Pancreatitis and Endurance Running

Pushing Past Pancreatitis Pain:
A Misapplication of the Ultrarunner's Skillset 

By Kathy Vaughan

     For months, my focus and energy towards a big goal of the season has been to thruhike the 800 mile Arizona Trail, starting at the Mexico border and ending at the Utah border. Due to the desert nature of much of the terrain, and in order to avoid the worst of the heat, April is the best time to do the trip.

      I've made arrangements to have a house sitter stay here while Ras and I are away for a month. I've poured over maps and passage information. I've made supply lists and organized my pack, piling gear next to it on the window bench.  I've studied the gateway communities along the trail and figured out where we can resupply and which towns have coffee shops with Wifi, vegan food options and grocery stores with natural food sections. 

     I've trained in a fun, yet disciplined way, averaging 40 mile weeks and running or skiing an ultra distance at least once a month since September. I started joining Ras for his “Fartlek Friday” sessions 2 months ago, and have been having a lot of fun with it. I've stuck with a yoga home practice, realizing the importance of keeping stretched out so I remain injury-free.   I signed for up for the Pigtails Challenge 100 mile trail race, held within the month after I would return from the AZT, figuring I'd be ready to knock that one out, finishing faster than last year and setting a 100 mile PR. I have put lots of energy into all of this preparation, an important aspect of accomplishing this goal.

     Several weeks ago, a few days before a 40 mile run with my friend Lisa to celebrate her 40th birthday, some crazy cramping started in my abdominal area, radiating around to my back. Having a history of pancreatitis, I should have seen this as a red flag that maybe I was having some inflammation in this organ again. But instead, I convinced myself that my “change of life” years were upon me and I was having some intense cramping related to being a 47 year old female. I had been having some of the other tell-tale signs of this including waking up sopping wet with sweat a couple times a night every few months, the dreaded hot flashes, and a couple of missed cycles.

     Lisa's birthday run went better than any ultra distance I've ever done. It was all on forest service road and county dirt road. The first half had some snowy uphill climbing on icy snow mobile track, but transitioned to forest service road after about 8 miles. After 5 miles on this road, Lisa and I were able to stop at Shona's house and refill our water bottles, munch on salty potato chips and make a few adjustments. Shona joined us for a few miles before turning around to head back to her house. Lisa and I stopped at the bottom of my ½ mile long driveway, where we had an aid station set up in my car. We changed into fresh, dry layers.  I changed from my Lone Peaks into my max cushion Olympus for the section of the run that would be mostly dirt road with some sections of pavement. We ate a quick lunch. We restocked our packs with more snacks to sustain us for the next 22 miles and hit the road again. We had two more homes to stop at along the way. They were both log homes, spaced a good distance apart, welcoming and accommodating to our needs. It broke the run up perfectly and it was fun to share Lisa's birthday with some of her other friends.

     After stopping at the second of the beautiful log homes, Lisa and I had 6 miles to go. The early evening light had begun and the almost full moon became brighter in the sky. We started a downhill run now, with only a few more climbs before we would reach the car we had left parked alongside the road early that morning. The run still felt cruisy, the miles continuing to go by pleasantly, even though we were now hours and miles into it.  I had never felt stronger on a run and the endorphins were helping me to feel invincible. This was the furthest Lisa had ever run (22 miles being her furthest distance so far) and it was exciting to reach her car, knowing that she had accomplished a huge feat by running 40 miles on her 40th and that I was feeling a big growth spurt in my ultra distance running. 

     We had tofu scramble for dinner and chocolate birthday cake for dessert back at my house. Ras was away on his Issaquah Alps 100 Mile Unsupported attempt. We had a quiet time, unwinding from the run and enjoying the delicious meal. I was unaware of any pain creeping back. I had not felt any discomfort on the run.  

     Ras and I continued planning towards our spring thruhike and what adventures we would pursue when we got back. In hospitals these days, pain is measured and described on a scale of 1-10, a good way to let the doctors and nurses know how intense it is at the time. When I woke up one morning writhing in pain that was now registering at an 8, I realized I should take some action if I still hoped to do the hike. Ras suggested I call my insurance company 24 hour nurse hot line number and I in no way wanted to do that. I did it only because he insisted and it wasn't very helpful. I ended up calling my local small town clinic to set an appointment, knowing it might be hard to get in that day. Sure enough, no openings until late the following day, so the nurse told me to go to the ER if my pains increased in intensity. I held off as long as I could and finally two hours before the appointment, Ras drove me the half hour into town to check in at the small town hospital emergency room. 

     I was immediately greeted by the staff who had been expecting me and I felt like I was in good hands. The ER doc was a woman about my age, very sharp and thorough and a University of Washington Medical Center Alumni, the home of the specialists whose care I'd been under since having pancreatic surgery seven years ago. She told me she had written her doctoral thesis on pain and personality type, and said she knew that as an endurance runner I trained myself to compartmentalize pain and ignore it. She also told me this was not a good way to handle the distinctive pancreatic pains with which I was so familiar. After drawing blood to check my lipase levels, it was clear I was in full blown pancreatitis with the levels over 800, far from the normal range. I would be hospitalized while my pancreas “cooled down”.

     Four days later, I'm still here. I have tried clear liquids, but my pancreas isn't ready to handle that yet. It might take several more days before I can eat without causing inflammation or an increase in pancreatic enzymes. 

     Sadly, this puts the AZT on hold. It can't happen right now. The window of time to do the trail before summer heat waves come on is limited and Ras and I will now miss this. I have to see my specialist again in April, to further explore what might be going on in my pancreas. This is hard for me and possibly even harder for Ras to accept. 

     I am coming to terms with this. I find comfort and a sense of excitement for the future if I can now turn my thoughts toward a new goal, a new plan and a future that includes more adventuring.

Hospital Hill Repeats

     Spring forward to almost a week later as I sit now by the woodstove. I have been home for four days after having spent five and a half days in the hospital. It took that long for my pancreas to cool down enough to come home, some slight discomfort still present. I learned that I can help ease the work load of my pancreas by consuming little to no fats and no sugar. This is taking some adjusting, but now after being home a few days and being conscious of what I consume, I am able to put together meals that are satisfying and healthy.

     I have tried to get back into my normal routine as much as possible. I took a day to rest and get caught up on household chores once I got home. By the next morning, I was ready to go on a hike that would last at least 2 hours. Lisa came over and we ended up going on a 3 hour evening hike near my home. Early spring conditions gave us an exciting hike as we walked carefully over slick ice, hopped around large slush puddles and crunched through soft spring snow. I breathed in the fresh outdoor scents and appreciated every moment of being out in the fresh air. 

     Lisa and I got back to my house just when it turned dark. We had done this on many of our adventures together in the past, not timing it on purpose. We stepped inside to a warm house as Ras had kept the woodstove going for us. I made us coffee and we pulled off our sopping wet socks and put on cozy, dry wool socks to warm our feet. 

     While hiking, I had talked with Lisa about how my plans for the Arizona Trail thru hike had changed. I had not canceled the plans like I had thought I would have to, as I lay in a hospital bed, writing the words that begin the text of this blog. I feel better each day and I still have 2 weeks ahead of me to continue healing before Ras and I will hit the trailhead in southern Arizona. I have an appointment next week to see a specialist at the University of Washington Medical Center. I will have an endoscopic ultrasound that will reveal anything in my pancreas that needs immediate attention. If nothing pops up and I feel ready to go, we will continue with our plans to thruhike the 800 mile trail. If I am not feeling well enough for our thruhike but the imaging reveals nothing, we will still travel to the southwest, day hiking and enjoying ourselves all along the way. If something needs immediate attention and it is not smart to pursue this big endurance effort, we will then set our sights on the next goal. I already have many in mind and I can start planning any one of those adventures to keep my spirits up and my heart in the right place. 

     This morning, I joined Shona and Ras for our regular weekly fartlek session.  I focused on using good form and a strong effort during the intervals. I relaxed in between the intervals, during the warm-up and during the cool-down. I thought to myself, “There is nowhere I'd rather be.” I was glad I had worn my Altra Lone Peaks; snow & mud covering the road made for slippery conditions. I had wanted to wear my Olympus for speed work on the dirt road as they had felt so springy and fast when I tried them during fartleks 2 weeks prior.  The more aggressive lug of the Lone Peaks was just what I needed though. The March morning had met us with a wet snow and gusty winds. I was not bothered by the conditions at all and instead breathed in the air, rich with the scent of damp earth and the smell of ponds formed by melt water, in the surrounding pastures. The sweet songs of meadowlarks were leading us down the dirt road and the flitting wings of the mountain blue birds reminded us that these days of harsher runs were coming to an end. I felt better the rest of the day after this healing session in nature. Spring is a season of transition and I am welcoming the changes it will bring this year. 

Winter Adventuring: Embracing Seasonal Challenges

Winter Adventuring: Embracing Seasonal Challenges 

By Kathy Vaughan

     I like living in the north central area of Washington where all of the seasons are distinct from one another.  Winter here brings with it lots of snow, although this year it was slow in coming. The past two weeks, lots of the fluffy white stuff has piled up everywhere and it is making for a whole plethora of possibilities for adventuring in the Okanogan Highlands. Aside from a brief stint to the rainy, green side of the Cascades to run Ft. Ebey Kettles Trail Marathon mid February, all of my trail runs have been in the snow. Its been a fun winter and this will be a blog that shares trail experiences I've had throughout late January and the month of February. These months have been extra inspiring for me. As an ambassador for Altra Running, I've wanted to push myself even harder, "Zero Limits" being one of the slogans the company promotes.

     Ras' mother lives in Coupeville on Whidbey Island on the west side of the Cascades in Washington. Ft. Ebey Kettles State Park and Kettles County Park are just a couple of miles away from her home that overlooks the Puget Sound, and so Ras and I decided this would be a great trail race to run. We ran it for the first time in 2013, fell in love with it, and this year we were excited about returning. Ras was also running the Woolley Trail Runs 50k the day before, just about 30 miles from the Ft. Ebey run. He wanted to try to set a PR on the Woolley course, having learned that it was flat and fast. He also likes to try hard stuff and the back-to-back races would offer him that. I stuck with running Ft. Ebey on Sunday. This is a marathon course with 5,500 feet of elevation gain as the trails dip down into kettle formations and out again over a 13.6 mile loop, run twice. 

     I was happy to have gotten my first pair of shoes provided to me by Altra for the season, Lone Peaks 1.5 in black and teal. I would be wearing them straight out of the box and it felt good to know my shoes would have great traction in the wet conditions. The weather was very stormy with strong wind gusts blowing branches over the trails and creating white caps out in the water. The race started directly on the water front, before funneling runners onto the smooth single track. Once in the forest, the wind did not feel as powerful. At the end of the first loop, the trail wound its way back out to a steep bluff and the ferocity of the wind was invigorating.  I could hear the howling before I reached the opening to the bluff and I pulled my wool buff up around my face, covering my ears. I focused on running the small lollipop loop along the water as fast as I could, and then climbing the bluff trail that dropped off steeply to the water below. I tucked my head down and climbed up to meet the main trail that would take me back to the start/finish and the mid-way point for the marathon.

     I ran through the mid-way point quickly, filling my water and getting a new bottle of Perpetuem. I wanted to get back into the forest and back into the loneliness of running in solitude along winding trail, the wind howling in the trees high above. I needed to get lost in my mind again, so that I could power through the second half of the race. I was hoping to finish with a faster time than last year, and being only the second marathon race distance I'd ever run, it would be a PR for me.  Ras was trying to catch me all day, sometimes getting behind me for a while, but then falling back as his tired legs from the 50k he'd run the day before were hollering at him.  I felt good all day, despite the storm. The rain came on at the tail end of the second loop.

     The end of this loop became a highlight in my trail running weather endurance trials.  As I left the forest, I again pulled my buff up over my head and ears. The wind now howled much louder than before and rain pelted against my face, stinging my skin. The finish area looked empty of activity now, runners having already finished their race fleeing to their cars for warmth as soon as they were done running. The light was fading in the sky and the dark clouds overhead were threatening a heavier downpour. I put everything I had into those last few miles. It was crazy to be in that moment, alone and feeling the power of the elements. I pushed up the final grassy slope and over the finish line in 6:38, finishing 12 minutes faster than the year before.  This was my 18th trail race finish since I began trail running in 2011, with 14 of my finishes being ultra distances. 

     Back on the east side of the Cascades, the cold, dry weather was such a contrast. The thick moss and large ferns, the wild rhododendrons and madrona trees, the mud and rich smell of damp earth always seem so foreign to me when I hit the trails on the coastal side of Washington. I love it. When I return home, it strikes me how different the climate is over here. I knew right away I needed to get an adventure in the snow planned, so that I would remember why winter at my home of 3,500 feet was so much fun.

     I messaged my adventure buddy Lisa with some options and she fired back a better one at me-a 26 mile back country ski on snowmobile routes in the Bonaparte Mountain area, just about 15 minutes drive from each of our homes. We had done some long skis like this together last year, but so far the lack of good snow coverage had prevented us from being able to get out on a trip like this yet. Ras would join us. 

     We met at Beaver Lake Campground, at the base of a forest service road that gets groomed for snowmobile traffic a couple of times each winter. Even if it doesn't get groomed, snowmobilers frequent the area and we figured we would be able to ski on the pack that one of these machines would have left behind. We set off in the early morning, in the shade of the trees and snow with an icy glaze on top. The route started with a steep 3 mile climb, and we all settled in quietly, knowing we had a long, tough day ahead of us. At the top of the climb, we reached Bonaparte road which gets plowed by the county. It was in great shape and for 2.5 miles we were able to make good time, skiing along effortlessly.

     Our turn up towards the Virginia Lilly trail brought with it mixed conditions, feelings and a good reality check. We would now begin a steep, relentless climb of about 9 miles before we reached our turn around point at the base of Cumberland Mountain. As we began up the road, we lost the snowmobile pack we'd been following earlier.  We were now pushing snow which added to the level of difficulty. Lisa led the way, cutting the tracks into the deep snow. We were in single file, climbing steadily. About 2 miles up, we crossed a cattle guard and snowmobile traffic that had come towards us from the other direction, had now left a good pack to follow. We were surprised to find this and it was a welcome turn for us. The snow was also softening and the climbing became easier. A light snow had been falling on us all day; not enough for us to get wet, just a dry, steady snow. The temperature was cold enough for us to not want to stop long and there were no sunny patches to create a bit of warmth even for a short pause. We kept on moving.

     Finally, we reached a down hill stretch that was narrow and winding. It was also icy and had been shaded from any warmth the hidden sun was allowing. I tried to lead the way on the descent, but fell as soon as I tried the conditions and instead let Lisa go first. She disappeared bravely, as I then cautiously followed along for the approximately 2 mile drop to Vaughan Creek and our turn around point. Ras followed behind me and we all took a short break before turning to climb the icy stretch we had just come down. At the top of this, we would have some down hill and we were all looking forward to it. 

     We were surprised to find that the downhill took more work and poling than we had thought it would. It was slower going and the long day of skiing was taking its toll on us. We moved along as well as we could. My heavy Fisher back country boots were squishing my toes and not allowing the kind of room I'm used to in the toe box of my Altra Lone Peaks. My toes were shouting at me and my ankle bones were feeling pressure from the boots as well. I kept on pushing and gliding and reminding myself that I wanted to be out here in the wilderness, in the snow. The downhill fun would come. In skiing, one is always rewarded with some awesome downhill. Sometimes, we just don't know when it will come though. Patience. 

     We reached the section of road where we had pushed snow and made our own tracks earlier on the climb up. This was one of the rewards from our hard work. I settled my Fisher back country skis into the wide tracks and pushed off with my poles. The grade was perfect, the snow was just fast enough and the turns were just smooth enough for me to essentially take a 2 mile rest. I rode it out, while moving my feet within my boots, releasing tension in my shoulders and relaxing my body. I was getting the free ride I so love in cross country skiing. It was a blast. 

     At the bottom of the hill, I changed into a thinner pair of socks to allow for more room in the toe box of my boots for the final stretch of the ski. It was time to pull out my headlamp also and attach my sternum light to my pack. I didn't need to turn them on quite yet; the moon was casting a nice glow and this was the plowed road section where skating along gently and effortlessly would need little light. The end of the road came and we all turned on our lights. 

     It was time for 3 miles of downhill in the dark, on slightly icy snowmobile track. This was thrilling. My headlamp was dim as I'd not replaced my batteries after my last long night run. I regretted this almost immediately, but my sternum light was super bright. I just had to keep adjusting it to get it to cast the light in front of me rather than in my face. It was all good though and I can't put into words the awesome feeling of flying downhill on skies in the dark wilderness, with two of my favorite people. The descent seemed endless and coming to a halt at our cars felt so strange. 

     We all changed into dry and warm boots. Lisa and I got our thermoses of hot coffee and tea out and made a picnic spot right there on the snow. She brought huge banana muffins to share, packed with pecans and dark chocolate. The ski had taken us 10 hours and we had not seen a soul, not even any wildlife on this day in the back country of Bonaparte.

     I took a rest day and then had to get back out onto my favorite loop trail, the Black Diamond Lake Lollipop. This loop has 3,100 feet in elevation in 9.7 miles and travels through canyon walls, pine forest, creek beds, rocky outcroppings and sage brush country. Big Horn Mountain Sheep wander through here and a resident cougar's tracks are always fresh whenever new snow falls.

     Lisa, Ras and I would be the team again for this adventure. We bundled up against the wind in the Okanogan River Valley and started the climb up into the canyon about mid morning. We did not see the sheep as Ras and I have so often this winter. So much snow had fallen that maybe they had to find just the right spot to feel protected from the weather. We started post holing almost right away, knowing the snow was bound to get deeper as we climbed higher. We knew we had a challenge ahead, but the bluebird day was not going to allow us to abandon our idea. We were all warm enough and all of us had Altra Lone Peaks on our feet. The traction was ideal for the conditions and with gaiters keeping some of the snow out and wool socks on our feet, the set-up was better than a stiff pair of hiking boots, or even snow boots. No traction devices are needed in snowy conditions with the good lug soles of the Lone Peaks and the flexibility they allow for good, secure foot placement. The wide toe box gives lots of room for a thicker wool sock in the cold. I have worn my Lone Peaks for all of my winter adventures with great success.

     We took turns post holing and making tracks for the others to follow. The camaraderie and team work was nice. Lisa is a tough lady and she led the way first. Ras made great tracks for us as we made our way around the frozen lakes, following tracks from two different cougars and looking around us on the high rocks to see if one of the beauties might be observing us from up there. I led the way along the canyon rim as we traversed along it for the final climb of the loop. Then we reached the main trail again and began the 3 mile descent to our parked car, where a thermos of hot coffee and vegan chocolate chip cookies were waiting. 

    The post holing continued up higher, but gradually, as we got lower the snow depth lessened to a point where we could begin a run. It felt floaty and freeing as we picked up the pace and ran through the snow. The technical ground underfoot was completely covered in snow and we were able to fly down. Lisa disappeared around the corner and I marveled at what an awesome trail runner she has become in such a short time. Having healed up in the autumn from some knee issues, she switched to zerodrop shoes, changed to a natural running form, and is now doing really well on the trails. She can't seem to get enough and is running 20 milers regularly on the snowy country roads around her home.

     I love that in the sport of adventuring we can help inspire and push each other. Now that Lisa is running, I find myself trying to come up with new ideas for what we can do together and she is always game. I helped inspire her to get to the point where she could run again and in turn, her running has helped me to amp it up to the next level. We do this with skiing and finding local peaks to climb too. Tomorrow, we will ski all of the trails in our local nordic ski park, which will total about 35 miles.  The challenges are endless, and with the support and companionship of a friend, they are all possible. "Zero Limits" can mean to each of us what we want it to mean, within our own realm of possibilities. It can change and expand over time. We can push ourselves to reach what we think are our limits and then go beyond. The kind of growth that results, has far reaching affects. 

All Day Ultra Meal Plan

Vegan Recipes for An All Day UltraAdventure

By Kathy Vaughan

     Running a self or unsupported ultramarathon takes a lot of planning in order to complete the distance. Nutrition for the day of the run is key. I spend the day before an adventure run in the kitchen, preparing the food Ras and I will need to get us through from breakfast until our post run meal. I usually want to spend as little time on my feet right after the run as possible, so having the dinner precooked and only needing reheating is the easiest way to ensure healthy food is ready fast. Of course, each of us brings our own food to fuel us through our trail time, in addition to the meals listed here.

     I will share 3 recipes I commonly prepare ahead of time, for an all day trail adventure. I follow a vegan diet, so all of the recipes I share are vegan. All recipes are my original creations. 

#1 Breakfast     Whole Wheat Banana Muffins: Chocolate Chips Optional 

          3 medium sized, ripe bananas, mashed
          1/3 cup soy margarine, or other dairy-free margarine
          2 T soy or almond milk
          2 T ground flax seed mixed with 6 T warm water or 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
          1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
          2/3 cup cane sugar
          2 t baking powder
          1/2 t baking soda
          1 1/2 c dairy free chocolate chips (I use Guittard or Ghiradelli semi-sweet)

     Stir together bananas, margarine, milk and flax seed mixture or applesauce, until well blended. For fruity & moist muffins, use the applesauce. For more texture & the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, use the ground flax seed.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda until thoroughly blended into wet mixture. Add chocolate chips or 1/4 cup of chopped nuts of your choice and stir until mixed in thoroughly. Divide the batter up evenly in a 12 muffin tin. I use a stoneware muffin baking dish for consistently even baking. Bake the muffins in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center of a muffin.



#2 Lunch on the trail      Pinto Bean & Rice Burritos

           2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed & soaked
           1 onion, chopped
           1 green pepper, chopped
           2 T ground cumin
           4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
           2 T ground black pepper
           3 T Bragg Liquid Amino Acids (or add to taste as beans become cooked)
           1 T chili powder
           2 t onion powder
           1 T Italian seasoning blend (or add oregeno & thyme)
           1 T smoked paprika

     Put rinsed and soaked beans into a crock pot and fill pot to the top with cold water.  Add onion and green pepper and cook on high until beans begin to soften. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer on high for several hours. I like to put this recipe into the crock pot to cook while I am on a long run also, and come home to dinner being all ready.  Beans are done when they are tender and the skins begin to peel.

     Meanwhile, cook a pot of your choice of rice. I like to make brown rice or white jasmine rice. 

     The night before the run, or the morning of, I assemble the burritos and put them into ziplock bags to carry with me in my running vest. I use whole wheat tortillas, but other soft tortillas would work as well. I first put a couple of spoonfuls of the cooked beans down the center of the tortilla. Then I add rice and top with either a salsa verde, Srirachi hot sauce or Tapatio. I like to add chopped black olives and diced onion as well, but you could add whatever other ingredients you might like. Ras likes them simple with beans, rice, and hot sauce. Wrap and roll the burrito!


#3 Post Run Dinner         Tofu Scramble

              2 packages of firm tofu, previously frozen, thawed
              1 onion, chopped
              1 green pepper, chopped
              1 red or yellow pepper, chopped or 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
              1 zucchini, diced
              1 can of black olives, diced
              1 cup mushrooms, sliced
              1/4 cup green olives, chopped
              1 medium tomato, diced or 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
              1/2 cup of frozen or canned corn, optional
              1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
              1 cup chopped kale or spinach
              3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
              3 T Bragg Liquid Amino Acids (or add to taste)
              2 t ground black pepper
              1 t onion powder
              2 T smoked paprika
              1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes (or add to taste)
              2 to 3 T soy margarine or other dairy free margarine

     Heat up a large skillet on the stove top and add margarine. When margarine is melted, add garlic, onion and peppers. Saute on medium high heat until softened. On a cutting board, cut up tofu into bite size chunks. Add to the skillet and mix in well. Allow the tofu to absorb these flavors as you add the Braggs. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, except the nutritional yeast. Add water as needed, to give the mixture a liquid in which to simmer. When the veggies and tofu have been simmering for about 10 minutes, add the nutritional yeast and water again as needed to help create a sauce.  Stir well and continue to allow the mixture to simmer, turning the temperature down now. Cook for about 25 minutes, or until tofu is firm and the veggies are soft. Allow to cool and then store in a container to be reheated after your long run the next day. Serve in a bowl; as a wrap; or on a plate with leftover, cooked pinto beans and hot sauce. 

     Many different veggies of your choice can be added to this tofu scramble dish. The ingredients listed above are the ones I often use, although I will also use whatever I have on hand. Adding cumin as a seasoning, gives the dish a different flair and makes it good in breakfast burritos. Experiment and Enjoy!

Coconut Butter: My Secret Weapon For Endurance Fueling & Recovery

Coconut Butter: My Secret Weapon For Endurance Fueling & Recovery

Secret Training Techniques Of UltraPedestrianDo, Part Two

(The Way Of The UltraPedestrian)

by Ras

     You may never have heard of coconut butter before, but it has become widely available in recent years. Coconut butter differs from coconut oil in that it is the whole meat of a ripe coconut finely ground into a paste, similar to peanut butter or almond butter. Coconut butter is in no way related to cocoa butter, which is made from cocoa beans. Coconuts are the fruit of a variety of palm tree, whereas cocoa beans come from the fruit of the cacao tree, a relative of cotton and okra.

     Coconut butter is extremely palatable and flexible as a food (try stirring two tablespoons of coconut butter and two teaspoons of curry paste into simmering veggies and serve over rice). But my interest in it is as a fuel. I have been eating coconut butter for two years now, and it has helped fuel me for my biggest accomplishments, including my Double Wonderland and Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim to Rim to Rim to Rim to Rim adventure runs.

     Medium Chain Triglyceriedes The main benefit of coconut butter as a fuel for endurance athletes is its fats, which are Medium Chain Triglycerides. MCTs are a unique form of dietary fat that impart a wide range of positive health benefits, including helping control appetite, boosting immune function and purifying blood (due to its lauric acid content), stimulating metabolism, promoting calcium absorption, and regulating blood sugar levels. 

     But the most important thing about MCTs for endurance athletes is that they are immediately metabolized and used by the body, not stored as fat, as Long Chain Triglycerides are. According to Ward Dean, MD, and Jim English, "MCTs are an especially beneficial supplement for fueling physical exertion, given their high energy density content, rapid rate of absorption and quick metabolic conversion into cellular energy. Additionally MCTs can be quickly mobilized in the post-exercise recovery phase to rebuild muscles and prevent the breakdown of proteins (catabolism) that can occur when the body is putting a maximum demand on the body’s energy reserves." (From NutritionReview.org)

     Training Your Body For Fat Fueling This makes coconut butter an ideal food for training your body to metabolize fat. I make an effort each morning to make the first thing I eat high in healthful fats in order to switch on my body's fat prioritization. A couple spoonfuls of coconut butter is perfect for this because it is palatable and easy to eat. It can also be spread on toast in place of butter, or stirred into hot cereal or oatmeal, among myriad other uses.

     Low Oxidation Rate Because coconut butter oxidizes slowly it does not go rancid. It can be  stored unrefrigerated for up to two years. Coconut butter lasts and carries well for extended backpacking trips, and will easily survive an extended stay in a drop bag or food cache.

     Very Low Cost Per Calorie Perhaps the best news of all regarding coconut butter is its incredibly low cost per calorie, as little as $8.00 for a jar containing over 2800 calories. Compare that to specially marketed energy gels, where $8.00 will buy you at most 600 calories. For shorter runs I package a 200 calorie serving in small baggies or plastic wrap, twist the top shut and seal it with a small piece of tape. For multiday efforts I melt the coconut butter and pour it into a resealable plastic jar and eat it by the spoonful directly from the container. 

Try Coconut Butter from Amazon.com

     Coconut butter is readily available from any natural foods co-op or health food store, including the big chains. It can also be ordered from natural food retailers on line, or made at home from scratch. Artisana has recently started packaging it in single serving pouches, which are convenient for short trips.

Fartlek Fridays: Strongly Speedwork For Fine Tuning Those Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers

Fartlek Fridays: Strongly Speedwork For Fine Tuning Those Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers

Secret Training Techniques Of UltraPedestrianDo, Part One

(The Way Of The UltraPedestrian)

by Ras

     Despite the humorous english homonymics, the Swedish term "fartlek" means "Speed play". Goodness knows I enjoy a play on words, as evidenced by my use of 'strongly' instead of 'weekly' to refer to doing something once every seven days. But the importance of speed work is serious, even if my choice of terms has an amusing sound.

     If you want to get my attention, using the word 'fart' is a great strategy. I admit it. I'm an overgrown manboy who still believes a scatological reference is the best way to maximize a statement's comedic potential. And I'm no where near mature enough to overlook a syllable in a foreign language word that has a potty-talk phonetic analog. (As an example of just how immature my sense of humor is, please note that the word 'analog' contains both the word 'anal' and the word 'log'. I rest my case.) So when I happened upon the term fartlek, needless to say my interest was peaked.

     'Speed play' just plain sounds fun, and it's supposed to. 'Workout' has the word 'work' in it, which carries burdensome implications, and it also describes a long and uncomfortable process of coming to terms with a situation. 'Speed play' sounded like the perfect way to work out my issues with speed work, so I decided to give it a go. 

     Speed work can train the body and mind to move more quickly and do it more efficiently. Your physiognomy can adapt, producing increases in aerobic threshold, lactic acid processing, and fast twitch muscle fiber recruitment. This information is easy to find with any web search, and difficult to avoid in running magazines. But it never seemed applicable to my running until I read Adam Lint's trip report for his Wonderland Trail FKT in 2011. Nearing the end of his 93 mile run he says:

Next began an intense 4ish mile climb up to Mystic Lake.   This is where I began to feel the distance that I had put on my legs as it felt like an 8 mile climb.  Since my fast twitch muscle fibers were still fresh I decide to do 30 second intervals (sprints) with a one minute break in between just to get my ass to the top of this climb.

     I had never done speed work of any sort until a year ago. I run simply to enjoy running. I don't have a formal running background, so speed work was something foreign to my experience. I would read articles about its importance, and the science and reasoning made sense. But as soon as a work out would be described in mathematical seeming terms, my mind would just wander to another topic. (In high school I had a math class in a room that was painted light blue and it would put me to sleep just about everyday. As a result I seem to have a conditioned response to fall asleep when I see numbers.)

     I began Fartlek Fridays the beginning of January 2013. On March 30 I set a 100 mile PR of 27:17 an improvement of almost two hours. Two weeks later I again improved my 100 mile Personal Record by running a 26:44. A week after that I set a 50k pr of 5:35. Then a world record at the Grand Canyon. Then a 200 mile PR. You can read all the details in my 2013 Year In Rear View. But the only thing I was doing different in my training was running Fartlek Fridays. 

     Kathy pointed out to me that these claims are correlative and anecdotal. I pointed out to Kathy that this article was for publication by UltraPedestrian.com, not PLOS ONE. In the interest of full disclosure I should state that I am a high school graduate and junior college drop out. I do not have a background in medicine, nutrition, kinesiology, biomechanics, physical therapy, or anything else that would grant credence to my words. My background is in doing what I dang well please and not being overly concerned with how other people feel about it. But I do monitor and evaluate my performances, and I attempt to replicate my successes.

     Here's my basic fartlek workout:

15 minute warm up, running very easy
10 sets of running a hard & fast interval for 90 seconds, then running a very easy recovery interval for 90 seconds: 3 minutes total = 1 set
1 bonus set of super skips for 90 seconds
15 minutes cool down, running very easy

     Important Note: I do not push or force myself during the hard & fast interval. I focus on perfect running form, and allow the technique to produce the speed. My goal is tall, engaged posture; completely relaxed legs, ankles, and feet, everything from the knee down; forward lean at the ankles, not the waist, to produce what is essentially a long, controlled forward fall; and very rapid foot turnover, 180 strides per minute, resulting in a rapid and light footstrike. During the hard & fast interval, all my mind is doing is going over the above mental checklist and counting strides. I count strides like a waltz: one-two-three, two-two-three, three-two-three, four-two-three. If you build this technique, the speed will come. 

     Super skips are essentially just what they sound like: skipping by means of a technique designed to propel you as high and far as is reasonable. This is accomplished not by pushing hard off the ground with your back leg, but by swinging your front leg and the opposite arm up to a 90 degree angle explosively. Again, use your mind to guide your body in letting the technique do the work.

     My Fartlek Fridays are actually rather rigid in their structure, but I enjoy it and it works for me. The same session could be done without a watch, using landmarks and self awareness. Pick a tree or powerpole or fencepost and run the hard & fast interval to it. Then run very easy until your heartrate and breathing level out. When you feel ready to make another concerted effort, look ahead and pick the next landmark. Or perform a quick internet search and you'll find a wide variety of different fartlek sessions.

     Beyond their very definition as play, fartleks are somewhat free form in nature, allowing me the flexibility to customize my work out each week according to my needs, physical condition, and mood. On days when I don't feel 100% or am lacking motivation, fartleks aren't intimidating. I tell myself, "It's just fartleks. Go out and do what you can and have fun with it." But I invariably end up doing my full session as well or better than usual. 

     I instituted Fartlek Fridays because I like alliteration, but it turns out that Friday is the perfect day to do speed work. Since most races are on Saturday or Sunday, I can easily skip a Friday work out immediately before a race without throwing my entire schedule off. And five or six days later, when Fartlek Friday rolls around again, I'm recovered enough to push myself, but can allow myself the flexibility to back off my effort as my body demands, all while still fulfilling my training goals.

     Future articles will explore the overall application of alliteration as the basis for a training plan. Here's to hoping that Mixed Martial Arts Mondays and Trials Bike Tuesdays will reap as many benefits as have Fartlek Fridays.

Help Send Ras To The Tahoe 200 Mile Endurance Run

   

Early Winter in the Highlands Part 3 of 4: Summitting Haley Mountain

Early Winter in the Highlands Part 3 of 4: Summitting Haley Mountain

By Kathy Vaughan

     The first of the cold temperatures each winter feel so extreme. When the single digit days came in late November, my friend Lisa and I decided it was time to attempt a climb on my back yard peak, Haley Mountain.  At just over 5,000 feet in elevation, this mountain presides over the Forest Service road and it's surrounding playground where I spend a lot of time year round. In the spring, summer and fall, I love to run and bike on this road and its connectors. In the winter, I put on my Fisher Back Country skis and make tracks. I feel so blessed to have this public land available for my use. It is even more fun when I have opportunities to share it with others, like during the Highlands Halloween Hundred Trail Un-run (H3) Ras and I host in October each year.  

     I felt stoked to have this adventure planned that I could share with Lisa. Our Chesaw Short-Tail Grouse Preserve hike had been so great that I wanted to have a day of at least equal excitement.

     The afternoon served up a good dose of excitement for us that equaled many of our other adventures. To start with, the day's high temperatures only reached about 9 degrees. It was chilly. It was the kind of cold that makes it so that you can't stop moving, you can't take off your gloves for more than a second and your water freezes shortly after you've left the warm comfort of your home or car.

     Lisa and I left my house and traveled along the snowy single track trail for about 1/4 of a mile before we reached the Forest Service road. We decided to hike to Haley Divide, roughly 4 1/2 miles away along a gentle uphill grade, gaining about 900 feet in elevation. We kept up a good pace to keep warm and chatted all along the way. Before we knew it, we had reached the divide. We decided to turn toward Haley and start climbing. 

      Earlier as we had climbed along the road, we could see a ridge line that would have taken us to the top. We could have approached this line by taking a number of different connector roads off of the main service road. We decided against this plan for two reasons. The first reason was that Ras and I had seen a huge hunter's camp being set up just a few days prior, in the area of these connector roads. The season was open for bow hunting. A camp that took several pickup loads of gear to set up was intimidating for Lisa and I to be too near. We did not want to cross paths with these guys. We are both courageous in the back country, but this seemed like asking for trouble.

     The second reason for just taking the main road straight to the base of Haley and climbing up from there, was that 8 degrees is bitterly, and even dangerously, cold. We were bundled up well, but we didn't want to waste any time exploring unnecessarily. It would be worth tackling any terrain we came across to take a straightforward approach to the summit.

     Lisa opened a package of Hand Warmers as we climbed over blowdowns and worked our way from the divide to the flank of Haley. We started our climb, carefully and confidently. I followed Lisa's lead. The snow was scant, and it didn't cause any problems for us. It was so cold that the snow was bone dry and had no icy or slippery quality to it at all. After about 10 minutes of climbing, we came to a band of large, stable rocks. Off to the right, we could clearly see cliffs. This was not the way to go. To the left, the grade was much steeper and the rocks were the same as they were directly in front of us. We had already been climbing over some rocks and were finding good, stable footing. We decided to continue straight through. 

     I was wearing my Altra Lone Peak 1.5 trail running shoes. I had thick Smart Wool socks on and my feet were staying warm. The wide toe box in the Altras allows for thicker socks in winter without causing the shoes to become too tight. I was finding good footing and I was impressed with the way my Altras were flexible enough to squeeze into tight spots between rocks. The grippy soles clung onto the rocks as I scrambled over the top of them, now on all fours. The lug soles grabbed into the frozen earth, topped with a skiff of snow, each time I stepped on solid ground rather than rock. I checked each foot placement a couple of times before committing; a mistake would mean big trouble up here in this type of cold. I never felt shaky. I moved slowly and surely. I watched Lisa up ahead of me. 

     The views from this vantage point, high on the side of Haley Mountain, amongst the huge rocks that made up this hunk of geography, were outstanding. I could see far below to the Okanogan River valley. I was surprised that I could see it from here. There were many other surrounding hills. The most dramatic of the views were those right in front of me though. The trees on this mountain were huge. Remains of silvered snags still stood; massive, withered and covered in bright green lichen. Old giant pine and fir trees towered around Lisa and I as we climbed towards the summit. 

     Finally, we came out of the rocks and the grade became easier. I was able to stand up and hike again. I felt powerful and brave. I was climbing up this peak I had only looked towards the top of for about 4 years now. I had always wanted to climb it but had never committed to it as I had on this day, with this adventure partner. We were doing it, despite the frigid air, the snow, the at first seemingly threatening rock band. We were now just hiking up through dried grasses and some of the most mystical giants amongst whom I had ever walked. We both slowed down and looked around in awe. We were quiet, almost rendered speechless. When we did speak, the only thing either of us could come up with with was, "There sure are some big trees up here." 

     Several of the bigger trees, mainly pine, had been struck by lightening. The character of these trees was interesting and added to the mysticism of our surroundings. There was very little undergrowth, as is common to these North Central Washington forests. We could easily hike under and through this forest of ancient trees, both living and scarred from either lightening, mistle toe disease, or wind damage. No logging had ever occurred here. I saw what seemed to be cattle trails. This interested me as I really thought we should find a different way down. I had a hard time imagining myself making my way down the steep rock band. Coming up it had been challenging enough. I pointed out these trails to Lisa and she agreed that we could check them out on the way back down.

     We kept climbing towards the true summit of Haley. There were many little basins to drop down into and hills to climb back up as we worked our way to the high point, and no clear views now that we were off of it's steep, lower flanks. The snow was getting deeper and the afternoon was drawing on. The sun was getting lower in the sky and the temperatures were dropping. We decided that we would turn around at 3:00 p.m., whether or not we had reached the top, so that we would have plenty of time to climb down before dark. We had headlamps we could pull out for the service road where navigating in the dark would be much easier.

     About 15 minutes after we made this decision, Lisa and I topped out.  We took a selfie and immediately turned in the wrong direction to start our descent. We realized right away that we needed to follow our earlier footsteps in the snow. I led the way. It was fun to scamper down the slopes. We were soon at the cattle/game trails. Cattle are allowed to free range in here , so it would not have been out of the question that they wander around up here in the warmer summer months. This is also an area where moose, elk, and deer travel and they could have created these paths.

     Lisa pointed out to me that the game trails might lead to watering holes rather than a direct way down the mountain. She suggested that it might be best to stick to the rocks, the same way that we had come up. I told her that I knew I could do it, but that it might feel a little bit intimidating to me once we got there. We also said to each other that it probably wasn't even that long of a stretch of the climb that we were actually in the steep, rocky area. It would seem like less of a big deal on the way down. And it was. I again followed Lisa's lead through this area. I liked the technical challenge to foot placement, the careful focus it took to work through this area and the overall sense of adventure I was experiencing. Before I knew it, we were out of the rocks and working our way back towards the divide. I felt giddy and joked with Lisa at how much easier it seemed to me than I initially thought. Then I slipped as I was getting ready to climb over a large downed tree. My knee came down hard on a frozen rock and because of the cold, the pain was riveting. I knew I wasn't injured and there was no time to mess around anyway, so I just took some deep breaths while Lisa made sure I was okay. I was just happy that it had happened where it did, after the technical rock scrambling, where a fall could have meant something serious. 

     We got back out to the service road and hiked fast towards the warmth of my house where I had red lentil soup waiting in the crock pot. I had also baked vegan pumpkin bars. Lisa had brought fresh spring rolls and this feast by the woodstove would warm us after our final 4 1/2 mile easy downhill hike. 

     Interestingly, our bodies felt warm enough in the cold dark as we hiked. The only place that got painfully cold on both Lisa and I was our hips and outer thighs. I guess the muscles in these areas of our legs were not having to work very hard during downhill hiking so they just couldn't stay warm enough. It was now about zero out. I decided next time I head out in these kind of temps, I will need another base layer for my lower body. I had on 2 wool hats, 1 fleece UltraPedestrian beanie, a Smart Wool neck warmer, the hood from my Smart Wool sweater, the hood from my Brooks' Thermal Hoodie and the hood from my down puffy. Head warmth is important and it is also easy to shed these layers as body warmth increases. I like to bring a dry pair of gloves with me as well. Even on really cold days, my hands will perspire from the work of uphill hiking, running or cross country skiing. It is important to have dry gloves for moving downhill, when your energy output is less and it will take more help from layers to keep warm. I like to bring my down puffy in my pack to put on for any pausing on the trail or for when my body temperature decreases on the downhill. Sometimes I might end up shedding it again after I'm warmed up. I try to keep in mind that in a situation where I'm injured, it will be well worth having this extra layer. If I am going to be out for more than an hour in the winter weather, I will bring along a pair of down puffy pants as well. I use my What An Adventure (WAA) pack which accommodates these extra layers easily. I like the front and side pouches for convenient access when I just don't have the ability to fiddle around in the cold. I had my Hand Warmers up front, just in case. It was easy to stow away my Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z poles in the back of the pack in outer mesh pockets when I no longer needed them on the technical down climbing.

    Five hours later, now sitting by the woodstove, Lisa and I enjoyed filling Ras in on the details of our climb and having a cup of hot tea. I felt exhilerated and was excited to tell him about the old forest and the rock scrambling. Our hips and outer thighs began to feel painful and burn as they warmed up again. We had the soup and spring rolls and began scheming on future winter adventures. 

     I like the idea of climbing some more local peaks in the winter. It creates a whole new level to approaching a local peak when the days are colder and shorter; the air is windier and carries with it a chilling bite; snow is underfoot; and the color of the sky imparts a sense of seriousness to the undertaking.