Becoming an ultrarunner

Normally I am willing to try anything and take on any challenge.

However, there are a few stipulations; you get one time to give me a challenge, you must either do it with me, or have done it once before. Luckily, my 100 miler machine friend suggested that I do a 50k. For most people, 50k is not a known distance, so the blank looks on their faces would make me follow up with "31+ miles", which is generally followed by "Of running?" or "All on the same day?" 

So I signed up for the Playin' Possum 50k, completely scared out of my mind. I am not a good runner! I also have been training very minimalistic. A 50k sounded crazy! But I needed to have faith in my training and nutrition. During a training run someone once asked me, "How many miles a week are you doing?" I responded with, "About 5-6 over my long run." I have found that a very big taper works for me, so I basically took off 2 weeks! Once again adding to the fear. I knew I couldn't let the fear take over so I starting putting items out very early. I decide to go with only Hornet Juice for Amino Acids during the run and Amrita bars for nutrition.

Jump to race day.

I wake up with my normal bulletproof coffee. Grant, who is hurt and had to not race this time, decided to pick up both Andy and me and take us to the race.  You can't describe a better friend! At this point my stomach is tumbling. I put on FB, "The difference between fear and excitement is a fine line" and that is what I was exactly thinking... Is this fear or excitement?

I eat an Amrita bar before the race start and listen to the instructions. I loved that some of the proceeds went to Special Olympics, and they also had a speech from some of the Special Olympics representatives. The race director takes the mic, "blah blah blah... everyone have a good time and go.... GO!... yes now.. GO!" Everyone was very confused but we take off.

Andy and I decide during the first part of the race that the 5 hour mark is fair game.  Until that point we are sticking together. The first part of the course is mostly single track woods and disc golf course. About mile 3 an old friend from high school (who was a national caliber cross country athlete) joined us for a few miles. It was great to catch up and help pass the time and calm us down for those first few miles.

Mile 6-7 we loop back around to the start line and then head out for a long loop. We get a break from the wood for about a mile, until we had to run on the dam wall for a long distance. Then we head out into some beautiful scenery. It is drizzling and it feels amazing! 

Mile 11 A rocket passes us going the other direction the leader is so far in front of us at this point it wasn't even funny.

Mile 13 We had a nice rest break. I drank some soda just for a change, but at this point I am sticking to my Amrita bars for nutrition. We hit a stream crossing and the rain and traffic has caused the walk out of the stream to be very slippy and muddy. I get up and slip right back down. My right foot slams into my other foot forming a "T". I feared that this could force me out of the race. I get up and I am surprised that all systems were a go.

Mile 18 We have finally come back to the beach/starting area for a rest stop. I grab some oranges (they looked so good) some soda and we were off again.

Mile 22.5 Its been a long time since our last rest stop. I am completely out of fluid. I have been eating my Amrita bars but I am now parched. It is now warming up also the heat is getting to me. We have been trekking across some really muddy areas. Some about 2-3 inches deep of mud.

Mile 26.5-4:55 (I passed the mental marathon mark.) I feel great. Andy is starting to fade and starting to get nauseous, it is right around the 5 hour mark, and there are 3 other people that we have been chasing stopped in the rest area. I make my move. I tell Andy, "I am going for it." Before I could hear the "Okay" I was off running. I catch the first person withing the first half mile.  I pass 8 other people in the next 4 miles. After about 30 mins, the heat is really starting to get to me and I am starting to fade. I pop out into the clearing and I can see the finish line and my #10 person to pass. I turn on the jets, pass that last runner, and run into the finish line for a 5:42 time. And grab my very interesting finisher medal.

I can honestly say without proper nutrition and pacing I would have been much later than that. The Amrita bar switch from sugary gels allowed me to finally use my spare jets at the end of a race, rather than nursing my sick stomach. 

At the end, my wife had assumed that I would feel sick to my stomach as I normally do, but was surprised that I was feeling great! I ate some food, swam in the lake, and cheered some others into the finish. I met some new friends and was able to hang out with some old friends. I was inspired with some of the performances I saw during the race and I was amazed what proper nutrition can do for you. I tweeted today...

My good friend @runveggiejen asked me will I run another 50k? I am not sure. I think the real question will be will it be 50k or 50 miles?
— Fredrick Felter (@BuckeyeTown) May 21, 2013

Stay tuned...

Full props to @possumraces & the event they put on. 0 DNFs! A 50K race... 0 DNFs! Crazy. I would attribute that to great mgmt.
— Fredrick Felter (@BuckeyeTown) May 20, 2013

Not one stomach issue using @amritabars during the entire #PP50K perfect plant based nutrition. Love it!
— Fredrick Felter (@BuckeyeTown) May 18, 2013

Becoming a "Iron"-Athlete in 2011... 140.6

Here is an old video I found of when I completed my first 140.6 Triathlon. I was so happy to have my girls cross the line with me.

Getting Sick? Your Choice... Oregano or Chemicals

As I have been trying to become as healthy as possible and try to utilize as many items found in nature prior to reverting to chemicals, I find myself in the middle of cold and flu season.

While one of my kids is a strep carrier and our house is always bombarded with sickness coming in from daycare and school it seems that I am always vulnerable as an athlete. A few days ago I started to feel a little itchy in my throat. I right away ran out to my local health food store and picked up some Oil of Oregano after I heard it is good for this type of thing. I will admit I was a little hesitant to dish out money for what could be "snake oil".

I took it for a few days and now I am feeling fine. I believe I have dodged an illness, because right now my entire family are getting over their coughing which has lasted the entire time. Point goes to Oil of Oregano this time.

I have an engineering degree and grew up in a household where my dad was an ER doctor. An oil to stave off an illness? Not possible.

I continue to find out that the food that we ingest will change your for the better as long as you put the best possible food into you.

Friday Night, Pizza Night Resurrected... Gluten off the invite list

Since I have made the healthy choice of eliminating processed carbs and flour from my diet, Friday Night Pizza Night has since disappeared. That was one our our family traditions that I had to set aside while eliminating processed flour. So I was stuck at a crossroads... Give in to the Papa John's and Pizza Hut craving or find another way to quell that thirst.

I chose to find another way and here is how I did it. First, let me start by saying this isn't flour! This isn't the flaky, crunchy, goodness that you are looking for in a pizza. This is, however, an alternative to pizza without the processed carbs and flour.

Set oven to 400 degrees F
1/2 head of cauliflower
Italian Seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
2 x 8 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
Organic Egg
Pizza Sauce

Chop up the cauliflower into small chunks and place in a small bowl. Microwave the cauliflower for about 7 mins until it is soft enough you can pinch it to break it.

Add your cooked cauliflower, Italian seasoning (a little more than you think), and some salt to a food processor. (Pictured I used a handheld version)

Spin it until it looks like rice.

Next, I ran the spiced cauliflower mixture through a ricer to get the pieces smaller. (Pictured, this is an extra step I take to make sure it is as small as possible. If you do not have a ricer move ahead.)

Once fully riced, I pressed two paper towels into the mixture to soak up some of the extra moisture. Shred 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese into your seasoned cauliflower mixture.

This should have cooled down your mixture enough that you can add your egg without scrambling.

Continue adding the remaining 4 oz of cheese.

Once complete your dough should be sticky and doughy.

Spread "dough" until a silpat or parchment paper.

Bake for 20-25 mins at 400 degree F.

Take it out when it looks slightly browned. (Pictured)

Add your sauce and cheese topping. Add any additional items at this time, EVOO, more Italian Seasoning, veggies, the options are endless.

Place pizza back into the oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 10 mins.

Pull your pizza out of the oven and let it sit longer than a normal pizza would sit. Remember the crust is mostly cheese, it needs to harden back up after coming out of the oven.

In a few mins enjoy.

Warning!! This is good and very filling. I normally could eat an entire Papa John's Large pizza. This pizza I can barely eat half until I am too full to move!

Enjoy!

Muddy Start to 2013 - Getting in the choppa'

Race #1 completed for 2013. This race was getting me ready for my race to come in September. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something that I have never even thought about trying before.

So I joined the new fad of obstacle course racing. On Saturday I raced the Survival Race in Columbus, Ohio. I didn't know what to expect but I knew I could run the distance. 3.1 miles... a 5k easy.... right?

Well read on.

Weather: Snowing and about 30 degrees I would guess.
Gear: Under Armour Compression Shorts, Cheap Nylon Shorts, Under Armour cold gear long sleeve shirt, cheap long sleeve shirt, Black Socks, old Solomon trail shoes, work gloves for some warmth and grip.
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Prerace: 5 MAP, 3 Extreme Endurance

Packet pick-up was day of the race only which always scares me to make sure I get register, get ready, check my bag (I was flying solo), and then get to the starting line warmed up. Consequently my fear of getting everything done, not knowing my wave time (somewhere between 9AM-2PM), and first race jitters got me to the course early, 7:30 AM. Sadly when they say "try to arrive at 8", really means "we don't open until 8 so you are going to have to sit around in the cold until we are ready". So I waited. I checked in, which was a very confusing process as well. I went to the line marked "C-F", and I guess they are vaguely marked so I had to shift over to the next line down.

Eventually 9 AM comes around and we start. The course is marked with very small orange flags which at times were hard to read the layout up ahead. I am in the tied for lead with another younger racer a nice guy who I briefly spoke to at the start line. Just about a half of a mile in is the first obstacle. I do not remember all of them but I will go through a list of some that I remember (I do not have any clue what the real names are)...

• Run over tires
• Wall Climb
• Wood Hurdles
• Bungee Webs
• Cargo Net (~10 foot A Frame)
• A Frame Wall
• Over and Unders
• Army Crawl
• Steep Hill Climb
• Tossed Muddy Balls (One person was about 3 feet away from me and still didn't hit me... sad becuase I didn't dodge any on purpose)
• Tube Crawl
• Fire Jump (very wimpy, one log that I took in stride)
• Muddy Hills (a lot of these, these were my personal bottle neck)

About halfway through I determined that I choose the wrong shoe. These were very heavy and holding me back. This was about the time my legs were burning and I started to think to myself I have ran under two miles where last week I ran 10 easy. Shoes? Course? Weight lifting legs on Thursday? Probably a combination of them all, but this 5k was more difficult than I had planned. The up and down smaller hills were making my quads hurt pretty bad. I think squats and lunges are in my future.

I counted 4 people total passing me including the guy I was running with at first. I finished up, got handed my finisher medal/dog tag, grabbed a banana, which was way too raw. Skipped all of the high sugar drinks. Then the surprise of the race happened, the Terminator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger was there to send off the second wave. That was kind of cool! 

"Get in the choppa'"

After I picked up my bag and put on some warm clothing I checked the live results they had on computers there. (I liked this.) I was sitting at 8th overall and 3rd in my age group. I knew that wouldn't stand with waves going all day. In the end I was 58th overall, 53rd male, 5th M35-39. Not too bad at all with a 28.07.

Coconut juice in the car.

The Hook Brings You Back

As I was watching the classic movie "Hook" with my family tonight I thought to myself what have all of us as adults forgot since we were kids? What have I forgot? What have I lost? In no means do I think I am or could have been Peter Pan.

However, what/who is Peter Pan? What does he stand for?

I think he stands for the kid that never grows up, has boundless energy, fearless, and a huge imagination right? Well this is where I tell you that I am "The Pan".

I think I am the grown up Robin Williams in that story. If you looked at me 4 years ago you would have seen a 220 pound, stressed out shell of a man. Far from a healthy roll model to my kids.

Then I found my happy thoughts. I can't really pin point the exact day or moment, but I can tell you that I needed the change. I knew I needed to make a difference for my kids so they could look up to me as high flying hero of a dad. Oddly I do wear tights now as you can see above in the picture of me playing around in the snow after a 14 miler.

I started with my food intake and I took a long hard look at what our family was eating. That overview of our diet was SAD. Literally S.A.D. "The Standard American Diet", consisting of pizza, beer, wings, burgers, fries, processed, genetically modified, pesticide full, cookie cutter food out of a factory and far from the dirt that it may have started at one point in time.

Once my diet was changed the path living a new healthy lifestyle began. Sparing you the details of what I eat which will be in a future post, I can say now I have that energy of a kid. I am that kid that never grows up, has boundless energy, fearless, and a huge imagination.