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....
Monday, September 29, 2008
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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