Ran my first ultramarathon on Sunday! It was a 50K-I placed 4th with a time of 3h55m and change. Man, I couldn't stop my legs from shaking afterwards. It was awesome though- all trail and packed dirt roads, very little elevation change at all. I felt like a longer marathon in the dirt, no crazy runs up mountains or anything. But damn- I was sore. I haven't even done a long run (over 15ish) since May- just consistent high mileage weeks. I'm still sore and tight though. Now I feel the need for a 50 miler! Ultimate goal- qualify for Western States and get that buckle. Happy running-
Well, I was only going to do a 65 mile week to recover from the last 80, but, well, I like to run. So I put in the 80 again, then went out this morning before having to do some work and what not and wouldn't you know, there must be some type of ligament or something in the back of your leg/knee, above the calf that can turn into a rod of steel because holy crap- it's tight. I don't feel it at all going uphill and straight, only downhill. So, seeing as I live in the land of no flat areas, that sucks! I'm thinking it'll feel better tomorrow. This week I will do a 65 damn it. On a side note, there is this guy named Karl Malarkey or something that is going to try and break the record for running the Appalachian Trail (2174 miles in 47 days 13 hours or less). So, seeing as I've already hiked it and I am a long distance runner, should I race him? How funny would it be- him being a professional ultrarunner with a support crew and sponsors, and then ME. Just me, stretching, ready to r... Read full entry
Well, hit 80+ this week- quads are killing me, but not too bad overall. I've been slowly upping the mileage now for a couple months from around 60. So now next week I'll back down to like 65ish, then go back up to 80 and it shouldn't feel so uncomfortable. I didn't even do a long run this week, so I'm kinda impressed with myself. My training pace has also increased by about 15 seconds a mile w/o real effort on my part- it just kinda came with the jump in mpw. Hopefully all this pays off in November at my next marathon- the proof will be in the pudding as they say though, I guess. On a side note, I didn't get to run that 5 miler on July 4th- my buddy didn't wanna run in the rain, so we didn't go. I could've cared less about the rain but I guess it bother some people. I'm a runner- I don't really care about the weather, I can adapt.
Well, once again I can't help myself- rather than put off racing until my marathon in November like I said I would, I'm gonna do the Pepper Martin 5 on Staten Island tomorrow, the 4th. Should be good-of course, I'm gonna go out in first and try to hold on as long as I can. Maybe second, we'll see. I've been putting off that race tactic- starting in 2nd and staying until the end. Instead(barring long races) I just try and go out 1st. I have yet to claim victory- usually end up getting passed by a few people towards the end, so I may employ my new tactic tomorrow. I'll post how it all goes down- I don't think they use champion chip. It's a tough 5- first half up hill, turn around and come downhill. My buddy told me they had to make the course shorter from a 10k some years back because people were having a hard time finishing. Well, we shall see. I only did a light workout today- slow pace on the track to avoid hills for tomorrow- another of my new tactics.
Well, a couple days ago I went for what was suppose to be a long 2 days of backpacking on the A.T. I decided to try something new, of course, and hike with my chaco's instead of the usual trailrunners or boots. Well about 4 miles in BAM. I saw stars- I guess I decided to see just how tough that big rock was that was on the ground in front of me. It won, I saw stars. There is something about kicking a rock and kicking a rock with a 30 pound backpack- it really is a unique feeling. My pinky toe turned blue and purple and started to swell up. So what did I do? I kept hiking with my buddy- I decided I'd stop when it REALLY hurt. So we made it another 10 miles or so and I decided to call it quits- I was afraid it would ruin my running for a few weeks if I kept hiking with it, so we got picked up at the next road crossing and went back home. I took the next day off(had to go do some work anyways), and ran the following day- to my surprise, it's not that bad and is already healing. ... Read full entry
Well, my buddy and I decided to go backpacking 2 nights ago after my 10 mile run. We didn't hit the A.T. until after 6, got rained on, cowboy camped under a gazebo w/o real sleeping gear, almost froze, then hiked another 10 the next morning. Then I slept- and slept. Helluva day, or 2. I was also selected to be part of the New Balance weatesting program- so I may be helping all of you get better running shoes!!! My first pair are supposedly on the way- a cross between a racing flat and stability trainer for faster paced training. I have to give them all the feedback I can on it and they want me to substitute my current trainers with it, so we'll see what happens. Man, I miss the trail. I'm gonna try to get out again this weekend or next week- I love backpacking.
Well, I figure I'm going to do the Space Coast Marathon on November 30th. I'm going to put together a 16 week program for myself that'll start in August, so that gives me a chance for some lower mileage in July. I figure I'll maintain a 50-70 base going into the program. I'm thinking I'll start around 55 to 60 with an emphasis on speedwork and a LR of 20-22 every 2 weeks, leading up to a peak of 90-95 a week. I don't have a problem running very long distances, I'm just gonna try to do it faster. Well, I'll probably post my schedule once I get around to making it. Gonna do a 15 today once I get out of work here- looks like I might get caught in a little rain. It'll feel nice, I never mind.
Well, this is turning into my 3rd straight week of 75miles. Doesn't feel too bad at all though- I guess I adjusted from my miles over the winter. Not too tired/hungry/agitated like before. My speed is consistent when running at tempo pace, if not faster, so there really aren't any signs of overtraining yet. If all goes well, I'll probably up it to 80-85 next week. I'm holding to what I said- No Races until my next marathon in late November, unless I do an ultramarathon. They don't really count. 50 miles at 9-11 minute pace aren't really the same as a bunch of 10ks and marathons at 5:30 or 6:30, respectively. At least I don't think so. I'm pretty good at staying on my feet for a very, Very long time, and that's all that you really have to do. Speed comes in time. I've been doing a lot of hard down hill running recently too- I think that is helping my speed, form, and control. Something about quad strength and leg turnover speed, it just happens. Everyone who is logging good... Read full entry
Well, it's hot as hell out. Not only that, but I do believe, from a lot of experience, that tech clothing(polyester wicking stuff) actually pulls in moisture from the air when it's humid enough. It appears that my nike's also do. Squish, squish, squish. Nope- the air didn't pop. That's just my soaking wet feet in the shoe touching down. I'll be fair and say it didn't happen until about 7 or 8 miles in, but damn- that is a funny feeling. Kinda like running through a river-but no river. Also, there are many BIG dead frogs on the roads from the t-storms I guess the other night. I actually thought they were dead, squished squirrels until I stopped to take a look. I hate seeing dead animals in the road. Thank god I haven't hit one for 10 years or so. I think I hit a squirrel when I was 17, but that's about it. I stepped on an armadillo in Florida while night running- it scared the crap out of me. He was fine- I almost fell over. The worst is having to run around roadkill that... Read full entry
Well, it must have been 90 degrees during last nights run. I work long shifts on weekends, so I usually don't get out until a little after 6. Decided to go for a hilly 13er. Half way through, I kinda wanted stop. I got a gnat in my eye, dealt with mosquitoes that wouldn't quit on part of a trail, and ran through clouds of no-see-ums that I couldn't see until the last minute. I even ate 2 bugs, don't know what they were but I wasn't able to 'hack' them up, so oh well. On hot days when I'm going over 10 I usually carry this little hand-held golite bottle with water and maybe a gel. Forgot the gel, so went with the water. Maybe if I ate enough bugs they would have the same effect as a cliff shot? This woman on a bike rode past me a couple miles in and I made it my mission to keep up for a little while, completely overlooking the fact that I was now in tempo range with 10 more hilly miles to go and 20 oz of water. Never caught her, though I do believe she was surprised to still s... Read full entry
Well, the nike ast 11 may be my favorite shoe ever. Just ran a nice 8-felt great- put in 13 on them right out of the box 2 days ago-awesome ride. They may be too soft for prolonged paces faster than 6-6:30 though. Still cranking up the mileage. Got 200 out of my adrenaline 6's- not quite what I got out of the 7's I had once. They are starting to feel really 'dead' at this point, but I do like how light they feel. I think I'm going to abandon racing at this point until the Space Coast Marathon in FL in November. Maybe a couple 10k's to see where I'm at, but overall I'm going to try and avoid them. I figure I'll stick to a 90% slow/long run 10%tempo/interval type training scheme for a few months and see if I could get what I should be able to get at that distance. Considering I put in a 3:15 at the tail end of a 110 mile week, I should be able to break 3 hours at the very least- we'll see. This sure will be a tough few months. Thank god my outer shin muscles are no longer bot... Read full entry
Well, upping the mileage once again. Looking to crank it up a notch to prep for ultras. So far, on pace for 70 this week w/o a long run. Next week, hopefully 75. Gonna try to do regular 100/week and see if I like the results. If not, I'll back down to comfortable mileage. I'm gonna be alternating shoes once again- adrenaline 8's this time with a nike ast 11 for long runs. I'm going to try to incorporate trails this time for a lot of it- last time a cranked up mileage it was all road running- ouch. You tend to feel a little beat up at the end of every day. EVERY day. Well, I'm gonna start blogging regularly, so more to come.
