Sharpened is exactly how I feel sitting atop a 350 mile June. This week I didn't hit my mileage goal of 105-110 but hit 96 miles and that is fine with me. I think once upon a time I would have desperately tried to hit that 105 mark and tack on a useless 9 miles just to hit a number but now I see that 96 miles is plenty and I can't make up bad workouts. I think I'm getting smarter.
This week was pretty timid on the workout end. I only had an up tempo run and a long run.
Monday:
13.4 mile 8:15
Tuesday
AM: 7.1 miles 7:26 (up tempo)
PM: 7.4 miles 7:48
Wednesday
AM: 10 miles 7:43
PM: 5.1 miles 8:08
Thursday
AM: 8 miles 7:34
PM: 5.2 miles 8:11
Friday
9 miles more to follow
Saturday
OFF
Sunday
30.5 miles 8:36
This week I found myself in a stare down with *that workout*. That one run that is going to all of a sudden all at once change you from training to racing shape. Everybody has one in a training cycle, for some it is a 20 mile run before a marathon or a track workout that will affirm your 5k pace. For me I had picked a 35 mile run that would be roughly 1/4 scale of Badwater. I was supposed to do the workout Friday morning but I was out until 11 Thursday night so I opted for the sleep Friday morning. Quickly I decided I could borrow my neighbors treadmill and run in my garage for hours on end until I hit that magic 35 miles. I did just that Friday night and recreated the first big climb up Horseshoe Meadows (first 23 miles of Badwater). After 90 minutes I had lost my mind and decided to bonk. I am not a very good treadmill or evening workout kinda guy and I reminded myself that.
With that said I still had a 35 mile run to get to but wanted to take a complete rest day. So Saturday I took off and decided to run long Sunday morning with the 10 mile team and on my own. I woke up early and put in 10 miles before running 13 miles with the team. I for some silly reason did all of this on 1 Gu and 32 oz of water. I was actually pretty surprised how good I felt despite my horrific fueling. After 23 miles we had a quick team meeting and apparently the others saw it in my eyes, I was still on the road running. They saw the look of someone who is completely thrown themselves into a challenge. As we broke up I sucked down 2 Gu's and took off. I made it 3.5 miles and realized how low on water I was so I headed back. I bonked really hard but still ran 10 min miles back to my truck.
It was so refreshing to be in that situation and know exactly how to react. Slow down, conserve your water and wet your mouth, take a quick 30 sec break every 10-15 minutes. The key I knew, lower my heart rate, and reduce my effort level. I hung it up 4.5 miles early recognizing the hole I dug myself into. I didn't do a darn thing for the rest of the day. I stayed home and ate a monstrous breakfast/lunch. I didn't feel like a failure, I felt like a had put in a good effort. I was sad that I didn't have a 35 mile run under my belt but accepted it.
This morning though, I found out that I am 100% prepared to rock Badwater. Hear I was 350 miles into June, 30 miler the day before and I'm running 7:45 min/mile for an easy run this morning. Here I was 17 more miles than the rest of the 10 mile team from the day before and I'm leading them the run wire to wire. To follow it up I had to do about 5 hours of yardwork today (we currently own 2 houses...). Once I got home I changed into shorts and shot out the door for a quick 30 min run and felt good. Who knew a 8 mile run could be "that" workout for me.
I feel fit, refined, strong, and ready to race the Badwater 135. 3 more weeks until the starting gun goes off and I'm stoked.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Hundo!
Well my first 100 mile week in preparation for Badwater and it went smoothly. I am so paranoid about getting injured at this point in the game I'm being a little proactive in injury prevention. I took 2 ice baths and spent a lot of time stretching and rolling this week. Nothing is hurting and I'm ready to hit the next week even harder, just being careful.
I missed a long run last week trying to spend some quality time with my wife before she took off for LDAC. My first stop after dropping her off at the airport was a hot 20 miler. The run went really well took 2:48 and it felt really easy. I knew I had a workout the next day with the 10 mile team so I didn't wanna burn myself out.
Tuesday morning the 10 mile team ran a hill workout 3x1/2 mile uphill which felt great. The workout was not that challenging but still kept the legs fresh. I went out during the afternoon for a hot easy run.
The rest of the week was pretty similar morning run with the 10 miles team 7-8 miles and afternoon run 5-7 miles in the heat. Friday morning I headed out for my long run 30 miles but the temperature was only 75-80 so pretty moderate. The long run felt great. I ran a 9 mile warm up then spent 2 miles at 8:30, 8:20, 8:10, 8:00, 7:50 and 7:40 then a 9 mile cool down.
I spent the rest of Friday doing homework and ordering supplies for Badwater. It still amazes me how logistically challenging this race is. Since there are no aid stations I spend a lot of asking myself what would I like to have at miles 105?
I realized again how lucky I am to have an amazing wife. She keeps me grounded without her I spend almost all my time running, preparing to run, cooking and reading. I have sat at home every night since she left except 1. Yup full blown running loser. I can't wait for her to get back so we can get Badwater knocked out and start our honeymoon.
Mileage breakdown
Monday: 20 miles 2:48 (8:23)
Tuesday:
AM 7 miles (7:44)
PM 5 miles (8:19)
Wednesday
AM 8.3 (7:42)
PM 6.1 (7:46)
Thursday
AM 8 (7:51)
PM 6.4 (8:02)
Friday 30 miles 4:11 (8:19)
Saturday OFF
Sunday 12 miles (7:40)
Total 103.5 miles 13 hours 56 min
I missed a long run last week trying to spend some quality time with my wife before she took off for LDAC. My first stop after dropping her off at the airport was a hot 20 miler. The run went really well took 2:48 and it felt really easy. I knew I had a workout the next day with the 10 mile team so I didn't wanna burn myself out.
Tuesday morning the 10 mile team ran a hill workout 3x1/2 mile uphill which felt great. The workout was not that challenging but still kept the legs fresh. I went out during the afternoon for a hot easy run.
The rest of the week was pretty similar morning run with the 10 miles team 7-8 miles and afternoon run 5-7 miles in the heat. Friday morning I headed out for my long run 30 miles but the temperature was only 75-80 so pretty moderate. The long run felt great. I ran a 9 mile warm up then spent 2 miles at 8:30, 8:20, 8:10, 8:00, 7:50 and 7:40 then a 9 mile cool down.
I spent the rest of Friday doing homework and ordering supplies for Badwater. It still amazes me how logistically challenging this race is. Since there are no aid stations I spend a lot of asking myself what would I like to have at miles 105?
I realized again how lucky I am to have an amazing wife. She keeps me grounded without her I spend almost all my time running, preparing to run, cooking and reading. I have sat at home every night since she left except 1. Yup full blown running loser. I can't wait for her to get back so we can get Badwater knocked out and start our honeymoon.
Mileage breakdown
Monday: 20 miles 2:48 (8:23)
Tuesday:
AM 7 miles (7:44)
PM 5 miles (8:19)
Wednesday
AM 8.3 (7:42)
PM 6.1 (7:46)
Thursday
AM 8 (7:51)
PM 6.4 (8:02)
Friday 30 miles 4:11 (8:19)
Saturday OFF
Sunday 12 miles (7:40)
Total 103.5 miles 13 hours 56 min
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
The Doldrums
I am deep in the Doldrums. I had a Battalion Commander a couple years back who would always refer to the Doldrums as a deep and dark place that one would find themselves in. That is how I feel right now. Entering my 3rd week of peek mileage the hurricanes frequently found in the Doldrums.
Last week I hit 72 miles of high quality miles. I did not hit a long run just ran out of time and was not willing to spend my last days before Suki took off for a month of training running 3-5 hours. So without a long run 72 miles isn't to shabby. I did hit a 10x400m workout which I did well at but it became apparent that I will never be a sprinter.
Monday
AM: 7 miles
PM: 6.1 miles
Tuesday
AM: 7 miles
PM: 8.5 miles
Wednesday
7.9 miles
Thursday
AM: 7.2 miles
PM: 5.2 miles
Friday
Off
Saturday
AM: 10x400m 73-75 sec (6.5 miles)
PM: 6.5 miles
Sunday
11 miles
This week is going very well but lacks a very hard workout. Friday will be a big long run and I hit some light hills on Tuesday. I'll hold the course until Friday and hit it really hard. This week looks like 105 miles or so. This will be my biggest mileage week ever. 47 miles on Wednesday is uncharted territory.
Last week I hit 72 miles of high quality miles. I did not hit a long run just ran out of time and was not willing to spend my last days before Suki took off for a month of training running 3-5 hours. So without a long run 72 miles isn't to shabby. I did hit a 10x400m workout which I did well at but it became apparent that I will never be a sprinter.
Monday
AM: 7 miles
PM: 6.1 miles
Tuesday
AM: 7 miles
PM: 8.5 miles
Wednesday
7.9 miles
Thursday
AM: 7.2 miles
PM: 5.2 miles
Friday
Off
Saturday
AM: 10x400m 73-75 sec (6.5 miles)
PM: 6.5 miles
Sunday
11 miles
This week is going very well but lacks a very hard workout. Friday will be a big long run and I hit some light hills on Tuesday. I'll hold the course until Friday and hit it really hard. This week looks like 105 miles or so. This will be my biggest mileage week ever. 47 miles on Wednesday is uncharted territory.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Peak miles
This week has been a great week of running. I missed my mileage goal of 90 miles but I had 75 miles that were all very high quality. This week kicked off 10 miler training and I had the chance to run every morning with the team for 6-7 miles. Almost every day I packed in a hot afternoon run ranging from 5 to 8 miles.
Tuesday I hit a hard up tempo run with 3 miles in 17:58 with the team. Last year I was not even close to this fitness level at this time in the season. I was closer to 18:20-18:25 obviously I'm really happy with the kind of shape I'm in. That workout came after hitting a 15 mile day with 8 miles in 61 minutes at 100 degrees on Monday.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all easy miles. One of the girls on the team was turning 30 on Friday so I joined her for 12 miles of her 30 mile b-day run. The run was pretty fun, I really enjoy being apart of someone achieving their running goals. It just makes you feel so excited.
Of course to the main event. I race the diamond brigade 1/2 on Saturday morning. I was pretty excited about this race. The last half marathon I ran was the A2A half in March 2012. I knew a PR was long coming just didn't know how much. My goal/guess was 1:22. Charlie also ran the half being. Charlie and I took off with about 3 others at a 6:15 pace. Quickly the miles put everyone in their proper place and Charlie and I were soon alone on the backroads of Fort Sill. The first 4 miles happened as planned with 4 miles in 25 minutes. After 4 miles we started to climb a few hills. Charlie is a very skilled hill runner and he put about 30-60 seconds on me over the next 2.5 miles. At the turn Charlie had 60 seconds on me and I was behind my goal pace at 41:58. I took inventory and choose to keep pushing. The next 2.5 miles were mostly downhill and I knocked back a couple of 5:58 miles to real Charlie back in my mile 9.
I thought I had finally done it, I had finally beaten Charlie, all I had to do was push pass him and crush his soul! Charlie was very aware of what I was doing and picked the next uphill to lay the hammer down and properly crush my soul. We ran the last 3 miles in very hard running 6:08-6:12 pace to finish in 1st and 2nd Charlie in 1:22 and me in 1:22:30. Obviously Charlie took it easy and I ran 100% but considering I have no specific training for the race nor did I taper I'll take it.
I am feeling super fit and very excited about how I feel. I did not run today, I woke up feeling a little sore so I choose not to push my luck 6 weeks out from Badwater and took a day off. Next week I plan to hit 30 miles on Sunday after I drop Suki off at the airport then lay the hammer on the last 3 weeks of training to Badwater. I'm getting super excited!
Tuesday I hit a hard up tempo run with 3 miles in 17:58 with the team. Last year I was not even close to this fitness level at this time in the season. I was closer to 18:20-18:25 obviously I'm really happy with the kind of shape I'm in. That workout came after hitting a 15 mile day with 8 miles in 61 minutes at 100 degrees on Monday.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all easy miles. One of the girls on the team was turning 30 on Friday so I joined her for 12 miles of her 30 mile b-day run. The run was pretty fun, I really enjoy being apart of someone achieving their running goals. It just makes you feel so excited.
Of course to the main event. I race the diamond brigade 1/2 on Saturday morning. I was pretty excited about this race. The last half marathon I ran was the A2A half in March 2012. I knew a PR was long coming just didn't know how much. My goal/guess was 1:22. Charlie also ran the half being. Charlie and I took off with about 3 others at a 6:15 pace. Quickly the miles put everyone in their proper place and Charlie and I were soon alone on the backroads of Fort Sill. The first 4 miles happened as planned with 4 miles in 25 minutes. After 4 miles we started to climb a few hills. Charlie is a very skilled hill runner and he put about 30-60 seconds on me over the next 2.5 miles. At the turn Charlie had 60 seconds on me and I was behind my goal pace at 41:58. I took inventory and choose to keep pushing. The next 2.5 miles were mostly downhill and I knocked back a couple of 5:58 miles to real Charlie back in my mile 9.
I thought I had finally done it, I had finally beaten Charlie, all I had to do was push pass him and crush his soul! Charlie was very aware of what I was doing and picked the next uphill to lay the hammer down and properly crush my soul. We ran the last 3 miles in very hard running 6:08-6:12 pace to finish in 1st and 2nd Charlie in 1:22 and me in 1:22:30. Obviously Charlie took it easy and I ran 100% but considering I have no specific training for the race nor did I taper I'll take it.
I am feeling super fit and very excited about how I feel. I did not run today, I woke up feeling a little sore so I choose not to push my luck 6 weeks out from Badwater and took a day off. Next week I plan to hit 30 miles on Sunday after I drop Suki off at the airport then lay the hammer on the last 3 weeks of training to Badwater. I'm getting super excited!
Monday, June 2, 2014
Racing to far to early
I was recently watching The Spirit of the Marathon and started thinking about how most runners approach the marathon. I firmly believe that the Marathon is the toughest foot race known to man. It requires such a delicate balance of speed and endurance. In an ultramarathon you can relax a little and preserve yourself for the latter stages of the race. But in a Marathon you are running an uncomfortable pace the entire time.
I believe that many runners are entering the Marathon to early in their running career. In a society that can't handle being told they have to wait we are seeing an increase in people entering the Marathon on 15-20 miles week and simply completing the race not racing it. I believe that running is a journey of self realizations, I can't point to any one place where I learned how to structure a training program or how to race but I have picked up something new every single training cycle.
In order to prepare for a Marathon correctly I believe that it takes 2 years of training. This is for unseasoned runners. The first stop should be a 4-6 month training program for a local 5k. The reason I say start here is it is a great way to learn about speed. A lot of runner just slog out the miles every day. They do not do structured workouts. After a decent base period you should be able to handle 2 workouts a week using either speed or hills or a combination of both to improve leg turnover. This period of time should be extremely exciting as you will see your biggest improvements during this time. You may drop 1-3 minutes off a 5k in a matter of months. I am personally a high mileage advocate, I strive off of 80+ miles per week but I understand others are not willing to commit the same time as I do and few new runners can handle that kind of mileage injury free. I believe a good 5k program should consist of 4-5 days of training and mileage between 30 and peak at 55 miles per week. Again for a newer runner.
After this progression move into an easy unstructured period to give your mind a mental break. This break can last 2-4 weeks. Its hard to gauge but its when you start longing for miles and find yourself looking online for races. Now curb your enthusiasm don't sign up for on immediately. Plan a race 4 months out and pick a local 10k that you're excited about. Again I think you will see giant improvements. 40-65 miles should be the mileage range with 5 days of running and hills and speed. You should have seen some pretty major dietary and physical changes they will likely peak and now you will be working largely on your VO2 max and running efficiency.
Naturally the next step is to step up to the half marathon. This race is a different beast. A half marathon requires a large amount of speed and leg turnover and also requires the endurance to handle 90-120 minutes of 75-85% of your max HR. The speed intervals you do will likely turn into race pace fartleks and mile repeats. This training cycle again should be 4 months in length, and range from 45-70 miles. Long runs will become an integral part of your training, I recommend peaking at 16 miles for a long run. I think this is the first test of if you like distance running. If you enjoy the training then progress to the marathon if you don't then stay where you're at.
The marathon require a lot more volume in my opinion to be ready. 50-80 mile per week (peak mileage) is required to "race" the marathon. The long run becomes the most important run of the week and progress up to 22-24 miles, with 2 20 milers as well. I like to break up these runs by using a progression. 3 mile warm up then progress from race pace + 2 min down to race pace over 14 miles and then 4 miles easy. Some pretty dramatic VO2 max changes should occur during this training as well as some running efficiency improvements.
I by no means am saying you cannot walk out the door and run a marathon but if you would like to RACE a marathon it takes time. This method also reduces the risk of injury. Running is like any other sport it just takes time to learn about yourself and about the sport. By the way I recommend as much as a 1/3 reduction in mileage for females. 80 miles per week is very high for a female athlete and would likely be approaching the elite levels past 80 miles.
I believe that many runners are entering the Marathon to early in their running career. In a society that can't handle being told they have to wait we are seeing an increase in people entering the Marathon on 15-20 miles week and simply completing the race not racing it. I believe that running is a journey of self realizations, I can't point to any one place where I learned how to structure a training program or how to race but I have picked up something new every single training cycle.
In order to prepare for a Marathon correctly I believe that it takes 2 years of training. This is for unseasoned runners. The first stop should be a 4-6 month training program for a local 5k. The reason I say start here is it is a great way to learn about speed. A lot of runner just slog out the miles every day. They do not do structured workouts. After a decent base period you should be able to handle 2 workouts a week using either speed or hills or a combination of both to improve leg turnover. This period of time should be extremely exciting as you will see your biggest improvements during this time. You may drop 1-3 minutes off a 5k in a matter of months. I am personally a high mileage advocate, I strive off of 80+ miles per week but I understand others are not willing to commit the same time as I do and few new runners can handle that kind of mileage injury free. I believe a good 5k program should consist of 4-5 days of training and mileage between 30 and peak at 55 miles per week. Again for a newer runner.
After this progression move into an easy unstructured period to give your mind a mental break. This break can last 2-4 weeks. Its hard to gauge but its when you start longing for miles and find yourself looking online for races. Now curb your enthusiasm don't sign up for on immediately. Plan a race 4 months out and pick a local 10k that you're excited about. Again I think you will see giant improvements. 40-65 miles should be the mileage range with 5 days of running and hills and speed. You should have seen some pretty major dietary and physical changes they will likely peak and now you will be working largely on your VO2 max and running efficiency.
Naturally the next step is to step up to the half marathon. This race is a different beast. A half marathon requires a large amount of speed and leg turnover and also requires the endurance to handle 90-120 minutes of 75-85% of your max HR. The speed intervals you do will likely turn into race pace fartleks and mile repeats. This training cycle again should be 4 months in length, and range from 45-70 miles. Long runs will become an integral part of your training, I recommend peaking at 16 miles for a long run. I think this is the first test of if you like distance running. If you enjoy the training then progress to the marathon if you don't then stay where you're at.
The marathon require a lot more volume in my opinion to be ready. 50-80 mile per week (peak mileage) is required to "race" the marathon. The long run becomes the most important run of the week and progress up to 22-24 miles, with 2 20 milers as well. I like to break up these runs by using a progression. 3 mile warm up then progress from race pace + 2 min down to race pace over 14 miles and then 4 miles easy. Some pretty dramatic VO2 max changes should occur during this training as well as some running efficiency improvements.
I by no means am saying you cannot walk out the door and run a marathon but if you would like to RACE a marathon it takes time. This method also reduces the risk of injury. Running is like any other sport it just takes time to learn about yourself and about the sport. By the way I recommend as much as a 1/3 reduction in mileage for females. 80 miles per week is very high for a female athlete and would likely be approaching the elite levels past 80 miles.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Bolder to Boulder
Sunday morning Will and I took off from Albuquerque and made the 7 hour jaunt up to Boulder, Colorado. The drive went by much faster than I had anticipated but Will and I debated the feasibility of living off the grid in a cabin in North Carolina which perked my construction interests. It was so refreshing to be around Will's friends and family versus the people I generally interact with. They were very supportive of Will's quest to become Quentin Cassidy. Generally people would try to poke holes in a scheme such as this but they offered recommendations and assistance. It definitely reminded me of being home with my family.
Once we pulled into Boulder we were off almost immediately. Will's brother in laws parents were in town for the race and wanted to cook dinner for us. We had a great pre-race meal and talked about Will's cabin, Jemez, life and homemade ice cream. Dessert was spectacular homemade hand turned ice cream and well it was delicious.
I was nursing my left foot Sunday as it was a little sensitive from 52 miles on it and I hadn't quite decided if I would actually run the Bolder Boulder 10k or not. By the time we returned to Will's sister house it was already 9 and we bedded down pretty quick. Will and I both awoke at 5:45 to a blazing sun and decided to go find coffee and pick up our race packets. I was still undecided if I would race or not. I was limping pretty bad but walked the 1.5 miles to packet pickup. Once I had the bib in my hand it was game over, muscle memory took over and neatly folded the bib and laced up the timing chip. Will and I had entered the Military wave we moved into our coral 5 minutes before the start of our wave (8:27 race started at 7:30) The Military wave was about 4 waves from dead last...
The start line was a little eventful as Frank Shorter was within spitting distance waving his starting block pistol around. Once they said go Will took off on fresh legs and I grinded out my first mile in 8:10. My foot still hurt but no more than it would walking so I figured the faster I ran the sooner it would be over. The problem was there was about 38000 people in front of me... I dodged, elbowed, darted and scampered through the next 5 miles at what felt like a trot, 7:30 pace. I finished in 47 minutes a very unimpressive 10k time. I was pretty pleased with it despite being 10 minutes off my PR. The race was very interesting they had 3 or 4 slip and slides setup along the course, shots, keg stands, and much more. It felt like the entire city of Boulder was out to watch the race. The finish line comes into the football stadium and you run the last .2 miles on the track around the stadium.
Post finish we went out for breakfast packed up the car and said our goodbyes to Will's sister. Will and I headed out to the Boulder Running Company for a shirt and then to the Denver Airport. I then said goodbye to Will and made the lonely drive back to Oklahoma.
It was a great race and a great weekend. I would highly recommend everyone take a wild running vacation. Hit a couple races along the way and spend every other moment in between laughing and enjoying yourself. After all we all say we got into ultras because of the community, so take a few minutes and enjoy the community. Coming soon should be a couple of rants about a call to returning to our old roots in ultras and proper training progression.
Once we pulled into Boulder we were off almost immediately. Will's brother in laws parents were in town for the race and wanted to cook dinner for us. We had a great pre-race meal and talked about Will's cabin, Jemez, life and homemade ice cream. Dessert was spectacular homemade hand turned ice cream and well it was delicious.
I was nursing my left foot Sunday as it was a little sensitive from 52 miles on it and I hadn't quite decided if I would actually run the Bolder Boulder 10k or not. By the time we returned to Will's sister house it was already 9 and we bedded down pretty quick. Will and I both awoke at 5:45 to a blazing sun and decided to go find coffee and pick up our race packets. I was still undecided if I would race or not. I was limping pretty bad but walked the 1.5 miles to packet pickup. Once I had the bib in my hand it was game over, muscle memory took over and neatly folded the bib and laced up the timing chip. Will and I had entered the Military wave we moved into our coral 5 minutes before the start of our wave (8:27 race started at 7:30) The Military wave was about 4 waves from dead last...
The start line was a little eventful as Frank Shorter was within spitting distance waving his starting block pistol around. Once they said go Will took off on fresh legs and I grinded out my first mile in 8:10. My foot still hurt but no more than it would walking so I figured the faster I ran the sooner it would be over. The problem was there was about 38000 people in front of me... I dodged, elbowed, darted and scampered through the next 5 miles at what felt like a trot, 7:30 pace. I finished in 47 minutes a very unimpressive 10k time. I was pretty pleased with it despite being 10 minutes off my PR. The race was very interesting they had 3 or 4 slip and slides setup along the course, shots, keg stands, and much more. It felt like the entire city of Boulder was out to watch the race. The finish line comes into the football stadium and you run the last .2 miles on the track around the stadium.
Post finish we went out for breakfast packed up the car and said our goodbyes to Will's sister. Will and I headed out to the Boulder Running Company for a shirt and then to the Denver Airport. I then said goodbye to Will and made the lonely drive back to Oklahoma.
It was a great race and a great weekend. I would highly recommend everyone take a wild running vacation. Hit a couple races along the way and spend every other moment in between laughing and enjoying yourself. After all we all say we got into ultras because of the community, so take a few minutes and enjoy the community. Coming soon should be a couple of rants about a call to returning to our old roots in ultras and proper training progression.
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