February 2007 Entry
Posted March 6, 2007

February is always such a quick month, isn’t it?  Of course getting away from one’s “normal’ life for 10 days can make the month seem shorter too.  As previously mentioned in last month’s blog, I spent a week in the Caribbean, on a cruise, with my son.  The weather was spectacular and the sun was brilliantly hot…not that I mean to rub it or anything.  I have managed to keep up with my training…okay maybe only at a 50% level.  It is most interesting running on a treadmill while the boat is pitching with the movement of the waves.  The trip was flawless if you don’t count the difficulty (related to weather in the Midwest section of the country) getting back home again and all the hours spent waiting in airports.  No worries though as we had a great time and came back relaxed.

 

 

 

Digressing a moment I want to say that I am a bit jealous of the writing ability of my fellow blogger from across “the pond”.  I can only hope to be half as entertaining and interesting.  If you have not yet followed the training adventures of Catherine Stearn, I highly recommend you read her entries.  Catherine’s descriptive ability and the use of English colloquialisms (I know, too big of a word for me to use but I threw it in there to impress you) makes her entries a very good read.  Check it out.

 

Other than the trip, the month was pretty nondescript.  Training was uneventful but gains were definitely made.  The three spinning classes I teach every week have been a welcome change from the pounding of the pavement my feet and knees had been enduring.

 

While I don’t have much to report on the physical front, I have made progress on choosing food and equipment.  I have tested a few foods which are palatable and nutritious to boot.  Here are the products I tested:

 

Dymatize Enterprises Elite Oats N More Granola Crunch

 

This is an oatmeal and protein meal.  It comes in a bag which can double as a bowl.  It is 265 calories, has 34 grams of protein and 29 grams of carbs.  It is sold in packages of 7 for $12.99.  There are other flavors; such as Apple ‘n Spice and Banana Nut.  I buy mine at www.vitaminshoppe.com.

 

It is a very edible product.  I mix it with a package of instant Quaker Oats Raisin, Date and Walnut for a bit more fiber. 

 

Vitamin Shoppe Pro-Pudding Vanilla

 

This is a dessert powder which you mix with cold water.  It only takes a few minutes to set before you have a pudding-ish dessert.  It is 135 calories and has 24 grams of protein.  A package of 15 is sold for $20.  I buy mine at www.vitaminshoppe.com.

 

Spiro Sport Foods Spiro Bites

 

These are jerky style nuggets.  They come in Cranberry Beef, Original Beef, Glazed Turkey and Smoked Turkey.  They have between 106 and 130 calories and 15-17 grams of protein.  What I like about them it that the package is small.  Each package holds one serving size.

 

I am going to replace my original jerky choice with this product mainly due to size but also due to edibility.  These nuggets are not as tough to chew and you don’t have to pull the meat apart to consume small bites.

 

You can buy them at REI.com for $3.00 a package.

 

Hydration products:

 

I recently found single serving packets of Lipton ice tea mixes at the supermarket.  They do not contain sugar and are quite tasty.  Propel has also come out with single serving powder packets which you mix in a bottle of water.  While these products do not really provide the electrolytes we will need to replenish our bodies, they can be used when we lounge around the camp.

 

Finally, I found that if I use coffee pods, which a very common now, as I would a tea bag, I can steep myself a nice cup of coffee.  Now I need to figure out how to carry some fresh half and half with me.

 

That’s about all I have for now.  Hope your training is progressing and that you are staying injury free.

 

 

 

January 2007 Entry
Posted February 2, 2007

Ladies and gentlemen, I am full of it at the moment…be nice, I know what you are thinking.  I am full of excitement, eagerness and energy.  The weather this month started out pretty crappy but we are back to normal Seattle weather patterns.  Training is back on track and I am feeling great.  Since I began tracking my training on September 17, I have logged 160 hours.

 

Gary Baron, from Vancouver, CA, lent me his 2006 Atacama DVD set (Thank you very much Gary.  Note to RTP, no illicit copies were made during the watching of this event. J) which has partially put me into this mood.  I am so mentally ready to run this race I can’t stand myself.  I don’t care that I am not physically where I hope to be by August.  I want to get down there to see the scenery, experience the bone chilling waters of the slot canyons, slog through the salt flats and mud, get dirty and foul smelling and, just hang with all the competitors, volunteers and RTP staff.  Participating in the Marathon des Sables is like living with a small, moving village of nearly 800 people.  From what I saw in the Atacama DVD, this race is much more intimate; the volunteers and staff appear to be the most upbeat and supportive people and, the scenery’s fantastic.

 

Training is progressing swimmingly.  As mentioned in a previous blog, in addition to selling real estate, I am now a personal trainer.  The process of incorporating this new job into my life has taken some time and my training suffered for it.  But I have pretty much figured it all out and am back to feeling like I am moving forward in all areas.

 

I purchased my plane ticket this month.  The itinerary has not changed from my previous month’s blog but I will rewrite it anyway.  I leave Aug 14 from Seattle to Atlanta.  From Atlanta it is an overnight, nonstop flight to Santiago.  I arrive fairly early in the morning in Santiago and don’t depart to Calama until the late afternoon. I might take a cab into the city and see some of the sights.  If anyone else is planning on arriving in Santiago around the same time and would like to tour with me let me know.  I do speak Spanish so I should be able to get us around and back to the airport on time.

 

As far as the Vancouver, Canada and Seattle contingent are concerned, we have decided to participate in a 12 hour race on May 19.  It is a 4.6 mile loop through a forest/watershed but there is some confusion among the group.  James thinks we have 12 hours to complete the loop, Terri (Gary’s lovely wife and a volunteer during the race) was hoping it was an all day shopping trip at Nordstrom’s and I am wondering why we even have to run that long…I’ll just do whatever the group wants to do.

 

We have email-welcomed two new entrants to the race, Kris and Pam from Poulsbo, WA (near Seattle).  Kris and Pam are “virgins” to this type of racing and are looking to the crew for Yoda-style guidance…it is going to be more like Yogi-the-bear style but we will happily help in any way we can.  If we can all still stand each other by the time the race starts and if we are all tented together it could be a raucous time.

 

As far as equipment is concerned I have pretty much settled on the larger items and the food menu is almost set (okay, I know…I am either very anal or I have nothing more pressing to do).  I still have to purchase and/or test some of the smaller items.  The pack is weighing in at around 20 lbs (approx. 9 kilos)  I figure the remaining items and product re-tinkering will bring the pack in at around 24 lbs - not counting the weight of the water.  I should come in below the 29lbs I carried during the MDS.

 

I tested a new energy drink (not new, just new to me) – 5 Hour Energy.  It comes in a small bottle (about the same size as the liquor bottles you get on planes) and claims that it will give you energy for 5 hours without the crash at the end.  I must back up their claims…I drink a bottle a couple of hours after a long run and I feel recuperated and energetic not long thereafter.  I experience no crashing effect.  I’ll be bringing a number of bottles of this product along…especially for the long day.

 

My younger son and I will be taking a cruise in middle of February.  I am SO looking forward to some Caribbean sun.  I am still going to train but also plan A LOT of lounging around, eating, drinking and recharging my batteries.

 

This has all been about me.  Me! Me! Me!  How are YOU doing?  Are you training enough?  Getting enough rest?  Do you feel like you have taken on a monumental challenge?  If you have questions, are you contacting the other bloggers and competitors?  Remember, you are not alone and the people who participate in these races are some of the most generous, sharing and fun people you will ever meet.

 

Until next month…happy training.

 

December 2006 Entry
Posted January 5, 2007

For the record I have had it with the weather around here.  I thought the weather’s impact on my training in November was bad – it was nothing compared to what we endured in December.  We had rain…lots of rain and then we had wind…heavy wind and then we had snow…  The wind storm we endured knocked out power for 3 ½ days.  By the time the power came back on it took 14 hours to get the house back to a comfortable 67 degrees.  It was warmer in the refrigerator than it was in the house.  It is amazing how dependent we have become on electricity, computers and internet and, cable tv.  Over 1 million people lost power because of this storm…some did not get power back for 9 days so I feel pretty lucky to only have lost it for the time I did.

If I had been smarter I would have used the opportunity to rehearse sleeping in my sleeping bag on the floor.  Instead, I slept in my bed beneath 5 blankets.  Because the storm felled hundreds of large trees and millions of branches it was virtually impossible to drive on the roads for a couple of days let alone run.  With any luck we will not have another storm this winter…one can only hope.

Enough of the complaining and on to the training front…mentally I think I am behind on my training, physically though I feel great.  I am rethinking my initial thought of not competing in some road races after a 5k I entered in early December.  I finished 94^th out of 4850 competitors…not bad for a middle aged geezer.  Anyhow, I am looking at doing some half marathons and probably a marathon in July.  Other than those races I will stick with my plan to begin running around a local lake (25 miles) pulling my tire once a month.

One area of weakness that has plagued me in the past is eating on the run.  To address this I am using my long runs to practice eating and running.  I really like the Clif Shot Bloks.  They are chewy and tasty and, come in many different flavors - some with caffeine.  As I mentioned in a previous blog I will be bringing many different makers and flavors with me so I don’t get bored with limited choices.

Stoked.  That is the word to describe how I am feeling as we enter 2007.  I met with Gary Baron (from Vancouver, Canada) and Jim Lawrence (from the Seattle area) on the 30th, both will be participating in the 07 Atacama.  Gary and I spent an hour walking around the Seattle REI getting to know each other, discussing equipment and making some purchases.  We then went to have lunch were we met up with Jim.  Gary and I are very eager to get to Chile and get started.  Jim is excited too but has not picked up his training as much as he wants to.  Gary is trying to get his wife, Terri, to commit to volunteering during the race…I hope she does as she is a delight to talk to and be around.

Gary and I both strongly think that wearing compression shorts of some kind under shorts or tights is a must to avoid chaffing during the race, especially if the shorts have the interior lining.

I have updated my equipment choices - it is not complete but I am slowly making the necessary purchases (see equipment list on the sidebar for a full list).  I purchased my warm jacket for the race…Mountain Hardware Sub-zero.  It is a down filled jacket that packs into a small waterproof sack.  It is a bit bulkier that another jacket I considered (Mountain Hardware Compressor).  I chose for the Sub-zero for two primary reasons: 1) it has more wind resistance and 2) is warmer (I get cold easily).

I opted for the REI lite-core short sleeping pad as it was cheaper by about US$20, thicker, has the same or better insulating rating (3.1) and, only weighed 1 ounce more than the Thermarest Prolite 3 or 4 short.  I also selected the Princeton Tec Quad as my headlamp.  On early morning runs it has proved to be a good choice.

When my youngest son asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told him, to which he rolled his eyes…but he did give me a Titanium Spork and a pair of gloves.  My other son gave me a SwissCard like the one sold at RTP.

I will be leaving Seattle on August 14^th, flying through Atlanta, Georgia and arriving in Santiago on the morning of the 15^th.  From Santiago I will take a flight to Calama.  Barring any delays I will be in Calama on the night of the 15^th which will give me a couple of days to acclimate and take a couple of side trips. 

Good luck with all of your training.  We will see you next month.

November 2006 Entry
Posted December 11, 2006

Thank goodness November is behind us.  As wonderful and accommodating October’s weather was, the weather for November was horrendous for my training schedule.  Seattle set a record for rainfall for the month with close to 16 inches and a week lost due to snow and ice.  While I did get my strength training accomplished the cardio portion of the program suffered.  With any luck the weather will “normalize” in December and I can get back on track.

 

The only real change in training was doubling the size of the tire I drag around and the increased time out on the road. 

 

On a personal level I was asked to join the staff at my gym as a personal trainer.  I accepted and will be training clients and leading classes in addition to keeping my real estate business going.  I am going to have to rework my workouts to accommodate the new opportunity.  I will let you know how my first month worked out in the next update.

 

I will be meeting with a couple of Atacama 2007 competitors in Seattle at the end of December…they live in Vancouver, Canada.  I am looking forward to meeting them and discussing training and equipment thoughts.

 

Wish I had more to share for this month.  December should be more interesting.

October 2006 Entry
Posted November 15, 2006

October absolutely flew by…only 10 months left.  Less than 290 days of training and I am trying not to panic.  Am I training enough?  Am I ahead of or behind schedule?  I often need to take a mental step back and objectively look at what I have done and review what I still want to achieve.  Much like the race, training is about pacing and listening to what my body is telling me.  I have to give myself permission to be okay with taking a day off if my body is telling me it is too tired.  As I write this and evaluate, objectively, I believe training for the month went very well.  I took advantage of the mild weather we had in the Pacific Northwest and did some cross training on my bike and aside from a couple of days with the flu I have improved in all levels.  Speed is up, endurance is climbing and I am managing to keep muscle mass in spite of all the aerobic work.  I worry about injury; not that I am feeling any nagging ache but the worry of something developing all of a sudden that can take me off my game plan.

People ask me how many miles I run a day or a week.  I tell them that I don’t keep track of the miles, only time.  I want to increase the number of hours I spend as I am training my mind for the race as much as I am training my body.  The mind needs to be trained to deal with the doubts that can creep into it during the long hours it will “be idle” as the body moves forward in what can be monotonous rhythm towards the stage’s finish line. 

As I followed the Sahara Race I was reminded of a number of issues which I experienced during the Marathon Des Sable.  The first, no matter how well prepared physically and mentally you are for these races you can be taken out of the race by something you cannot prepare for...infected blisters, twisted ankles and the like.  Something can always come up during the race to derail your best laid efforts; until you cross the finish line you are potentially one step or miscalculation away from injury.

The second reminder is regarding food.  In reading the race blogs numerous people commented about food and either their distaste for what they brought with them or envy of what someone else brought along.  I remember well this nightly dance and bartering for food at the dinner fire in Morocco.  What I craved most was salt and fat.  There was nothing too salty or too fatty.  In my inexperience I had brought food that was maybe a bit sweet or too bland.  Sweet and bland food tastes flipping horrendous after sitting and baking in a backpack in 100+ degree weather.  This time I will be better prepared and bring a variety of nice fatty and salty food.

I am receiving tremendous support as I train from my friends at the gym…they think I am a lunatic but they are supportive nonetheless.

I have settled on a backpack for the race…GoLite Team.  I am going to use an LED flashlight even though in testing during my dark runs I am not getting the same level of visual depth perception that I get with regular bulbs…I’ll get used to it though.

It is not too early to think about my travel so with the help of the RTP staff, their recommendations and a search on www.kayak.com I am in the process of determining which airline carrier, route and dates I will travel.  The cost is coming in pretty much the same…between $1,400-1,600 from Seattle to Calama, Chile .

I had better get this off as I am already late on my posting…more to follow next month.

 

September 2006 Entry
Posted October, 2006

I started my training back in April which gives me 14-16 months to get ready.  Having already having competed in the Marathon Des Sables in 2000 I know what to expect from this type of race and from such a lengthy training timeframe.   When I think back on 2000, the training was very much like running the race.  I went through so many cycles of elation, depression, anger, joy, self doubt and supreme confidence.  The goal and motivation in my training is to keep an eye on the ultimate goal and the satisfaction of accomplishment.  There are days when it is too hot or too cold and I don’t have the desire to run my suicides or drag my tire through the streets.  I make deals with myself saying that I’ll do a shorter workout but end up completing the entire schedule for that day.  Equally important is to listen to my body for signs of fatigue and to allow myself a day off from time to time…I didn’t listen in 2000 and ended up with 2 stress fractures in the same leg.

 

Workouts at the moment are arranged as follows:

 

Sundays:  Tire pull.  Currently 1 ½ hours with increasing time each month.

Mondays:  Weights for an hour in the morning.  Suicides (5 1/3 miles total) in the afternoon.

Tuesdays:  Boot camp for an hour in the morning.  Run for 1-1 ½ hours in the afternoon.

Wednesday s: Weights for an hour in the morning.  Run or bike for an hour in afternoon.

Thursdays:  Boot camp for an hour in the morning.  Run for 1-1 ½ hours in the afternoon. Possible day off from running.

Fridays: Weights for an hour in the morning.  Run or bike for an hour in afternoon.

Saturdays:  Some sort of cardio/weight combination for 1-3 hours in the morning.

 

As time goes on I will add more time to the runs along with introducing the backpack with increasing weight.

 

I haven’t yet decided whether I will run a few organized marathons during the next 10 months or just go out on long runs by myself.  I have access to an excellent “rails to trails” system which allows me to run for hours without getting bored.

 

So far the most difficult part of training is not having someone to do it with, to be able to push and encourage each other.  I could not convince my friend who did the MdS with me to do another ultra race…his loss.

 

If you would like to discuss training, equipment or anything about the race please feel free to contact me at gmanciagli@hotmail.com