I click on my blog from time to time and remember all the good times I spent writing about myself and reading about others typical days, not so great times, good races, bad races, great adventures and just about everything one could imagine. I enjoyed those times. I remember sitting and reading for hours and hours at a time and being caught up to date with everyone on my bloglist. I would comment on every single post. Sometimes to gain a comment in return, but mostly to let that person know that they were important to me and I appreciated them sharing their thoughts no matter how ordinary they might seem.
It seems strange now that when I click on my blog the motivation to write is not there. I click on my bloglines and see the number of unread posts appear to go up exponentially. I read one or two and get sidetracked. I'm not sure why.
Life is changing and in the midst of it all I find myself changing as well. Career has taken hold, family is in the forefront and I find myself returning to church on a regular basis. Running occupies my mind and the pr's of the past seem far away, but the desire to return to the front of the pack is strong, but not always as strong as family these days. I suppose it's a good thing. I know it's a good thing.
I would like to say that I will be by to catch up soon, and I hope that I am, but I'm not so sure I can make a promise. I can promise you that I wonder what you are up to and from time to time I have others fill me in. I think about you often, scattered at times, and contemplate trying to delve back in, but I cannot. There will be a season soon when my creative juices start flowing and my time frees up enough to catch up with long lost friends. I assure you that you are not forgotten.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tiger Mountain Adventure
There is no doubt that my body is working at a less than optimal level right now, but I'm faced with one of those injuries that makes me unsure if I should run or rest. I'm not one who feels the need to run through injuries. I prefer to rest and heal. Typically, I am healthy and therefore do not feel pressured to try and force things. Especially since my next goal race is about 5 months away.
With that being said, I had planned a 12 Summits (32-34 miles with 10,000+ feet of elevation gain) run with Eric, Steve and Jenny yesterday so I thought I'd give it a shot and bail somewhere along the way if I felt I was doing any further damage to myself. There were rumors of snow, and lots of it about 1/3rd of the way into the out and back. We were uncertain if we would make the entire planned trip right from the start and ready to improvise if necessary.
The initial climb of around 2,000 feet is a brutal one and I could feel the burn and exertion in my shin area right from the start. Part of the way up I could feel myself compensating and putting more pressure on my right leg, which was making the climb a bit more difficult. During the few runs I did this past week my shin did not seem to bother me too much as I was running and felt better after being warmed up. After about 30 minutes, the shin pain subsided enough that I was no longer putting a disproportionate amount of weight on my right leg. The shin discomfort was noticeable, but not debilitating.
We reached the first peak (T3) and there was no view in sight. It was foggy and windy the higher we went and there was more and more snow on the trail. The climbs to T2 and T1 are relatively quick and easy. Jenny was being careful with her ankle that was injured back in January, but trail conditions were pretty good thus far. After taking a respite in the Hikers Hut, and heading out onto the bootleg trail, we could tell that things were about to get more difficult.
Up to this point we were making pretty good time. The snow along this trail was not super deep, but it was icy and our feet were beginning to sink in more than before. The trail was slow going and the snow continued to deepen as we went. Before we knew it we were post holing in 1-2 feet of snow and paying close attention in order to stay on the trail. When we reached the Christmas tree we had a brief conversation about whether we wanted to continue on, or take an alternate route. We agreed we would head towards East Tiger and revise if we needed to.
The story from there was deep snow. As we got closer to East Tiger the depth of the snow was in the neighborhood of 2-3 feet. At one point, my right leg sank past my knee and when I put my left hand down it sank all the way so my head was resting on the snow. I laid there for a minute a bit nostalgic about my younger years and romping around in the snow. I love the snow and it was a humorous, but physically demanding task to trudge through it on this day.
When we hit the road to East Tiger we had a running joke that the road should be clear due to recent rainfall and a few days of warmer temperatures. Of course that was not the case. I think the snow was even deeper. I decided to lay down on the snow as we were heading up and then Jenny joined in on the fun. Eric caught it on video, but the pictures and video do not do the snow justice.
We reached East Tiger and then made our descent toward Middle Tiger searching for a break in the snow. We "ran" on the road for about a mile or two before reaching some exit options that would take us back towards T3 rather than continuing on to Middle and South Tiger. After much post holing and stumbling on the way down our feet were frozen. When we finally hit dirt it felt odd to run. My entire body was stiff and my legs hurt. At that point I was ready to wrap things up and head back to the car. Of course the car was about 7-8 miles away still.
I'm not sure of all the trails we took to get back, but the story on the way back was branches strewn across the trail. We spent a lot of time moving them off the trail, which meant things were slow going, still. There were a few sections of clear trail where we were able to run unobstructed, but they were few and far between. We got to see some new trails and enjoy 6+ hours in the forest with friends. We only covered about 15 miles, but we all agreed it felt closer to 30. My shin held up alright, but I'll probably take a rest day today just to make sure.
One revelation I had while out there was how much I miss the trails. I miss being able to run and feel like I am floating along the dirt with my feet barely touching down. I miss being alone in the woods where it is me against nature and where I have some alone time to talk to God and thank Him for all the beauty that surrounds me. I miss taking the time to be thankful for the trees, rivers, streams, rocks and trails that most of us take for granted while we live out our day to day existence within a concrete jungle not remembering what is truly important to us. For me it's God, family, friends, health and the ability to explore and be one with nature.
He is risen! Happy Easter!
With that being said, I had planned a 12 Summits (32-34 miles with 10,000+ feet of elevation gain) run with Eric, Steve and Jenny yesterday so I thought I'd give it a shot and bail somewhere along the way if I felt I was doing any further damage to myself. There were rumors of snow, and lots of it about 1/3rd of the way into the out and back. We were uncertain if we would make the entire planned trip right from the start and ready to improvise if necessary.
The initial climb of around 2,000 feet is a brutal one and I could feel the burn and exertion in my shin area right from the start. Part of the way up I could feel myself compensating and putting more pressure on my right leg, which was making the climb a bit more difficult. During the few runs I did this past week my shin did not seem to bother me too much as I was running and felt better after being warmed up. After about 30 minutes, the shin pain subsided enough that I was no longer putting a disproportionate amount of weight on my right leg. The shin discomfort was noticeable, but not debilitating.
We reached the first peak (T3) and there was no view in sight. It was foggy and windy the higher we went and there was more and more snow on the trail. The climbs to T2 and T1 are relatively quick and easy. Jenny was being careful with her ankle that was injured back in January, but trail conditions were pretty good thus far. After taking a respite in the Hikers Hut, and heading out onto the bootleg trail, we could tell that things were about to get more difficult.
Up to this point we were making pretty good time. The snow along this trail was not super deep, but it was icy and our feet were beginning to sink in more than before. The trail was slow going and the snow continued to deepen as we went. Before we knew it we were post holing in 1-2 feet of snow and paying close attention in order to stay on the trail. When we reached the Christmas tree we had a brief conversation about whether we wanted to continue on, or take an alternate route. We agreed we would head towards East Tiger and revise if we needed to.
The story from there was deep snow. As we got closer to East Tiger the depth of the snow was in the neighborhood of 2-3 feet. At one point, my right leg sank past my knee and when I put my left hand down it sank all the way so my head was resting on the snow. I laid there for a minute a bit nostalgic about my younger years and romping around in the snow. I love the snow and it was a humorous, but physically demanding task to trudge through it on this day.
When we hit the road to East Tiger we had a running joke that the road should be clear due to recent rainfall and a few days of warmer temperatures. Of course that was not the case. I think the snow was even deeper. I decided to lay down on the snow as we were heading up and then Jenny joined in on the fun. Eric caught it on video, but the pictures and video do not do the snow justice.
We reached East Tiger and then made our descent toward Middle Tiger searching for a break in the snow. We "ran" on the road for about a mile or two before reaching some exit options that would take us back towards T3 rather than continuing on to Middle and South Tiger. After much post holing and stumbling on the way down our feet were frozen. When we finally hit dirt it felt odd to run. My entire body was stiff and my legs hurt. At that point I was ready to wrap things up and head back to the car. Of course the car was about 7-8 miles away still.
I'm not sure of all the trails we took to get back, but the story on the way back was branches strewn across the trail. We spent a lot of time moving them off the trail, which meant things were slow going, still. There were a few sections of clear trail where we were able to run unobstructed, but they were few and far between. We got to see some new trails and enjoy 6+ hours in the forest with friends. We only covered about 15 miles, but we all agreed it felt closer to 30. My shin held up alright, but I'll probably take a rest day today just to make sure.
One revelation I had while out there was how much I miss the trails. I miss being able to run and feel like I am floating along the dirt with my feet barely touching down. I miss being alone in the woods where it is me against nature and where I have some alone time to talk to God and thank Him for all the beauty that surrounds me. I miss taking the time to be thankful for the trees, rivers, streams, rocks and trails that most of us take for granted while we live out our day to day existence within a concrete jungle not remembering what is truly important to us. For me it's God, family, friends, health and the ability to explore and be one with nature.
He is risen! Happy Easter!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Moving Forward...With a Limp
The depression from falling short at the last race was short lived and I was ready to move ahead rather quickly. The short of it was that I was upset about my performance. No need to dwell, or beat myself up about it for a prolonged period of time. I have a beautiful wife, loving and wonderful children, a good job and nothing really to complain about. I lead a pretty darn good life.
I used the week following the race to relax and not have to worry about a running schedule. My legs felt pretty good and I have been formulating the plan for the next goal race. Fortunately, I will not have to go this alone. I will let my coach do a lot of the weekly schedule work and I will do my best to follow orders, which I am not always good at. Paul is flexible and I do my best to get the majority of the workouts in as written. I appreciate the fact that he is willing to add in a race as a training run and work it into my schedule with the end goal in mind.
This past week I was back to the schedule with the emphasis moving back to the trails. The difficult part about this is that the trails aren't exactly convenient. I had a few speed work days that were supposed to be on the trails and back to back mid-long runs, but I was also heading out of town to the beach to relax over spring break. I decided the sand is soft like trails, not nearly as technical, but it would have to do.
I love running on the sand. I headed out on Wednesday with a 6 x 1 mile workout at 6:30 pace on tap. I knew that on the sand there was no way I would be able to hit the splits so I focused on running hard for 6:30 rather than a mile. Another factor blowing me right in the face was the brutal wind. No problem, I'll alternate directions and the wind and the sand would make me tougher in the long run. The run went well and I managed 9 miles in 1:12 with the faster stuff mixed in.
After the run I spotted Jessica and the kids splashing about despite the cold weather and less than clear water. The waves were crashing along the shore and the kids would wade out up to their knees and then run back to the shore as the water came towards them. Tyler was enjoying the game as Jessica and I looked on. We could see an impending wave coming and Tyler was a bit far out. We yelled at him to run back towards us along with the other kids. He almost made it, but the water was moving a bit too fast. Emily got to him just in time, but he took a tumble and brought down Emily with him. Both of them were covered with water and sand, but no major damage was done. Jessica was right there as well to scoop Tyler up and we all headed back to the house only a few blocks away.
The best thing about being at the beach is spending the time with family and relaxing in a way that is difficult to do at home. The girls spent a lot of time in the hot tub, Tyler watched Winnie the Pooh and Rudolph about a dozen times and Jessica and I were able to sleep in and forget about work, bills and all other worries for a few days.
I headed back to the sand again Friday and was forced to run in deeper sand due to the high tide. On the way back I ran on the roads and once again faced the strong winds while trying to mix in some faster shorter bursts along the way.
Saturday my motivation level was low. Eventually, I managed to get out the door for a walk/run with Jessica. The walking was fine, but I noticed a bit of soreness in my left calf. When we began to run I was definitely doing so with a limp. We alternated the run/walk, but after about 3 miles it was all walking and more painful at that. I managed to limp the 3 miles back home and the ache in the left calf was more noticeable as we went.
It's really a minor thing to complain about. The kids are upstairs hanging out with their friends, the sun is out, Jessica will be home soon and there is nothing major pending on the schedule. I lead a pretty good life.
Happy Living!
I used the week following the race to relax and not have to worry about a running schedule. My legs felt pretty good and I have been formulating the plan for the next goal race. Fortunately, I will not have to go this alone. I will let my coach do a lot of the weekly schedule work and I will do my best to follow orders, which I am not always good at. Paul is flexible and I do my best to get the majority of the workouts in as written. I appreciate the fact that he is willing to add in a race as a training run and work it into my schedule with the end goal in mind.
This past week I was back to the schedule with the emphasis moving back to the trails. The difficult part about this is that the trails aren't exactly convenient. I had a few speed work days that were supposed to be on the trails and back to back mid-long runs, but I was also heading out of town to the beach to relax over spring break. I decided the sand is soft like trails, not nearly as technical, but it would have to do.
I love running on the sand. I headed out on Wednesday with a 6 x 1 mile workout at 6:30 pace on tap. I knew that on the sand there was no way I would be able to hit the splits so I focused on running hard for 6:30 rather than a mile. Another factor blowing me right in the face was the brutal wind. No problem, I'll alternate directions and the wind and the sand would make me tougher in the long run. The run went well and I managed 9 miles in 1:12 with the faster stuff mixed in.
After the run I spotted Jessica and the kids splashing about despite the cold weather and less than clear water. The waves were crashing along the shore and the kids would wade out up to their knees and then run back to the shore as the water came towards them. Tyler was enjoying the game as Jessica and I looked on. We could see an impending wave coming and Tyler was a bit far out. We yelled at him to run back towards us along with the other kids. He almost made it, but the water was moving a bit too fast. Emily got to him just in time, but he took a tumble and brought down Emily with him. Both of them were covered with water and sand, but no major damage was done. Jessica was right there as well to scoop Tyler up and we all headed back to the house only a few blocks away.
The best thing about being at the beach is spending the time with family and relaxing in a way that is difficult to do at home. The girls spent a lot of time in the hot tub, Tyler watched Winnie the Pooh and Rudolph about a dozen times and Jessica and I were able to sleep in and forget about work, bills and all other worries for a few days.
I headed back to the sand again Friday and was forced to run in deeper sand due to the high tide. On the way back I ran on the roads and once again faced the strong winds while trying to mix in some faster shorter bursts along the way.
Saturday my motivation level was low. Eventually, I managed to get out the door for a walk/run with Jessica. The walking was fine, but I noticed a bit of soreness in my left calf. When we began to run I was definitely doing so with a limp. We alternated the run/walk, but after about 3 miles it was all walking and more painful at that. I managed to limp the 3 miles back home and the ache in the left calf was more noticeable as we went.
It's really a minor thing to complain about. The kids are upstairs hanging out with their friends, the sun is out, Jessica will be home soon and there is nothing major pending on the schedule. I lead a pretty good life.
Happy Living!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Pacific Rim 24 Hour- Race Report
Before the 9 a.m. start I was positive. I believed that my training would pay off, my fueling plan, walk strategy and positive outlook would carry me through for 24 hours, 100+ miles and to the land of redemption that I have been seeking for years.
I would love to be reporting back to all of you right now that my race was a success, but once again it was not. It was not the race I was hoping for and it was not the race I had trained for.
Perhaps I was not as prepared as I thought. Perhaps I should have run more miles beforehand and stretched a few of my long runs out to 50+ miles. Perhaps I did not take enough salt, or my water to salt ratio was off. Perhaps the Ensure made my stomach queasy, or maybe it was the slice of pizza. Perhaps I just gave up!
Typically after a race "failure" I seek answers. I beat myself up and wonder what I did wrong. I don't think that a race that is a "failure" makes me a failure, so please don't misunderstand the criticism of myself.
The first few hours of the race Steve and I ran steady and smart. We stuck to my plan of run 2 miles and walk 2 minutes. I took 2-GU's per hour and about a 1/2 bottle of Ensure Plus as well as a salt cap every hour. The only thing that threw us off schedule was a multitude of bathroom breaks that should have been figured in to my calculations. We adjusted and came in with 23 miles in the first 4 hours. The plan called for 24.
Hours 4-6 we continued with our 2 mile run, 2 minute walk strategy and stayed consistent on the fueling as well. After 6 hours we were at 34 miles and feeling good. Everything was going as planned.
I had a down point during hour 7, but came out of it after a few miles with a little bit more walking. We adjusted our walking strategy and began walking for a shorter period every mile rather than every 2 miles. Things were going good and after 8 hours we had 42 miles and in relation to other runners were mid pack. We set our sights on getting in 50 miles by the 10 hour mark.
We had 3 walking points each lap at this point. There are 3 "hills" on the course that are really only hills during a 24 hour race. We walked for a short period at each hill and ran the rest of the way. At 10 hours we hit our mark of 50 miles and I was feeling positive that we would reach 100, but it was still a long ways to go. Perhaps this is where I made the biggest mistake of focusing on the end goal rather than a couple hours at a time.
After 50 miles I don't remember any positive points. I had another very low point where my stomach was feeling queasy and my shins were really hurting. I started to walk more and then would come out of the funk, but after another hour or so it seemed as if I was right back in the funk.
Mentally, I was going downhill. I really started to focus on reaching 100 miles and calculating how many miles I would have to do per hour in order to make it. I figured it was about 3.5 miles per hour. It all sounded so simple, but believe me it is not that easy.
We hit 100k and were with Michelle, Jenny and Abi at this point. This is where I went into the endless trench where I walked with my head down, everything was tense, my shins were killing me and my attitude was diminishing quickly. I tried to keep track of the laps, but when I switched to a new page on the lap counting sheet I moved to another slot and I started looking at someone else's miles who happened to be about 3 miles ahead of me. When I thought I was on mile 67 I really was only on mile 64. When I came around to what I thought was mile 69 only to discover it was only mile 66 I got down and never came out.
I had been primarily walking for over an hour at this point and when I attempted to run it was slow and painful. I left for mile 67 and my walk was a slow shuffle at best and the demons were taking over. I started to feel sorry for myself and the pain intensified in my shins. I just wanted to lay down for a bit and elevate my legs. I walked into the trailer and despite prods and attempts I didn't come out until about 7 a.m.
During the night it felt good to lay and rest. However, I knew that the pain felt after the race was going to be much greater than the pain in my legs at that moment. The pain of not reaching my goal would eat at me for weeks and months to come and yet it was not enough to get me out of that trailer.
When I came out in the morning to check out how the race was developing I saw Joe Lee walking after 115 miles. He asked if I wanted to walk a few laps and I decided to do so. In my Birkenstocks, I completed 3 more miles to finish off with 70 miles.
The end was bittersweet. The success of others was inspiring to see and yet I wished I was one of them. I wished that I was tough enough to have gutted it out during the night. I used to be that person and now I wonder where he went. Where did the determination go? Where did the power of positive thinking go? Where did my grit and guts go?
For now, those are the questions I seek to answer.
I would love to be reporting back to all of you right now that my race was a success, but once again it was not. It was not the race I was hoping for and it was not the race I had trained for.
Perhaps I was not as prepared as I thought. Perhaps I should have run more miles beforehand and stretched a few of my long runs out to 50+ miles. Perhaps I did not take enough salt, or my water to salt ratio was off. Perhaps the Ensure made my stomach queasy, or maybe it was the slice of pizza. Perhaps I just gave up!
Typically after a race "failure" I seek answers. I beat myself up and wonder what I did wrong. I don't think that a race that is a "failure" makes me a failure, so please don't misunderstand the criticism of myself.
The first few hours of the race Steve and I ran steady and smart. We stuck to my plan of run 2 miles and walk 2 minutes. I took 2-GU's per hour and about a 1/2 bottle of Ensure Plus as well as a salt cap every hour. The only thing that threw us off schedule was a multitude of bathroom breaks that should have been figured in to my calculations. We adjusted and came in with 23 miles in the first 4 hours. The plan called for 24.
Hours 4-6 we continued with our 2 mile run, 2 minute walk strategy and stayed consistent on the fueling as well. After 6 hours we were at 34 miles and feeling good. Everything was going as planned.
I had a down point during hour 7, but came out of it after a few miles with a little bit more walking. We adjusted our walking strategy and began walking for a shorter period every mile rather than every 2 miles. Things were going good and after 8 hours we had 42 miles and in relation to other runners were mid pack. We set our sights on getting in 50 miles by the 10 hour mark.
We had 3 walking points each lap at this point. There are 3 "hills" on the course that are really only hills during a 24 hour race. We walked for a short period at each hill and ran the rest of the way. At 10 hours we hit our mark of 50 miles and I was feeling positive that we would reach 100, but it was still a long ways to go. Perhaps this is where I made the biggest mistake of focusing on the end goal rather than a couple hours at a time.
After 50 miles I don't remember any positive points. I had another very low point where my stomach was feeling queasy and my shins were really hurting. I started to walk more and then would come out of the funk, but after another hour or so it seemed as if I was right back in the funk.
Mentally, I was going downhill. I really started to focus on reaching 100 miles and calculating how many miles I would have to do per hour in order to make it. I figured it was about 3.5 miles per hour. It all sounded so simple, but believe me it is not that easy.
We hit 100k and were with Michelle, Jenny and Abi at this point. This is where I went into the endless trench where I walked with my head down, everything was tense, my shins were killing me and my attitude was diminishing quickly. I tried to keep track of the laps, but when I switched to a new page on the lap counting sheet I moved to another slot and I started looking at someone else's miles who happened to be about 3 miles ahead of me. When I thought I was on mile 67 I really was only on mile 64. When I came around to what I thought was mile 69 only to discover it was only mile 66 I got down and never came out.
I had been primarily walking for over an hour at this point and when I attempted to run it was slow and painful. I left for mile 67 and my walk was a slow shuffle at best and the demons were taking over. I started to feel sorry for myself and the pain intensified in my shins. I just wanted to lay down for a bit and elevate my legs. I walked into the trailer and despite prods and attempts I didn't come out until about 7 a.m.
During the night it felt good to lay and rest. However, I knew that the pain felt after the race was going to be much greater than the pain in my legs at that moment. The pain of not reaching my goal would eat at me for weeks and months to come and yet it was not enough to get me out of that trailer.
When I came out in the morning to check out how the race was developing I saw Joe Lee walking after 115 miles. He asked if I wanted to walk a few laps and I decided to do so. In my Birkenstocks, I completed 3 more miles to finish off with 70 miles.
The end was bittersweet. The success of others was inspiring to see and yet I wished I was one of them. I wished that I was tough enough to have gutted it out during the night. I used to be that person and now I wonder where he went. Where did the determination go? Where did the power of positive thinking go? Where did my grit and guts go?
For now, those are the questions I seek to answer.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
38 Hour Countdown...
Well, the countdown is on. The two week taper has gone well and I am feeling rested and strong. I've been trying to sleep more than usual and eat...well, okay, my eating hasn't changed much, but I've been doing alright. I feel healthy. I feel light. I feel positive and I'm ready to roll on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
Goal: I'll say it again. 100+ miles or bust. My pace calls for 110+, optimistically and realistically. Wish me luck!
Happy Running!
Goal: I'll say it again. 100+ miles or bust. My pace calls for 110+, optimistically and realistically. Wish me luck!
Happy Running!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Invest in Youth Fund Run- 6 Hour
I'm only 10 days away from the start of the Pacific Rim 24 hour run on March 21st at 9 a.m. The training has gone well and now it's all about dialing in my race pace, resting the legs and getting plenty of sleep. All these things have been going well since the 6 hour run on Saturday. Oh yeah, I forgot to write about that.
The 6 hour run this past Saturday was all about practicing for the 24 hour run. My plan was for 36 miles using a run 2 mile walk 2 minute strategy for at least the first 4-5 hours. I ran the entire race with Steve and we managed to reach all of our goals. We ended up with 36.25 miles unofficially and I think 35 miles officially. The course was an out and back that was credited for 5 miles, but it was really more like 5.15-5.2 miles. It really doesn't matter. I think there was 3 other runners who ran farther than Steve and I no matter how long the out and back was.
A few things I discovered along the 6 hours. I'm going to need to go out a tad slower for the first 6 hours. Not much, but 35 miles is the plan. Also, most of you already knew this, but 3 gu's per hour is too many. I'll hit the wall way too fast at that pace and won't be able to maintain for the rest of the race. I'm switching to 2 per hour coupled with a 1/2 bottle of ensure every hour. That's about 300 calories.
Other than that I feel great. I'm confident and I have the training to back things up. I'm off to rest...
Happy Running!
The 6 hour run this past Saturday was all about practicing for the 24 hour run. My plan was for 36 miles using a run 2 mile walk 2 minute strategy for at least the first 4-5 hours. I ran the entire race with Steve and we managed to reach all of our goals. We ended up with 36.25 miles unofficially and I think 35 miles officially. The course was an out and back that was credited for 5 miles, but it was really more like 5.15-5.2 miles. It really doesn't matter. I think there was 3 other runners who ran farther than Steve and I no matter how long the out and back was.
A few things I discovered along the 6 hours. I'm going to need to go out a tad slower for the first 6 hours. Not much, but 35 miles is the plan. Also, most of you already knew this, but 3 gu's per hour is too many. I'll hit the wall way too fast at that pace and won't be able to maintain for the rest of the race. I'm switching to 2 per hour coupled with a 1/2 bottle of ensure every hour. That's about 300 calories.
Other than that I feel great. I'm confident and I have the training to back things up. I'm off to rest...
Happy Running!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
3 Weeks Out from Goal Race #1 of 2009
Goal race #1 of the year is 3 short weeks away. The Pacific Rim 24 Hour run begins on March 21st at 9 a.m., I believe, and ends on March 22nd at 9 a.m. The race takes place at Lake Sacajawea in Longview, Washington. The course consists of a 1 mile loop around the lake on mostly gravel/dirt trail. It has a few slight inclines that later become monster hills as the time on feet increases.
My strategy will be as follows;
-Run 2 miles around 9 minute pace and then walk for 2 minutes
-Take a GU every 2 miles for as long as my stomach will hold out
-Drink 20 oz. of water per hour
-Take 1 salt caplet per hour
-Drink an ensure every 2 hours
-Switch to solid food as the day and night progresses
-Drink some Starbucks Doubleshots in the evening to help with sleepiness
-Stay out of the trailer unless it is pouring down rain and I need to change clothes
-Keep moving the entire 24 hours
Here's my mileage plan broken out in 4 hour increments
-1st 4 hours = 24 miles (10 min. pace)
-2nd 4 hours = 22 miles (10:55 pace)
-3rd 4 hours = 20 miles (12 min. pace)
-4th 4 hours = 18 miles (13:20 pace)
-5th 4 hours = 16 miles (15 min. pace)
-6th 4 hours = 14 miles (17:09 pace)
Total Miles = 114
So there it is! I'll be happy with over 100 miles, but I think I am capable of more miles than that. My plan is reasonable, I have trained hard, I have run smart the past couple months and now I need to execute what I have practiced. Simple!
"I cannot have survival as my only goal. That would be too boring. My goal is to come back in my best running form. It is good for me to have that goal; it will help me."Ludmila Engquist
My strategy will be as follows;
-Run 2 miles around 9 minute pace and then walk for 2 minutes
-Take a GU every 2 miles for as long as my stomach will hold out
-Drink 20 oz. of water per hour
-Take 1 salt caplet per hour
-Drink an ensure every 2 hours
-Switch to solid food as the day and night progresses
-Drink some Starbucks Doubleshots in the evening to help with sleepiness
-Stay out of the trailer unless it is pouring down rain and I need to change clothes
-Keep moving the entire 24 hours
Here's my mileage plan broken out in 4 hour increments
-1st 4 hours = 24 miles (10 min. pace)
-2nd 4 hours = 22 miles (10:55 pace)
-3rd 4 hours = 20 miles (12 min. pace)
-4th 4 hours = 18 miles (13:20 pace)
-5th 4 hours = 16 miles (15 min. pace)
-6th 4 hours = 14 miles (17:09 pace)
Total Miles = 114
So there it is! I'll be happy with over 100 miles, but I think I am capable of more miles than that. My plan is reasonable, I have trained hard, I have run smart the past couple months and now I need to execute what I have practiced. Simple!
"I cannot have survival as my only goal. That would be too boring. My goal is to come back in my best running form. It is good for me to have that goal; it will help me."Ludmila Engquist
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