Repeats repeated repeatedly

Nothing like getting your lines down if you have the opportunity. The lines, you know, those particular paths along the trails that can help you shave the minutes off your time. On those rooty, rocky, muddy trails of the first stage of the HURT loop they are critical, or at least that is how I see it. And, not to be overlooked, are those mental paths, that labyrinth of thought, that leads you in and out of cardio limits, oxygen deficiency, muscle wasting, and just outright too dumb to quit perseverance. The lines; it is what I am working on now in a never ending succession of runs along the first few miles of the HURT loop.

Physically it sounds like a challenge; Up Hogsback, Cross-over to Center Trail, then up Mangoes, to Nahuina, up the hillside to the top of the ridge at Tantalus Road, and then, to add to the insult, to gut out the training, its up Concretes to the second of the bumps. The last part, concretes, is not on the HURT loop, but it a nice brutal end to an hour of difficult work-out.

As this is primarily a one-way work-out the down is less spectacular and done at a good, but not reckless pace. I only really time the up.



Up the Hogback is the first push. On Monday Fish and I did it in 15:40 or so. (The numbers quickly loose their reality with me, I am good at looking at them, but if I don't write them down immediately I loose contact with their meaning.) I was gagging and spitting at the top and Fishy did me no kindness by insisting that we move on immediately. So it was down and up Twisters in near 21 something, then down and up again Easies to 24 something, and down Rooty Run to the top of Center at 27:30. Then it was that agonizing push up Mangoes into Cathedrals, where I never can seem to keep it together, and we made the turn at Nahuina somewhere near 33 or something. Nahuina into the Dark Forest is a nice push if you still got gas in the tank, and can keep the concentration, then up through Bunyons and the rooty section below Banana Patch. We hit the Viney Avocado at just under 40, and I knew I had to push through the switches of Hau Tree tangles. I made the last switchback turn and I was under 44! A major sprint put me at the root step five feet from the guard rail at 44:20. My second best for this season. I can always count on Fishy to put me through the grinder. Fish and I went on to do a Reverse Trek in about 1:58 in what were rainy, wet and muddy conditions through most of the trail, but that is another story.

Next day Cheryl and I did the loop again. This was a slower, more moderate pace. We talked and took the hills at a measured pace. On these occasions I like to scope out the Line in better detail, looking for the paths of the old Korean Mamasons who always collectively pick the easiest ways up the hill. With few exceptions, the smaller steps, up the least steep ground are the best ways. You can count on that. If one chooses to muscle through the Hogback, the quads will turn to mush. Better to rely on the unsung heros of the leg, the gastroc and let it and its pal the solius do the climbing--mamason style--small short steps. You will go faster, though you will not look so 'manly' and you will live to climb at least five if not 12 more Hogback ups, depending on the torture of the day.

So I'm getting my lines down, dealing with the moments when I go completely negative on the O2 levels, and gaining a very good feeling for how my body is supposed to react at various points on the ups. By the time real HURT training rolls around I will be going up these hillsides with the stats falling onto the mental spreadsheet and I will know exactly where I stand and whether I am doing just fine, or how many minutes I need to make up on the next section. Most important I will understand those most intense moments of deprivation and know when the pain is to be expected or an indicator of pushing too hard, or being not quite ready to do the climb.

When you are big and slow, you have to shave the times with a better understanding of the trails. For me that means long periods of study and memorization. Peacocks may be looming, but that is just a race. HURT sits like Mauna Kea off on the horizon and is the real goal, the year's purpose and the biggest test.

I was recently corresponding with Dan Eldridge, a HURT runner, about some nutrition methods, and he recommended I commit to the blog some of my knowledge and feeling about such. I will do the nutrition stuff later. Today I want to comment about using a Camel Pack, that not insignificant tool that big men can not do without.

The camel setups are different, I use a Mule variant. It has a 100 oz bladder, and plenty of room for an extra bottle, nutrition, lights, and a vest. This commentary is simply on using the Camel during a run. Most people just strap a camel on and run. I don't often see anyone adjusting their pack after strapping it one. Perhaps the dwarfs, hobbits and rabbits can run like that, but a big man just can not.

If you are going to use a camel effectively one has to understand that it has multiple settings that need to be adjusted according to the terrain and speed of the runner. The first is the waist strap. Many runners don't even use it. For me it is essential. First because one can slide a few pouches onto the strap and create easy access for the most important needs of a race. Quick nutrition and supplements can be grabbed at a seconds notice and you can do a gu block or an electrolyte without losing any time. I run with two to three pouches on my waist band.

If one uses the waist band properly one can tighten it down and suspend the entire weight of the pack from the hips. Weight is taken off of the shoulders and carried on the ass. This can make a world of difference on an uphill push. You can actually suspend the pack from your lower back, loosen up the arm straps completely and bend forward into the hill, without restricting your breathing. You may have to loosen the strap cinch at the front too. The point is that if you don't do this you can not breath properly, or you can not bend into the hill. (The pack is going to pull you upright, interfer with your balance, and tire you out quickly.) Either is going to kill you on the hill. So cinch up the waist band loosen the straps, adjust the cinch, and bend into the hill, breath regularly, and push. If you have not figured this out before, I can guarantee that you will save yourself a couple of minutes on a sprint like Hogsback.

Where you put the water tube is a matter of choice. I do not use the loops that are provided. I simply bring the tube around, under the arm strap and over the cinch. This gives me more tube to access. I can bring the water to my mouth and don't have to bend my head to suit the pre-ordained path set out by what I consider bad design. I can do a regular half sip without missing a step.

Things change when one gets to the top of a hill and begins to move on down. Suddenly that great setting is uncomfortable. The pack is slapping around and the weight of the water is bouncing along with every step. I usually pull down on the straps a bit, tighten the cinch, and on occasion loosen the waist strap a bit. This attaches the pack to the back and gives you better weight distribution. You can move faster down the hills, even run if that is in your speed repertoire. And now is the time to suck down that extra few gulps of water, pull out a block, or drop an S-cap.

When you hit the bottom and bend into the next up the process is reversed once again. The point is that using a Camel, particularly for a large slow runner, is not a static process. You have to be constantly adjusting the pack to give you maximum weight distribution, and more importantly to allow you to take large unimpeded breaths. Breathing is a key issue, and when you are bigger, it is something you need to concentrate on. Adjusting your camel properly allows you maximum effective use of your resources.