There is a road less traveled and it beckons us to go. I would say it is not easy road but it is surprisingly satisfying to complete it. I ran 50 miles on the Wai Koa Loop in Kilauea as
There is a road less traveled and it beckons us to go. I would say it is not easy road but it is surprisingly satisfying to complete it. I ran 50 miles on the Wai Koa Loop in Kilauea as a challenge. The project had been on my mind for months as I trained and studied how to do it successfully. I calculated that I would have to run as many as 11 times around the 4.7 mile loop to equal 50 miles.
It is not a new thing to run 50 miles, past presidents including Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy challenged all the members of our Armed Forces to march 50 miles in under 20 hours but surprisingly, thousands of civilians have also taken up the challenge on their own accord.
I drove to the trailhead early Wednesday morning. Rain fell off and on in the stillness of the dawn. I parked my car and the song, Running with the Devil by Van Halen came on the radio. Before the song finished, I had filled up a water container and set out running.
The best part of running in the morning is the coolness. The worst part is the dew on the grass because it gets your shoes wet. I found running in wet shoes is fun for about four hours until the feet are achy because they’re exposed and irritable. I ran for six hours before I decided to change shoes to an old pair of New Balances. I covered my feet in baby powder to dry them out and it worked great. I was 30 miles into the challenge and I started telling myself that I only had 20 more miles to go. It’s a strange feeling running for six hours and then encouraging myself that I only have four more hours to go.
The single most important thing I did during the run was stay hydrated. I drank almost a gallon of water. The secret to drinking water while you’re exercising is to include the electrolytes you’re sweating away. The key electrolytes include sodium, magnesium, and potassium. These allow your muscles to contract and expand effectually over and over. Your heart alone would cease to beat without them.
I poured a bottle of Pedialyte in my camel pack to help compensate for my loss. I also took two fish oil capsules, two magnesium tablets, and four sodium tablets throughout the day. I drank a quart of coconut water, ate four fig bars and a peanut butter with orange marmalade sandwich.
The three things that lead to cramps include dehydration, muscle fatigue and heat prostration. Leg cramps feel like your legs are being crushed. It starts as a dull ache and then spirals into all out pain. All the muscles seem to contract and won’t release.
Stretching is the best way out of this situation. I had particular pain in my hips so I did forward dip extensions to get relief. The secret to getting through these tough times is remember the pain will eventually go away, if you continue. Standing around is the worst thing you can do. That’s when the muscles release most of the excess lactic acid into the system. During movement, the lactic acid can be reabsorbed as fuel.
The best fuel for sustaining long periods of exercise is fat. The body has many fat stores that are only available when all the other quicker-metabolizing sources are used up. Sugar is the single easiest source for the body to digest but it produces short bursts of energy that are used up quickly. The peanut butter and marmalade sandwich I ate was a compromise between the quick-burning sugary marmalade, the medium burning wheat bread and the slow burning fatty peanut butter. I was sustained for at least two hours after consuming that sandwich.
The goal of long distance running is survival. I like to think of my energy level as a gas gauge and constantly check in on the body, see if anything needs adjusting. Pain brings about tenderness. And when we’re tender we seem to hold back, causing something else to work harder. The whole body needs to be working together. The hips drive the knees up and feet forward. The arms casually swing forward and backwards. The head is elevated and your shoulders are back, allowing your lungs to fully expand.
Like a well-oiled machine; we go out on the road, we go places, we see things, we feel good about ourselves, we feel alive. Running has brought about a change in my life. I can see where I am going, I take little steps and keep going until I get there.
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Benjamin Freeman-Prichard is a resident of Kauai.
