Conference 7.286::sports_90

    Best advice - don't listen to anyone in this conference. ;*)
    
    Seriously, there is lots of good stuff in NAC::RUNNING_CLUB, give it
    a try.
    
    =Bob=

John Devlin could give you lots of tips...he's a GREAT marathon
runner, plus his girlfriend Beth is a real knockout...

In fact, that's what makes marathon running so tough.  You see, if you
have a dynamite looking wife, that last month is gonna be HELL.
See, you'll get your best time if you, you know, uh, er, well, how to
put it.....abstain from sex...  (*Dehydration* can be a BIG problem
out on the course....)

Hope this helps...
Chainsaw

    re .3
    
    Saw, you spelled "vengeance" wrong.  Whattsamattawitya?  Didn't
    they give you one of them dikchenarys when you got the job? 8^).
    
    Pete

    Take Bob McCullough's advice, since he's a really great marathon
    runner, and try out the running club note, as he suggested.
    
    At least you're starting early.  Most first-timers decide to run
    their first marathon ~3 months before it, and try to cram the training
    in too fast.  
    
    4 Hours seems a reasonable goal - just remember the the NYC Marathon
    is a complete zoo - ~22,000 folks - it may take a few miles for
    you to start moving...
    
    JD

    JD, Chainsaw, Bob, and the Dweeb,
    
    Dweeb    - Once upon a time...
               there was a guy who lived for "Beer and Pretzels"...
            
    	       ...and then he died.
    
    JD, Bob & 
    Chainsaw - Thank you for the advice...will follow up
    
    Remember - DICIPLINE = VICTORY
    
    again thanks,
    
    Kansas Comet
    
    P.S.  Hey CHAINSAW, are you possibly a Big 8 B-ball fan?  
    

    It was meant to be a joke.....
    
    Mr. Marathon runner    - Once upon a time...
    			     there was a guy who lived for marathons....
    
    			     ....he died too....we all die...
    
    hope you reach your goal,
    
    the Dweeb

Pete --

Yeah, I got one, but I was too lazy to look it up.  So, what I did
was type "Vengence" and "Vengeance" and said which looks right?

It was early, so I took the wrong one.  Besides, "vengence" looks
more *vengeful* don't you think 8^)

'Saw

    Dweeb,
    
    No B.A. (bad attitude) here.
    
    my apologies...
    
    
    Jayhawk
    

    Jayhawk, I'll make you a deal....you buy me 4 hours worth of
    beer and pretzels and I'll ride along side you with a golf
    cart.  If you haven't crossed the finish line when I've
    consumed my B & P, I'll just run you over!  Hey, just trying
    to keep you motivated....;^)
    
    no apologies needed,
    
    Claybone
    
    ps  Did your Jayhawks have to whup up on our Buffs so bad last
        night?

    Claybone,
    
    Hey, thanks.
    
    Idear: Trade you my KU Baskeball team for your CU Football team
    	   for a season or two? or, our prairies for your mountains
           (you can throw in the beer company).  Just a thought.
    
    still runnin,
    
    Jayhawk 
    (closet Buff F-ball fan. folks CU alumns)
     

    Saw,
    
    I must admit I have an unfair advantage in the spelling department.
    I finished 7th in the Kitsap County spelling bee when I was in the
    6th grade.  Vegeance was the word that I missed.  No, I made that
    up.  Actually it was "decimate".  Unfortunately, that is still the
    highlight of my meager life; that and pointing out others' spelling
    errors and informing them that they have boogers hanging off their 
    noses.  
    
    Oh, 'Saw, go like this (my hand brushing the end of my nose). 8^).
    
    
    Pete 

    Pete, thanks for informing Chainsaw of that glob at the end of his
    nose, it was getting me nauseous.  :-)
    
    Hawk'

Steven --

I'm raht rollwuhd!


Hawk --

If you think my boogers are bad, you oughta see the lint in my belly
button.  Why, there's so much native soil in there, in hard times
I cain plaint taters in there and live offa the land 8^)

Pete --

I'm rollward.  But, I never use my hand to pick/remove/scrape away
boogers.  A real toofless mountain man always uses a red bandana....8^)

    Saw,
    
    Being from Kitsap County, I know what real men do.  They press shut
    one nostril with a greasy finger and blow real hard, with no regard
    for where it lands.  When someone asks what that is on your shirt,
    you tell them that it's an emerald pin you won steer wrestling.
    
    
    Pete

Nah....

Pete, out here, we use that red bandana for *everything*.  Why, one
time, I tied it around a calf's front hoof to help in birthin' it.
Then one other time, I used it to wash the bugs off'n my windshield
on ma truck.

Then one time, when a bear took a swipe at me, and opened me
up from hip to shoulder I used the *same* bandana to stem the
bleedin'...

What a right fine invention...the red bandana...

Chainsaw

    Hey Pete, helluva a p_name. Claybone, you stole my training diet!!
    Jayhawk, good luck. 
    			Raider_Rich
    

You should check out the country's toughest race...

	The Leadville Valley 100, in Colorado I believe.

	The town of Leadville has the highest (altitude) Main St
	of any town in the country.  The race starts there, and
	goes up through the mountains...

	tough, tough, TOUGH, course...

'Saw

    I'm usually a RON in this conference but since you've touched on my
    sport (ultrarunning) I've got to comment.

    The run you refer to is the Leadville Trail 100.  It is an out and back
    course, starting in Leadville, Colorado (10,000'), going around the
    north side of Turquoise Lake, over 11,400' Sugarloaf Pass, across the
    shoulder of Mt. Elbert to Twin Lakes (lowest point on the course at
    9200') over 12,600' Hope Pass (one of Colorado's most spectacular
    views) and down to the ghost town of Winfield.  Then you turn around
    and follow the same route back to Leadville.  Most of the course is
    narrow, mountain trail.  30 hour time limit.

    What is astounding, however, is that the LT100 is *not* the most
    difficult of the trail 100s.  That distinction belongs to the Wasatch
    Front 100 in Utah (36 hour limit).

    My wife attempted Leadville last year and had to drop out at 70 miles
    (hypothermia and a stress fracture at the top of the tibia).  We are
    both running it this year (August 18-19).  If the folks in this
    conference are interested in ultrarunning, I'd be happy to enter a
    race report when it's over.

    Sid

    Sid, please do enter a race report.  Thanks!
    
    H�wk

Sid,

Seriously speaking, I'd LOVE a race report.  I caught the race on
Wide World a couple of years ago and was morbidly fascinated.

I cannot imagine pushing oneself for that amount of time, over that
kind of terrain.  I remember seeing one guy crawling along (literally)
at about 75 miles, and they were saying he'd been vomiting and everything.
Too cool.

Anyway, I'd be interested in how you train for that, or any other 
ultra.

What's a typically good winning time in an ultra??

thanks,
Chainsaw

    Ultrarunning has always been something of a "fringe" sport, though it
    seems to be gaining a lot of popularity.  A few background notes are in
    order to be able to answer any questions about it.

    First, what is an ultra?  There isn't really one commonly accepted
    definition.  Some say it is any run longer than a marathon.  Others say
    it is any run more difficult than a marathon (I prefer this definition
    despite it's being rather imprecise).

    Ultras fall into a few fairly distinct categories:

    Road ultras:  These are always longer than a marathon.  The most common
    road ultras are 50k and 50 mile runs.  However, there are also multiday
    races.  Three day and six day are the most common.  In this type of
    ultra, you try to clock as many miles as you can in the allotted time. 
    I don't run these.

    Track ultras:  The most common track ultras are 12 hour, 24 hour, and
    48 hour runs on running tracks (though these are also run on longer
    loops).  Here you have lap counters and you attempt to clock as many
    miles as you can in the allotted time.  I have never run one of these
    either, though I plan to try a 24 hour sometime.

    Trail ultras:  These are the reason that distance is not the only good
    measure of an ultra.  For example, there is a run every fall in
    Glenwood Springs that is 25.5 miles long.  However, it is run over
    narrow, rocky trail at relatively high elevation, and has an elevation
    gain and loss of 4500'.  It takes me an hour and half longer to run
    this course than to run a TAC-certified flatland marathon.  Despite
    it's being shorter than a marathon, it is clearly an ultra.  There are
    many runs that are even shorter (down to about 18 miles) that I would
    consider ultras because they have their own character that makes them
    much more challenging than a marathon.  Trail ultras are what I live
    for.

    Given what I have above, it should be clear that there is no such thing
    as a "typical" time for an ultra.  I'll talk about that in another
    reply, as well as about training.

    Stop me when you get bored.  I can talk ultras for at least as long as
    it takes to run Leadville. :-)

    Sid

Keep going, please...

If they lump all those things under the category ultra, as the sport
gains popularity, do you think those things will be broken out
into categories a little more?  i.e road races, trail race,
freakin lunatic trail runs? 8^)

How do you train for an ultra?  What kind of mileage per week?
Any cross training?

(Dinz:  If you could follow Tyler all the way would you run an ultra???)


Enquiring minds (mine) want to know,
Chainsaw

    
    i would follow  her to the ends of the earth,.. maybe further
    
    SIGH
    
    
    

> If they lump all those things under the category ultra, as the sport
> gains popularity, do you think those things will be broken out
> into categories a little more?  i.e road races, trail race,
> freakin lunatic trail runs? 8^)

    Not in the near future.  The number of people who run ultras is still
    small enough that it is only the elite runners that choose to
    specialize.  Most of us just like to keep a lot of variety in our runs
    (which is what brought us to ultrarunning to begin with) so having lots
    of different kinds of things to try (all under the banner of
    ultrarunning) is appealing.

> How do you train for an ultra?  What kind of mileage per week?
> Any cross training?

    Here is where it is important to differentiate between the elite
    runners and the rest of us.  It also depends on what kind of ultra you
    are training for.  Since I am not (and will never be) an elite runner
    and since I confine myself for the most part to trail runs, I'll talk
    about the average trail runner (pack runner, not leader).

    As a point of reference, elite runners tend run anywhere from 70 to 150
    miles a week (this usually means running more than once a day and
    having a long run once a week), some biking, and some weights.

    We pack runners tend to have jobs and other unfortunate impediments to
    spending that much time training (I would *love* to be able to train
    full time) so we don't run nearly as much.  Given the added
    responsibilities of family (kids aged 7 and 9), Gail and I tend to be
    limited to 35-50 miles per week.  We throw in biking and weights when
    we can but really like to take advantage of whatever training time we
    can scrounge to run (since that's what we enjoy).

    Given that, the breakdown of runs that seems to be most effective is to
    run 6 days a week.  Five of those days are for shortish runs (time
    constraints) of 5 to 8 miles and the sixth day is for a longer run of
    12 to 20 miles.  All of our running is done on rough, hilly (the
    steeper and more prolonged the hills the better) trail.  Fortunately,
    living in the Pikes Peak region, we have lots of great training trails
    available to us.  A lot of our running is done here at DEC (there are
    about 400 hilly acres criss-crossed with trails).  We run at least once
    a week on Barr Trail (thirteen miles from Manitou Springs at 6500' to
    the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,110') when there isn't too much snow.
    Ankle deep or a little deeper is okay.  Beyond that we worry about the
    potential for injury.  We rarely do full round trip runs on Barr Trail.
    We either go to French Creek (about 6.5 miles round trip), Barr Camp
    (about 12 miles round trip) or A-Frame (about 18 miles round trip).

    At least once a year we do a night time round trip to A-Frame (starting
    at around 10:30 p.m.) because long trail ultras require running at
    night with flashlights.

    The weekly long run is the key to success at ultras.  The best way to
    accomplish this is run a lot of ultras. :-)

    There is one other essential ingredient:  you have to be somewhat
    tetched in the haid.  In a really long run, you will hit a period of
    serious depression, where all you really want to do is stop.  If,
    however, you are able to make yourself go anyway, you will eventually
    come out of the depression and actually feel good again.  Until you
    have experienced it (pushing through) it is very difficult to believe
    that you will ever feel good again.  And when you do, it's not just
    good, it's great!  Endorphins rule!

    I have some Email that I sent to my sister describing the last two
    ultras that I ran.  I'll try to dig them out and post them.

    Sid

    Sid, what amazes me is that both you AND your wife are into this. 
    Couples obviously need similarities in order to survive, regardless of
    how simple the similarities may be, but this particular one is such an
    extreme activity, it surprises me.....
    
    H�wk
    

    Actually, Hawk, I don't really consider this activity extreme.  I will
    admit, however, that I've never been accused of being moderate in
    anything that I do.  It was the love of mountain trails that brought
    Gail and me together, so it's not surprising we both ended up doing
    this.  It's very good for our marriage in that it's something that we
    can do together and do with a passion.

    Actually, we only train together.  She's faster than I am, so when we
    go to organized runs, we see each other at the start and at the finish.

    Sid

    P.S.  Just found the notes I sent my sister,  which will be the next
    two replies.

                            .
                            .
                            .

    The run in Texas (Cross Timbers Trail Run) was a pretty amazing
    event.  As it turned out, I didn't fly (long story).  I drove with
    two other guys (real good runners).  We left around 5:30 Thursday
    evening and arrived at Lake Texoma at sunrise.  Slept about three
    hours on Friday morning and did a light run (2 - 3 miles) on
    Friday afternoon to stay loose.  It had rained so much in the area
    over the past several weeks that the lake was up ten feet.

    Friday evening it started to rain again and it rained all night. 
    I woke up at 1:30 a.m. with a raging migraine.  By 5:30 it hit its
    peak and after throwing up I began to feel a bit better.  I
    dressed and got to the starting line at 6:00 for the pre-race
    trail briefing.  The Race Director then described the trail:  the
    lake was so high that it had covered the trail in many places, so
    he had cut new trail around most of the water.  One place was so
    severely flooded that we would have to wade across.  It was about
    150 yards across, thigh deep, and *cold*.  We had to cross it four
    times.  Parts of the trail were so badly washed out that he had
    set ropes for climbing/descending the mud walls.

    The race started at 6:30, in the rain.  My headache had subsided
    to the point that I could walk, so I walked the first three miles. 
    After that, I was able to jog and slowly worked my way into a
    normal race pace.  It rained for the first four hours.  The trail
    was ankle-deep mud and rocks.  Naturally, this made for fairly
    slow going while demanding lots of energy.

    The course is a ten mile out, ten mile back, then 2.5 mile out on
    another trail and 2.5 mile back, then repeat.  When I arrived at
    the 45 mile point, there was only about a half hour of daylight
    left and the trail was far too dangerous to do by flashlight
    (you needed both hands), so I was pulled from the race at that
    point.  Pity.  Given only moderately adverse conditions, I could
    have easily finished the race.  I still had more than enough left
    to go the last five miles.

    Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to the Doc
    Holliday 35 Mile Trail Run in Glenwood Springs on May 5.  My
    recovery from the Cross Timbers Trail Run was pretty fast and my
    training is going well.
                        .
                        .
                        .

                        .
                        .
                        .
    Race report:  This was a very different run from Cross Timbers. 
    The weather was almost too good.  We had a *deep* blue sky and
    very strong sun.  Gail and I are both burnt.  The run starts in
    a little park in the middle of Glenwood Springs.  There is about a
    mile of pavement until you reach a jeep road that climbs 2500' in
    about 4 miles to the summit of Red Mountain, west of Glenwood.  Then
    there are a few miles of rolling trail, boggy in spots, across the
    top with fabulous views of Mt. Sopris, the Maroon Bells, and the long
    main range around Aspen.  The trail then begins descent gradually
    and finally steeply until you hit dirt road and then pavement as
    you enter Glenwood Springs again and come to the aid station at
    Kiwanis Park.  This is the end of the first loop, about 14 miles.

    From there, you run about a mile through town to the east side and
    begin a long climb up the Boy Scout Trail (climb about 2000') and
    the trail turns up.  And I mean up.  From the turn, you climb 700'
    in .3 miles (that's three-tenths of a mile).  That's steep enough
    to use your hands.  That little climb puts you atop Lookout
    Mountain and more great views.  From there you are on rolling dirt
    road for a few miles, until you hit a trail that does a short
    climb through a huge aspen grove, over a saddle, and then a steep
    descent into Forest Hollow, where the very narrow trail winds along
    the side of the mountain affording fabulous views of Glenwood
    Canyon that are too dangerous to look at because you have to watch
    your footing very carefully.  The drop off the side of the trail is
    impressive.  You emerge from Forest Hollow at about the 25 mile
    point and get back onto jeep road.  The jeep road rolls but slowly
    descends to a good dirt road that brings you to the 30 mile
    point.  There, you go back onto rolling but very definitely rising
    trail for about three miles, across a saddle, and then drop down a
    very steep, narrow trail for a mile and half to get to the
    cemetery just above Glenwood Springs, where volunteers hand you a
    carnation to put on Doc Holliday's grave.  The last half mile of
    the run takes you down into town and back to Sayre Park, where the
    race began.

    The descent into Forest Hollow destroyed my feet.  I have more
    blisters than I can count and I'm going to lose two toenails. 
    Despite that, I finished the 35 miles (6000' vertical gain and
    loss) in 7:52:57.  I would have been disappointed had I not broken
    eight hours and I must admit that when the race began I was
    entertaining notions of breaking 7:30.  Had I not been sick last
    week and had my feet held out, I'm sure I could have.  Gail ran
    really strong, finishing in 6:32, four minutes faster than her
    time last year.  This is a really fun run.  We'll be back next
    year.  My next run will probably be a short one, the Turquoise
    Lake 20k on June 3.
                              .
                              .
                              .

    
   >   It's very good for our marriage in that it's something that we
   > can do together and do with a passion.
    
    
      Ummm...then there's always...
    
       Nah...I ain't gonna say it.  This one's too obvious for even
    my usual low standards.
    
    Dickster
         

Whew... I'm beat just from reading it. 

Thanks for making me realize what a couch potato I have become.

Sid --

Next time I'm moaning about how I feel in the last half mile of
my daily five-miler, I'll just think about you being pulled from
a race after 45 and still having enough to finish even though they
wouldn't let you...

I'm impressed!

Please keeps the reports coming in.  Every once in a while I'll need
the inspiration....

Chainsaw

Sid,

What kind of clothing/equipment do you use for these races? Normal lightweight 
running shoes and gear? 


Thanks,

  Metz

    re:  doing things together and doing them with a passion

    After entering that reply, I realized that it might be a mistake in
    this conference.  Of course, one of the advantages of a long, weekend
    wilderness run is that you find yourselves far, far away from anyone
    else and . . .

    re:  entering race reports.  My race schedule this summer includes some
    short and some long runs.  In a week and a half, I'll be running the
    Turquoise Lake 20k, which is obviously not an ultra but is an
    interesting run nonetheless and a very good training run for Leadville.
    If anything interesting happens, I might enter a description.

    On June 24, Gail and I are going to New Mexico to run a new race called
    Arriba New Mexico.  It's only 18.6 miles but is an ultra.  I'll enter a
    description of that one after the run.

    On July 8, we run the Colorado Springs 100k, which has little to
    distinguish it other than distance.  Again, this is being run as
    training for Leadville.

    On August 18-19 is the biggie.  Depending on how I do, I may be too
    embarrassed to enter a report.  I suppose I'll get around to writing
    one in any case, though.

    re:  typical times.  In one of the recent issues of UltraRunning
    magazine, there is an article listing the top times in a variety of
    events.  I'll find my copy and post some of the interesting ones.  I'll
    try to flesh it out with more typical times for pack runners.

    Sid

> What kind of clothing/equipment do you use for these races? Normal lightweight 
> running shoes and gear? 

    Yes and no.  Despite protestations to the contrary by many in this
    conference, what you put on your feet very often *does* make a huge
    difference.  There are two things I look for in a running shoe:  a
    rugged sole that affords good traction on all kinds of terrain and a
    shoe with lots of support.

    For trail running, the sole clearly is important.  Rocky, hilly trails
    eat shoes.  When the shoes fail to provide adequate traction, those
    trails eat knees, ankles, elbows, hands, faces, and anything else that
    meets them unexpectedly.

    For long distance trail running, you need a strong shoe.  I need a
    shoe with good support since I overpronate badly.  Two years ago, I was
    running in Nike Air Supports.  They are a heavy shoe but lasted a long
    time and provided good support.  Naturally, they were discontinued.  I
    switched to the Nike Air Span.  I went through two pairs in 300 miles
    (less than 2 months).  No good.  I switched to Asics Gel Strikers.  I
    can get 300 miles out of one pair, they have good soles, and provide
    good support.  I buy them mail order and try to always have several
    extras around.  Gail can't wear Asics.  They just don't seem to fit. 
    She runs in Nike Air Stabs, which are very expensive.  They are,
    however, less expensive than knee surgery.

    Overall, and I believe this to be true regardless of what kind of
    running you do, it's really important to monitor the wear on your shoes
    and not run in them too long.  I keep a record of the number of miles I
    have on every pair of shoes I run in.

    Clothing.  Here is where ultrarunning tends to differ from other kinds
    of running.  In shorter runs (say 5 hours or less), I rarely wear
    anything other than T-shirt and shorts.  I run hot, so even if it's
    cold and rainy, I end up taking off anything I have over my T-shirt and
    shorts.  In winter, I sometimes wear two T-shirts (one long-sleeved)
    and shorts.

    However, in a longer run, you have to be more careful to avoid
    hypothermia.  Many, many ultrarunners run in tights.  Most ultrarunners
    have full gore-tex running suits for rain/snow/night running.

    Ultrarunners, and particularly trail runners, tend to be a rather odd
    bunch.  This is reflected in clothing.  I don't really think that the
    requirements for clothing are all that different from what is needed by
    10k - marathon runners.

    Other equipment.  A good fanny pack and lots of water bottles are a
    necessity.  If, like me, you do a lot of wilderness runs, you also need
    a good, lightweight water filter.  Also need good flashlights with halogen
    bulbs and batteries that stay strong for many, many hours.

    Nothing else comes immediately to mind.  When we first started running,
    we figured we were taking up a nice, inexpensive sport.  Boy, were we
    wrong.

    Sid

    Sid, anytime a race date has TWO days i.e. Aug 18-19, I think
    that automatically qualifies one for the Crazy-(Wo)Man of the week. 
    I used to run 10k's quite often and sometimes competitive, 36-38 mins.
    as an 17-18 yr. old, and I cannot imagine running for 8 straight hours.
    I bow down and salute you and your faster wif'. Definatly you and your
    wife are SB's--Special Breeds. I admire your determiation. Hats off!!
    
    				Raider_Rich
    

     Here  is  an  article   reproduced   without   permission   from   the

     January-February  issue  of  UltraRunning  magazine.   It  gives  some

     interesting facts about the state of ultrarunning in 1989.



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



                          Some Ultra Numbers for 1989



     It's the end of the year again and time to total up some ultra numbers

     for 1989.  A reasonably accurate count gives the following figures for

     ultras in the U.S.  and Canada:



                                           Average

                        Total     Total    per race

               Races  Starters  Finishers  St.  Fin.

         1980*  100    3,500      2,890    35    29

         1984   190    6,900      5,400    36    28

         1985   198    7,500      5,800    38    29

         1986   185    7,500      5,600    41    30

         1987   199    8,700      6,900    44    35

         1988   221    9,700      7,600    44    35

         1989   230   10,300      8,200    45    36

         *From Nick Marshall's _1980 Ultradistance Summary_



     Also, there were about 30-35 trail runs of 18-26.2 miles with  another

     3,000 starters.





                               Behind the numbers





     1.  The most popular races, more  so  than  ever,  are  those  in  the

         backcountry  on  trails  or  a  mix  of  trails and roads.  In the

         accompanying list of the largest ultras [if I get a  chance,  I'll

         include  the  list in another note -- Sid], you have to go all the

         way down to #13 (the Edmund Fitzgerald Ultras) to  find  a  course

         entirely  on  pavement.  However, if an organizer is interested in

         drawing a big crowd,  it  doesn't  pay  to  make  the  course  too

         difficult.   The JFK 50 Mile has 13 miles on the rocky Appalachian

         Trail, but it offsets this with 26 miles on the flat dirt  towpath

         along the C&O Canal and 11 miles on roads.  Ice Age [50 Mile Trail

         Run -- Sid]  offers  beautiful  trails  where  you  have  to  look

         carefully to spot a rock.  American River [50 Mile -- Sid] is half

         on paved bike paths, half on very runnable hills.   On  the  other

         hand,  the  Barkley  Marathons,  Gary  Cantrell's  extraordinarily

         difficult 55-mile (more or less) excursion through  the  mountains

         of Tennessee, will never make the list of the largest ultras.



     2.  The fact than none make it into the list  of  the  largest  ultras

         should  not hide the popularity of the 24-hour run.  There were 32

         of these events in 1989, plus an assortment  of  shorter  (6-  and

         12-hour)  and  longer  (6-day and 48-hour) such events.  Among the

         appealing aspects--the camaraderie, the self-contained  nature  of

         the  event  with  easily  accessible  aid,  and  the difficult but

         reachable goal of 100 miles.  Another praise-worthy aspect is  the


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         frequent  use of these events for fund-raising for charities, with

         donations  linked  to  the  number  of  miles  run.   One  of  the

         difficulties for organizers is the need for vigilant lap counters.

         Some events have used computers to help with this, while a  number

         of  others  have  used  one- or two-mile loops to ease the scoring

         burden (and allow a larger field at the same  time).   Largest  of

         the  24-hours in 1989 with 57 runners was the Olander Park 24 Hour

         on a 1.1 mile paved loop in Toledo, Ohio.



     3.  Likewise, the 100-mile trail runs continued  to  grow,  with  more

         runners  and one more event (the Vermont 100).  The Grand Slam was

         somewhat redefined, with Vermont allowed as a substitute  for  Old

         Dominion  when  the latter dropped its time limit to 24 hours, and

         there  were  11  who  succeeded:   Marge  Adelman,  Nick  Bassett,

         Ferdinand de Souza, Chuck Eidenschink, Gordon Hardman, Max Hooper,

         Helen Klein, Larry Mabry, Lou Peyton, Suzi Thibeault, and Marshall

         Ulrich.  But lest anyone think that these events are getting to be

         a piece of cake, it should  be  remembered  that  the  weather  at

         *each*  one in 1989 was extraordinarily good.  If 1990 offers just

         normal weather (hotter and much more humid at  both  Old  Dominion

         and  Vermont, hotter at Western States, and who knows what sort of

         mountain weather at Leadville, Wasatch, and Angeles  Crest),  then

         the number of Grand Slammers will probably take a large dip.



     4.  To keep things in perspective, there  were  more  participants  in

         South  Africa's  56-mile  Comrades  Marathon--approximately 13,500

         starters and 10,500 finishers within the 11-hour time  limit--than

         in  all  the  North  American ultras during the year put together.

         And in Europe there were several ultras with fields well in excess

         of  1,000.   As  opposed  to  in  North  America, the large ultras

         overseas tend to be on roads, either from one city to  another  or

         on a large loop.



     5.  Finally, will the numbers for 1990 be much different?   The  trend

         of  slow  growth  should  continue but a large change is unlikely.

         And that's probably just as good.





                                                       Peter Gagarin

    Sunday, July 8, was the second running of the Colorado Springs 100K. 
    It is held in Monument Valley Park on an unpaved surface over a 2 mile
    TAC certified loop.  That's 31 laps plus a couple hundred yards tacked
    on to the end to make it a full 100K.  The two mile loop is actually a
    figure-eight, with the aid station located at the crossing, so there is
    aid every mile (very nice!).

    The weather was perfect (for July) for the first ten hours:  overcast
    with a slight breeze, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s.  Sixteen
    runners, thirteen male, three female, started the race.  Ten runners
    finished, including all three women, who placed sixth, eighth, and
    tenth.

    10 hours and fifteen minutes into the race (I had just finished 50
    miles in 10:07:21) the skies opened up.  I mean it *poured*.  After
    that, the rest of the run was done soaking wet, sloshing through
    puddles.  Fortunately, all signs of cerebral activity disappear after
    about 50 miles, so I hardly noticed.  I finished the 100K in seventh
    place in 12:48:00, about a half hour faster that I had anticipated. 
    All in all, I was pleased.

    Unfortunately, I am now a fairly seriously hurtin' unit.  My knees ache
    and my feet ache and I've got shin splints and my lower back aches and
    my hip is sore.  I'm hoping that if I don't run at all this week, I'll
    be able to run the Classic 10K (a cake walk) this weekend.  My major
    concern, of course, is that I haven't done anything long-lasting, given
    that Leadville is only six weeks away.  I'm getting psyched.

    Sid

    62 miles????
    
    Congrats....and see a psychiatrist  :^)
    
    Mark.

Sid --

I am amazed.  No, make that f___ing amazed.

I know from the little running that I do (hah, a mere 3.5 to 5 a day),
that on a good day, your run, no matter how long, goes by fairly quickly
and easily from mental standpoint...

How the hell do you make it through 100K if you're having a bad day?
I can't fathom running even 30 miles, let alone 60+....

My hat is off to you, sir!


'Saw

    Sid,
    
    You may wanmt to enter that note in NAC::RUNNING_CLUB.  There are
    other ultra runner in there, and they'd probably want to share your
    experience.
    
    Why would you want to run a 10K this weekend, if you are hurting
    bad enough to not run this week?  Doesn't make any sense to me.
    The body can only take so much, and if the body is telling you it's
    to sore to run, then running a race, no matter what the distance,
    is probably not prudent.  But then again, its your body...
    
    JD

    I may have to miss this weekend's 10K.  I haven't slept well the last
    two nights because my knees hurt so badly.  Eating Advil has allowed me
    to grab a few hours at a stretch.  I've got an appointment with my
    orthopedic surgeon this afternoon.  I think (hope) it's just a little
    tendinitis.  I really need to keep up the training; as I said earlier,
    Leadville is only six weeks away and everything I've done in the last
    two years (including Sunday's 100K) has been done as preparation for
    that race.  I'm going to run and finish that race if it kills me.  If I
    fail this year, I'll do it next year.

    I hadn't planned on running the 10K hard this weekend.  It's part of
    the Colorado Springs Triple Crown of Running and it's a really fun
    event.  Besides, Gail signed us both up for it (as well as signing us
    up for the Pike's Peak Ascent only one week after Leadville; that woman
    is crazier than I am) and I've paid my money and got my T-shirt.  Might
    as well run.  I'd go at an ultra pace (sloooooow), so it shouldn't
    really take a toll.  And it will be my last orgainized event before the
    biggie.

    Gail didn't run the 100K on Sunday for a variety of reasons though she
    did spend a lot of the day down at the park and ran 35 miles with me
    (on and off) just for yuks.

    On a more serious note, I was lying awake lasted night wondering if
    ultrarunning is a manly sport.  I'm not sure what I'd like the answer
    to be.  If it isn't, then here I am racking body and mind participating
    in a girly mon sport.  Not comforting.  On the other hand, if it is a
    manly sport, then what do I think of Gail, who is better at it than I
    am?  I don't really like to think of her as manly.  Any help with this
    dilemma?  Brain-damaged ultrarunners deen to wonk.

    Sid

    Just to add to my previous congrats, I just realized that you ran
    this at 6000 feet.  Unbelievable!
    
    Mark.

Sid,

To answer your question about girly-mon vs manly-mon, just realize
that you and Gail are capable of doing something that a small percentage
of the worlds population can do.

The phrase "the human drama of athletic competition comes to mind."

Running 60 miles or 100 miles really, to me, transcends any question
of even sport.  It becomes a catharsis, in a way.  It's got to be
more than physical exertion...the concentration and mental demands
must be staggering.

Bottom line, you do what you do because you derive some form of
satisfaction from it.  And since we're all different, no one is
empowered to pass judgement on what it is you do.  Some of us stand
in awe, others would pass it off a stupid or meaningless, but then
take solace in the fact they those who do probably coulnd't keep
up with you past five or six miles anyway.


Best of luck on Leadville.  Please write a report in here when
you complete it.  I'd be very intested in hearing how you do...

later,
'Saw

    Sid -
    
    Are you back yet?  Did you survive this thing?  How did the two of you
    do?
    
    A&W