2011 Charity Ultra Progress- Round 1, Sarcoidosis

3/19/2011

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Training has been decent with nagging injuries slowing me down but I was clearly ready to do the NJ Ultra Festival 50k March 19, and do it in a lot better than my 8:16 personal best.  This wasn’t the big charity race, but another step in training to getting there. 

But the disease that I hope to raise money for had other plans.  On Thursday evening, the night before leaving for NJ, my wife Audra went into the hospital.  New effects of the Sarcoidosis had started this week, and finally it was enough and it needed a full battery of tests to identify the issue and the treatment.  Notice I don’t say cure.  That’s the essence of Sarcoidosis.  No cures, just recurring and new symptoms.  Its pain by 1,000 cuts.  You don’t get the big splash, just a continual attack on the ability to symptom free.

It’s Saturday night, and instead of being in the car returning from the race, we are back in the house from the hospital.  And that’s the good news.  Symptoms identified and treatment started and the hope for an extended period of feeling good.

Back on the Ultra side of things, I used the last couple of days to do some runs and will hit a decent run tomorrow.  If all goes well, next weekend I have some plans for something totally different to make up today’s 50k loss to Sarcoidosis.

In better Ultra news, this week I signed up for the 24 Around the lake 12 hour race in July  and today registered for the big Charity race, the Oil Creek 100k.  Good to have that under the belt.  Next up is the Pineland farm 50 Miler.  Training is in full force this weekend, the 13 hour time limit a challenge.  If Sarcoidosis isn’t going to stop my wife, then these little runs ain’t stopping me.

If you would like to contribute any amount to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis research, my Charity site is here.  Thanks for the read!    http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/eric-sherman-1/shermans-march-to-the-oil-creek-trail-runs-100k

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2011 Begins

3/7/2011

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In 2010 I dipped my foot into the waters of Ultra’s.  There was never a time when I could train with any consistency in the way I had hoped to do to finish my 100k.  Injuries were frequent and pretty painful. Yet, I pushed on.  Instead of running I walked, and when I couldn’t walk I rode a bicycle or indoor cycle.  I was in much better shape but by no means had much of a year as far as Ultra’s were concerned.  It was a thrill to finish my 50k, but in reality I walked a big part of it; part due to need and part due to fear of a real crash and burn.  In 2011, I am going to ACT like an Ultra runner, without fear or hesitation.  If I fail to meet my expectations, so be it but it won’t be to a safety net I created.

In less than two weeks I will be participating in the NJ Ultra Festival 50k.  It’s a FLAT course, and gives me more time to work on hills for later in the year.  I fully expect a Personal Best (PB) as a result of this, in addition to the fact I have been able to run quite a bit more during the last 4 months than I did in all of 2010.  In fact I may have run more in these 4 months.  I have had shin pain still so I am not training at 100%, but have eased off enough to not limit training too much.  It’s always exciting to PB in a race, but I’ll be shooting for much fast than my previous best of 8:16.  

I know for the time being my finishes risk being in the bottom 5 or against cutoffs, but if all goes well instead of running with that “fear” I will be able to aggressively run for faster times.

A good start to the season could have a lot of positive effects, so lets get going.  I am going to ease in the next two weeks with mostly cycling to try and get the pain in my right shin to go away.  I may throw in a run or two to keep it fresh, but really easy.

One of the toughest things I find with participating in the races is not the training, or the racing but the waiting.  Lets go……..

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February Progress Report

3/1/2011

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February was a month driven by reaction to shin pain.  Mostly on the right leg but some on the left.  I altered strategies a bit as a result, 1) skipped the long workout for all but the last weekend , 2) Did a lot more cycling and 3) started working more on elevation at slower speeds.

For the most part I was able to do some workout throughout the month so my training alterations worked pretty well.  I still have some shin pain on the right side but have been able to work through it.  The GOOD news was the last workout and best of February and the year-  5 hours, including 2.5 hours of running over 22.5 miles.  It came as a bit of a surprise; as I started the pain subsided so I just kept pushing.  With a 50k race in 3 weeks, it was a mental victory and a good workout.

It was great to get outside for a few days to run.  I hope to start to do it more frequently but I still dream of trails without snow and ice.

Racing season starts in March and I am excited at the opportunity to start to test my fitness levels.  The NJ Ultra Festival is a perfect place to start, as it’s a very flat course.  I full expect a 50k PR and have set my expectations in relation to the ease of the course (no hills at all, rail trail).

Rating-  B.  I am going to be tough on myself.  I did several runs, a couple outdoors with a friend which was a nice change of pace.  I had the big month ending workout.  But I can’t shake the negative feeling of the month in that I had to alter my training to account for pain.  I am way ahead of my training compared to 2010 but have high hopes for the year so I’ll go with a B.  Also, I need to find a way to keep from falling asleep at night before working out!  I have missed on average one workout a week due to this and although I may need the sleep I hate to keep missing the workouts………      

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Charity Begins on the Trail

3/1/2011

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There is no other way to say it; this Ultra thing is personal and selfish.  Unintended, of course.  The hours of training late at night, the early hours spent on the weekends are all supposed to cut short the amount of family time I miss due to Ultra training.  But in the end the benefits are mostly mine- improved health and fitness, reduced stress levels and a lot of fun.  Sure, I could argue that the family gets benefits from those things as well but that would be missing the point.  I participate in Ultra’s and train for Ultra’s because I want to.

Fully appreciating the families understanding of the time I put into this (added to the fact the starting base of free time is very low already), I was looking for a way to make 2011 not just about my fun but also trying to do something of value.

The result is the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Oil Creek 100k Charity Run.  I participated in the Oil Creek Trail races 100k in 2010 (unsuccessfully) and will return this year hoping to make this a charity event to raise money for Sarcoidosis research (donations going directly to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research). 2010 was a tough year for my wife who was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis- but I’ll leave it to say that it’s her personal story to tell and I won’t provide details here.  But I do know that this can be very difficult disease to deal with and there is still little known about it.

I have set up a charity site-  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/eric-sherman-1/shermans-march-to-the-oil-creek-trail-runs-100k .  If you are able to assist with a donation of any amount; it is greatly appreciated.  Even if you can’t, I’d recommend going to the site and reading some of the details about Sarcoidosis (link to the FSR included).  The event is on October 8, but I will be training and racing throughout the year in preparation and will post results on the charity site. 

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide and for your interest.

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