Since I am racing the Wildflower Triathlon Long Course this weekend I went into the archives and pulled out a video with tips for running up hills. Wildflower is considered one of the tougher half ironman courses. The run portion is almost all up or down hill running. Whether you are racing in a triathlon, marathon, half marathon, 5k or just training for a race, these simple techniques will make those hills that much easier. Run hills smart, not hard.

Race Focused, Steve Mackel, Triathlon Coach

The American River 50 Mile Endurance race was my first 50 miler. When I was editing it I tried to make it shorter but to cut a few extra seconds just wasn’t worth it. Beside most of my marathon videos are about 9 minutes and this race was almost twice as long. If you are looking to do your first 50 or any 50 mile race this is a great one. I hope you enjoy it Below is my race report to go along with the video.

The race started right on time, 6 AM. It was still dark under a full moon. I wasn’t completely prepared for the start. I wanted to get everyone crossing the starting line. Almost 3 minutes into the start I wanted to get started but I was still in my sweats and hadn’t done my warm-up exercises. First rookie move: Not asking the timer if I could take a few minutes to get ready. Instead I crossed the starting line, pulled over to the left, struggled out of my sweats and went through my rituals. Right about then Kat was crossing the starting line. We ran the first 4 miles together.

Second rookie move: I didn’t have my Garmin ready to go at the start. It was dark and I just got a new 910XT. I started pressing buttons and ended up locking the keys. I wouldn’t display the right fields. I wanted to see my Heart Rate because I had intended to keep my HR under 120 bpm for the first 3 hours regardless of speed. Luckily my Garmin 310XT was in my support crew’s car. They had it waiting for me at the mile 8 aid station, so I switched. I will post my Garmin stats later.

The first 27 miles are pretty flat with only a few real hills but still a net gain overall. I felt great and my support crew had food waiting for me at every aid station through Beal’s Point. I ate as much as I could. We agreed to meet next at Rattlesnake Bar.

At Beal’s Point, mile 26.6, I was right on schedule. Third rookie mistake: Trying new food. I drank a can of Ensure for the calories. It really filled me up and I wasn’t thirsty so I stopped drinking pretty much until Granite Bay.

At Granite Bay I was handed a cup of ice and water. It didn’t go down easy and I was worried something was wrong, maybe a little dehydration. I only had two 6 oz water bottles in my belt for the next legs of the race. That would prove to be a big mistake.

Somewhere around mile 33 I didn’t feel good. At this point you are out in the sticks. A guy named Ryan told me I’d be ok and I had been in tough spots before, but I was glad he reminded me.

I think the terrain between Granite Bay and Horseshoe Bar are the most difficult miles on the course. I was in survival mode just focused on getting to Buzzard’s Cove. Carolyn, my new friend, said she was worried about being dehydrated too and was going to work through it by constantly sipping her electrolyte drink. A good strategy if I had liquid but my bottles were dry. Thankfully she let me have a gulp from her bottle and it was only half a mile to Buzzard’s Cove

When I got to Buzzard’s Cove aid station (serviced only by boat), I saw ice cream cones. They looked great but not for me. I drank 4 cups of GU Brew. I filled my two bottles and took a cup with me as I started to Horseshoe Bar. I was constantly sipping and eating my salted potatoes. I kept the wax paper cup in my pocket and was using it to take water from every little stream we ran over to pour some over my head and cool down. My bottles were dry with a half mile to the next aid station. I also was developing my first hot spot on my right forefoot.

Horseshoe Bar was nirvana. They poured cold water over my head, neck and back. They filled my bottles up and gave me more salted potatoes. I was carrying a small bar of Body Glide, so I applied it to both my feet. I knew my crew was waiting at Rattlesnake Bar I just had to keep moving then I could rest and reassess my situation. Granite Bay to Rattlesnake Bar were some of the toughest 10 miles I have run in my life. The salted potatoes were probably my lifesaver. The salt helped me rehydrate.

Rattlesnake Bar was a welcome sight with lots of cheering supporters. My crew was on the spot with everything I could want. I took 10 – 15 minutes putting more Body Glide on my feet, pouring ice water over my head, drinking cups of GU Brew and stocking up on salted potatoes. I took two Alleve and hit the trail again.

I took an extra water bottle with me this time. The trail was soft and beautiful. That’s when I met Anna. I heard her say she wanted to be at the bottom of the hill by 4:15 PM and I thought we had more than enough time to make that goal when I said, “That should be very doable.” She looked at me and said, “This must be your first AR50 because you don’t know what you are in for Cowboy.”

Thankfully I started to feel better and the views were spectacular. All I wanted to do was dunk my head in the river but it was always just a little bit too far away. Around Mile 42.5 there was a bridge crossing a tributary. I saw a path to the stream and dunked my head. I can’t completely explain how it happened but I was re-energized.

The volunteers at Dowdin’s Post, in the middle of nowhere, were so energetic it was contagious. Plus, they had lukewarm chicken noodle soup, just what the doctor ordered. I was back on track and feeling good. Now it was just getting the work done. On to Last Gasp.

What you don’t see on the course profile is the climb to Last Gasp aid station, “Stupid Steep”. I am sure some super humans run up it, but not us mortals. It can be a real morale de-flater. But, I was feeling stronger than I had in 8 hours. I could walk up that BAMF. And, just before Last Gasp, a few young guys, I called them water valets, were waiting to run your bottles to the top and have them waiting for you. Heavy metal was blasting from some speaker as we approached their aid station. They took great care of me. Only 2 miles to go.

A Maniac friend Lan and I started up the next hill, which wasnot as bad as what we had just conquered. She said we could still go sub 11 hours and qualify for Western States. I took the challenge and went into a meditation prayer state, running with short walk breaks when it got really steep. My support crew was about a half mile from the finish down the hill cheering me on. I was probably rude because I would not talk, I just kept my chant going. Before I knew it I was at the top of the hill. The race was in the bag.

The crowd was great at the finish line, cheering loudly for us. The finishing arch was such a beautiful site. I crossed with a fist pump and was handed my cool, new, green Patagonia finisher’s jacket. I can cross a 50 mile race off my bucket list.

My crew showed me to the car where they had my recovery Ensure waiting for me, along with melted ice in a cooler. I dunked my head once again and this time put my feet in. Then I would go over to the finishing area and cheer the other runners on while resting on the grass.

A little while later my friend Hector came in with his traditional heel kick across the finish line. My day was officially done. Then was time for a well deserved beer.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Certified ChiRunning® Instructor

Beerathon 2012. I took to the streets of Downtown LA. Many of which I had ran 13 days earlier at the LA Marathon. But, this time I stopped at many of LA’s fine drinking establishments in a different sort of challenge.

There were 26 stops available on the Beerathon, the same number as miles in a marathon. Few participants made all the stops and there is no official results to report. I only made 10 stops. It wasn’t about how many stops each participant made. It was about the camaraderie, the challenge and the fun.

What needs to be mentioned was the great spirit of the “non-event”. The participants were well behaved. When people walked into bars they made new friends instantly, because they were sharing an experience. The participants were very welcoming of non-participants as well. And, all things considered it was safer than a regular Saturday night. How? Because the participants made plans to use public transportation, brought assigned Designated Drivers, took taxi and walked.

Beerathon was officially cancelled just days prior. But the participants, many in costumes or team uniforms were not going to let the potential fun be spoiled. In fact, it was probably a better deal for the participants and bar owners.

LA is great place and the downtown area doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. Beerathon showed locals and visitors what a great downtown LA has. We hope it comes back next year officially or unofficially. Special thanks to the organizers who lost their shirts with this event, the bars/resturants that didn’t let the participants down, the participants for keeping it safe – fun – civil, and the City of LA for letting a good thing happen.

Drink Focused, Steve Mackel – ChiRunning® Instructor

This Video is from the last time Danny Dreyer was in LA speaking to the Sole Runners in 2009

Danny Dreyer is coming back to Los Angeles and is going to be speaking at Runners High in Belmont Shore/Long Beach Thursday, March 22. The event starts at 6 with Danny speaking at 7 PM. This is a FREE event but RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED because we have limited space. Once we reach our limit we will start a waiting list.

Dreyer just released his third book, “Chi Marathon”. He will be speaking about ChiRunning and Marathon Training. He will also autograph books. You can purchase a copy of Chi Marathon at the event. Attendees will received a special goodie bag.

Reserve your spot today at Reservations@SoCalRunning.com Please leave your name, email and phone number. If something happens and you need to cancel please let us know so we can notify someone from the waiting list.

Train Foucsed, Steve Mackel – Certified ChiRunning® Instructor

As a marathon and half marathon coach I am always testing training paradigms. Recently I took a VO2 Max test and determined my Anaerobic Threshold. I am using it to really spend additional time building more aerobic capacity. I ran this race as strictly by heart rate as a training run. My goal was to run between 130 and 140 bpm. You can check my Garmin file. Click on “View Splits” to see the average heart rate per mile.

My final time was a 1:55:19 while keeping my heart rate in the “zone” the entire race. Somehow I also managed to shoot the video below at the same time.

This was a fun race and very well run for a inaugural event but I expect well organized from a Rock n Roll race. At the same time, for a Rock n Roll half marathon, I needed more bands. We didn’t have our first band until mile 2. I live in Pasadena so running over the Colorado Bridge was one of my favorite miles. I’ll be back running with my local peeps and hangin’ with the Pasadena Tri Club.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Pasadena Tri Club President

ChiRunning Certified instructor, Coach Steve Mackel demonstrates the ChiRunning Body Looseners along with 4 additional dynamic exercises for runners. Working with the Sole Runners marathon and half marathon trainees, each Body Loosener is shown in order with explanations. When I refer to “C” shape I am talking about the specific ChiRunning Posture. You can do these even if you are not a ChiRunner because they are such a good way to warm up the body and turn the muscles on. Contact me or ChiRunning.com is you want to lean ChiRunning.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Certified ChiRunning/ChiWalking Instructor

“You got chocolate in my peanut butter. No, you got peanut butter in my chocolate.” The Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach is where a beach party meets a marathon and half marathon or is it where a marathon and half marathon meets a beach party. With close to 20,000 runners participating, Super Bowl Sunday took a new meaning for me.

I almost always run some race on Super Bowl Sunday but I never took on a marathon because I am a huge football fan and football comes first. Would I be too tired for the big game if I went the marathon distance? Well, 82 other Sole Runners and I ran this race on a perfect day in So Cal.

The course is flat and fast. It is an out, back, out again and back to the pier course. You get to see you friends out on the course because you are crossing paths somewhere. And, this can be a fun motivator.

Besides the good spirits on the course the beer garden was the most rockin’ post race party that I have been to. It was packed, packed with Sole Runners. The only bummer was standing in the beer line, which didn’t effect me because I wasn’t drinking until I got to me SB party.

Quick thoughts on the course, FAST but if you are running the marathon the second trip out to Warner is tough for two reasons. One, you have already been out there and second the bike path gets crowded, with bikes and runners. Two, the bike path is a little uneven around Dog Beach and felt like the slowest part of the course. But, that’s not much to deter you considering you are running along the beach. I’ll be back and thanks for watching.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel-Sole Runners Marathon and Half Marathon Training’s Head Coach

I am a huge fan of the Xterra Races and this race is a must-do race. I usually train for the Catalina Buffalo Half but they have had some issues that I won’t go into here that caused me to bail on that half and find a new trail half. And, Boney Mtn is it. It gives you everything that the Buffalo Half has, the hills and the beauty. This is one tough race.

The best way to get an idea is to watch the video.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel, Certified ChiRunning® Instructor

Click here to open the complete pdf file of: A Running Dialogue – The Sole Runners Mentors Newsletter featuring Mentor Isabelle

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Sole Runners Head Coach

What a great morning. What a great way to start the new year. What a great parade. This unofficial run, not race, is all about fun. This year it was warm, perfect running that morning. It is 5 miles up to the floats, then you turn around run back down Colorado Blvd.

Now that I have done this twice, here are the must do list:

The Sole Runners, as we train for full and half marathons, will make this an optional training run. Special thanks to the Inland Empire Running Club, Pasadena Tri Club, Pasadena Pacers and other running clubs for joining us.

See you next year!

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – Sole Runners Head Coach