Last week was my first week at 80 miles. I plan to hit 80 miles 12-15 times between now and the beginning of April. I've done 60 for extended periods before, but dispite the diminishing returns of running more and more miles, I strongly believe the extra 20 miles a week will help me run MUCH faster than currently. -Others have seen it when moving from 60 to 80 miles per week and so will I.
-my average week should look something like this:
Monday: run to/from work (15 miles for the day/15 miles total)
Tuesday: run to/from work, maybe some more with Sabrina (18 for the day/33 total)
Wednesday: decent warm up, 400-800 meter repeats, decent cool down (10+/43)
Thursday: 20 minutes running in the sauna before going out for a few miles (8/51)
Friday: off*
Saturday: 15, once a month some of these miles with come from a trail race -from 5k to 12k (15/66)
Sunday: whatever I need to run to close the week out at 80, hopefully not much to allow myself to recover from races when I do them (14/80)
*Most "serious" runners don't take too many days off, but I take one each week. It helps me stay hungry -nothing makes me wana run more than knowing that I can't. Also, taking one day off means I have only six days to run as much as most people spread over seven days, which makes my days bigger. So taking a day off means better training days AND better physical and mental recovery.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Stone House Triple Cross (8.6 miler)
I did the Triple cross on a whim the weekend after The Moab Trail Marathon. I needed something fast and an 8.6 miler on trail with six water crossings and a small mountain would be perfect coming off such a technical race. And since the course was at Bear Creek Lake Park, I knew exactly what to expect after racing there for the
With no time goal, the only plan I had was to take it easy on Mt. Carbon and to gain a little ground at each water crossing. I figured anyone faster than me at a 8.6 miler would be young, fast, road runners so the technical parts should help me some.
-breakfast
>half a sesame BumbleBar with peanut butter and virgin coconut oil, and some Tazo Awake tea with ginger
-pre-race
>a small mouthful of Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane (~20 calories)
Before the race I did about a mile build up before heading over to the one porta potty to wait my turn. After a few minutes I realized it wasn't gona happen, so I did the ultra runner thing to do and dipped into the woods to take care of my business.
I changed into my old, trashed pair of Nike Mayfly's and took a deep breath. -I hadn't done any fast training in more than a month and wasn't sure how recovered I would be from Moab the weekend before. Then the race started.
In the first half mile I realized that I was pretty overdressed in my Under Armour ColdGear and ditched it on the side of the trail. At about the one mile mark there was a tree fallen over the trail which made for a little added fun to that stretch: some people hurdled it, some ran around, and on the way back the guy in front of me walked over it causing me to run square into him. The water crossings were brisk to say the least. I knew they weren't gona be warm or anything but it's still crazy to me to feel just how cold these Colorado streams get. It's like running through ice water. By mile three the top twelve or so (myself included) had spread out and by mile four, after heading up Mt. Carbon, I could neither hear anyone behind me or see anyone in front of me. I hate being in this spot: No Man's Land, where you don't feel like you chasing or being chased by anyone. My legs were on fire, but I tried to hold pace and kept telling myself "-at least one or two of the guys up there are road runners -and the longest race they run is a 10k -just hold on until the last two miles and you'll pass a few." And I did.
As I came down Mt. Carbon I saw a duo that didn't look nearly as intimidating as they had three miles ago and I tried to pick up the pace a little. After bursting through the first water crossing I came right up behind one of them. Once he noticed me there his pace dropped about 30 seconds a mile, and I couldn't have been more grateful for it -I did not wana end up in No-Man's Land again if I could help it. I pushed this guy right up to the second water crossing where I passed him and put a few meters on him. He must have be demoralized by that a bit because he dropped off quick after that. But the second guy was only about 150 meters ahead at that point, so I still had chasing to do. And my legs started feeling really good. Again, the water crossing put me right on the guys shoulder and he picked up a bit when I got there. We threw it down a bit for a few hundred meters before we got to the tree fallen over the trail where I just about took him down when he stopped to walk over it. -I guess he was just spent..?
Either way, I passed one more guy just before the last half mile and finished in 8th place overall.
Normally, I'd like to think I'd place better at a race this short, but I felt like it went better than I could have hoped for having come off such a big race the weekend before.
It was a blast.
With no time goal, the only plan I had was to take it easy on Mt. Carbon and to gain a little ground at each water crossing. I figured anyone faster than me at a 8.6 miler would be young, fast, road runners so the technical parts should help me some.
-breakfast
>half a sesame BumbleBar with peanut butter and virgin coconut oil, and some Tazo Awake tea with ginger
-pre-race
>a small mouthful of Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane (~20 calories)
Before the race I did about a mile build up before heading over to the one porta potty to wait my turn. After a few minutes I realized it wasn't gona happen, so I did the ultra runner thing to do and dipped into the woods to take care of my business.
I changed into my old, trashed pair of Nike Mayfly's and took a deep breath. -I hadn't done any fast training in more than a month and wasn't sure how recovered I would be from Moab the weekend before. Then the race started.
In the first half mile I realized that I was pretty overdressed in my Under Armour ColdGear and ditched it on the side of the trail. At about the one mile mark there was a tree fallen over the trail which made for a little added fun to that stretch: some people hurdled it, some ran around, and on the way back the guy in front of me walked over it causing me to run square into him. The water crossings were brisk to say the least. I knew they weren't gona be warm or anything but it's still crazy to me to feel just how cold these Colorado streams get. It's like running through ice water. By mile three the top twelve or so (myself included) had spread out and by mile four, after heading up Mt. Carbon, I could neither hear anyone behind me or see anyone in front of me. I hate being in this spot: No Man's Land, where you don't feel like you chasing or being chased by anyone. My legs were on fire, but I tried to hold pace and kept telling myself "-at least one or two of the guys up there are road runners -and the longest race they run is a 10k -just hold on until the last two miles and you'll pass a few." And I did.
As I came down Mt. Carbon I saw a duo that didn't look nearly as intimidating as they had three miles ago and I tried to pick up the pace a little. After bursting through the first water crossing I came right up behind one of them. Once he noticed me there his pace dropped about 30 seconds a mile, and I couldn't have been more grateful for it -I did not wana end up in No-Man's Land again if I could help it. I pushed this guy right up to the second water crossing where I passed him and put a few meters on him. He must have be demoralized by that a bit because he dropped off quick after that. But the second guy was only about 150 meters ahead at that point, so I still had chasing to do. And my legs started feeling really good. Again, the water crossing put me right on the guys shoulder and he picked up a bit when I got there. We threw it down a bit for a few hundred meters before we got to the tree fallen over the trail where I just about took him down when he stopped to walk over it. -I guess he was just spent..?
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| this was taken during the Bear Chase Trail Race 50k (hence the walkers) but its the same creek crossings for both races |
Normally, I'd like to think I'd place better at a race this short, but I felt like it went better than I could have hoped for having come off such a big race the weekend before.
It was a blast.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
more pictures from The Moab Trail Marathon
I knew I'd find more...
I think the middle must have had too many water crossings for anyone to keep their cameras out.
-and the official results are up at: http://www.moabtrailmarathon.com/Results%20Moab%20Trail%20Marathon%2011-5-2011.pdf
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| the amount of rain made for some solid flooding and unplanned water crossings, near the first aid station |
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| you can barely make out the trail there but that was about half the climb from the canyon floor to the top of the mesa |
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| some canyonlands, the sections of sand on the trail gave me chance to catch a few great views -but only for a moment |
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| more canyonlands |
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| I can't stop wondering how it would have looked without all the rain and flodding |
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an example of some of the 'exposure' on the course, you can see why the race had a nice long waiver to sign at registration |
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wide open views are defnetly the best part about all the climbing before the half way mark |
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| one of the unique formations of the area: a "tower" of rock jutting straight up |
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| nice gentle trail.. with a steep drop just to the side of it |
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| even though I was barely jogging by this point, i thought about how fun it would be to try to run/climb up up one of those |
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| some parts of the course weren't even on trail, just 'follow the orange ribbon road' |
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| the open field that lead to the finish |
-and the official results are up at: http://www.moabtrailmarathon.com/Results%20Moab%20Trail%20Marathon%2011-5-2011.pdf
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Moab Trail Marathon
This was the most technical/dangerous race I've ever done by a long shot. And the fact that it rained for the 12 hours leading up to the start didn't help. A few sections of the course had more than a little 'exposure,' and one section went down about 700 feet in less than half a mile which meant dozens of 3-4 foot drops from slickrock onto slickrock and shuffling over soaking wet switchbacks. The few parts of the course that weren't rock or sand were so muddy that they might as well have been ice.
This post has taken me a while to get up because I didn't bring a camera during the race and I ended up with only a few mediocre pictures of my own. -all the pictures in this post were taken from other runners off facebook. I just might be posting more pictures as i find them.
The night before the race was spent in the back of my car listening to the rain. It started raining around 10pm and didn't let up until the race started.
My pre-race dinner was the usual bacon cheeseburger and a salad.
Breakfast was half a piece of Ezekiel sesame (sprouted grain) bread with peanut butter and virgin coconut oil, along with some Awake tea with Grapefruit Seed Extract and a piece of ginger.
I had a little nauseousness during the first five miles or so, but Vespa does that to me a bit so I wasn't
concerned and it passed quickly. After mile eight or nine, the course opened up to follow a wide, sandy track and lost some altitude giving me a chance to settle into a more controlled effort. I drank my first 10 ounces of water over the next few miles and enjoyed the view before the trail got technical again.
At roughly the two hour mark I took an S!Cap. From just before the three hour mark until just before the four hour mark I took a Strawberry Stinger gel, with another 10 ounces of water. Right after finishing most of it, I took another S!Cap and tried to keep drinking. During the last few miles (I had only a vague idea of how much was left) I took a mouthful of Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane for the amino acids, just to try to boost recovery, but it sat like a rock in my stomach so I left it at that and stuck to water until the end.
Other than the nauseousness during the first few miles, I had no major GI problems. But taking in a meager 120-130 calories and about 30 ounces of water is hardly a lot by almost anyone's standards but my own.
I finished 13th overall in 4:21. Nowhere near where I need to be. But for now, for this race, it'll do.
The course lead through tight squeezes and open rock ledges. There was a huge climb right in the middle that had virtually everyone walking. Parts of it had rappel lines that took you up and down sheer rock formations. The course seemed to drastically change every half hour...
It's hard to describe exactly what was so special about this race. It was the most hardcore trail running I've ever done.
I'm excited to go back next year for sure.
This post has taken me a while to get up because I didn't bring a camera during the race and I ended up with only a few mediocre pictures of my own. -all the pictures in this post were taken from other runners off facebook. I just might be posting more pictures as i find them.
The night before the race was spent in the back of my car listening to the rain. It started raining around 10pm and didn't let up until the race started.
My pre-race dinner was the usual bacon cheeseburger and a salad.
Breakfast was half a piece of Ezekiel sesame (sprouted grain) bread with peanut butter and virgin coconut oil, along with some Awake tea with Grapefruit Seed Extract and a piece of ginger.
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| The start of the race took us into Pritchett Canyon and through some beautiful, rolling, canyonlands |
concerned and it passed quickly. After mile eight or nine, the course opened up to follow a wide, sandy track and lost some altitude giving me a chance to settle into a more controlled effort. I drank my first 10 ounces of water over the next few miles and enjoyed the view before the trail got technical again.
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| open, soft, beautiful |
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| to the side of the trail I saw my first waterfall of the day |
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| the last part of soft trail for the rest of the day, excluding the slick muddy sections |
Other than the nauseousness during the first few miles, I had no major GI problems. But taking in a meager 120-130 calories and about 30 ounces of water is hardly a lot by almost anyone's standards but my own.
I finished 13th overall in 4:21. Nowhere near where I need to be. But for now, for this race, it'll do.
The course lead through tight squeezes and open rock ledges. There was a huge climb right in the middle that had virtually everyone walking. Parts of it had rappel lines that took you up and down sheer rock formations. The course seemed to drastically change every half hour...
It's hard to describe exactly what was so special about this race. It was the most hardcore trail running I've ever done.
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| gently heading back onto the course, down the hill by the finish line to get the last few miles |
Thursday, November 3, 2011
a few pictures from The Xterra Marathon of Trail Races
some pictures from Xterra
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| coming down from a snowy Cheyenne Mountain, with about 200 meters left in the race |
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| feelin dead after the race, running soaking wet in 32-35 degree weather is not a good way to conserve energy |
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| The day after I went to Deer Creek Canyon Park for some great barefoot hiking in the warmer weather. The sandy, cool, uneven trail felt amazing. |
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| getting some Colorado-cross-training (bouldering) the day after. I'm sure it helped file down some of the calluses on my bare feet |
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Thoughts going into The Moab Trail Marathon and beyond
This is going to be my last major race until until after the winter. I need a few months to focus solely on training.
For this race, I'm going to get my nutrition perfect. everything else is just icing on the cake. Over the 26.2 miles I'm going to take in 2-3 gels and atleast one electrolyte pill along with atleast 20 ounces of water. If i take all that in and don't have any stomach issues then the race was a success. Also, breaking four hours should be doable on this hard course if my nutrition is dialed in. We'll see what happens but it's gona be a blast.
I'm pleasantly surprised that my recent racing hasn't seemed to drain me at all. -I'm loving my running more than ever, and as the weather gets colder i can feel myself wanting to speed up, which is exactly the plan.
I'm going to run 80 miles during the last week of November and go up from there. By the end of March I should be close to 100 miles a week for a few weeks, and might end my winter training with 2 or three weeks at 100 depending on how i feel. At this point in my ultra career I have done a few good training weeks but I have yet to put in the months and months of consistent high mileage that it'll take to get me to the next level.
I'm going to run more than 80 miles a week (each week) for all of December, January, February, March, and April. 80-100 is hardly high mileage by ultra standards, but the consistency should make the difference and the plan isn't to do junk miles. Each week should have: a speedwork session with intervals of 400-800 meters, 20 miles at 5:50-6:30 pace (half marathon-marathon race pace) spread throughout my easy runs, and a 20 miler without any water or food.
By the time that May rolls around I'm gona be 1600+ miles faster and ready for a great summer racing season.
For this race, I'm going to get my nutrition perfect. everything else is just icing on the cake. Over the 26.2 miles I'm going to take in 2-3 gels and atleast one electrolyte pill along with atleast 20 ounces of water. If i take all that in and don't have any stomach issues then the race was a success. Also, breaking four hours should be doable on this hard course if my nutrition is dialed in. We'll see what happens but it's gona be a blast.
I'm pleasantly surprised that my recent racing hasn't seemed to drain me at all. -I'm loving my running more than ever, and as the weather gets colder i can feel myself wanting to speed up, which is exactly the plan.
I'm going to run 80 miles during the last week of November and go up from there. By the end of March I should be close to 100 miles a week for a few weeks, and might end my winter training with 2 or three weeks at 100 depending on how i feel. At this point in my ultra career I have done a few good training weeks but I have yet to put in the months and months of consistent high mileage that it'll take to get me to the next level.
I'm going to run more than 80 miles a week (each week) for all of December, January, February, March, and April. 80-100 is hardly high mileage by ultra standards, but the consistency should make the difference and the plan isn't to do junk miles. Each week should have: a speedwork session with intervals of 400-800 meters, 20 miles at 5:50-6:30 pace (half marathon-marathon race pace) spread throughout my easy runs, and a 20 miler without any water or food.
By the time that May rolls around I'm gona be 1600+ miles faster and ready for a great summer racing season.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certification
A short while back I decided to study and test for another certification to help both my career and my clients.
While I would strongly recommend NPTI (National Personal Training Institute) to anyone who can make it work, and I do believe it to be the best certification program for personal trainers, most people with jobs don't have four days per week to commit to education. Also, the $6000 price tag scares some people off. So for the average person looking to become a personal trainer, or just wanting to learn more about applied exercise science, I recommend NASM.
the online study program is second to none. after reading a chapter in the book, going online to watch the video clips about the material, then taking mini quizzes about what you learned, anyone can learn the information fully and in a short amount of time, no matter what kind of learner you are.
you can follow the new link on the side of my page to see the full details on how you can become a personal trainer (or a better one if you already are one).
-and if you've decided to get certified, do so through the link on the right side of my page to let NASM know that i sent you and to make sure you get the best deal.
While I would strongly recommend NPTI (National Personal Training Institute) to anyone who can make it work, and I do believe it to be the best certification program for personal trainers, most people with jobs don't have four days per week to commit to education. Also, the $6000 price tag scares some people off. So for the average person looking to become a personal trainer, or just wanting to learn more about applied exercise science, I recommend NASM.
the online study program is second to none. after reading a chapter in the book, going online to watch the video clips about the material, then taking mini quizzes about what you learned, anyone can learn the information fully and in a short amount of time, no matter what kind of learner you are.
you can follow the new link on the side of my page to see the full details on how you can become a personal trainer (or a better one if you already are one).
-and if you've decided to get certified, do so through the link on the right side of my page to let NASM know that i sent you and to make sure you get the best deal.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
400 meter repeats
i chose, on an impulse, to do something fast thursday night. after having such a great trail run the night before, i wanted a good, fast road run, and 400s are my favorite -i love um!
i don't feel that ultra- or trail marathon- runners have any reason to do conventional, track-style intervals (with a set period of non-active rest between them). since the ultra running motto is 'relentless forward movement,' why would you ever stop moving in a workout? -repeats for any runner who's event lasts longer than four hours should never stop or walk during workouts, period.
so the workout went down like this:
>800 meter WU(warm up)
>12X 400 meters slow: 400 meters at sub-5:20 pace
>2 mile CD (cool down)
-since I'm going to race a 1.4 mile halloween run at Clement Park Lake on the 28th, i did the workout entirely on the 1.4 mile loop that the race is going to be run on. breaking 8 minutes would be great in a costume...
-my Garmin 405 made this workout possible for me: its relentless beaps told me when to sprint and when to jog. i feel way better knowing that there isn't any human error in my workout.
i felt great with the effort and remembered fully why i love the short-lived pain that comes with fast running. looking forward to Moab, i should have the aerobic capacity to do very well, but that still seems far off
i don't feel that ultra- or trail marathon- runners have any reason to do conventional, track-style intervals (with a set period of non-active rest between them). since the ultra running motto is 'relentless forward movement,' why would you ever stop moving in a workout? -repeats for any runner who's event lasts longer than four hours should never stop or walk during workouts, period.
so the workout went down like this:
>800 meter WU(warm up)
>12X 400 meters slow: 400 meters at sub-5:20 pace
>2 mile CD (cool down)
-since I'm going to race a 1.4 mile halloween run at Clement Park Lake on the 28th, i did the workout entirely on the 1.4 mile loop that the race is going to be run on. breaking 8 minutes would be great in a costume...
-my Garmin 405 made this workout possible for me: its relentless beaps told me when to sprint and when to jog. i feel way better knowing that there isn't any human error in my workout.
i felt great with the effort and remembered fully why i love the short-lived pain that comes with fast running. looking forward to Moab, i should have the aerobic capacity to do very well, but that still seems far off
Friday, October 14, 2011
Purposefully Unprepared
this past wednesday i went out to Deer Creek Canyon Park with the almost-sub-conscious yearning to be on the trails at night without gear (headlamp, flashlight, etc).
since my junior year of high school, I've loved to nothingness that comes with runs on country roads at night. the endless roads, the cool and humid air, and the solitude. and also the occasional feelings of being watched/followed.
i set out just before 6:00 in the evening and headed toward the first peak. in the first 1.5 miles the trail goes more than 800 feet up before leveling off a bit for the next two miles, only gaining 400. that two mile section of the trail runs along the west side of the mountain and offers the best view of the Denver area that i know of. i watched as, building by building, Denver was covered by the shadow of the mountains.
the sun had set by the time i got the the top, but by making it over the peak i bought myself another 10'ish minutes of sunlight. i followed the Homesteader trail to the most remote part of the park: the Red Mesa Loop and the Golden Eagle Trail.
i could feel where the sun had been last as i ran through the western part of Red Mesa: the slight breeze was warm even after the sun had gone. after the finishing the 2.5 mile loop on Red Mesa (and more than 7 miles into the run), it was getting hard to see the trail in front of me, and the moon wasn't high enough to provide any significant light yet.
looking down at the Denver-metro area felt like i was in a plane over the city at night. if you've ever flown at night you know that its probly the most beautiful a city can ever look. -the lights defining each street and each neighborhood all glistening and displaying human kinds vast development/domestication of the land we live on. it was a strange feeling to realize that the lights and buildings i saw were providing a safety and security that i didn't have where i was. all those people were in their homes and surrounded by people while i was alone with the trail and nature. i felt like a deer looking out of the forest at a Super Target...
after a quick out-and-back up a small foothill(on Golden Eagle Trail), i started the journey back. by this point i couldn't see the trail right below me which made the trip back very unique to me. as i ran down the rocky hills my feet followed suit with my senses and seemed almost super-human as the adapted to the rugged, uneven rocks below them. i had reached a point where i was actually looking around more than i do during the day because trying to see the trail wasn't helping in the slightest anyway.
it was the most intimate moment I've ever had with a running surface. the trail seemed to reach up to me just as i reached down to it with each stride. despite how jagged the surface may be, my feet adapted to each step and took it like they've taken millions smooth, stable steps on the roads. the rest of the run back was spent entirely in my own head, enjoying every individual second of it for all that it's worth, knowing that runs like this are rare for me and non-existent for most...
i would put up with months of bad runs to get one run like this...
since my junior year of high school, I've loved to nothingness that comes with runs on country roads at night. the endless roads, the cool and humid air, and the solitude. and also the occasional feelings of being watched/followed.
i set out just before 6:00 in the evening and headed toward the first peak. in the first 1.5 miles the trail goes more than 800 feet up before leveling off a bit for the next two miles, only gaining 400. that two mile section of the trail runs along the west side of the mountain and offers the best view of the Denver area that i know of. i watched as, building by building, Denver was covered by the shadow of the mountains.
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| this one wasn't taken by me, but its right next to where i was as the sun was setting on Denver. |
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| again, not taken by me, but in the right spot: the Homesteader Trail |
looking down at the Denver-metro area felt like i was in a plane over the city at night. if you've ever flown at night you know that its probly the most beautiful a city can ever look. -the lights defining each street and each neighborhood all glistening and displaying human kinds vast development/domestication of the land we live on. it was a strange feeling to realize that the lights and buildings i saw were providing a safety and security that i didn't have where i was. all those people were in their homes and surrounded by people while i was alone with the trail and nature. i felt like a deer looking out of the forest at a Super Target...
after a quick out-and-back up a small foothill(on Golden Eagle Trail), i started the journey back. by this point i couldn't see the trail right below me which made the trip back very unique to me. as i ran down the rocky hills my feet followed suit with my senses and seemed almost super-human as the adapted to the rugged, uneven rocks below them. i had reached a point where i was actually looking around more than i do during the day because trying to see the trail wasn't helping in the slightest anyway.
it was the most intimate moment I've ever had with a running surface. the trail seemed to reach up to me just as i reached down to it with each stride. despite how jagged the surface may be, my feet adapted to each step and took it like they've taken millions smooth, stable steps on the roads. the rest of the run back was spent entirely in my own head, enjoying every individual second of it for all that it's worth, knowing that runs like this are rare for me and non-existent for most...
i would put up with months of bad runs to get one run like this...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Xterra Marathon of Trail Races
its hard to accurately determine how i did at this one since i was one of a small group that actually finished the full marathon...
i woke up (in Littleton) to rain, lots of it. on the drive to Colorado Springs it turned to freezing rain and then to snow. by the time i was 20 miles from home i was driving in 6+ inches of snow and could barely see the highway under me. thankfully there were almost no cars out because i was swerving from one side of the road to the other and the only thing keeping me from going straight off was the rumble strips... the one hour trip took almost two hours.
the sun was out enough to see by the time i got to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but it was raining pretty hard, 34 degrees (according to my car), and windy.
i have yet to bash any race too bad, but the organization at this one was mediocre to say the least. no one seemed to know where they were supposed to go, or even when exactly the race was going to start, and seriously: what kind of race director forgets pins... that's all I'm gona say because in the end of the day i enjoyed the race and would do it again.
the race itself went pretty horribly. i started with some fast people who were running the half marathon and felt comfortable enough until about the half-way point. the cold stopped me from drinking, which stopped me from takin in anything for most of the race.
the course lived up to the Xterra name for sure. plenty of rocky parts, some slick muddy parts, and solid climbing throughout. there were a few times where falling seemed certain and a couple of downhills where i almost ran right off the side of the trail. i felt mildly nostalgic about the fact that i had been dreaming about running on trails like this for my entire running life. the snow was coming down in big flakes and the trail was steep, slick, and rugged, and by the 15 mile mark snow had settled onto about every leaf in the park creating a perfect winter-in-the-mountains look. i was beginning to really feel it, but the realization that i had made it (and i was doing what I've been dreaming about for so long) kept me moving forward as my energy completely crashed.
being soaked and cold must have taken a lot out of me. even if the course was 28 miles like a few people have said, i still shouldn't have crashed like i did in the last quarter of the race.
i got chick'ed right at the end of the race, but she was nice enough to give me a gel and a stinger waffle which instantly gave me my legs back. i finished in 10th place overall... and looking at the results, they put me in the wrong age group: I'm not 20-24 yet... pictures if i ever get them...
this was a great race to go into Moab with. other than getting one hell of a training run in, this race made me realize that if I'm going to run as fast as I'd like to I'm going to have to take in way more calories. -it made me realize how little I've learned.
i woke up (in Littleton) to rain, lots of it. on the drive to Colorado Springs it turned to freezing rain and then to snow. by the time i was 20 miles from home i was driving in 6+ inches of snow and could barely see the highway under me. thankfully there were almost no cars out because i was swerving from one side of the road to the other and the only thing keeping me from going straight off was the rumble strips... the one hour trip took almost two hours.
the sun was out enough to see by the time i got to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but it was raining pretty hard, 34 degrees (according to my car), and windy.
i have yet to bash any race too bad, but the organization at this one was mediocre to say the least. no one seemed to know where they were supposed to go, or even when exactly the race was going to start, and seriously: what kind of race director forgets pins... that's all I'm gona say because in the end of the day i enjoyed the race and would do it again.
the race itself went pretty horribly. i started with some fast people who were running the half marathon and felt comfortable enough until about the half-way point. the cold stopped me from drinking, which stopped me from takin in anything for most of the race.
the course lived up to the Xterra name for sure. plenty of rocky parts, some slick muddy parts, and solid climbing throughout. there were a few times where falling seemed certain and a couple of downhills where i almost ran right off the side of the trail. i felt mildly nostalgic about the fact that i had been dreaming about running on trails like this for my entire running life. the snow was coming down in big flakes and the trail was steep, slick, and rugged, and by the 15 mile mark snow had settled onto about every leaf in the park creating a perfect winter-in-the-mountains look. i was beginning to really feel it, but the realization that i had made it (and i was doing what I've been dreaming about for so long) kept me moving forward as my energy completely crashed.
being soaked and cold must have taken a lot out of me. even if the course was 28 miles like a few people have said, i still shouldn't have crashed like i did in the last quarter of the race.
i got chick'ed right at the end of the race, but she was nice enough to give me a gel and a stinger waffle which instantly gave me my legs back. i finished in 10th place overall... and looking at the results, they put me in the wrong age group: I'm not 20-24 yet... pictures if i ever get them...
this was a great race to go into Moab with. other than getting one hell of a training run in, this race made me realize that if I'm going to run as fast as I'd like to I'm going to have to take in way more calories. -it made me realize how little I've learned.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
thoughts going into the Xterra Marathon of Trail Races
I'm extremely excited about the trail marathon this weekend! and with another rugged, trail marathon coming up on November 5th, this weekend will be a great chance to master my game-plan and develop myself as a trail runner.
as far as pre-race food goes, the plan is almost identical to my last few races, but during the race I'm trying something new to attempt to avoid gastric problems, and the crash i had at Bear Creek.
dinner: bacon cheese burger and a late salad, along with a lot of water
breakfast plan: strong awake tea with hemp milk and ginger, and one piece of Life Bread with organic, creamy peanut butter and virgin coconut oil
during the race:
-S!Caps (electrolyte pills) at around miles 5, 14, and 21
-half a caffeine pill at miles 10 and 20 (100 mg each)
-plain water or very diluted gatorade throughout*
I'll probly end up with well under 100 calories taken in during the race, for better or worse. my high-fat diet along with Vespa will stop me from burning through my glycogen too quickly, so energy shouldn't be a problem for marathon distance, even if it has more than 3000 feet of gain.. hopefully.
*I've never had a hydration goal, but I've also never taken in enough fluids, so this time the goal is to take in at least 60 ounces of water during the race. so i need to fill my bottle at three aid stations per lap and down it in between.
I'm not planning to go out too hard, but I'm also not going to leave anything left in the tank. I'd rather crash than feel like i wasted a race. plus, this one is 5 miles shorter than a 50k... my number one goal for this race is to get my hydration/electrolytes dialed in. if that happens, i should have a great day... i have no time goal, but a top-5 finish at a race like this would be a good step forward...
I'm planning on trying the pills and the pre-race meal during my run tomorrow. if that goes well, I'll be confident about race day.
as far as pre-race food goes, the plan is almost identical to my last few races, but during the race I'm trying something new to attempt to avoid gastric problems, and the crash i had at Bear Creek.
dinner: bacon cheese burger and a late salad, along with a lot of water
breakfast plan: strong awake tea with hemp milk and ginger, and one piece of Life Bread with organic, creamy peanut butter and virgin coconut oil
during the race:
-S!Caps (electrolyte pills) at around miles 5, 14, and 21
-half a caffeine pill at miles 10 and 20 (100 mg each)
-plain water or very diluted gatorade throughout*
I'll probly end up with well under 100 calories taken in during the race, for better or worse. my high-fat diet along with Vespa will stop me from burning through my glycogen too quickly, so energy shouldn't be a problem for marathon distance, even if it has more than 3000 feet of gain.. hopefully.
*I've never had a hydration goal, but I've also never taken in enough fluids, so this time the goal is to take in at least 60 ounces of water during the race. so i need to fill my bottle at three aid stations per lap and down it in between.
I'm not planning to go out too hard, but I'm also not going to leave anything left in the tank. I'd rather crash than feel like i wasted a race. plus, this one is 5 miles shorter than a 50k... my number one goal for this race is to get my hydration/electrolytes dialed in. if that happens, i should have a great day... i have no time goal, but a top-5 finish at a race like this would be a good step forward...
I'm planning on trying the pills and the pre-race meal during my run tomorrow. if that goes well, I'll be confident about race day.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Bear Chase Trail Race 50k
breakfast: 1 hemp waffle with butter (didn't eat all of it due to nerves), a half cup of strong Awake Tea with half cup hemp milk (forgot to add the ginger.)
pre race: sipped water, took Vespa Junior just under 30 mins before the start
the plan: go out hard and see what happens
the course: three loops one small (10k loop), and two big (12.5 mile loops) at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado
during the race i drank very diluted Ironman Perform (the sports drink offered at the aid stations) and slowly took a strawberry stinger gel from mile 19 until about mile 22, along with plain water. that's it.
pre race: sipped water, took Vespa Junior just under 30 mins before the start
the plan: go out hard and see what happens
the course: three loops one small (10k loop), and two big (12.5 mile loops) at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado
the start of the race was fast with three of us pushing for first, and we came through the first 10k in sub-40 minutes. i knew the pace was fast, but sub-20 minute pace for ten 5k's in a row without stopping (and on trails!) is not something I'm ready to do. so i let the duo go and slowed the pace to something that felt more reasonable. just past the 10k mark i made my first attempt to hydrate and was hit with cramps. i only in about two ounces of fluid in the first 8 miles. i knew i should take in more but my stomach wasn't gona have it after the fast start, so i kept on going and hoped for the best.
 |
| i have nothing but respect for that guy: he lead it from the start and set a great new course record |
i ran 100% of the first 20 miles, including an accent of Mt. Carbon and three water crossings, and didn't feel too bad, although the distance started to stretch out in front of me. after the second accent of Mt. Carbon(around mile 23 i think), i started to realize that walking was inevitable. there was a short, steep hill within a mile of the peak of Carbon and i planned to walk it, hoping that a few moments of walking would help me get my legs back. by that point i was starting to feel achy and just making it to the hill was a challenge. my race was starting to fall apart. after walking the small hill, i walked through each of the three final water crossings. by this point, my stomach felt like it could hold fluid, but i was miles from the next aid station and my ten-ounce water bottle had been empty for atleast a mile. after scooping some water from Bear Creek and bumming some off a nice 50-miler, i could feel how dehydrated i was.
the final six miles of the race had more walking than I'd care to talk discuss. i was in death march mode where even the downhills were miserable to run. my pace for mile 25-29 had to be slower than 18 minutes a mile, but i was atleast able to run it in during the last 2 miles or so and was still able to break five hours.
 |
| at the top of Mt. Carbon, great spot to drink in the view -since i couldn't drink anything else |
 |
| #1 for pictures of me in pain |
finishing in 17th place would discourage me, but a time of 4:50 with a crash like i had is great. i should be able to do a four hour 50k on a similar course in the next 6 months-1 year. this race also let me know that as long as recovery goes well between now and October 8th (Xterra), I'm ready for a really good trail marathon. had i not crashed like i did, i would have run a sub-4:15 50k, so once i dial in my hydration I'm certain that i can break four hours for a moderately difficult 50k.
looking forward, I'm excited to hopefully (depending on finances) be racing a few more trail marathons before winter comes. -hopefully i can master my race hydration over the course of the next 2 months.
 |
| not as fast as I'd like to be yet, but it's a work in progress |
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
going into the Bear Chase Trail Race
two weeks before race day i did my second "low*" 20 miler in the morning and another 11miles later in the day. the next morning i did 11 on some trails that should be much more rugged than what i hit on race-day.
a week before race day, i ran a 16:44 barefoot 5k, so my aerobic capacity is pretty solid.
ive been sauna training consistanly 2+ times per week for the last month, so im hoping for some higher temps in the last hour or so to help me hold whatever place i end up with.
*Low: heavy, no-carb breakfast, no caffiene, nothing during the run (no gatorade, no water, no gu)
thats about everything for this one. im looking to be competitive at this one and im not sure what that means yet, but a top-10 finish would be great. the plan is to go out fast and see what happens...
a week before race day, i ran a 16:44 barefoot 5k, so my aerobic capacity is pretty solid.
ive been sauna training consistanly 2+ times per week for the last month, so im hoping for some higher temps in the last hour or so to help me hold whatever place i end up with.
*Low: heavy, no-carb breakfast, no caffiene, nothing during the run (no gatorade, no water, no gu)
thats about everything for this one. im looking to be competitive at this one and im not sure what that means yet, but a top-10 finish would be great. the plan is to go out fast and see what happens...
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Merrell Naked Foot 5k
I made a last minute decision to do the Merrell Naked Foot 5k this morning. The physiological benefits of running hard a week before race day(Bear Chase 50k) are limited to shocking the crap out of my nervous system, but that's all i wanted. So I even did a hard, fast, speed session two nights before race day, which was the first speedwork I've done in months and it left me a little sore this morning.
That being said, I've won quite a few 5k's, and a win would give me some great mental momentum to go into the 50k with...
After a fun course and a thorn(or somethin!) in my left arch I finished in second place by 10 seconds or less. I started behind a group of people who were running quite a bit slower than me causing me to lose about 15 meters on the guy in first, and I never made up the ground. I figured I'd catch him in the last half mile, but the race ended sooner than I expected and I barely hard time to kick.
The biggest thing that bothered me about today was that the only person that beat me needed shoes to do it. If I won money ($110 Merrill gift card)at a race where the theme was barefooting but i had to wear shoes to do it, I'd feel awful. Thats all I'm gona say about it.
And the bottom line is that i ran a 16:44 after not doing any speedwork, other than the one session that I'm still sore from two days ago. coming off of a few big, slow, trail-filled weeks (80 and 100 miles) to run a sub 17 minute 5k on tight legs is incredible for me, and to do it without shoes is even better.
Going into the Bear Chase Trail Race 50k, i should be ready for the distance(after two "low" 20 miler runs, a 100 mile week, and a 31 mile day), and after today i know I'm ready for the speed. Now its just up to the nutrition.
That being said, I've won quite a few 5k's, and a win would give me some great mental momentum to go into the 50k with...
After a fun course and a thorn(or somethin!) in my left arch I finished in second place by 10 seconds or less. I started behind a group of people who were running quite a bit slower than me causing me to lose about 15 meters on the guy in first, and I never made up the ground. I figured I'd catch him in the last half mile, but the race ended sooner than I expected and I barely hard time to kick.
The biggest thing that bothered me about today was that the only person that beat me needed shoes to do it. If I won money ($110 Merrill gift card)at a race where the theme was barefooting but i had to wear shoes to do it, I'd feel awful. Thats all I'm gona say about it.
And the bottom line is that i ran a 16:44 after not doing any speedwork, other than the one session that I'm still sore from two days ago. coming off of a few big, slow, trail-filled weeks (80 and 100 miles) to run a sub 17 minute 5k on tight legs is incredible for me, and to do it without shoes is even better.
Going into the Bear Chase Trail Race 50k, i should be ready for the distance(after two "low" 20 miler runs, a 100 mile week, and a 31 mile day), and after today i know I'm ready for the speed. Now its just up to the nutrition.
my roots/ the inspiration to move to colorado (pt 2)
At the 2009 Gobbler Hobbler 10k in Oswego, IL, a guy came up to me and two of my friends and asked about our school's running program. He was interested in a coaching job and we had a decent amount of Oswego East gear on at the time. He didn't even give me his name, but he told me to send him some info regarding becoming our coach. i had never had a coach that i felt was passionate about the sport, but this guy seemed so full of energy and excited to be running that i was determined to get him to coach me.
long story short, it wasn't hard to figure out who he was after looking at the results and finding the only 30-something year old in the top-10, and it was even easier find basic info on who this guy was when i searched his name online. The guy was Zach Gingerich, and all i could really tell about him was that he was an ultra runner, but that was plenty to get me excited. I sent a letter to the address i found for him as fast as i could.
A few weeks later, Coach Wilson (my head track coach) told me that he had been contacted by Zach about coaching us, but that he couldn't make it to East until 4:30 because of his job... There goes another season without a real coach...
The more i searched, the more i found about Zach: this guy wasn't just running further than anyone I'd ever met -he was winning! i couldn't believe that someone like this had just dropped into my lap! -this was someone who was doing what i wanted to do! And felt i needed his advice if i wanted get where he was...
thankfully, i got a letter back from Zach a few weeks later letting me know that he wasn't gona be able to coach me officially, but that any questions i had, he would help me with(I'm not sure if he really thought that I'd take him up on that offer). After 6 months or so, i had graduated high school and was in the process of getting certified at NPTI(National Personal Training Institute) Lisle, and training for a marathon. With four runs of 20 miles or more coming up, i asked Zach if he be down to run one of them with me, and he was. Then, a few days before my 21 miler with him, i was running with another local running figure, Andy Remley(a coach at Benedictine University), when Andy told me that Zach had won Badwater. Suddenly 21 miles didn't seem like enough time to get all my questions answered!
The details of the run, along with any exact quote from Zach, cant be put online, but in summary: i learned more about real running that day than i had in the rest of my life up to that point. I had never met anyone like him. He is so nice and down to earth, and he was incredibly patient as i bombarded him with questions. I had expected him to be a student of the sport like i was, but he wasn't the slightest bit interested in the studies that i pour over day after day. i couldn't accept that someone who spent so much time running wouldn't be interested in whats going on in their body while they do it.
either way, my mind was blown.
Less than 3 months after that, Zach emailed me a list of upcoming ultras that would be worth thinking about and one of them seemed perfect. So on December 18th, 2010, i ran my first ultra: the Huff 50k (which was actually 33 miles, but still a short ultra). But using the word "ran" to describe what i did that day is almost completely a lie. The race was on trail and in 3-6 inches of snow. miles one through 11 were easy enough, but i ran every hill and didn't eat or drink anything. so by the middle 11 i had started walking all the steep hills, and by the start of the last third i was having trouble just leaving the comfort of aid stations and running seemed like a hopeless fantasy...
After getting my ass kicked and feeling hopeless for another 3 hours or so, i crossed the finish line in 6:15 -and i had already decided to do another ultra as soon as my body would let me. i had "caught the bug." -I've raced beyond marathon distance 3 times since then and recently even done a training day at 31 miles.
As i learned more about ultra running and met more people who did it, i quickly realized that Illinois wasn't the greatest place to be if i wanted to get serious about it (not like that was surprising). If i wanted a good shot at becoming the best, statistically, i should move to Colorado.
So in July, i packed my life into my Chevy Blazer and started driving west.
"All our dreams can come true…if we have the courage to pursue them." -Walt Disney
long story short, it wasn't hard to figure out who he was after looking at the results and finding the only 30-something year old in the top-10, and it was even easier find basic info on who this guy was when i searched his name online. The guy was Zach Gingerich, and all i could really tell about him was that he was an ultra runner, but that was plenty to get me excited. I sent a letter to the address i found for him as fast as i could.
A few weeks later, Coach Wilson (my head track coach) told me that he had been contacted by Zach about coaching us, but that he couldn't make it to East until 4:30 because of his job... There goes another season without a real coach...
The more i searched, the more i found about Zach: this guy wasn't just running further than anyone I'd ever met -he was winning! i couldn't believe that someone like this had just dropped into my lap! -this was someone who was doing what i wanted to do! And felt i needed his advice if i wanted get where he was...
thankfully, i got a letter back from Zach a few weeks later letting me know that he wasn't gona be able to coach me officially, but that any questions i had, he would help me with(I'm not sure if he really thought that I'd take him up on that offer). After 6 months or so, i had graduated high school and was in the process of getting certified at NPTI(National Personal Training Institute) Lisle, and training for a marathon. With four runs of 20 miles or more coming up, i asked Zach if he be down to run one of them with me, and he was. Then, a few days before my 21 miler with him, i was running with another local running figure, Andy Remley(a coach at Benedictine University), when Andy told me that Zach had won Badwater. Suddenly 21 miles didn't seem like enough time to get all my questions answered!
The details of the run, along with any exact quote from Zach, cant be put online, but in summary: i learned more about real running that day than i had in the rest of my life up to that point. I had never met anyone like him. He is so nice and down to earth, and he was incredibly patient as i bombarded him with questions. I had expected him to be a student of the sport like i was, but he wasn't the slightest bit interested in the studies that i pour over day after day. i couldn't accept that someone who spent so much time running wouldn't be interested in whats going on in their body while they do it.
either way, my mind was blown.
Less than 3 months after that, Zach emailed me a list of upcoming ultras that would be worth thinking about and one of them seemed perfect. So on December 18th, 2010, i ran my first ultra: the Huff 50k (which was actually 33 miles, but still a short ultra). But using the word "ran" to describe what i did that day is almost completely a lie. The race was on trail and in 3-6 inches of snow. miles one through 11 were easy enough, but i ran every hill and didn't eat or drink anything. so by the middle 11 i had started walking all the steep hills, and by the start of the last third i was having trouble just leaving the comfort of aid stations and running seemed like a hopeless fantasy...
After getting my ass kicked and feeling hopeless for another 3 hours or so, i crossed the finish line in 6:15 -and i had already decided to do another ultra as soon as my body would let me. i had "caught the bug." -I've raced beyond marathon distance 3 times since then and recently even done a training day at 31 miles.
As i learned more about ultra running and met more people who did it, i quickly realized that Illinois wasn't the greatest place to be if i wanted to get serious about it (not like that was surprising). If i wanted a good shot at becoming the best, statistically, i should move to Colorado.
So in July, i packed my life into my Chevy Blazer and started driving west.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
my roots/ the inspiration to move to colorado (pt1)
when i moved to Illinois(as a 6th grader) i had no plans to run whatsoever. the summer after 8th grade my best friend's mother suggested that the two of us join the cross country team and, since i was still considering West Point at the time, it seemed like a solid enough idea. i hadnt run for the sake of running since grade school when i ran cross country(1 mile races i think), but i have always admired the relentless effort involved in any endurance sport, even when i was very young.
i still remember the first day of practice, a few weeks before school started. it was hot, Illinois-hot, like 90 degrees and 75% humidity or worse. and the workout was an 'easy distance' run: a five miler on the country roads near Oswego East High School (ive since run the route about a billions times and i no know that its barely over 4 miles). as the run started, i stuck with the upperclassmen (the school was too new to have a senior class, but we atleast had juniors) on the way out. its not that i was intentionally trying to prove anything, i just felt like if they could do it then so could i -trained or not.
the run itself was fine, except the fact that i felt like we were running into the middle of nowhere. "if the older guys leave me i probly wont make it back to the school and ill have to spend a few days in middle-of-nowhere Illinois with the corn."
while i wasnt the first person back, and while i definitely didnt want any more miles for the day, the seed was planted: the glow of satisfaction i had knowing that i had done a "real distance run" of 5 miles (ignore the fact that it was closer to 4 -i didnt know so i still felt good!) was something that made me excited to get back a few days later to get back at it.
so many new feelings, and i loved it. something just clicked that day, but that was only the first step.
during the next two years, learned that not only can i run pretty much indefinitely, but i noticed that i could actually push hard that just a jog -i found my gears. i began to love, not just survive, 400 meter and hill repeats. the pure effort and soul of distance running got me looking deeper and deeper into myself to try to figure out what was slowing me down, why couldnt i just sprint forever? what stopped me? what was i afraid of?
on a spiritual level, i felt it was impossible to answer those questions for sure, but if i could learn what my body was going through, then i could atleast understand on a physiological level, whats holding me back. and hopefully over time, i could apply what i learn to break out and train my body to run effortlessly forever.
from that pursuit (involving 50 or more books about runners, physiology, biology, and psychology's effect on the body), i also found my career calling. i realised that one of the best things about running is setting and achieving goals. doing something today that was "impossible" a few months ago is one of the best feelings in the world. what if i could get that feeling for other people? how great would it be to help someone else achieve something thats "impossible" for them? -after high school i went to the National Personal Training Institute(NPTI) in Lisle, Illinois to get certified to become a personal trainer.
during the time between fall sophomore year and the start of my junior year i found out how far i could go. i did my first (measured)8 mile run, then my first 10 miler, then my first half-marathon-distance(13.1) run, then on a random tuesday in the summer i did 15. i realised that while people might be faster than me genetically(more type I muscle fibers, higher VO2 max, etc), i could probly outlast anyone if we went long enough.
by senior year i had found out that there were other people that thought like me: ultra runners. it had never occurred to me that people would/could do just what i wanted to do. -there were people out there that ran for hundreds of miles and for more than 24 hours at a time. and in november 2009 i met one that helped me develop not only my training program, but who i am as a runner and a person.
...more in a few days, along with some pictures of my new training grounds...
i still remember the first day of practice, a few weeks before school started. it was hot, Illinois-hot, like 90 degrees and 75% humidity or worse. and the workout was an 'easy distance' run: a five miler on the country roads near Oswego East High School (ive since run the route about a billions times and i no know that its barely over 4 miles). as the run started, i stuck with the upperclassmen (the school was too new to have a senior class, but we atleast had juniors) on the way out. its not that i was intentionally trying to prove anything, i just felt like if they could do it then so could i -trained or not.
the run itself was fine, except the fact that i felt like we were running into the middle of nowhere. "if the older guys leave me i probly wont make it back to the school and ill have to spend a few days in middle-of-nowhere Illinois with the corn."
while i wasnt the first person back, and while i definitely didnt want any more miles for the day, the seed was planted: the glow of satisfaction i had knowing that i had done a "real distance run" of 5 miles (ignore the fact that it was closer to 4 -i didnt know so i still felt good!) was something that made me excited to get back a few days later to get back at it.
so many new feelings, and i loved it. something just clicked that day, but that was only the first step.
during the next two years, learned that not only can i run pretty much indefinitely, but i noticed that i could actually push hard that just a jog -i found my gears. i began to love, not just survive, 400 meter and hill repeats. the pure effort and soul of distance running got me looking deeper and deeper into myself to try to figure out what was slowing me down, why couldnt i just sprint forever? what stopped me? what was i afraid of?
on a spiritual level, i felt it was impossible to answer those questions for sure, but if i could learn what my body was going through, then i could atleast understand on a physiological level, whats holding me back. and hopefully over time, i could apply what i learn to break out and train my body to run effortlessly forever.
from that pursuit (involving 50 or more books about runners, physiology, biology, and psychology's effect on the body), i also found my career calling. i realised that one of the best things about running is setting and achieving goals. doing something today that was "impossible" a few months ago is one of the best feelings in the world. what if i could get that feeling for other people? how great would it be to help someone else achieve something thats "impossible" for them? -after high school i went to the National Personal Training Institute(NPTI) in Lisle, Illinois to get certified to become a personal trainer.
during the time between fall sophomore year and the start of my junior year i found out how far i could go. i did my first (measured)8 mile run, then my first 10 miler, then my first half-marathon-distance(13.1) run, then on a random tuesday in the summer i did 15. i realised that while people might be faster than me genetically(more type I muscle fibers, higher VO2 max, etc), i could probly outlast anyone if we went long enough.
by senior year i had found out that there were other people that thought like me: ultra runners. it had never occurred to me that people would/could do just what i wanted to do. -there were people out there that ran for hundreds of miles and for more than 24 hours at a time. and in november 2009 i met one that helped me develop not only my training program, but who i am as a runner and a person.
...more in a few days, along with some pictures of my new training grounds...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sunburn 6 Hour, my first ultra win
i did it. my first win in a race beyond 10k, and it was an ultra.
last winter i ran the Windburn 6 Hour and last weekend i ran the Sunburn 6 Hour, both races are held at the same location and are run (very well) by the same guy. my only real goal going into the race was to run the whole time and break the 50k mark. and since my longest training run leading up to the event was about 90 minutes, i figured nutrition was gona make the difference. i wanted to try a slightly modified pre-race dinner/breakfast plan to see if it would help and heres how it unfolded:
theres always some snacking between, but this is most of it
-late lunch the day before:
>bacon cheese burger (both from Dairy Hut, an Oswego, IL classic!)
>reese's cup mixer
-dinner:
>poppyseed fruit with chicken salad, from portillos
-and for race day (this list includes everything)
-breakfast (about an hour before start time)
>1 brazil nut, 1 cashew, 3 almonds
>plain water
-race
>Vespa Junior 5 mins before the start
>12ish ounces of fluid each loop*
>1 vanilla bean GU a bit after the half way point
-afterward
>tried to eat, but wasnt too hungry, maybe it was the Vespas fault... picked at the amazing buffet of ultra running fuel (BBQ and baked goods!)
*possibly the most important thing that kept my energy level up was the fact that i didnt allow my blood sugar to rise too much. i transitioned from water to gatorade over more than 5 loops. so it looked about like this:
loop 1-3: 4 ounces of water as i went through the aid station
loop 4: about 10 ounces plain water
loop 5: 12 ounces fluid, about 10% gatorade/ 90% plain water
loop 6: 12 ounces fluid, about 30% gatorade
loop 7: 12 ounces, about 50% gatorade
and so on until i would have been drinking 100% gatorade, which was around loop 9. instead of that i took the GU and moved back down to plain water, to try to avoid any excessive rise in blood sugar, but also to avoid any stomach problems. after the loop where i took the GU, i repeated the process of slowly mixing more and more gatorade in with my water each loop until the end.
there was a guy ahead of me until the last hour or so, until he had to stop due to heat related problems. and while i hate to see anyone have a bad race, it gives me confidence that my system works when i can outlast people, especially in the heat.. -i really, really hate the heat
was it a big race? no. but a win is a win, and im grateful for it.
plus i got a picture with James -the tradition for the people who cover the most ground at these events. ill have to try to come back some day and get another photo shoot with him
last winter i ran the Windburn 6 Hour and last weekend i ran the Sunburn 6 Hour, both races are held at the same location and are run (very well) by the same guy. my only real goal going into the race was to run the whole time and break the 50k mark. and since my longest training run leading up to the event was about 90 minutes, i figured nutrition was gona make the difference. i wanted to try a slightly modified pre-race dinner/breakfast plan to see if it would help and heres how it unfolded:
theres always some snacking between, but this is most of it
-late lunch the day before:
>bacon cheese burger (both from Dairy Hut, an Oswego, IL classic!)
>reese's cup mixer
-dinner:
>poppyseed fruit with chicken salad, from portillos
-and for race day (this list includes everything)
-breakfast (about an hour before start time)
>1 brazil nut, 1 cashew, 3 almonds
>plain water
-race
>Vespa Junior 5 mins before the start
>12ish ounces of fluid each loop*
>1 vanilla bean GU a bit after the half way point
-afterward
>tried to eat, but wasnt too hungry, maybe it was the Vespas fault... picked at the amazing buffet of ultra running fuel (BBQ and baked goods!)
*possibly the most important thing that kept my energy level up was the fact that i didnt allow my blood sugar to rise too much. i transitioned from water to gatorade over more than 5 loops. so it looked about like this:
loop 1-3: 4 ounces of water as i went through the aid station
loop 4: about 10 ounces plain water
loop 5: 12 ounces fluid, about 10% gatorade/ 90% plain water
loop 6: 12 ounces fluid, about 30% gatorade
loop 7: 12 ounces, about 50% gatorade
and so on until i would have been drinking 100% gatorade, which was around loop 9. instead of that i took the GU and moved back down to plain water, to try to avoid any excessive rise in blood sugar, but also to avoid any stomach problems. after the loop where i took the GU, i repeated the process of slowly mixing more and more gatorade in with my water each loop until the end.
there was a guy ahead of me until the last hour or so, until he had to stop due to heat related problems. and while i hate to see anyone have a bad race, it gives me confidence that my system works when i can outlast people, especially in the heat.. -i really, really hate the heat
 |
| me with the female winner |
plus i got a picture with James -the tradition for the people who cover the most ground at these events. ill have to try to come back some day and get another photo shoot with him
Monday, June 27, 2011
anabolic work to keep my meat-head hormones flowin
just a quick recovery workout before i hit another few days of high'ish mileage.
>1-3 mile WU
>KBS (kettlebell swings w/55lbs) & pullups: 20-15-10-5.*
>1 mile CD
*so 20 KBS, then 20 pullups, then 15 KBS, 15 pullups, etc... as fast as possible -so really fast
as i face another high mileage week, im taking today go low-mileage and high intensity in order to stay healthy and happy during the second part of this week.. 60 miles last week, 60 this week, 70 next week. who knows after that, thats what makes it exciting
>1-3 mile WU
>KBS (kettlebell swings w/55lbs) & pullups: 20-15-10-5.*
>1 mile CD
*so 20 KBS, then 20 pullups, then 15 KBS, 15 pullups, etc... as fast as possible -so really fast
as i face another high mileage week, im taking today go low-mileage and high intensity in order to stay healthy and happy during the second part of this week.. 60 miles last week, 60 this week, 70 next week. who knows after that, thats what makes it exciting
pre-workout meals
 |
| for an average, untalented person to run past the 15 mile mark and still hit 7-8 minute miles on hilly trails, nutrition starts to matter even more. -this is me at mile 16 during the CRUD 8-hour relay. due to the faster paces during a relay, carbs can deplete even sooner. |
the old school runners will tell you that when you hit the wall you have to slow down because your body has to switch to fat as its primary fuel source. however, if you could burn more fat (and therefore less glucose) from the start of the race/run, then youd never hit the wall in the first place.*
during training this is just as important. starting each workout with a stable blood sugar will help your body learn to metabolize fat faster.
so pre-workout meals need to be well-rounded with plenty of fat and protein along with carbohydrates. your stomach will need time to get used to eating like this and you will have to wait longer after the meal to workout/run, but your blood sugar will be under control and your energy levels will be much more stable.
a sample meal, 2 or 3 hours before a workout:
>12-16 ounces water
>mixed raw nuts (brazils, cashews, and almonds. my trifecta)
>meat raviolis with tomato sauce and pesto
then a bit more water (only if your thirsty) leading up to the workout
*another thing to note (in case you have a mild interest in some brief science)is that your body cannot be anabolic and catabolic at the same time. in plain english: you cant store energy and use it at the same time, your body wont let you. so if your blood sugar gets really high before a workout, it releases insulin to stop you from getting too hyperglycemic and causing brain damage. once insulin is present, its impossible to burn fat because your body is trying to store it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Good Advice
someone i look up to quite a bit told me that the best way to get good at ultra running is to stop talking/blogging about running and actually run.
for the past three weeks ive taken that advice.
Week 26:
this weekend marks the halfway point of this year. i still have to think about it to avoid writing "2010" as the date and 2011 is half way gone.
for the first half of this year ive focused solely on the quality of my workouts, and as a result have averaged just under 30 miles per week. however, during that time i managed to run 2 races past marathon distance and soundly break 1:30 in the half marathon on two different occasions (and with less-than-perfect conditions). also, ive had no major injuries to speak of, and my body has never felt so strong. possibly most important of all is the fact that ive been dreaming of getting back to high mileage.
when every workout is high intensity, even running in the sauna has become something to look forward to -simply because i dont have to maintain a certain pace. so the idea of just 'going for a run' sounds amazing. and since my intensity was through the roof, ive made a very quick and easy return to real running: going from 30 easy miles (to recover) during week 23 to 40 miles in week 24, then to 50 in week 25, and now to 60 in week 26.
conventional wisdom says that doubling your weekly miles in three weeks after months at low mileage is insane and will get you injured, but the science says otherwise. and so do i. marathoners and ultra runners alike feel like complete garbage when theyre building base miles because theyre pushing how far there legs and metabolism can go day after day, week after week. once you settle into 50 or 60 (or 200) miles a week for a while, you start to feel better. but what if you could start high mileage training directly after your low mileage weeks with minimal delay and not get hurt/injured? -you would feel great since youre body (and mind) isnt used up by months of building... -thats what ive done.
by getting my lungs and legs as strong as possible with intervals and lifting, i think ive managed to do something that runners everywhere strive for: the ability to run high mile weeks while loving every minute of it, and without feeling drained in the slightest. plus the chances of getting injured are greatly reduced by the fact that my anabolic hormone levels (no i didnt get a blood test; im going by feel and recovery time from workouts) arent out of whack like 90+% of the distance running community.*
im still planning to resistance train two to three times a week to maintain as much power as i can in my legs (and im also training my core so i can front lever again), but the main focus for the second half of this year is to talk about running a bit less and actually run a bit more -im goin for 80 miles a week(average) for the second half of this year. my plan as of now is, after another month or so of building miles, to hit a week at 60 then a week at 100, then again at 60, and so on. during 100 mile weeks the focus will be on slow miles, and during the 60 mile weeks ill do my lifting and my speed work.
i just wanted to check in with an update and get my goals for the next few months in writing
*this link isnt perfect, but its in plain english, and shows that running decreases testosterone, and it shows more than just a chart with decreased numbers in runners. and if you run and are planning to have a baby, check this one out for sure
for the past three weeks ive taken that advice.
Week 26:
this weekend marks the halfway point of this year. i still have to think about it to avoid writing "2010" as the date and 2011 is half way gone.
for the first half of this year ive focused solely on the quality of my workouts, and as a result have averaged just under 30 miles per week. however, during that time i managed to run 2 races past marathon distance and soundly break 1:30 in the half marathon on two different occasions (and with less-than-perfect conditions). also, ive had no major injuries to speak of, and my body has never felt so strong. possibly most important of all is the fact that ive been dreaming of getting back to high mileage.
when every workout is high intensity, even running in the sauna has become something to look forward to -simply because i dont have to maintain a certain pace. so the idea of just 'going for a run' sounds amazing. and since my intensity was through the roof, ive made a very quick and easy return to real running: going from 30 easy miles (to recover) during week 23 to 40 miles in week 24, then to 50 in week 25, and now to 60 in week 26.
conventional wisdom says that doubling your weekly miles in three weeks after months at low mileage is insane and will get you injured, but the science says otherwise. and so do i. marathoners and ultra runners alike feel like complete garbage when theyre building base miles because theyre pushing how far there legs and metabolism can go day after day, week after week. once you settle into 50 or 60 (or 200) miles a week for a while, you start to feel better. but what if you could start high mileage training directly after your low mileage weeks with minimal delay and not get hurt/injured? -you would feel great since youre body (and mind) isnt used up by months of building... -thats what ive done.
by getting my lungs and legs as strong as possible with intervals and lifting, i think ive managed to do something that runners everywhere strive for: the ability to run high mile weeks while loving every minute of it, and without feeling drained in the slightest. plus the chances of getting injured are greatly reduced by the fact that my anabolic hormone levels (no i didnt get a blood test; im going by feel and recovery time from workouts) arent out of whack like 90+% of the distance running community.*
im still planning to resistance train two to three times a week to maintain as much power as i can in my legs (and im also training my core so i can front lever again), but the main focus for the second half of this year is to talk about running a bit less and actually run a bit more -im goin for 80 miles a week(average) for the second half of this year. my plan as of now is, after another month or so of building miles, to hit a week at 60 then a week at 100, then again at 60, and so on. during 100 mile weeks the focus will be on slow miles, and during the 60 mile weeks ill do my lifting and my speed work.
i just wanted to check in with an update and get my goals for the next few months in writing
*this link isnt perfect, but its in plain english, and shows that running decreases testosterone, and it shows more than just a chart with decreased numbers in runners. and if you run and are planning to have a baby, check this one out for sure
Thursday, May 5, 2011
the game plan
alot of people i ask about what theyd like to see on here tell me the same thing. most wana know more about how to eat before, during, and after races. at some point id like to cover why i do fuel the way i do and what differs when i run a 5-10k compared to an ultra, but for now, as i go into another 50k, id like to share what my plan is for this weekend in a short, spark notes, version so people can replicate it easily.
-friday
>eat moderate portions of foods that i frequently eat. in my case that means brazil nuts and almonds, cereal, water, and probly some bread with nutella. the key is that whatever you eat needs to be staples of your regular diet: you arent gona get some boost by suddenly switching to an all kale diet the day before the race.
> in the evening i always eat a salad. either an apple harvest chicken salad from red robin or a caesar salad with chicken from pretty much anywhere. does this help? maybe not, but ever time i do it i dont have any GI problems during the race. (but remember: i eat salads multiple times a week, so its not unusual for my body)
-race day (saturday)
>more than an hour before start time: 1 brazil nut* and a few almonds along with probly half a nature valley bar
>1 hour before start time: sip a full-sized Vespa slowly, so it takes about 15 minutes to drink the whole thing. i love the stuff and it definately works, but dang it will make you sick as hell if you dont respect it. having run miltiple times with it, i now know where the line is for me: at about 7:00 pace. -if i try to run faster than that, it gets to me and i risk throwing up. at about 7:30 pace and slower i wont even feel it, so even with a "fast" start, i shouldnt have any trouble holing it down.
*i know one nut sounds insignificant, but i eat a few pretty much every morning, so why change. plus, just one nut has about 25 calories from fat, and i want my body to know that its ok to burn up the little bit of fat i have left. -the body isnt going to use up something that it doesnt know it can replace.
>about 2 hours into the race ill take my first few mouthful of gatorade (strictly water before that to get the full benefit from the Vespa) and continue to sip it until the end of the race
>about 2.5-3 hours in ill take either a vanilla bean GU or a 5-hour energy depending on how i feel. if my legs are starting to feel it, ill take the GU; if its just my mental clarity thats feeling it, ill take the 5-hour.
>3.5 hours in until the finish line im gona take whatever i feel like taking. if my mouth feels dry, ill drink. if my legs feel slow, ill eat some sugar or half a PB&J. if im feeling negative, ill take a 2nd Wind(which has 100 mg of caffeine and should get my head back in the game. -2nd Wind isnt really on the market yet, but i have a few and i plan to put up a review if i take it) or a Roctane
-friday
>eat moderate portions of foods that i frequently eat. in my case that means brazil nuts and almonds, cereal, water, and probly some bread with nutella. the key is that whatever you eat needs to be staples of your regular diet: you arent gona get some boost by suddenly switching to an all kale diet the day before the race.
> in the evening i always eat a salad. either an apple harvest chicken salad from red robin or a caesar salad with chicken from pretty much anywhere. does this help? maybe not, but ever time i do it i dont have any GI problems during the race. (but remember: i eat salads multiple times a week, so its not unusual for my body)
-race day (saturday)
>more than an hour before start time: 1 brazil nut* and a few almonds along with probly half a nature valley bar
>1 hour before start time: sip a full-sized Vespa slowly, so it takes about 15 minutes to drink the whole thing. i love the stuff and it definately works, but dang it will make you sick as hell if you dont respect it. having run miltiple times with it, i now know where the line is for me: at about 7:00 pace. -if i try to run faster than that, it gets to me and i risk throwing up. at about 7:30 pace and slower i wont even feel it, so even with a "fast" start, i shouldnt have any trouble holing it down.
*i know one nut sounds insignificant, but i eat a few pretty much every morning, so why change. plus, just one nut has about 25 calories from fat, and i want my body to know that its ok to burn up the little bit of fat i have left. -the body isnt going to use up something that it doesnt know it can replace.
>about 2 hours into the race ill take my first few mouthful of gatorade (strictly water before that to get the full benefit from the Vespa) and continue to sip it until the end of the race
>about 2.5-3 hours in ill take either a vanilla bean GU or a 5-hour energy depending on how i feel. if my legs are starting to feel it, ill take the GU; if its just my mental clarity thats feeling it, ill take the 5-hour.
>3.5 hours in until the finish line im gona take whatever i feel like taking. if my mouth feels dry, ill drink. if my legs feel slow, ill eat some sugar or half a PB&J. if im feeling negative, ill take a 2nd Wind(which has 100 mg of caffeine and should get my head back in the game. -2nd Wind isnt really on the market yet, but i have a few and i plan to put up a review if i take it) or a Roctane
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
last lifting before the 50k this weekend
its difficult for me to balance the need to keep my hormones through the roof and ensure that im getting rested up for the race. so i usually have my last real resistance training day about 7-10 days before i race, with one more full body workout the week of.
heres both of those, so you can get a better feel for what i do leading up to a race:
-9 days out from race day
>50 clean and jerk @60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (narrow stance), holding an "air chair" during the 10 second rest
>400 single leg extensions, alternating legs each 20 for 200 each leg, @ 15-20 lbs
*so as fast as possible
-5 days out (the day after my last long ish run before the race)
>three sets 20sec on: 20sec rest of each: pogos, pushups, split jumps, arm circles, squat jumps with 180 degree turn in the air
even with the mild soreness that may result from an intense workout the week of the race, at this point in my running career at least, its worth it to ensure that i feel sharp instead of flat on race day.
my next post is gona have good news about this weekends race no matter what.
heres both of those, so you can get a better feel for what i do leading up to a race:
-9 days out from race day
>50 clean and jerk @60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (narrow stance), holding an "air chair" during the 10 second rest
>400 single leg extensions, alternating legs each 20 for 200 each leg, @ 15-20 lbs
*so as fast as possible
-5 days out (the day after my last long ish run before the race)
>three sets 20sec on: 20sec rest of each: pogos, pushups, split jumps, arm circles, squat jumps with 180 degree turn in the air
even with the mild soreness that may result from an intense workout the week of the race, at this point in my running career at least, its worth it to ensure that i feel sharp instead of flat on race day.
my next post is gona have good news about this weekends race no matter what.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
some dreams for the next few years
this post is more for myself to look back on, but its also a way for me to formally accept a few select challenges that are out there: to make my intentions clear to any readers i have, but also to myself.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to trails and will therefore be able to train more than ever(due to decreased pounding compared to roads). ive always felt like i handled hills better than most people ive run/raced with, but that could just be a side-effect of living in Illinois. i just love the feeling of going up with each step. so my first goal is to run up all the 14'ers (mountains with peaks above 14,000ft) in Colorado. most likely my standard will be that i have to start below 10,000ft and run the entire way up for it to count. this is my "first" goal only because i plan to run the my first 14'er within the next six months. one of the biggest roadblocks, after the sheer altitude, is the simple fact that many of these mountains arent runnable for most of the year. so the goal is to run Mt. Evans at the end of this summer. that will most likely be it until next summer, and the achievement should solidify my opinion of myself as a true mountain runner. next summers goal will be to run the rest of the "Front Range" 14'ers: there are five, six including Mt. Evans. after that(summer 2013) ill have to start travelling to hit the rest of them, so the goal will be to clear out an entire mountain range during a long weekend vacation, for obvious financial reasons. there are over 50 14'ers in Colorado, so the goal of running them all should give my training purpose for years, without the constant need for a race on the horizon.
another goal of mine is to set a CR (course record) at the http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/race-inforegistration/race-rules(mile race, check out the link). i love the cold, i ive been able to tolerate it better than most for as long as i can remember and im somewhat notorious by this point for wearing what most would consider insufficient clothing during the colder months. my body just feels at home in the snow and the wind. ive made it through three Chicago winters now without covering my legs (although the past winter i used the treadmill a bit due to the shift in training style). even when sauna training regularly, i feel like the cold is something my body responds well to, unlike the heat which i doubt ill ever be able to handle to any significant degree. add that to the fact that i have more camping experience as a 19-year-old kid than most people get in their lives, and Arrowhead is the event for me. packing everything youll need for more than 30 hours of running into a sled and dragging it across rugged trails in the middle of winter has an appeal to me that i have trouble explaining. id imagine its how Anton Krupicka feels about Leadville, or Scott Jurek feels about Western States, or Zach Gingerich(if he had a soul) about Badwater, or more recently Ian Sharman about Rocky Raccoon. ill never be as fast as those guys, but Arrowhead could put me on the map. ultra runners become known for races that play up to their unique strengths, so even if i dont have speed, i can atleast be king of horrible, cold weather.
im hoping to run Arrowhead for the first time in 2013, then again in 2014 with a true record attempt by 2016. there are just so many variables in a race like this. and having never run a 100 mile race (or even a 50 miler!) the time frame may be a bit soon, but all i cna do its hope and train.
those are just two things that i hope to do before im 25, probly more to come. and the latest on my move as well.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to trails and will therefore be able to train more than ever(due to decreased pounding compared to roads). ive always felt like i handled hills better than most people ive run/raced with, but that could just be a side-effect of living in Illinois. i just love the feeling of going up with each step. so my first goal is to run up all the 14'ers (mountains with peaks above 14,000ft) in Colorado. most likely my standard will be that i have to start below 10,000ft and run the entire way up for it to count. this is my "first" goal only because i plan to run the my first 14'er within the next six months. one of the biggest roadblocks, after the sheer altitude, is the simple fact that many of these mountains arent runnable for most of the year. so the goal is to run Mt. Evans at the end of this summer. that will most likely be it until next summer, and the achievement should solidify my opinion of myself as a true mountain runner. next summers goal will be to run the rest of the "Front Range" 14'ers: there are five, six including Mt. Evans. after that(summer 2013) ill have to start travelling to hit the rest of them, so the goal will be to clear out an entire mountain range during a long weekend vacation, for obvious financial reasons. there are over 50 14'ers in Colorado, so the goal of running them all should give my training purpose for years, without the constant need for a race on the horizon.
another goal of mine is to set a CR (course record) at the http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/race-inforegistration/race-rules(mile race, check out the link). i love the cold, i ive been able to tolerate it better than most for as long as i can remember and im somewhat notorious by this point for wearing what most would consider insufficient clothing during the colder months. my body just feels at home in the snow and the wind. ive made it through three Chicago winters now without covering my legs (although the past winter i used the treadmill a bit due to the shift in training style). even when sauna training regularly, i feel like the cold is something my body responds well to, unlike the heat which i doubt ill ever be able to handle to any significant degree. add that to the fact that i have more camping experience as a 19-year-old kid than most people get in their lives, and Arrowhead is the event for me. packing everything youll need for more than 30 hours of running into a sled and dragging it across rugged trails in the middle of winter has an appeal to me that i have trouble explaining. id imagine its how Anton Krupicka feels about Leadville, or Scott Jurek feels about Western States, or Zach Gingerich(if he had a soul) about Badwater, or more recently Ian Sharman about Rocky Raccoon. ill never be as fast as those guys, but Arrowhead could put me on the map. ultra runners become known for races that play up to their unique strengths, so even if i dont have speed, i can atleast be king of horrible, cold weather.
im hoping to run Arrowhead for the first time in 2013, then again in 2014 with a true record attempt by 2016. there are just so many variables in a race like this. and having never run a 100 mile race (or even a 50 miler!) the time frame may be a bit soon, but all i cna do its hope and train.
those are just two things that i hope to do before im 25, probly more to come. and the latest on my move as well.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
thoughts going into the 50s For Your Momma 50k
with a section of dirt trails to train on (which i just found last week!) the idea of running another trail race is even more appealing than ever, and a chance to set a new PR always provides a ton of motivation. i have been feeling a bit flat, but some long slow distance (LSD) is gona feel great after the months of high intensity, and therefore high pressure, workouts. the simplicity of "going for a run" is lost when doing intervals and tempos exclusively.
so this week im planning a 2 hour trail run, with an 8lb weighted vest, through Saw Wee Kee Park. theres only about seven miles of trails there, but theyre mountain bike trails. the violent ups, downs, and sharp turns should keep it interesting. and hopefully i wont be alone. this run (of two hours) will be my longest training run in both time and distance since late last fall, but it should be all i need to be ready to run for five hours on may 7th. with good conditions and some caffeine, i should be able to average under nine minutes a mile for the 50k, which will give me a 4:15-4:45 and a new PR for 50k. -as sad as that is. my target race, the "50s For Your Momma" in Circleville, Ohio should be a pretty fast course. the 50k consists of eight, four-mile loops with aid stations every two miles, so mentally it should be the easiest ultra yet.
the plan as of now is to stay with the front pack for the first 4-5 laps and see what happens after that. i just hope that anyone thats running sub-7:00s just breaks away from the start. ill be taking Vespa before this race, so going out fast is not an option or i risk throwing it up.
ill be using any major hills as a chance to eat and drink as i walk up, but if the course is flatter than advertised, id love to run the entire thing.
the goals for this one are:
1) to finish and not get injured
2) to PR
3) to get some hardware -im freakin tired of winning age-group awards! so what if im the fastest baby!
so this week im planning a 2 hour trail run, with an 8lb weighted vest, through Saw Wee Kee Park. theres only about seven miles of trails there, but theyre mountain bike trails. the violent ups, downs, and sharp turns should keep it interesting. and hopefully i wont be alone. this run (of two hours) will be my longest training run in both time and distance since late last fall, but it should be all i need to be ready to run for five hours on may 7th. with good conditions and some caffeine, i should be able to average under nine minutes a mile for the 50k, which will give me a 4:15-4:45 and a new PR for 50k. -as sad as that is. my target race, the "50s For Your Momma" in Circleville, Ohio should be a pretty fast course. the 50k consists of eight, four-mile loops with aid stations every two miles, so mentally it should be the easiest ultra yet.
the plan as of now is to stay with the front pack for the first 4-5 laps and see what happens after that. i just hope that anyone thats running sub-7:00s just breaks away from the start. ill be taking Vespa before this race, so going out fast is not an option or i risk throwing it up.
ill be using any major hills as a chance to eat and drink as i walk up, but if the course is flatter than advertised, id love to run the entire thing.
the goals for this one are:
1) to finish and not get injured
2) to PR
3) to get some hardware -im freakin tired of winning age-group awards! so what if im the fastest baby!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
right off the Crossfit Endurance page
i substituted my planned 1 minute intervals (6-8X 1 min on: 1 min rest, max effort) with a good looking workout i saw on Crossfit Endurance a few days ago: "the 30's." -a perfect substitution since i can use the same exact speed and incline for both of these workouts due to how similar they are.
the first round was pretty hard, but manageable. the second round had me digging deep in the last two intervals. and the third round had me quitting.
this is an awesome workout! the first one in a while that ive had to quit, which is a good thing. when im trying to work at 100% effort for my workouts, im bound to overestimate what i can do occasionally: trying to find the right speed, incline, and weights to allow me to finish the workout but not have anything left in the tank is the key, and its not easy to do.
the number one thing i do that helps me find my physiological 100%, without going over, is log every run. keeping everything in a log has made my high-intensity, low-volume, training work. if i was blindly guessing at the pace for each workout, id end up wasting interval sessions because the pace would frequently be too fast or too slow.
anyway, heres what it looked liked:
>6 min WU
>2.5 rounds of "The 30's" (fast speed with full incline on treadmill: 30 sec on, 30 sec rest*, 30 sec on, 25 sec rest, 30 sec on, 20 sec rest, 30 sec on, 15 sec rest, 30 sec on, 10 sec rest, 30 sec on, 5sec rest, 30 sec on, 2 min rest before starting next round)
>brief CD
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (wide stance), during 10 sec rest hold an "air sit"**
*during the rest periods, straddle the belt, but keep the treadmill going. its way too much effort to try to stop the mill and restart it in less than 30 seconds.
**yeah, the "rest" is worse than the "work" part of it; its aweful
i used an interval timer on my phone set to three 5:15 rounds with 2 minutes of rest between rounds and used a piece of paper to keep track of my shrinking rest times: crossing out "30" "25" "20" and so on. note that the speed and incline need to stay consistent throughout this workout, just because your rest time gets smaller, the speed shouldnt slow. the pace should be set at a speed(with full incline) that you could hold for one minute, if your life depended on it, two minutes, but no more. also this workout, like all treadmill ones, was barefoot. any treadmill running at over 10% incline is a great way to strengthen your feet and Achilles tendons.
this is a great workout for endurance athletes as well as any athlete that needs to give moderate-length bursts of all-out effort (soccer, mixed martial arts or wrestling, hockey, etc), as well as anyone looking to shed pounds fast. -nothing revs your bodys engine like intervals.
i followed this up with a decent trail run the next day:
-about 3-4:00pm
>7 mile muddy, rocky, trail run with 8lbs in the vest (in the Vibram Five Fingers; who says there not trail shoes!)
-late night
>50 clean and jerk @ 60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
*as fast as possible. record your time
try um out and throw your thoughts back at me.
the first round was pretty hard, but manageable. the second round had me digging deep in the last two intervals. and the third round had me quitting.
this is an awesome workout! the first one in a while that ive had to quit, which is a good thing. when im trying to work at 100% effort for my workouts, im bound to overestimate what i can do occasionally: trying to find the right speed, incline, and weights to allow me to finish the workout but not have anything left in the tank is the key, and its not easy to do.
the number one thing i do that helps me find my physiological 100%, without going over, is log every run. keeping everything in a log has made my high-intensity, low-volume, training work. if i was blindly guessing at the pace for each workout, id end up wasting interval sessions because the pace would frequently be too fast or too slow.
anyway, heres what it looked liked:
>6 min WU
>2.5 rounds of "The 30's" (fast speed with full incline on treadmill: 30 sec on, 30 sec rest*, 30 sec on, 25 sec rest, 30 sec on, 20 sec rest, 30 sec on, 15 sec rest, 30 sec on, 10 sec rest, 30 sec on, 5sec rest, 30 sec on, 2 min rest before starting next round)
>brief CD
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (wide stance), during 10 sec rest hold an "air sit"**
*during the rest periods, straddle the belt, but keep the treadmill going. its way too much effort to try to stop the mill and restart it in less than 30 seconds.
**yeah, the "rest" is worse than the "work" part of it; its aweful
i used an interval timer on my phone set to three 5:15 rounds with 2 minutes of rest between rounds and used a piece of paper to keep track of my shrinking rest times: crossing out "30" "25" "20" and so on. note that the speed and incline need to stay consistent throughout this workout, just because your rest time gets smaller, the speed shouldnt slow. the pace should be set at a speed(with full incline) that you could hold for one minute, if your life depended on it, two minutes, but no more. also this workout, like all treadmill ones, was barefoot. any treadmill running at over 10% incline is a great way to strengthen your feet and Achilles tendons.
this is a great workout for endurance athletes as well as any athlete that needs to give moderate-length bursts of all-out effort (soccer, mixed martial arts or wrestling, hockey, etc), as well as anyone looking to shed pounds fast. -nothing revs your bodys engine like intervals.
i followed this up with a decent trail run the next day:
-about 3-4:00pm
>7 mile muddy, rocky, trail run with 8lbs in the vest (in the Vibram Five Fingers; who says there not trail shoes!)
-late night
>50 clean and jerk @ 60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
*as fast as possible. record your time
try um out and throw your thoughts back at me.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
i wish i were better with words (Calamos NCO Spring Ahead 10K Trail Run)
i ran a few seconds slower per mile at NCO than i did at my last 10k a few weeks ago. yeah, it was on trails, and i trained hard up to the day before race day, but still, i should be getting faster and im not. im a runner: racing is how i measure myself as a person. my current PR is my value as a person. -just like a currency is given a value by how much its worth on the world market at that moment. and just like in economics, its rare (or impossible) to stand still: youre either getting more valuable or less on a daily basis. 'but Anthony, you got fourth and thats a big race. your so fast.' im just tired of this freakin mediocrity! in the end of the day i dont care how many people are slower or faster than me, i care about trying to be better than myself and i cant do that if im not getting faster.
more than two years ago i ran my lifetime PR (personal record) for 5k and shortly after for 10k as well. more than two years ago i ran 35:30 for a 10k, and i was alone the whole race. plus, as usual, i thanked all the volunteers as i ran by and cheered for other runners at the turn-around. i had no idea that id be chasing that feeling for years before id have a chance to feel it again. i ran almost three minutes slower this past weekend than i did three Novembers ago, and im not sure why.
but being the scientist that i am, im thinking about it all the time now. nobody hits there life peak for distance running at 16-17 years old. and i have spent months training like i was before those races without getting the same results in a race.
the only thing i can do is go back to the drawing board for a while and crank out a few (probly 2)thousand miles in the next 6-7 months and see what happens. im gona do one more race, then rest and cross-train for two weeks, then build up some decent miles.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to tons of dirt trails and that will help me ramp up mileage quicker than i can running exclusively on roads. even taking into account the altitude change (which i shouldnt even feel after the first month) i should be able to average above 60 miles a week for the second half of this year, and with any luck closer to 75.
the physiology-obsessed part of me can see no reason for endless, slow, "junk miles," but i love the feeling of trying to get as many miles in as possible each day. i miss the joy of ending another week above 60 miles and looking at the next week in my log, knowing that the blank pages im looking at will soon hold another week of recorded obsession and a few memories. plus, my workouts are so varied and intense that each one is a new mental challenge as well as physical, and unlike a relationship with a person, the relationship between a runner and their training is best when the focus is on the physical. when you have that perfect run, you can feel a connection with running and you cease to be a person who runs: youre simply a runner.
during the best months of training ive ever had (winter '09-'10) i had a significant High on 80+% of my distance runs. during one of them i became completely "self-aware." i dont know what else to call the moment when i realised that, even though what i was doing was hard, i would eventually stop running and go back to normal activities. ive never had such a sincere feeling of self discovery than i did that day. it was the only time that ive ever realized just how easily i lose track myself when i 'change hats' and move from one activity to the next. within 15 minutes of finishing that run i was in my scout uniform and on my way to my Eagle Project Review.
its just an amazing thing that anyone can get so involved in one thing that they forget that they are a whole person, but thats what makes running what it is to me. i hope some of that makes a bit of sense...
more than two years ago i ran my lifetime PR (personal record) for 5k and shortly after for 10k as well. more than two years ago i ran 35:30 for a 10k, and i was alone the whole race. plus, as usual, i thanked all the volunteers as i ran by and cheered for other runners at the turn-around. i had no idea that id be chasing that feeling for years before id have a chance to feel it again. i ran almost three minutes slower this past weekend than i did three Novembers ago, and im not sure why.
but being the scientist that i am, im thinking about it all the time now. nobody hits there life peak for distance running at 16-17 years old. and i have spent months training like i was before those races without getting the same results in a race.
the only thing i can do is go back to the drawing board for a while and crank out a few (probly 2)thousand miles in the next 6-7 months and see what happens. im gona do one more race, then rest and cross-train for two weeks, then build up some decent miles.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to tons of dirt trails and that will help me ramp up mileage quicker than i can running exclusively on roads. even taking into account the altitude change (which i shouldnt even feel after the first month) i should be able to average above 60 miles a week for the second half of this year, and with any luck closer to 75.
the physiology-obsessed part of me can see no reason for endless, slow, "junk miles," but i love the feeling of trying to get as many miles in as possible each day. i miss the joy of ending another week above 60 miles and looking at the next week in my log, knowing that the blank pages im looking at will soon hold another week of recorded obsession and a few memories. plus, my workouts are so varied and intense that each one is a new mental challenge as well as physical, and unlike a relationship with a person, the relationship between a runner and their training is best when the focus is on the physical. when you have that perfect run, you can feel a connection with running and you cease to be a person who runs: youre simply a runner.
during the best months of training ive ever had (winter '09-'10) i had a significant High on 80+% of my distance runs. during one of them i became completely "self-aware." i dont know what else to call the moment when i realised that, even though what i was doing was hard, i would eventually stop running and go back to normal activities. ive never had such a sincere feeling of self discovery than i did that day. it was the only time that ive ever realized just how easily i lose track myself when i 'change hats' and move from one activity to the next. within 15 minutes of finishing that run i was in my scout uniform and on my way to my Eagle Project Review.
its just an amazing thing that anyone can get so involved in one thing that they forget that they are a whole person, but thats what makes running what it is to me. i hope some of that makes a bit of sense...
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