Toshi's running blog : 2008 : April

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Pat's Run

Posted by ToshiMoshi Apr 18, 2008

sup tosh? you better register cuz im running it and know we can proly keep

a prety close pace. its a fun race. just like the almaden 10k but only 4.2!!

perfect starter. I better go and buy some shoes though...my pinky toes are

hangin out!

(Chad's invitation to Pat’s Run)

I've just registered for Pat's Run (http://patsrun.com/) on Saturday May 3. Pat's Run honors memory of Pat Tillman, a pro-football player turned Army Ranger, who was killed by a friendly fire in Afghanistan. I am running the race with Chad, a semi-pro mountain biker who lives in New Almaden where Pat Tillman grew up. Pat's monument stands right across from the entrance to Quicksilver County Park where I bonked last Sunday.

Pat Tillman

I didn't know very much about Pat Tillman until Chad mentioned about Pat's Run. The run starts at Leland High School, where he went to school, and the original Pat's Run started in Tempe, Arizona. Pat is a celebrated hero in Arizona too, because he walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract offer from Arizona Cardinals to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks. He also ran marathons.

Why 4.2 miles?

Pat's Run is only 4.2 miles. That’s somewhere between 5K and 10K. Why 4.2 miles? It's because he wore the number 42 with the Sun Devils at Arizona State where he got in with a football scholarship. Why not 42 miles or 42K? That would be really cool if the Pat Tillman Foundation gets enough funding to make the run longer. It would get more public exposure too. I can already map out the course starting with a 10K loop on the Los Alamitos Creek trail, then to Quicksilver Park at the New Almaden entrance, do a 10K loop on the trail and back to Leland High School. I’ll run it one of these days!

Chad

Chad is a great guy and a runner. I've run with him in Almaden Classic 10K last year, where he beat me in the last mile, and also in Quicksilver Challenge 10K 9/30/07, where I came late and he went on to get a second place overall. He always says, “sup tosh” and he doesn't even spell my name right, but it's cool.

I'm a bit worried about the race. I haven't been doing any speed training, so I don't know if I can keep up with Chad. The only speed training I've been getting is the run from home to the train station, train station to the office and back with my backpack on (and sometimes with my dress shoes). Let's see if I can wake up early next week.

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Bonking Big Time at Quicksilver

Posted by ToshiMoshi Apr 15, 2008

Sunday, 4/13/08 9:35am-3:30pm

I went to run at Quicksilver County Park on Sunday. It has been a warm week and I thought it would be a perfect time to do a training run for the upcoming Quicksilver 50K to simulate the heat in May.

What I didn’t realize was the temperature got hotter than I expected. Sunday turned out to be the hottest day of the week, reaching close to 90 degrees. I brought four 20-oz bottles of Powerade with me in my backpack and a water bottle, but that was not enough. I ran out of fluid around mile 21.5, 4 hours into the run. My calves and quads were shot and I could hardly walk because of the pain. I also noticed my heart was beating really fast when I was running (jogging) up a hill that I could normally run with an ease. I had trouble breathing because my lungs hurt badly when I try to take a deep breathe. To make things worse, I was at the opposite side of the park from where I started.

I had 10 more miles to complete the 50K course, but I was in no shape to complete the run. I felt defeated, but continuing the run any further without proper hydration was suicidal. Just then, I received a call from my girlfriend. It has been 4 and a half hours since I left her a text message that I will be gone for a run at the park and she was worried. I told her I’m (barely) walking and I’m going to take a short cut and go home. The shortest route was the 3.7 mile single track I ran in the first hour. It was a fun, undulating trail with a lot of shade, but going back was the longest 3.7 miles ever! I came across a couple of hikers, but surprisingly, not many of them had water. Finally, I met an older Asian couple and they were kind enough to share some water with me (1/3 of the bottle). It wasn’t very much, but it was enough for me to walk a little faster, and even jog a bit. I also found a stream where I was able to splash some water on me and cool off. After an hour and half, I got back to the parking lot where I parked my bike. I was able to drink water from the fountain and felt alive. All that gunk on my lips and salt crystals on my face, shoulder, and legs were pretty gross. I called my girlfriend and told her I’m okay and hopped on my bike and rode back home. 5:45 run/walk was a bit longer than I had planned, but good lesson learned!

Summary

The idea was not bad. It was a good simulation of the actual race. There are going to be 6 aid stations for the 50K race at miles 6.4, 9.7, 14.5, 19.0, 23.7 and 27.0. I was going to take a short break at each station and fill up my water bottle and eat some snacks. Then, I realized I might not have enough fluid for the whole run and started drink less fluid, but I had underestimated the amount of fluids I was losing and bonked around mile 20. I will try the course again next week. This time, I will start earlier in the day (around 6am), bring more water (if I can carry more) and perhaps electrolyte capsules or Ensure (since I was hardly eating any solids and I would have probably thrown up gels).

Here is the link to Quicksilver 50K. Hope to see you there!