I'm Selling Out (for charity)

It hit me about 20 miles into my last run.  I reminded myself, yet again, about how wonderful an organization the Fisher House Foundation is, how incredible their ability to channel money directly to veterans and their families, and how amazing their results and impact has been to those people.  While we have raised a tremendous amount of money for this great foundation, there is, as in running, always room for improvement.  Therefore, I decided that in the process of training and running the Western States, I would flaunt myself before the thrones of some of the greatest running support companies and local business around Fairbanks and wherever else, and offer to stamp their names on a half-crazed man running through the mountains of California for approximately 24 hours this Summer.

Although the term "sell-out" may still be apt, I think that the motivation for such an action, i.e. raising money in support of temporary lodging for military families while their loved ones receive critical medical care and treatment, negates any derogatory-esqe demeanor from the term.  Instead, I would proudly boast of my selling out for a good cause.

Therefore, I have sent out the following letter to numerous companies (or, rather, their public relations departments and "contact us" addresses) in hopes that they will take me up on my offer to bear the name and logo of their company, in exchange for a (rightful) donation to the Fisher House Foundation.  No money to myself, mind you, but I cannot say that I will turn away any "trial products" to test in my training or during the run (also, I'm pretty sure that a convertible can be scientifically-proven to increase running endurance when used to drive to and from races... just saying, I'm willing to test this theory if anyone has the car to use...).

Think about this, though: companies spend millions on advertisements during the Super Bowl for only a 30-second spot.  With advertisements via myself, the add would be waved across my back (or front) during hours upon hours of training runs, and the actual race.  This becomes literally "pennies on the dollar" (whatever that means) or, in Carius-speak "cheapness-per-hour".  But don't just take my word for it, let's consult these scientific graphs and charts:

Here is the letter I have started sending out:

Technically, due to the overwhelming support I have received from the doctors at Norwalk Hospital, I will offer to place their logo (or at least that for the Emergency Department) on the shirt, if they so choose (up to them, and "the administration" I guess).



So, in addition to the aforementioned-unmentionable companies (until they agree to let me use their names), if anyone has any businesses that could use a solid back (or front, if I get enough) of a human billboard and a solid reference on multiple social networking sites, I would gladly entertain offers.  They can e-mail me directly at brandon.carius@gmail.com for further information.

PLEASE DONATE TO THE FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION TODAY!

Training Week T-7

 First, a big shout out to another fine donor who has made a great contribution to the Fisher House Foundation:

Maura Carius - my Mom and an original supporter of my running craziness

Monday - 1:31
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 2:04
Thursday - 1:11
Friday - 4:31
Saturday - 55 minutes... followed by a fun 3.5 mile footmarch for the Fairbanks military parade.
Sunday - 1:31

Total time - 11:43 Total distance - 82-87 miles (85-90 counting the parade haha)... not too shabby on 6 days of training.

This week would have been almost at the 100 mile mark if it had not been for taking Tuesday off.  In return, however, I have been focusing more on the main hills.  My longer runs are primarily centered on Birch Hill, and, yet another new hill.

This upcoming week will be challenging to get mileage in prior to my long run on Friday.  Tomorrow will be the Brigade run (read: slow run), which will take about 2 hours to go a total of 3 miles.... mandatory fun, or for fans of "The Office", "funtivities".  Thursday I have been volunteered to participate in the organizational day via a 1.5-2 mile Tough Mudder-esqe run, which will, of course, be perfect for my 5 hours of going up and down Birch Hill repeatedly on Friday.  Loving it.

Ester Dome will be another "playground" in my route arsenal that hopefully will help increase my readiness for hitting the hills on the Western States course next month.  I will try to post pictures soon.


Please Donate to the Fisher House Foundation Here!

Cracks in the foundation.

Just wanted to share with everyone a small but nonetheless painful challenge I have been dealing with.  For some reason, the massive callous that has always been on the bottom of my foot for years has morphed into something that has several large cracks the penetrate deep into my foot.  Can everyone say "yay"?

 If these cracks were any bigger... they would still hurt and annoy me when I ran.

This just brings up what most runners, especially those who have had foot injuries, already know: how brilliant the design of the foot is, and how strong, yet sometimes vulnerable, it can be.  For big guys like myself (210 lbs.), this fact is all the more real, as we are the tractor-trailers of long distance running.  For more normal "lightweights", it's a lot better.  But overall, it is not hard, if you think about it, to seriously appreciate how perfect the structure of the foot is, and how it can transfer the incredible power of steps, either jumping, walking, or running, into such a small area.  Between the calcaneous, navicular, cuboid, and metatarsals, the human foot is built like the arch of a stone bridge, perfectly fitted to sustain structure and form under tremendous pressure.  After long runs, the soreness that comes with finally resting feet is a testament to the beating they take.

But, returning to my major issue, I have been trying with moisturizers and lotion to heal these cracks.  I've also been soaking my feet in hot water and salt baths to try to get them to heal.  My feet are generally compared to that of a hobbit's: tough and durable.  Therefore, this issue baffles me a bit.  It is not painful to the point of stopping, but I don't need to repeat that I have never hit the 100-mile mark before, so I am not sure if it will affect me too much or not.  If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Training Week T-8

As always, I first have to give special thanks for the most recent donations that have been made:

- Mark Patton - jump school buddy

Thanks to everyone for keeping up the support and interest, both in the race and in the terrific Fisher House Foundation!

It has certainly been good to run outdoors in fresh air again, unlike the dusty and polluted Afghanistan, however, the cold has certainly been a drag.  I am almost strictly a t-shirt and shorts type of runner, no long sleeves or sweatshirts for me, so running in cold weather is difficult at times.  Now, given the predominance of sub-zero temperatures in Fairbanks winters (temperatures are usually around -20 or below in the morning), I cannot adhere to that, but I am all the more compelled to run in shorts in the summer and spring months.  This especially came into play last Thursday, when I did not fully appreciate the cold as I went on my run.  After about 15 minutes, I realized how bad the 18-degree cold was for a guy in short sleeves, but I tried to be hard-headed about it.  I lasted for about 40 minutes, then had to turn in and completed the final bit on the treadmill.  it took about 15-20 minutes for my hands to regain full feeling and function.  Hooray.

This past week my training breakdown has been as follows:

Monday  - 1:31
Tuesday - 1:33
Wednesday - 2:00
Thursday - 1:21
Friday - 1:15
Saturday - 4:05
Sunday - 1:04

For Saturday's training run, I ran approximately 3:31 on my own, then finished it off by running a local 5k with Erin and pushing Jackson in his racing stroller (in all fairness, Erin pushed for over half the way!).

Awesome running partners.

Total time for the week: 12 hours, 49 minutes.... which probably brought me right around 90-95 miles for the week!  Not too shabby in my mind.

Currently, I am taking today off to rest up a little bit after over 2 weeks of going hard.  Tomorrow will be another solid day of about 2 hours or so, and I am going to have to bump up my long run to Friday instead of Saturday because of a parade that I will have to march in.  Getting excited, and very anxious, for race day to get here!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION

Training Update T-9

First and foremost, another thanks to those who have helped me by donating to the Fisher House Foundation in the past week.  Thanks to those who have donated recently:

- Charlie Gander - phenomenal boss at Cycle Dynamics in CT
- Brian Carius - much thanks cousin!

Another week has come and gone, and my first week back stateside has had its ups and downs for training.  Unfortunately, something about a 17-hour trip back to the US from Kyrghystan and being back in the US didn't agree with me, and throughout the week I have been fighting a flu that has had me feeling under the weather and coughing.  Nevertheless, I have pushed on with training and tried to get back on track.  Due to the 14-hour time zone change, and feeling sick, I took Monday off, but tried to make up for it with the rest of the week.

Monday - off (recovery)
Tuesday - 1:21
Wednesday - 1:25
Thursday - 1:33
Friday - 1:01
Saturday - 3:42
Sunday - 1:04 (active recovery)

Total for the week =  606 minutes, or 10 hours, 6 minutes, which translates to about 70-75 miles worth of solid running.  Considering I had to take Monday off, this has been a great week for me in my mind.

Importantly, however, this week I added what I am just simply calling my new "playground" of routes.  As is much-needed for my Western States preparation, my playground has a ton of new hills thanks to the elevation changes found in parts of Alaska.  Fortunately, part of Fort Wainwright's topography has two phenomenal hills for training.  I will be looking to incorporate at least one of them in every run to help prep my legs for the "ups and downs" (literally) of Western States in June.

 About two-thirds of the way up Birch Hill back road.  You can see the third bit of fun in the distance.

I'll have some pictures up later this week about these new routes, which are some fun leg-breakers, as well as a post about my new upcoming plan to shamelessly promote myself to corporations in the name of charity.  This week I will also look to push back over the 90-minute mark for all of my training runs, as well as boost my long run day again to a higher mark, and get that much closer to distance shape.


Please continue to support my run and donate to the phenomenal Fisher House Foundation!

The Hydration Situation...

Anyone who has done a race above 5 miles, or even gone out for a run in a hot day, has, at the very least, some appreciation for the role that hydration can play in a physical activity like running. Anyone who has done a long run has come home, parched, searching for an ice cold glass of water that helps to seal the accomplishment of a run and begin the relaxation of post-running bliss.

Running ultra-distance, however, takes dehydration to a new level, both physically and psychologically. Drinking water, or any sorts of sports drink, can contribute to mental stability that there is support for you, that your body has the ability to replenish itself, that there is, in some shape or form, a liquid parachute to help push you through numerous other "walls" (physical and psychological) that you may encounter. Drinking small sips of cool water is enhanced by a 100-degree day, or being in mile 25 of a 50 mile run. A gulp of Gatorade, or some other sugary-sweet sports drink can have the same caloric and energizing effect as a large of gummi worms (delicious).

Therefore, a problem that I have encountered in the past has been balancing my personal tradition of abstaining from water and nutrition during a run, and the absolute necessity to do so in longer races. Much in deference to my father and his running tradition, I was raised to appreciate running for what it truly is: a testament to the incredible endurance and resourcefulness of the human body, and the ability of the mind to push the body on beyond its perceived breaking point. This mentality has been lost over the years, as more people view the marathon distance (26.2 miles) as simply an experience to be had, a distance to be crossed. The viewpoint of simply completing a marathon without physically exhausting yourself beyond your perceived breaking point lacks respect to the history of the marathon, in which the Greek messenger Pheidippides raced back on foot to tell of the Greek victory over the mighty Persians, crying "victory" before he collapsed of exhaustion. To respect and revere the marathon (and further distances), to honor those who have run it through trial and triumph before you, and to embrace the challenge and pain that inevitably accompanies it, is something that I have held dear since I ran my first marathon at the age of 15 in 2000 with my father.

Therefore, while I neglect nutrition and hydration in training out of tradition and comfort, it puts me in a terrible position in actual preparation for the critical support it provides in a race. Several times I have had large problems with this attitude, most significantly in two instances:

- Lake Placid Ironman (2006) - I had been told to take in at least 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of sports drink, and an additional 200-300 calories every hour on the 112-mile bike segment in preparation for the 26.2 marathon. Instead, I took in about 1 bottle of water and 100-150 calories each hour. Needless to say, this came back to bite me during the run, and I have very little memory of the final 3 miles of the 26.2 mile run. In all, I lost a total of 17 pounds that day when they brought me into the medical tent, and I had to receive 4 liters of fluid via an IV before I was allowed to leave.

- LOST 118-mile Ultramarathon (2009) - this is my only DNF (did not finish) in my entire history of running. I dropped at mile 80 of the race, because I had taken in only about 4-5 bottles of water, and only a few hundred calories during that time. This is my largest inspiration for force-feeding myself on my training runs now.

All running and no water makes this Brandon dehydrated and disoriented.

Therefore, as I completed my nearly 3-hour run last Sunday, running in 80-degree unbreaking sunlight in Kandahar, I began to encounter the issue that I have found so many times before. Out of nutritional necessity (and the right and intelligent insistence of my wife, Erin) I am trying to work hydration and nutrition more and more into my training to ensure that I ready to take on fluids and food during the WS100. When I get home, I will begin to incorporate GU gels and sports drinks, and will soon try to use "normal food" (PB&J's, etc.) to increase variety and help train my stomach.

Will all this pay off and help me to complete the WS100 that lies ahead of me?

Hope so.



Please donate to the Fisher House Foundation Here!

T-10

First and foremost, the amount of donations that have been generously given in the last week are astounding, and we are growing by leaps and bounds on our way to $10,000 in support of the wonderful Fisher House Foundation.  A huge thanks to the following people for their incredible support in the last week on our way to that goal:

- Lauren Morales
- Robert Capodanno
- Brian McGovern
- Michael Bishop
- Peter Hornak - Old racing buddy from back in the early days of my running career!
- Robert Strauss
- Thomas Ayoub
- Francis Counselman
- Rebecca Smith-Coggins
- Kerryann Broderick
- Terry Kowalenko
- Annie Collier
- Bryan Jordan
- James Jones
- Christina Doukeris
- Patrick Minicus
- Daniel DeBarba

We are now up to $3,100 and nearly one-third on our way to the goal of $10,000 for such an incredible organization!


Please donate to the Fisher House Foundation in support of my Western States 100-Mile Run!

One of the coolest things is right now, we have received donations from all over the country, including New York, Indiana, Connecticut, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, California, Virginia... pretty cool!

My training this week broke down as follows:

- Monday - 50-minute recovery run
- Tuesday - 1:32
- Wednesday - 1:28
- Thursday - 1:31
- Friday - 1:18 - Sandy trails at transition between Afghanistan and Alaska
- Saturday - 1:33 - More sandy trails before late night travel to come home to Alaska
- Sunday - no run (travel home to Alaska!)

Running on the sandy trails at Manas Air Force Base.  It was like running on a beach in most areas.

Training week total - 8:12 (or 492 minutes) translates into 60-65 miles... not where I wanted to get up to, but I could not do a full long run due to time constraints with travel (see below)... I will definitely make up for it this coming week, don't worry!

This past week has been more about major travel than running, but I have tried as best I can to push forward with my training nevertheless.  This week I successfully redeployed from Afghanistan back to Alaska, and after a year abroad in Kandahar Province, I am back at Fort Wainwright, running once again in clear dust-free skies and with a lot more green trees (and a lot less brown desert) around me.  The travel took me into a third country for a few days, and then on a 17-18 hour journey home, crossing a total of 14 time zones in the process, but finally arriving on Sunday afternoon to my wonderful wife, Erin, and my now-huge son Jackson.  I am so thrilled to be back with them, but much to their dismay, I can't necessarily throw aside my running now that I am home.

Arriving home on Sunday to a happy wife and son!

I have thankfully found a pair of solid hills that will help me prep for the elevation ups and downs that I will encounter at Western States.  Birch Hill is part of Fort Wainwright's ski hills, and has a perfect 3-mile long hard hill that will help push my quads.  Approach Hill sits on the east end of the Fort Wainwright runway and provides a solid 1-1.5 mile loop up and down an extended hill that will help compliment the rough Birch Hill.  I will take pictures of them this week and post soon.

In the meantime, I am readjusting to a new time zone (lots of impromptu naps... again to the dismay of Erin and Jackson!) and getting back into the swing of things back in America.  Again, thanks to all of the incredible support above!

Please donate to the Fisher House Foundation in support of my Western States 100-Mile Run!