one of the greatest runners of all time. He ran the 2,200 mile Appalachian trail in 2015 in just 46 days -averaging nearly 50 miles a day for 46 days! Reading his book I was surprised to learn that he follows a 100% plant-based diet, which he credits for his endurance, recovery and consistent twenty year racing career.
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall:
This is a classic. Really boring at first but then picks up and ended up being a great read. The author studies the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico who he claims are the greatest runners in the world. He makes the claim that humans are born to be long distance runners and that the modern shoes with all the cushioning are causing a lot of injuries. Your feet are very sensitive and can give you feedback when you are not running correctly. Shoes with thick cushions block that feedback and can promote bad running posture.
I found many videos on You Tube where they show the same runner running bare foot vs. with shoes on a treadmill. You can see how a cushioned running shoe seems to promote a heel strike vs. bare foot running promotes a mid-foot strike which is supposed to be better for you. E.g. check out this video:
Takeaway: Try the minimalist shoes or bare foot running.
- The Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes:
It is a good read about Dean's journey of becoming a great ultra-runner but I didn't find any specific takeaways.
- Finding Ultra by Rich Roll:
I liked this book more than The Ultramarathon Man. I enjoyed reading about Rich's journey to becoming a great endurance athlete. Interestingly enough Rich also switched to a plant-based diet and swears about the benefits. He is a Stanford grad with a degree in law from Cornell so that added more credence to his recommendations
Takeaway: Another endorsement for plant based diet
- Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning:
Great guide with lots of tips on gear, training, nutrition etc. for ultrarunning. I learned a fair bit from it. I didn't care as much about the mental strategies because I know that's the one area where I am quite strong :)
- Running your first Ultra by Krissy Moehl:
This book not only has great tips on gear, nutrition etc., it also has a day-by-day plan for running your first 50K, 50 mile or 100 miles. I followed the 50 mile plan in this book for my training
Preparation
Vegan Diet
The biggest challenge I found for vegan diet was breakfast. There just aren't very good vegan options. I prepared a smoothie most of the days. See the recipe at the end of the blog.
Mindful Eating
I started eating more whole foods and reduced consumption of processed food. I pretty much stopped eating sweets and also decided to give up coffee / tea. I was trying to feed my body based on what it needed to function optimally and not based on what I craved. I did have my occasional cheat days though :)
Training
I followed the training regimen outlined in the Running Your First Ultra book by Krissy Moehl. However, that's a generic 50 mile run training plan. I had to fine tune it to match the terrain for my run. Here's how I did it. For my weekend long runs I not only covered the suggested distance in the book, I also added the proportionate elevation gain. The race involves 10,000 ft of climbing - that's 200 ft / mile on average. So if my long run was 20 miles, I would try to find trails where I could also get 4,000 ft. of elevation gain. I am fortunate that I live just 10min away from the Rancho San Antonio County Park which has over 20 miles of trails and many hills to train on.Towards the end I also tried to match not just the total elevation gain but also the elevation profile. For example, climbing and descending 3,000 ft over 15 miles is different from climbing and descending 1,000 ft over 5 miles and doing it 3 times. I used the GPS maps from my previous runs to create a custom running route. I wanted to get an idea of what my body will feel in the actual race.
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50K run (Skyline to the Sea) |
Recovery
- Stretch at the trail head while cooling down
- Stretch for 10-15 after coming home. I created my own stretching routine after trying out a few different things
- Have a smoothie + perhaps a bagel or whole grain bread
- Take an ice bath (only for 20 mile+ runs)
- Wear a compression pant for a few hours (only for 20 mile+ runs)
It is hard to say exactly what helped but I do believe that my diet had a lot to do with it. I would definitely recommend trying out a plant-based diet to see if it works for you. There are many studies that show that it can even reverse the atherosclerosis (plaque) buildup in the arteries !
Shoes
This was a tough decision. I really wanted to try the minimalist shoe approach. However, I had persistent pain in my right heel (this was the only persistent pain I had throughout my training), and when I talked to a chiropractor he strongly advised against going for minimalist shoes. I tried a few different options then settled on a Altra Lone Peak 4.0 zero drop shoes. They are zero drop but do provide some cushion. I loved these shoes. I have put over 500 miles on them and they are still in good shape.Race Day
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We started when it was still dark and had to use our headlamps |
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Marin County is a really beautiful area. We saw some incredible views |
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Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. The last part of the run was on the bridge |
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It got dark again by the time I finished |
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Used the last bit of energy I had to jump :) |
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100K+ steps for the first time in my life! |
Will I ever do it again? I would love to but not sure if I have the discipline for the amount of training required.
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