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