Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Still running...

While it has been some time since I posted I just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive and well and still running.

I was unsure for a week or two there but I think I'm finally recovering from Pinhoti, my calf is doing better and I've got at least one decent training run in.

I was uncertain on Saturday when I ran the Fallen Firefighters Memorial Run here in Frankfort. Although it was very cold for us, with wind and light snow throughout the race that usually doesn't bother me. I felt stiff and tight the whole race. Being up most of the night probably didn't help either.

Ran almost the entire race with my Lieutenant who managed to outkick me in the final yards. A little after two miles I felt a blister coming on which I couldn't figure out for the life of me. I didn't have my injinji socks on but that still doesn't usually account for blisters.

Turns out I did get a blister on my insole. Not paying attention I had my custom orthotics that I'm not that crazy about in my shoes instead of my power steps. I think this probably made me feel uncomfortable most of the race.

With the Otter Creek Marathon one week away I decided Sunday would be my test. My goal was to go out and run at least two hours on the trails and see how I felt. If I felt terrible I might just ditch Otter Creek and save my money. Fortunately I felt great throughout the run. The temps were in the thirties but the sun was out with little wind and I actually had a great time running again. The previous couple of weeks I felt I had no spring in my step but Sunday felt pretty good.

I'm guessing I probably got 11 or 12 miles in, enough to convince me that I could gut out another 12 at Otter Creek so away I'll go. Unfortunately, it appears that the City of Louisville will be closing Otter Creek at the end of the year so this may be the last time it is ran.

In other news I submitted my entry to the lottery for Massanutten Mountains 100 mile and look forward to hearing one way or another in a couple of days.

My senior project is all but finished so I feel like I can breathe again and get back to my life and family. It has been a good experience but difficult as I am a huge procrastinator and would much rather run that sit down and write a research paper.

Look forward to a race report from Otter Creek with pictures in a week or so.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Pinhoti Conclusions...

As I mentioned before, Jody and I made it back to the hotel where I must admit it felt pretty good to grab a shower and hit the sack.

We got up the next morning and were able to talk to a few folks at breakfast who had both finished or had family members recovering in bed from finishing.

We made a final stop by the rec center to pick up gear from the bus ride, see who all was hanging around and enjoy some coffee before beginning the long drive home.

I was glad to see Ed, the other runner from Kentucky up and about at the breakfast. Had a great chance to introduce myself and compare our race experiences. As I mentioned earlier, Ed and I made it the same distance only I didn't realize he was the one warming up in the car while I was waiting on my ride.

Also had the opportunity to see another runner shortly after finishing who I'd run with for awhile in Nashville. It seems ultrarunning like all subcultures servers to make the world that much smaller which is one of the things I love about it. He had finished in about 27 hours and still looked good to go and even had an appetite afterwards.

Last we heard before heading out was that at about 10:30 there were approximately thirty folks who had finished and another 20 or so out on the course. If not for the drive ahead we would have loved to stay for the awards but needed to get back.

The drive home went well and I tried my best to keep my leg stretched out for most of the trip.

48 hours after the fact I was able to get around pretty well although the first 24 hours made me think I might have messed something up as the tendon behind my knee was still super stiff, unlike anything I had experienced before. If it was just muscle stiffness that would be one thing but having point tenderness at the top of my calf made me a bit nervous. To date I still haven't ran on it but have just done some light cross training. I'm shooting to run Otter Creek Marathon here in a few weeks so I guess I better get out there a bit.

Having had almost two weeks to reflect on the race I've come up with the following possible reasons why I didn't do as well as I would have liked.

The first and foremost was not enough long runs consistently throughout my training. More often than not the reason for this was simple boredom and lack of accountability. As the majority of my training was on my own I can think of several occasions where I cut my runs short simply because I lost interest or got tired of being out there in the dark on my own. In the future I would definitely like to get hold of some like minded folks and commit to some long runs in unique places. It is always hard to accomplish but I definitely need to make it a priority.

In conjunction with the first is the possibility that I ran my fifty miler too close too my hundred. Not having even ran a marathon distance in over six months the fifty was quite a jump as far as my long runs were concerned. While the fifty went near perfectly I don't doubt that it took a toll on my body, especially being mostly on asphalt.
While I would not hesitate to do a fifty so close to a hundred in the future I certainly feel that I should have started at the fifty and went back bi-weekly with my long runs by 45-40-35 etc. to prepare myself.
Similar to my previous marathon preparations I would love to be at the point where I could run the entire length of a fifty prior to doing a hundred. I definitely think this is a doable goal, especially given the right type of 50 miler.

I must again say that Steve Durbin is my hero for being able to knock out a sub 8hr 50m and go on to run his hundred at mother road in under 22 hours! Maybe in twenty years I can be that good!

Another factor in my race I strongly believe was just being extremely busy between the fifty and the 100. I think I probably put too much of an emphasis on rest and recovery and subsequently sat around working on my senior project at the computer and put on weight and got stiff.
I know for a fact that I put on probably five pounds between the two as a result of inactivity while researching, writing and resting. While it is important to replenish calories after a big race I think I may have over did it!

Mentally I struggled to remain focused on the event and not let it psyche me out. It is such a difficult distance to get your head around, for me at least that it is easy to second guess yourself and play what if games. While I was confident that I could gut it out physically it was the hundred intangibles that were hard not to let go of. The planning, tinkering, gear buying etc. went on right up until the end of the race ending with a mad dash of assembling all my supplies and making a mental plan of what would go where.

Of course this is all part of the learning process and I am already thinking of ways to make it smoother next time.

The 24 hours prior to the start also was rough physically. The stress and constraint of driving eight hours in a hurry then being stuck in traffic didn't help my outlook. Barely making the pre-race meeting and not feeling like I had time to unwind was another stressor. Then the maybe four hours of sleep plus two hour school bus ride to the start and then onto the trails probably didn't help much.

I was also guilty of violating the cardinal rule of racing which is don't race with anything you've never used before. Although I did this with my shoes and they were great I probably didn't need to carry an extra water bottle or gear like I did. Oh well.

All in all, I had a great time just wish I would have had more time on either end of the race to get to know some folks, chat and hang out. I'm looking forward to heading to Otter Creek in a few weeks as it was my initial race that launched me into trail racing and ultras. It is also a great race for relaxing, meeting new folks and enjoying a laid back race atmosphere.

Next on the horizon?

I plan on entering the lottery for Massanutten on December 1st and make my plans from there for my next hundred. If I don't get picked I will probably head to Illinois for McNaughton in April. In the meantime I'm going to try and hit all the Kentucky Ultras again including Lovin the Hills 50k and Land Between the Lakes.
My loose goal is still to try and get in at least one race of marathon distance or longer each month for an entire year. I may have to travel in January a bit to meet my goal but that's alright.

As for my next 100 attempt my training goals will be twofold and common to most runners.

More miles and less weight. Sounds simple but the holidays and weather often conspire against us when the nights turn long.

If you took the time, thanks for reading and feel free to make comments. I look forward to increasing my local ultra community.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pinhoti Report part 3

Bald Rock to Silent Trail...

Heading out from Bald Rock I knew that the daylight was running out and nighttime would soon be catching up with me. I'm guessing there was probably 3/4 to a mile of pavement before we peeled off back onto the trail and the infamous "blue hell".
It is easy to see where this portion of trail gets it's moniker. There is numerous blue paint to mark the trail at this point and it basically consists of probably 500 feet of rock garden descent over large, sometimes slick boulders. Fortunately at this point in the race we were descending blue hell as opposed to the Cheaha 50k where runners encounter it near the end of the race. I was just happy to get through this section in the last hours of light and not have to use my headlamp just yet.

After getting through the descent their was probably only a half mile of running on the trail before it kicked us out on the road. The remainder of this section was either on pavement or jeep road ending at aid station #8 and 45 miles. Jody was here again and I took advantage of a quick break to don my windbreaker and get a little hot cider. The temperature was definitely dropping and it was officially dark.

Silent Trail to Hubbard Creek
Heading out again, I knew I was in for a long section of trail at 6.8 miles. I was actually feeling great for the first couple of miles and able to make some decent time running as the trail was pretty mellow at the beginning. I was passed by a pacer looking for his runner early on. It is always a little disappointing to see someone so fresh when you've been running for twelve hours but also encouraging that they are out there helping someone out. At what was I guess halfway I ran into a runner who was literally laying down across the trail. He asked me how far I thought we were and I told him I guessed about halfway. He was looking rough and I was thinking that's not a good sign to be laying down on the trail. After probably an hour I saw him again when I thought I had taken a wrong trail and backtracked fifteen minutes or so. Again, he laid down on the trail while I went back to make sure we were where we needed to be.

While a very long section, and at night I can only imagine how pretty this section must have been in the daylight. I ran through several small creek crossing and along side what sounded like some beautiful cascades. Also ran by probably a half a dozen folks camping along the trail with big fires going, guitars playing etc. Awfully tempting to stop and visit!

Eventually I got through this section and ended up at the small aid station at Hubbard Creek.
The aid station was staffed by a volunteer boy scout troop who were super friendly and helpful as was everybody. I had a few potato chips, ibuprofen and coke and headed out.

Hubbard Creek to Adams Gap.
This next section was deceptive in it's description. At only 3.3 miles I figured I could easily knock it out in an hour or so. Unfortunately it seemed my leg kept getting tighter and tighter, especially after sitting in a chair in the cold for even 5 minutes. This section also contained lots of tight switch backs and a good deal of climbing. I got passed early on by the pacer who had now found his runner but continued on. All in all I think this short 3 miles took me over an hour and a half to complete.

Coming into Adams Gap, however, I was greeted with some AC/DC blasting out of a stereo set up at the aid station. It was like a mirage when I finally got there. Jody was again at this aid station as was a big bon fire and several other runners. By this point I was certain I could not make the 30 hour cut off but wanted to get in a few more miles. I sat around the fire for probably 10-15 minutes while my wife told me stories of other runners who were having troubles of their own. The most frustrating part was that I really felt great other than my leg. If I could have just swapped it out I felt like I could have hammered away easily for the rest of the night. At Adams Gap I had three bowls of soup, another Starbucks double shot and a coffee brownie. Jody assured me that the next five miles was all Jeep Road so I knew I could make it that far.
So I headed out armed with my ipod shuffle and set out to enjoy the remaining two hours of my race and began the reflective process of what I would do differently next year. I was passed by one other woman who I had seen earlier in the race who was looking weary but still running. I wished her luck and kept walking. Once or twice I tried out running, just for fun but the tendon behind my knee immediately would tense up on me, especially down hill.
I wound up making it to aid station 11 @ clairmont gap with probably 15 minutes to go till the cutoff for that aid station. It was almost midnight and I knew I wouldn't make the next cutoff so called it quits.

Jody had forgotten our sleeping bag at Adams Gap so drove back up to get it while I waited another ten minutes.
Apparently there were two other folks at mile 60 who had dropped, one of which wound up getting a trip to the ER for dehydration from what I hear.

We were able to call and get a room at the same hotel in Sylacauga so headed back to town and crashed out. I enjoyed hearing Jody's stories of how others were dong and some of the experiences she had waiting at the aid stations.

I'll try to post my conclusions tomorrow.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Pinhoti race report part 2

As I mentioned in the first post I felt kind of in the hole from the start doing many of the things you shouldn't do from the get go before a race of this size.
A. Sit in a car for eight hours the day before.
B. Sleep about 4 hours.
C. Not be able to hydrate well prior to the event.
D. Run in stuff you haven't trained in.

Oh well, so it goes.

The race started out cool, probably in the mid 40's and I wore a long sleeve t-shirt for probably the first couple of hours feeling comfortable in the shade of the trees and not wanting to get a ton of sun, wind exposure when we were out in the open. Starting literally in the back due to getting all my stuff together I passed a few people early on and tried to take a very leisurely pace and settle into a rhythm.

I caught up and talked with a real nice woman from Colorado (Hi, Anne) for awhile and walked/ran at a pretty mellow pace till I passed her about a mile before the first aid station at mile 6.7.

Unfortunately for some unknown reason there seem to be no results available for the race yet and I didn't keep very close track of my splits so I can only guess at most of my later times. I do know it took me about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to the first aid station and I was thinking it was going to be a long day. Up to this point none of the trails were super challenging, just time consuming with lots of switch backs, several easy creek crossing and lots of debris still down on the trail from previous storms.

The next aid was 6.5 miles away so off we went. Sometime between the start and middle of this section I caught up with three other guys who had done some training together and seemed to be keeping a pretty decent pace. I stayed with them up to the next aid station at 13 miles. The course had been rerouted from aid station 2 to 3 in response to a tornado earlier on in the year and basically the absence of trail. So instead we ran the entire distance of 5 miles on roads till the next checkpoint.
The devastation was pretty drastic and the whole area looked like a clear cut. Not sure whether this was the case after the storm or what but can definitely see where any forward motion on that part of the trail would be extremely challenging.

From aid station 3 to 4 we had about 4.5 miles to cover. Our little group stayed together for the duration of this distance taking turns swapping leads and chatting. Running in a group definitely helped the time go by and in retrospect I should have spent more effort staying in contact with these guys as we were making good time and staying right at the 24 hour mark.

At aid station 4 (22.7 miles) however, I stopped to mess with my bottles, gear food etc. and wound up losing contact with my former group. In retrospect I definitely should have made more of an effort to stay with them because we were making good time and the conversation was helping me out mentally. I didn't see them the rest of the day and wish them well.

Throughout the day it seemed my stomach was not cooperating very well. While I kept up with my eating and drinking as my plan it just seemed like all my fluid intake was just sloshing around inside of me and I had bouts of nausea but never any vomiting. I kept thinking throughout the day the when night came and it cooled off I would feel much better. I did make the decision to carry two water bottles, one in my hip pack and a hand held and looking back I think one would have been fine, especially for a cool weather race like this one.

Also, probably ten miles into the race I began having an injury I had never experienced before. The tendon behind my knee (popliteal tendon) began getting tighter and tighter throughout the day resulting in me not being able to run at all by about fifty miles. I had never experienced this before and attribute it to being tight from travelling and also just not being able to get as much mileage/cross training in as I had been before the race due to work, life and mostly sitting at a desk working on my paper for my senior project.

I struggled all the way down to the race with trying to get in the right frame of mind for racing and probably didn't get there until it was too late but more on that in the what I would have changed section.

By this time I'd made it to Aid station #5 27.6 and the first place where my wife was able to meet me. It was nice to see her as I didn't think she'd make it due to getting confused earlier but just made it in time for me to come through. I don't know the exact times but I had fallen off the 24 hour pace already and was kind of disheartened by how slow I was going. Later, Jody said I was looking pretty pale and dejected. I ate and drank a little, changed socks and insoles and headed off for another long 6,9 mile stretch. These long stretches are not so tough physically, but mentally being isolated and alone it was hard for me to make good time. Again, my stomach was still feeling cruddy and it is so hard to not compare your progress with what you know you can run on flat ground, for me that was usually doubling my time. For this particular stretch I think it probably took well over two hours.

Jody was at aid station 6 (34.5 miles) again when I came in and was a big help to the couple there as they were busy doing their thing and she was able to check off runners coming through. By the time us back of the packers had come through they had run out of water and had only HEED to offer which for the life of me I can't figure out why race directors keep supplying as I have yet to meet any runners who like it. Jody had water for me but I was in pretty good shape to start with.

I was actually looking forward to the next section since A it was shorter and B I knew it would be an emotional and literal high point of the race arriving at Bald Rock and the top of Mt. Cheaha. It would also serve as the transition into night. I was able to actually run a good portion of this section with a group of folks from Wisconsin who had come down and were doing very well. I was expecting a much greater climb but the section was really not too bad. A good portion was run on a ridge so the scenery was fantastic. After running all day in the hollers and switchbacks it was fun to feel like you were getting somewhere. Then all of sudden you hear noise, look up and there are probably a hundred people on the boardwalk at the top of the mountain cheering you on. Apparently Cheaha is a big tourist attraction and there were all sorts of folks up there. I even took the time to pose for a couple of pictures with my camera that died shortly thereafter.

Jody was in the parking lot waiting for me with my tights, long sleeve top, sandwiches etc. I took the time to get a red bull in as well since I knew it would be the beginning of a long night. Having just switched to daylight savings and being in the far eastern part of the central time zone the sun was gone by 5 O'clock. Jody wound up getting some great sunset shots that I'll try to post later.

While getting changed, fueled etc. it was fun to listen to her stories of how others were doing and I envied her opportunity to see all the other runners. Stomach wise I was finally starting to feel better, although my leg was getting tighter.

Heading out from Bald rock (40 miles) I would be on my own again for the rest of my time in the race.

I'll continue part 3 from there tomorrow.

Pinhoti race report part 1

Well, here it is, the long awaited race recap from my first 100 miler attempt.

I am still having major issues trying to get the photos to upload correctly on this site so may have to include some of them later.

Jody (my wife) and I were able to leave out of Frankfort a little after noon on Friday and had about a 7.5 hour drive ahead of us. Everything went well until we got just outside of Birmingham where we hit stand still traffic and travelled about 5 miles in an hour.
We made it to Sylacauga just in time to catch the last of the pre-race meeting and eat some cold bland pasta and bread. Jody said the only salvation was the bananna pudding.

Anyway, we were able to check in, get our goodie bag which had some decent swag in it and hang out for the door prizes. We did alright and picked up a new fuel belt and large jug of hammer gel with dispenser! Along with the entry fee I did get a long sleeve tech t-shirt, short sleeve cotton t and some fancy socks so that's not too bad.

Off to the hotel room where I assembled my gear, took a bath to relax and was in bed by 9 in preparation of getting up at three to catch the shuttle! At midnight Jody woke me up thinking my alarm was going off and I missed it. Needless to say after that I was awake every 15 minutes looking at my watch and waiting to get up which I did a little after 3 and began eating. Unfortunately I had a 2 hour school bus ride ahead of me so declined the coffee and usual pre-race hydration since there would be no place to go when nature called.

Arriving in plenty of time I said goodbye to Jody for awhile and loaded up on the lovely Sylacauga school bus. I was probably able to get an hour of sleep in fitfully on the way up. Our route was delayed a bit by a wreck on the way up so we arrived at the start at about 5:45 with a beeline being made for the three pit toilets. I queued up last so just about missed the start of the race by the time I was done.

So at the start here I was, hurried, stiff, in the back running with more stuff than I usually do. Kind of an ominous way to kick it off.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

2 days till the start...

Lo and behold the race is near.
After having it in on my radar for over three months it's hard to believe that Saturday morning I will set off on my 100 mile adventure.

I would like to report that the week prior has been spent doing what your supposed to do before a big race, mainly resting, stretching and eating properly but that hasn't been the case.

Instead I've spent most of my time working on the paper accompanying this project and trying to make sense as the project continues to mushroom.

The sheer size of this event can seem overwhelming at times as I've been working to assemble equipment arrange drop bags and the like.

I finally feel like I have all the equipment I need, mainly new shoes, compression tights, gels, headlamps, redbull! etc. and am in the process of assembling drop bags and crew bags for my wife to have available as she meets me at various locations along the trail.

I wish we were able to leave first thing tomorrow morning, arrive early in Sylacauga, look around have lunch and catch a movie but again this is not the case. Instead we will try to get out of town by noon since Jody has to work in the morning, get to Bama by 7, which fortunately is 6 there time and check in, weigh in, dig in and settle in the hotel for maybe six hours sleep.

The plan Saturday is to get up about 3, eat something and head to the rec dept. in Sylacauga to catch the shuttle to the start at 4 am. Race check in will be from 5 to 5:30 and the race will start at six!

If all goes as planned, (what could go wrong) I would like to finish between 24 and 26 hours at which time I will hopefully be able to shower, change and convert the back of our toyota matrix into a portable mash unit complete with sleeping pad and blankets.

After other ultras I'm fairly certain my body would not tolerate sitting in a car seat for another eight hours home so I'm hoping that by lying flat I may delay the inevitable. Sunday evening we should be back in Frankfort and good to go!

It will be interesting for sure to see what challenges will be thrown in along the way.

The weather looks to be perfect for Saturday although some of the course might be a bit muddy since it is supposed to rain on Friday. Maybe it will soften the trail up a bit and make it easier on the legs!

Well, now back to writing my paper.

Look forward to the next installment with the full weekend report!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

12 days and counting...

Well, I feel I am now far enough away from last week's 50 to dive into planning the main focus race which is twelve days away!!

I am feeling great, just a little scattered and overwhelmed by the event ahead.

I'm still in the afterglow of finishing the 50 which was a great experience for me and a welcome redemption from dropping down from the 50 at Land Between the Lakes last spring. It is encouraging to feel that I have hopefully come along way since then (March), at least in terms of being prepared, eating right and being realistic about my race. Of course it helped that the conditions in Nashville we're perfect and the race had almost no terrain or weather to deal with.

I was a bit nervous going into it since the last long race I had completed was probably the 1/2 ironman distance race this past spring. I had put in several 2-3 hour long runs in training but still felt like I was woefully lacking in my long runs. In the end I felt I did a good job of listening to my body. A couple of weeks out from the Nashville Ultra I started feeling some pain in my shins running so just backed off to a couple of days a week and focused on healing and getting ready for the race.

I do admit that I couldn't help but run a local 5k on Friday night and am certain I pushed it harder than I needed to running just shy of 22 minutes less than a week after my 50 miler. It was satisfying to see how far I've come in my fitness when I used to think 30 minutes would have been a major accomplishment. I was definitely off my pr of 20:13 last year for the same race but I have not exactly been focusing on speed work.

So what is the plan from hear out!

With less than two weeks left I plan on mostly taking it easy with some longer cross training days thrown in. I would like to hammer out a trail marathon the middle of this week just to focus on my stride for 3 or four hours but will wait and see how I feel.

I am definitely in race planning mode and still scrambling at the last minute to decide what gear, food etc I will use and how to set up all my drop bags etc.

I plan on ordering a new pair of shoes tomorrow since I have been in constant debate with myself over the trail/road shoe issue. After Nashville I decided I wanted to stick with a similar asics platform to the 2130's I wore in the race but with a more dedicated trail focus.

After reading some reviews and looking at way too many pair of shoes I think I'm going to go with the asics trabuco 11 wp which is on a similar last at the 2130's with the addition of a goretex upper and rock plate in the forefoot.

My goal is to get the shoe in soon enough to get 50 or 60 miles in on it so we'll see.

As far as the rest of my gear I don't plan on changing it too much. Will run with the same hip pack I usually use and may add a pocket or two for my camera and gels.

For headlamps I'm sticking with my black diamond mio's and will probably pick up another flashlight to have with me as well.

For food I'll stick with Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem and GU gels. The perpetuem worked great in Nashville and I can get the GU gels cheap at Nashbar so there you go.

Really the only thing I plan on doing different for the 100 will be to try to consume more calories in the first half of the race. I felt Nashville went great even though I got sick briefly about an hour after the race but otherwise my energy was good. I did use the amino and clip 2 products by succeed but was not convinced of all they promised as far as alertness etc.

So that is where I'm at right now. I would like to drop 5 lbs before Alabama as I have been eating junk since my last race and know that I should be consuming more quality food products.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Nahsville recap...


Just wanted to post a quick race recap from Saturdays 50 miler in Nashville.

I actually just wrote a much longer version but as I am trying to figure out how to post a blog with pictures and rearrange them correctly I accidentally deleted the whole post.


In essence, I finished the race with the time goal I was shooting for, just over ten hours and had a great day. Weather was great, no blisters, or cramps and was able to see my family several times throughout the course.


I may post later when I am less frustrated over just having wasted and hour or two of my time.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Four days till Nashville...

Well after running pretty hard Wednesday (for me) and still having some lower leg tenderness I decided to back off for a couple of days and try to get one middle distance run in before the 50 miler this weekend.
So I took Thursday, Friday and the first party of Saturday off and waited till the sun went down to run Saturday. Tried to make myself take it easy and back off the pace a bit and had a pretty decent run (13 miles). Started out with some pain early on but a few miles in I felt pretty good.
This is always a frustrating phenomenon for me. About the time I feel really comfortable cardio wise something starts hurting or becomes irritated.

My plan between now and Saturday is just to rest, stretch and maybe do some light workouts on the elliptical, stair stepper or other low impact cross training.
I'm doing my best to not get stressed out about it but now is always the time when it is so easy to question the quality, quantity and intensity of your training as well as the many other factors that could cause you to not be as successful as you have built yourself up to be.

I am convinced that I must strive to keep negative thoughts at bay and continue to just enjoy the blessings I have in family, friends and health. Whenever, I become bummed I think way back to the first run off the couch when things felt terrible and I got through it.

This is why I love races that are new to me. Whether in the heart of Nashville or the mountains of Alabama I try to savor the spirit of adventure that goes into a race you have never done. Add to that the excitement that both of the races coming up on my horizon are brand new and not attempted by anyone. I have been surprised to hear some people say they don't have interest in going to new races due to the usual snafus associated with them. To me that is part of the adventure, besides the fact that I someday hope to be a race director and am willing to learn all I can on the athlete side before switching to the directing side.

So that is where I'm at this evening. Relaxing and trying to keep stress at bay. My wife is on fall break so I have the opportunity to spend some great time with my family and be reminded of what it's all about.
They are all coming to Nashville to root me on which is really encouraging. My wife is such a trooper bringing two toddlers to an ultra to watch me run for hours. Of course she'll probably take the kids on some detours but they will be there at the end to see me finish. My kids are at the age when I constantly wonder what there first memory will be and I can't help but hope it is of their daddy, victorious coming across a finish line telling them they can do anything they set their minds too.

Friday, October 10, 2008

the week in training...

Well, I just received the final results from Saturdays 10-k and I must say I was pretty surprised. I was pretty close on time as I wound up finishing in 47:39.

What I was surprised about was how close I could have been to finishing first in my age group. The top age group spot went at 46:23, a time I feel I could have easily attained had I picked it up a bit in the first half. I know it's still not a super fast time but I can still remember finishing my first 10-k in under an hour and thinking it was the hardest thing I'd ever done because it probably was at the time.

Next year I'll be back!

Anyway, after my satisfying day Saturday I was able to cheer my wife on at her race Sunday. She did great and managed to secure 2nd place in her division! Man I hate it when my wife beats me at the races but overall a great weekend for the Jaques family as we both medaled in our respective events. I'm especially proud of my wife because I'm sure I'm able to get out and train ten times to her 1 and she still goes out and has a good time. Thanks to her fantastic swimming abilities and new bike she was able to take probably ten minutes off her time from last year.

Sunday evening I was able to get about 2.5 hours of running in down at the trails and became ever more convinced that my GPS is very inaccurate in the trees and switchbacks. After running sub 8 minute pace for most of the 10k my Garmin only gave me credit for 12 miles in 2.5 hours. Hard to believe, especially since I have been consistently running sub 2 hour half marathon splits in my training runs. Oh well, the experience of being on my feet on the single track was more what I was after and I feel I accomplished that. I spent the first hour and a half running from daylight to dusk and was able to get a good hour in running with my headlamp. I had one near miss and one full fledged crash tripping on a root so I can only imagine how many times I will fall at night during a hundred mile race. I was not even that fatigued but had to make a very conscious effort to lift my feet and make sure to clear obstacles. I can see why Karl Meltzer, an elite ultra runner consistently runs with fingerless cycling gloves. I imagine 24 hours of crashing on rocky terrain could be rough on the palms.

Monday was work/rest day.
Tuesday I had a pretty good hour training run at the park and was proud that I finally took the time to learn how to download sermons at my church to my itunes and then to my shuffle. Since I was unable to attend Sunday due to sick kids I was able to take the time on my run to listen to the entirety of my pastors sermon, I found it a great use of my time for two reasons. First, I probably am better able to pay attention to a sermon while running than doing anything else and secondly, it forced me to run easy and light on my feet so I could keep my heart rate relatively low while being able to focus on the message. I look forward to utilizing this technique in the future, not just for sermons but books on tape, lectures etc. I have always enjoyed listening to books in the car but my present 4 minute commute hardly warrants it.

Wednesday I was able to get 15 miles in but definitely felt a bit sore. Have still been having some ankle tenderness and a little bit of shin pain. The pain currently seems different than classic shin splints as it is more medial to the bone. Ever since I went too hard on the treadmill several weeks ago I have noticed it. Unfortunately, there is not much soft to run on around here lately as even the trails are about as hard as pavement with the lack of rain. Decided to take two full days off with the goal of running 30 miles tomorrow morning.

Switched to Perpetuem from Hammer Nutrition so that may also take a little getting used too. It is noticeably less sweet and a bit thicker than the accelerade I was using so we'll see how it goes. Based on all the athlete testimonials I have read Hammer Nutrition makes some great products.

Only 8 days till Nashville!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Race for education 10k

Instead of getting a nice long Saturday run in today I decided to hit a local 10-k in Midway, Ky.
Since I can't remember the last time I ran a 10-k, it's mostly been jumps from 5k to half or marathon distance I thought it would be pretty fun.
We stared out with an awesome clear morning with some of the coldest temps we've had this fall.
The course started in downtown (see 1 block) Midway and proceeded out past some nice horse farms and rolling hills. I ran with a friend from work and planned on doing about a 9 mile pace. We were both surprised when our first mile was below 8 minute mile pace. I felt great and it seemed easy so we kept right around there for most of the race. Training in the hills of Frankfort I didn't find anything on the course that taxed me too much although there were certainly rolling hills.
At the halfway point I was still feeling a bit tight in my hamstrings from running 16 a day and half prior but was starting to loosen up. Heading for home it was a struggle not to kick it in too fast, especially when I knew I could catch a group of 3 0r 4 runners a quarter mile in front. My buddy thought I might have been picking it up a little too much and he may have been right. When I went back and looked at my splits we went from running an 8:15 mile from 3 to 4 and a 7:30 from 4-5. My bad, at this point I was smelling the barn so at mile 5 I decided to make a break with the goal of catching a girl who had passed me early. I caught her within probably 3/4 miles and ran with her to mile 6, when she looked over at me and said "you're gonna make me kick aren't you", to which I replied "sorry, I have to try" and took off.
In the end, I finished below 48 minutes which I'm sure is a PR for me at the distance. Turned out to be a great race and I wound up getting 3rd place in my age group which is always fun! I couldn't help but think about how much longer I would be going in two weeks in Nashville and how six miles will be approximately 1/8 of a 50 miler and usually the point I start getting warmed up.

So with my other couple of days in the week it looks like I am up to about 36 miles to end the week. Looking forward to a nice long run tomorrow after watching my wife compete in the tri-for-sight.

10-4 update...

Well,
I had a decent week in as far as mileage goes.
Still a bit tired due to the sickness thing but feeling better. Thankfully the temps have been dropping in Central Kentucky giving me hope for the upcoming ultras.
Monday night I was able to crank out 16 miles in 2.5 hours so I was pretty happy about that. My goal is to always run a half in under two hours and then go from there, on the road at least.
Finally started to feel like I had some energy in my legs and that I could go the distance.
Rested at work on Tuesday and wasn't able to get out on Wednesday due to family business. Thursday wasn't looking too optimistic either until I made myself go out the door at 8:30. Wound up being a beautiful evening in the 40's with almost no moon and lots of stars. Ran some pretty good hills before retreating to the quiet and no cars of a local park loop. Again was able to get in almost sixteen miles and still feel pretty good. Purposely ran the first couple of hours without added gel or fluids to prepare myself for that hungry feeling later on in the race.

As far as pace I read an interesting article that was linked from the Furnace 508 website the other day. The article talked about the misnomer associated with LSD, being the term for Long Slow Distance. The authors theory was that training (in his case cycling) at a very slow speed just trains your body to run very slowly. Instead, the author suggested looking at the term in terms of Long Steady Distance, or training at a pace that while below race pace is still making a steady effort.

That is kind of what I was experimenting with this past week in training and have found it to be pretty encouraging. Sometimes all those miles at a slow pace can just be discouraging. It made me feel pretty good to know that I could hit the road throughout the week with any kind of major preparation and run a half marathon close to my PR. After that distance which is pretty familiar I feel alot better about backing off the pace and enjoying the miles. By mixing up speed, terrain etc. I feel like my body is alot less likely to develop repetitive type injuries and my mind stays more alert. Thursday night I also ran with a mp3 player for the first time in years and found it pretty relaxing. I never like wearing headphones during the day when I have to deal with more cars etc. but to run at night in park I found it made the time go by much faster.

Next post, my recent 10-k experience.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Recent training and illnesses..

Well, admittedly I haven't been able to keep up with this blog as often as I thought I would. Just wanted to keep everyone up to date with how I've been doing and some of the setbacks I've been experiencing.
Ever since my duathlon I had a little bit of ankle pain which has mostly gone away now as well as some back pain probably associated with the bike.
Since then I have got in some pretty decent mileage, although the miles don't seem to be coming as easily as I would have hoped.
Last week I was able to get in ten miles on the road Monday night. Tuesday I took the opportunity to use the stair climber at the fire station for an hour. I have a theory that repeated use of the stair climber will help me to be successful in my upcoming race. I definitely noticed in Louisville's Lovin the Hills 50k that my legs, while adequately trained for the distance were in poor shape for the long, long time spent walking up steep inclines. My goal is to try and get in at least an hour of using the stair climber a week unless I am able to physically go climb stairs or travel somewhere that has significant inclines. I have dabbled with the idea of using weight vests in stair climbing since I have them available at the station, especially since my legs weren't really that tired the next day and did not seem fatigued. The nice thing about the stair climber is that it is very low impact compared to the hours of running I participate in. It will be interesting to see if it makes a noticeable difference. If nothing else maybe it will keep my legs in shape through the off season for cycling.
Wednesday was work and a rest day/ I have been pretty vigilant in trying to have a good, diet and take in multivitamins throughout this adventure, anticipating being immuno compromised due to the mileage. Lately, it seems that everyone around us has had a touch of the stomach flu, strep etc. which still makes me pretty nervous.
Thursday I was fortunate enough to be able to get out on the trails and get in 13 miles feeling pretty good and not that fatigued. Although much cooler than it has been I still found the sun to be pretty intense and surprised at the amount of salt evaporated on my skin at the finish. Fortunately my legs felt good and I suffered no cramping.
Friday I kind of hurt myself on the stair climber thing. Since Tuesday session seemed to easy with the intensity level set at 5 (out of 1-20) I decided to kick it up to ten. I knew right away this would be a more difficult ordeal. I distracted myself the first 30 minutes reading a magazine but the interval workout began taking it's toll and I was reduced to counting steps to try and make it through the fast parts of it. The relentlessness of it kicked my butt since I'm using to spending some time walking in my long runs. I got through it but afterwards felt dizzy and a bit nauseous. Running home, I felt a bit better and enjoyed my recovery drink and bath. As it turns out that evening I did get sick but not as severely as my wife the previous evening. I was able to eat dinner, go to bed and sleep through the night working the next day.
Unfortunately I was up most of the night and exhausted so took two rest days to try and recuperate.
The plan is to get out and run this evening and push for 15 miles.
Nashville is getting closer on the horizon so I would definitely like to get a 30 mile day in before I shoot for 50. Sounds like it should be a very low key race with only six registered for the 50 so far. Will be interesting to see how many show up. With six participants I may even get an award if I finish.
More to come....

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Bad to the Bone Race Report


Well, I made it through another event, one step closer to my 100 miler.

Had a blast at the Bad to the Bone, especially as it was my first Duathlon.

I was a little concerned that I would get sick coming up to the race since both my kids have been dealing with stomach viruses and I felt bad most of the day at work on Thursday. Fortunately I was able to go to bed at a decent hour and get some sleep.

After running four miles and getting a 30 mile ride in on Wednesday I felt in pretty good shape for the race.

Got up in plenty of time on Saturday and found that it was probably one of the coolest mornings we've had starting out in the upper 50's. I still struggle with eating a good breakfast on race day so downed some ensure and V-8. Drank a cup of coffee on the way up and ate a banana. I know I should be eating more/better but I had a hard enough time getting up at 5:30 and out the door.

Not knowing much about the course I debated about footwear pre-race and brought a couple of pairs of shoes. In the end I wore a pair of Inov-8 trail shoes that probably weren't the best idea. While the shoes were light and responsive they don't have nearly the support as my other trail shoes and road shoes. I'll get back to that later though.

Got to the race in plenty of time to get my race packet and walk back to the car. Spent most of the morning in a sweatshirt trying to stay warm and went back to get my gear. After getting my transition set up still had plenty of time so was able to wander around, go to the bathroom and get some pictures. Fortunately, a friend of mine from church was racing also and I was able to hand the camera off to his wife to get some shots of us which was kind of cool since I generally never get around to this or my wife is too busy with the kids to focus on waiting for me. Thanks to Kristin for the great shots!

While listening to the pre-race meeting I was hanging out at the back with a t-shirt and wasn't paying close attention. Almost immediately after the meeting the race started with little warning so that I had to go pitch my t-shirt with my stuff and play catch up from the start. Now I wasn't planning on hitting it too hard anyway since I've basically been doing no speed work but I still hated to be towards the back of the back. In a short run (5k) that initial burst can usually at least get you through a pretty fast mile I've found. Instead I wound up getting stuck behind several runners slower than myself when the race turned to single track. My shoe choice kind of caught with me also as my shoes, while responsive and light provided little protection to ankle roll since I hadn't been training in them regularly. I could feel it while running and was a little sore afterwards but no big deal. I laughed when I came around the corner just before the end of the run and a volunteer was calling out places. I was 70 out of 120. Oh well, I promised myself I would at least be in the top half of finishers so decided to make a goal out of pursuing on the bike.

Had a quick transition and felt great starting out on the bike. I had heard all these warning about the severity of two climbs shortly into the race so tried to pace myself early on. My goal was to pass 20 people so it definitely gave me a goal to shoot for and something to occupy my mind when I saw other riders up ahead. Going into the first of the "evil twins" I got some good information from a fellow racer who knew the course well. He told me that while the first climb was longer, be ready because the second twin was steeper. I found that much of my riding in town was easily as steep if not steeper but not quite as long. I dropped it down to my lowest gear and just tried to keep a decent cadence throughout the climbs. I probably passed another 5-6 people on the first climb which gave my confidence a big boost. The downhills were a bit scary as I'm usually not too aggressive. It made me a bit nervous when I had both the brakes engaged and was still doing 35 around the curves on an open road. The second climb was steep but didn't seem too bad and was over quickly. After this, mentally I was in a position to just try and push the pace, stay in my aeros as much as I could and reel people in. The last 15 miles were really beautiful especially the good bit of road that followed the river that was rolling, wide open and provided ample opportunity to pass.

The last five miles seemed long and had a pretty strong headwind. Still I was probably able to pass several other folks and came pretty close to my goal.

Coming off the bike I felt like I transitioned well and got back to the run. I was surprised at how heavy my legs felt, but did push it pretty hard (for me) on the bike. My other goal was to have a negative split on the second run which at first I thought would be impossible as heavy as my legs felt. My new goal was to run everything and not walk any of the hills. I think I was passed by one guy after I dropped a gel wrapper and went back to pick it up and wound up passing another 4 or 5 myself. To my surprise, after about ten minutes my legs felt much fresher and had some spring the closer I got to the finish. Imagine my surprise when I rounded the next to the last turn and was informed that I was now 31! I can't figure it out but somehow I moved up almost 40 places from the run to the finish. I finished strong and overall, felt like I had a great race. My buddy Chris came in shortly after and I was able to get several good photos of him coming in at the homestretch.

All in all, had a great day and learned a few tricks for next time.

Overall numbers as follows:

Run: 32:04

T1: 43.70

Bike: 1:25:31

T2: 1:02

Run 2: 30:59

Overall: 2:30:21.80

31st overall, 5th age group

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

50/50 Book Review

I just finished reading Dean Karnazes new book 50/50, Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days- and How You Too Can Achiever Super Endurance and thought I would post some comments.
I first want to start off by saying I have the utmost respect for Dean and his achievements and could only hope to complete the number of ultras he has done, and competitively at that. Deans, first book Ultramatathon Man was pretty encouraging and I enjoyed hearing about how Dean came to start running ultras and in particular his race report on the Western States 100. It seemed much more raw and had the passion of someone falling in love with a sport.
If 50/50 sounds kind of cheesy to you, well then you won't be surprised. I had known about Dean's endeavor to cover 50 miles in 50 days but didn't follow it too closely. It had actually been done before, but with much less hype and support.
While it was and still is an impressive feat by any means I felt that the book almost did it a disservice by seeming to imply that anyone could do it if they just have a go to attitude and decent bio-mechanics.
Aside from the fact that the book was written at what seemed like a 4th grade level, it just didn't seem very plausible. The book reads more like a middle school biography with helpful sidebars full of "The Deans List" and "Quicktakes". It reminded me of Stepehen Colberts satire I Am America, except that it wasn't a satire.
What kills me the most is that the book will be, and probably already is, a best seller, regardless of the fact that it was written with another author.
The other part that was really annoying was that the book read like a "The North Face" ad with liberal inclusions of products from shoes to windbreakers. The problem with disliking The North Face and thinking they are total sellouts because they clothe entire campuses of frat boys and girls, is that they have tremendous cash flow to sponsor real athletes and allow them to go on some amazing adventures and push the boundaries of the sports they represent. The annoying thing, as Dean points out is that often times, expeditions must be put on hold prior to TNF being able to fully market, merchandise, and as in his case develop entire product lines (TNF currently didn't have a road shoe market) around an event, talent, whatever.
To what degree Dean is actually writing is unclear but seems to rear it's head in some of the long winded soliloquy's accompanying various sections of the book, the most tiresome being his long description of running the Marine Corps Marathon.
Dean (or whoever) is at their best when they are simply writing race reports of the various races and showcasing some of the athletes who ran along with them.
Particularly disappointing and personal was Karnazes's terse and disparaging description of the Otter Creek Marathon in Muldraugh Kentucky. Having ran the particular marathon I had to laugh out loud at Karnaze's description:
"The Otter Creek Marathon is grueling under the best of circumstances. Another trail marathon, it combined a highly technical route with more than twenty-seven hundred feet of hill climbing. The path was tricky, mostly singletrack, with plenty of roots and trail debris - loose rocks, stumps, broken branches - strewn across it. The flat sections were few, the descents were treacherous, and the climbs were arduous. Worst of all, it had rained the previous night, and a steady drizzle continued to fall throughout our struggle to survive the course. As a result, the large slab rocks that dotted the trail were as slippery as sheets of ice."
This was in October, I ran the Otter Creek in December, in the mud and it rained 2-3 inches in the last 45 minutes of the race. It wasn't that bad. Karnaze's description sounds more like the hyperbole of Whymper than a die hard ultra runner who has completed probably all of the most challenging ultras in the country/world.
I look forward to seeing the race director of Otter Creek this weekend and seeing if he's had a chance to read the description of his race.
It was a fun read though and I can definitely see that it will encourage lots of folks to get outside and run and provide many helpful hints. I would still enjoy meeting and going for a run with Dean to see what he's like out from under TNF's thumb.

For a real intense race report I direct you to the following...

http://flyinbrianrobinson.blogspot.com/2008/04/barkley-2008-full-measure-of-fun.html

Enjoy!

Training to race, racing to train...

Over the past couple of days the discussion at our household has been around picking a pre-race to get in some good mileage prior to the Pinhoti. I've got a couple days off from work so was looking around trying to find a trail 50 a month or so out from Pinhoti. My 1st choice was the Iron Mountain in Damascus Va, but I've already signed my wife up for a triathlon in Lexington that weekend. I had also considered The Stumpjumper 50k in Chattanooga which is the day before her race but this plan also seemed suspect to her.

Next was the Tussey Mountainback in PA but this was both an 8 hour drive and my wife was not interested in heading north in October.

So it looks like we are settling on the inaugural Nashville Ultra Marathon and I'm going to take a shot at another 50 miler. The positives are that the race is relatively flat, has sections of grass, gravel and asphalt and should be easily crewed.

Last March I dropped down from signing up for a 50 miler at Land Between the Lakes to settling for a marathon. The conditions were cold, snowy, and later muddy but in the end I just don't think my head was into it. I was starting to have some knee pain around mile 20, which in retrospect was probably minor, my wife was there with both kids who were bored to tears being that there was two feet of snow, and not much to do in it with a one year old and two year old. I was also getting ready to go to Europe in a bout two weeks and fearful I would damage something prior to the trip.

Another factor was that I was pretty cavalier about the distance. I had completed a 50k (my first 50k) less than a month earlier so thought, "what's another 20 miles, this will be cake". I had also heard tons of stories about what nice weather the race usually has. So when Friday brought one of the worst blizzards to hit Central Kentucky and we were fortunate to make it to Grand Rivers I was already feeling a bit down. After running Otter Creek in the rain, and Lovin the Hills in the Snow and mud, I just wanted a decent dry race to run. Well obviously that wasn't the case and the result was I bailed well before I needed too.

So it's with those thoughts still fresh in my mind that I would like to complete a 50 miler prior to my 100 attempt. Aside from obviously boosting my confidence I feel it will be a great opportunity to fine tune gear, nutrition, crew strategies and the like, in the day time no less. If I successfully complete this race injury free I will feel really confident about going into a taper phase for the 3 weeks that will remain till Pinhoti.

My goal for this race will be that I will either finish within the allotted time (a generous 12 hours) or be pulled from the course, whichever comes first.

Also monetarily it's a pretty good deal and I should be able to line up a hotel that's close to the start finish so my wife can shuttle kids back to the hotel for pool time, naps, etc.

Too bad we don't have the dough to stay at Opryland!

9/17 training update

Over the past couple of days I've taken it pretty easy as far as training goes.
With sick kids being the main focus of my attention I've mostly been staying home cleaning, feeding, bathing and putting kids to bed.
Monday I took a rest day both because of the kids and because I was able to get some decent mileage in on Sunday evening.
Tuesday I got about 3.5 miles in on the treadmill doing some pretty challenging intervals and hill work. I had meant to get up early and get an hour or so in but that didn't materialize.
Today I did roll myself up out of bed albeit not as early as I intended and was able to get about 45 minutes in running in some pleasant cool weather. Still working to figure out comfortable ways to run with my headlamp. This morning I experimented using one of the ubiquitous "buffs" made famous by survivor. Mine is a souvenir from the Lovin the Hills 50k. I found that it made a nice comfortable headband to offset the headlamp strap. I really didn't need the headlamp this morning as I was mostly in the city with a few exceptions but just wanted to continue to get used to the feel of it.
Had training in the morning for work but was able to get out in the afternoon and ride 30 miles. I wanted to get in a last long hilly ride before this weekend and this one fit the bill. The main excitement, however, was outdistancing a chow heading towards me out of the corner of my eye with lightning fast speed and nefarious intent. Fortunately I was going downhill and able to blast by him before we crossed paths. After cars, dogs are definitely my number one concern when running and riding long distances. I had another encounter with a dog earlier in my ride but used my skills of perception to determine that his bark was just that and his friendly tail wag an indicator that he meant no harm. All in all, a beautiful afternoon with highs in the 70's. A refreshing break from the hot weather of the weekend.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

training 9/14

After taking a couple of rest days I was able to get about 12 miles in today. I think the speed work on the treadmill Thursday wore me out as my knees were a bit sore and I just felt tired. I was at work Friday so took it easy and Saturday didn't present too many options to train. We had massive windstorms throughout central Kentucky today so was without power for about six hours when a tree limb took out our neighbors power lines cutting power to the whole street.
After eating poorly the past two days I definitely felt like I at least needed to get out and give it an effort. My goal was two hours on the roads this evening and usual, felt pretty sluggish for about the first hour. Seems like I always feel bad the first 45 minutes to an hour of a run. Fortunately in that time the temperature also dropped about ten degrees and had some pleasant wind. Took a nice tour of some surrounding neighborhoods and finished with one of my favorite in town runs following a looping hilly, paved golf course for probably a mile or two loop before heading back.
I have been fortunate throughout my recent training to not have developed any shinsplints as I have had in the past. I attribute it mostly to consistency in training, mixing up my footwear, dedicated use of power step inserts and trying to get about half of my training in on trails. I definitely feel the tendency for my shins to flare up after a long road run and to a lesser extent, training on trails.
Last season I got a pair of the Zensah shin compression sleeves and used them religiously after long runs and they definitely seemed to help.
Shortly before I came home from my run got a call from the wife that my 20 month old son officially has the stomach flu so I came home, showered and went to the store for pedialyte.
Tomorrow I'll stay home, work on my paper and continue with my reading.
I'll try to post some thoughts on training, racing strategies that I've picked up from some of my readings as well as thoughts about my upcoming race this weekend.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Training 9/11

Feeling pretty fresh after yesterday's mix of trail and treadmill today I was able to pick it up a bit. After getting dropped last week fairly quickly on the group road bike ride I decided to make an effort to stay with the lead pack. Last night's ride was about 23 miles and I was able to stick with the leaders for probably the first 12 miles before getting dropped on the hills. The first half seemed pretty difficult for me averaging between 20-23 mph.

Afterwards came home with tired legs and ran about six miles of intervals on the treadmill up to about 7.5 minute miles. Seems like I always have the tendency to run faster than I should on the treadmill and it seems my knees have been a bit sore throughout the day. I definitely have noticed that my metabolism has been much higher with the interval sessions and have been eating quite a bit more.

Have been using accelerade throughout my long workouts with Endurox R4 for recovery drink afterwards. I definitely can tell a big difference in my energy level with accelerade versus standard gatorade that is more like a quick sugar burst. So far the Endurox seems to be working pretty well also. I did have crazy dreams the first night I used it so don't know if it was reaction to the ingredients or something else.

So for the week I've got pretty close to 35 miles running and 23 of riding, on the low end of my 30-50 mile goal. Just checked the Pinhoti site and am officially registered so the race seems closer every day.

Still am looking forward to racing Bad to the Bone Duathlon next week and hope to incorporate a double for the day, racing in the morning (3mi run 26 bike 3 mi run) and trying to get another ten in the evening. Much of what I have read in training for ultras mentions either doing back to back long runs or doubles for distances of 50 miles or more. This makes sense and for me I would prefer to do two a days since going back to work on sore legs is always in the back of my mind.

I will probaby take it easy tomorrow as I 'me looking forward to a full day of hanging out with my wife and kids, taking a class at church and taking the kids too gymnastics.

Depending on the weather I will probably try to get 3-4 hours in on Sunday.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Training

Last night was my first introduction to running at night, on the trails with a headlamp. I took advanatge of being able to get a quick hour run in with the purpose of running the transition from dusk to dark. Had a great time and was pleased to find that my headlamp worked well. I can see where running at night in a long race would be helpful in that your forced to run slower than what you normally would and walk any tricky sections. The only surprising thing for me last night was the speed at which spiders rebuild their webs in the evening and how reflective they are when you come upon them.

What a great experience to run with the deer and other critters. Amazing how in the midst of the city you can get a sense of exposure and wilderness by running in the dark. Also was surprised to find that I took a wrong turn on a trail that I have ran literally hundreds of time. These are all nuggets to put in the back of your mind when running an extremely long race. One of the anxieties I have about the race in Alabama is the amount of turns, intersections and potential to get lost on the course. Not being able to have the time to recon I will mostly be at the mercy of the race directors markings, although I do plan on getting some maps of the area ahead of time.

Went home and got about another hour of fast walking and tempo running on the treadmill so all in all was able to get probably nine miles in for the evening.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Training goals...

As I should be recovered from my long run on Sunday it is time to think about my goals from now until race day on November 8th. Currently my plan is to get in about 30-50 miles a week running 3-4 times a week. I'm nut much on speed work but will probably try and get a tempo run in midweek for leg turnover.

As far as long runs I plan on adding about an hour a week up until 3-4 weeks prior to the race and then taper down.

A month prior my plan if I can stick to it is to get a 12 hour night run in just to get a feel for being out all night. My ideal goal is to get 50 miles in on this run but will err towards the side of walking alot and trying to dial in hydration, food and energy.

I plan on using the days I'm at work for rest, crosstraining or some light weight, high rep strength training and core work.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Introduction

Just wanted to say hello to anyone who may find this site. It is my intention to begin updating this site regularly with thoughts on training, nutrition, and overall preparation for my up coming 100 miler. As this blog is part of a senior project I am working on at Murray State University in Western Kentucky I will do my best to make the site interesting and hopefully informative. I have been intending to create a site like this for sometime and look forward to having an excuse to go through with it.