Came to an agreement.
As long as I get a medical check & clearance before I sign-up and my training doesn't interfere with life (i.e. Trying to bail out of pre-existing plans in favor of a run...although I've never done that before), I have the greenlight for Cascade Crest!
It might as well have been a YES to begin with. :-)
Showing posts with label 100 mile races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 100 mile races. Show all posts
Friday, August 8, 2008
Training versus Doing
Yesterday's 6 miler with the group went much better than yesterday. 4 miles out, 10 pushups, 2 miles back. Temps were the same, but there was more shade where we were at and a better breeze...plus I ran without my shirt on to try and lower my body's overheating core. 1:01:21 for the total time. Oh yeah, and my supposed super-slow 6 miler from Tuesday was WAY off. It was 6.8 miles from what everyone told me yesterday. Thank God. I knew I couldn't have been that slow.
I decided to take today as a rest day for now, both physical and mental.
One thing I want to touch on when it comes to races is Training versus Doing. Training for a Race versus Doing one. What's the difference? In my decision to train for the Cascade Crest 100, my wife got upset that I didn't discuss this with her. I had to make it clear that...
...Training for a Race is not the same as actually DOING IT...
People go to college to train and learn to be doctors and lawyers. However just because you're going to school to become one, doesn't mean you will be one. You could drop out. You could decide it's not for you and change your major. You could graduate and then decide to take your life in a different direction. Preparing for a race is exactly like that. I could work at doing all the necessary thing to get ready for a 100 mile trail race, but it doesn't mean that I HAVE TO run it...even if it means I paid for the entry. I could get injured along the way (but hopefully not). I could get burned out and decide that this year isn't the year to do it again. I could even decide at the last minute to just drop out, just because.
My desire to do a 100 miler is apart of a larger scheme. Through training for a 100, I hope to:
- Be fitter with greater endurance and strength in doing long distance runs
- Be faster and be able to have higher mileage
- Be slimmer and not carry nearly as much weight (goes back to being fitter and faster)
- Be more disciplined in my workouts
- Enjoy moving my feet more
This way, after the 100 is over, all those things will be apart of my being and it will be something you can't separate from who I am.
But doing the race itself, that's just a single point on this long string of life.
I decided to take today as a rest day for now, both physical and mental.
One thing I want to touch on when it comes to races is Training versus Doing. Training for a Race versus Doing one. What's the difference? In my decision to train for the Cascade Crest 100, my wife got upset that I didn't discuss this with her. I had to make it clear that...
...Training for a Race is not the same as actually DOING IT...
People go to college to train and learn to be doctors and lawyers. However just because you're going to school to become one, doesn't mean you will be one. You could drop out. You could decide it's not for you and change your major. You could graduate and then decide to take your life in a different direction. Preparing for a race is exactly like that. I could work at doing all the necessary thing to get ready for a 100 mile trail race, but it doesn't mean that I HAVE TO run it...even if it means I paid for the entry. I could get injured along the way (but hopefully not). I could get burned out and decide that this year isn't the year to do it again. I could even decide at the last minute to just drop out, just because.
My desire to do a 100 miler is apart of a larger scheme. Through training for a 100, I hope to:
- Be fitter with greater endurance and strength in doing long distance runs
- Be faster and be able to have higher mileage
- Be slimmer and not carry nearly as much weight (goes back to being fitter and faster)
- Be more disciplined in my workouts
- Enjoy moving my feet more
This way, after the 100 is over, all those things will be apart of my being and it will be something you can't separate from who I am.
But doing the race itself, that's just a single point on this long string of life.
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Endurance Flop?
Flop is the best term to use on how I feel at the moment. My body feels like jelly after the modified CrossFit Workout Of the Day (aka WOD) I did during lunch. For the CrossFit folks that are remotely interested:
Today's WOD: Modified Tabata This! (4 rounds instead of 8)
Final Counts:
Air Squats - 14
Rowing - 6 cal
Push-Ups - 5 (barely made through this after slamming 15 in the first round)
Pull-Ups - Zero (no pull-up bar or anything close that I could use in the company gym. I'll have to see what I could possibly do...like resistance bands)
Sit-Ups - 5 (same goes for this like the push-ups. Did 20 in the first round and everything went flat afterward)
After alot of thought over the week, I removed myself from all the races for the next three months before the Autumn Leaves 50 Mile Ultra in Oregon on Oct 25th. Plus, it's going to be a family affair, so that makes it even better.
After that for 2008, I'll most likely do the iUWR Marathon if I'm not totally beaten up from the Autumn Leaves run the week before, the Seattle Ghost 50k (no marathon double for me this year), the Pigtails Flat Ass 50k (if Van decides to put it on again), and the Last Chance Marathon (since the day after is my birthday). I'm tempted to check out the Tiger Mountain Dumb Ass 50k to get familiar with the course and train well on hill climbs (and descents).
For 2009, I decided that it will be the year I shoot for my first 100 miler. Arthur has given me some sound advice based on his own experience, especially with the time management & family time factor. I've still got to pick the brains of a few other folks though, but I've got some things already put down as a MUST-DO.
MUST-DO:
- Build a stronger base for mileage. No more 25-30 mile weeks. I need to eventually amp up to atleast 50-60 miles a week (and more). The conditioning for Autumn Leaves in the next 12 weeks will help me get to that higher mileage goal. So I'll be expecting lots of LSD miles for awhile with maybe a pinch of speedwork.
- Do more trail running. I know I won't be able to get away every weekend for a long trail run. But if I want to be successful at my first 100, I've got to play in the dirt. So it looks like Mt Si and the Issaquah Alps will be my buddies. Just have to find a trail shoe that will work for me. Hopefully those Brooks Cascadia 3's that Eric Sachs has been holding for me will do the job. Road shoes are definately not meant for trail running, even if the trail itself is compacted dirt.
- Work on my footwork and agility for the trails. This means that on days where I'm not trail running during the work week, I have to find ways to have more nimble feet. I think some plyometric work (rope skipping, parkour, etc) is going to be in the cards.
- Smarter cross-training. For the next few weeks, I'll be trying CrossFit out for size, doing 3 WOD's a week to start. The WOD's are going to be scaled down for obvious reasons (primarily because I suck at them), but I will do my best to stick to them. I'm not giving up the bike commute, but I will take Arthur's advice on spinning faster in a lower gear to increase my cadence and hopefully let that translate to a faster leg turnover. I tend to use the bigger gears that require more power (specifically coming from my quads), so I need to get those hamstrings working more. Although I have to admit, the beefed up quads allow me to run downhill without suffering the typical damage that people refer to as "the quad buster". My downhill abilities were my saving grace at White River.
- Dropping pounds, atleast 20 lbs. Lighter in frame = lighter when running. Lighter when running = faster on the course. Right now, the scale at work shows 199, so I'll go off of that for now.
Now all that's left is to figure out which 100 miler to do (although I think it's going to end up being Cascade Crest...unless it fills up too damn fast.)
Today's WOD: Modified Tabata This! (4 rounds instead of 8)
Final Counts:
Air Squats - 14
Rowing - 6 cal
Push-Ups - 5 (barely made through this after slamming 15 in the first round)
Pull-Ups - Zero (no pull-up bar or anything close that I could use in the company gym. I'll have to see what I could possibly do...like resistance bands)
Sit-Ups - 5 (same goes for this like the push-ups. Did 20 in the first round and everything went flat afterward)
After alot of thought over the week, I removed myself from all the races for the next three months before the Autumn Leaves 50 Mile Ultra in Oregon on Oct 25th. Plus, it's going to be a family affair, so that makes it even better.
After that for 2008, I'll most likely do the iUWR Marathon if I'm not totally beaten up from the Autumn Leaves run the week before, the Seattle Ghost 50k (no marathon double for me this year), the Pigtails Flat Ass 50k (if Van decides to put it on again), and the Last Chance Marathon (since the day after is my birthday). I'm tempted to check out the Tiger Mountain Dumb Ass 50k to get familiar with the course and train well on hill climbs (and descents).
For 2009, I decided that it will be the year I shoot for my first 100 miler. Arthur has given me some sound advice based on his own experience, especially with the time management & family time factor. I've still got to pick the brains of a few other folks though, but I've got some things already put down as a MUST-DO.
MUST-DO:
- Build a stronger base for mileage. No more 25-30 mile weeks. I need to eventually amp up to atleast 50-60 miles a week (and more). The conditioning for Autumn Leaves in the next 12 weeks will help me get to that higher mileage goal. So I'll be expecting lots of LSD miles for awhile with maybe a pinch of speedwork.
- Do more trail running. I know I won't be able to get away every weekend for a long trail run. But if I want to be successful at my first 100, I've got to play in the dirt. So it looks like Mt Si and the Issaquah Alps will be my buddies. Just have to find a trail shoe that will work for me. Hopefully those Brooks Cascadia 3's that Eric Sachs has been holding for me will do the job. Road shoes are definately not meant for trail running, even if the trail itself is compacted dirt.
- Work on my footwork and agility for the trails. This means that on days where I'm not trail running during the work week, I have to find ways to have more nimble feet. I think some plyometric work (rope skipping, parkour, etc) is going to be in the cards.
- Smarter cross-training. For the next few weeks, I'll be trying CrossFit out for size, doing 3 WOD's a week to start. The WOD's are going to be scaled down for obvious reasons (primarily because I suck at them), but I will do my best to stick to them. I'm not giving up the bike commute, but I will take Arthur's advice on spinning faster in a lower gear to increase my cadence and hopefully let that translate to a faster leg turnover. I tend to use the bigger gears that require more power (specifically coming from my quads), so I need to get those hamstrings working more. Although I have to admit, the beefed up quads allow me to run downhill without suffering the typical damage that people refer to as "the quad buster". My downhill abilities were my saving grace at White River.
- Dropping pounds, atleast 20 lbs. Lighter in frame = lighter when running. Lighter when running = faster on the course. Right now, the scale at work shows 199, so I'll go off of that for now.
Now all that's left is to figure out which 100 miler to do (although I think it's going to end up being Cascade Crest...unless it fills up too damn fast.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Mild Reset
Had a rainy, but good 4 mile easy run (well, not too easy - I'm still somewhat hurty in my left hamstring and the bruise is just killer) yesterday in 42:11.
I'm re-thinking about my runs for the rest of the year. Originally, I had slated Light at the End of the Tunnel and a few other marathons/ultras on the list. But I realize that other than the friendship factor in these races, they serve no other purpose for me and make my life somewhat disorganized.
I'm thinking of scrapping all races for the moment and re-thinking about making 2009 my first attempt at a 100 miler, either Cascade Crest or Olga's Hundred in the Hood.
If I were to do a race this year that I thought should have a real impact on me as White River did, I think I'll make the drive down to Oregon to do the Autumn Leaves 50 miler.
But all this is still up in the air. Only thing for certain is that I need to shake things up a bit and actually have a goal in mind.
I'm re-thinking about my runs for the rest of the year. Originally, I had slated Light at the End of the Tunnel and a few other marathons/ultras on the list. But I realize that other than the friendship factor in these races, they serve no other purpose for me and make my life somewhat disorganized.
I'm thinking of scrapping all races for the moment and re-thinking about making 2009 my first attempt at a 100 miler, either Cascade Crest or Olga's Hundred in the Hood.
If I were to do a race this year that I thought should have a real impact on me as White River did, I think I'll make the drive down to Oregon to do the Autumn Leaves 50 miler.
But all this is still up in the air. Only thing for certain is that I need to shake things up a bit and actually have a goal in mind.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
YAYZ!!!! Oregon 100!!!!!
Thanks to ultrarunner/Marathon Maniac/awesome-babe Olga, a new 100 miler that will be coming up in 2009 might be the one to shoot for with this 100 mile ultrarunning virgin. Cleverly called Hundred in the Hood, it adds the total of 100 milers in the Pacific Northwest to 4...well, 5.
- North Bend-2-Vantage (aka NB2V) in North Bend, WA (May 24th-25th).
- Cascade Crest 100 in Easton, WA (Aug 23rd-24th)
- Plain 100 in Plain, WA (Sept 13th-14th)
- Bear 100 in Preston, ID (yeah, Napoleon Dynamite country!) (Sept 26th-27th...a Friday start, Saturday finish)
NB2V is a little bit different in that it's over 100 miles (108 miles), there's no cost - so it's put on in true Fat Ass fashion, and no cost = no awards/finishers bling/aid/support/etc. You want support, you have to bring your own. The Plain 100 is similar with one difference, you are actually PAYING to be self-sufficient on a 100 mile course and you only have one point to actually refuel your bottles/hydration packs/etc. If you want water on the course, better have a water filter to drink from the streams.
Hmm...with as many 100 milers in the NW now after the Oregon 100 gets off the ground next year, a person could do a true NorthWest Grand Slam by completing all 5 runs in a year. Although if the Bear 100 schedule overlaps with the Oregon 100 schedule...that would make for a very unusual race weekend where you would run on Friday, finish on Saturday, try and haul ass one state over, and then run another 100 miles within appropriate cutoffs. Although, that would also make for a very interesting story for the runner. :-)
In any case, in 2009 - I am determined to do my first 100 miler and finish it!
- North Bend-2-Vantage (aka NB2V) in North Bend, WA (May 24th-25th).
- Cascade Crest 100 in Easton, WA (Aug 23rd-24th)
- Plain 100 in Plain, WA (Sept 13th-14th)
- Bear 100 in Preston, ID (yeah, Napoleon Dynamite country!) (Sept 26th-27th...a Friday start, Saturday finish)
NB2V is a little bit different in that it's over 100 miles (108 miles), there's no cost - so it's put on in true Fat Ass fashion, and no cost = no awards/finishers bling/aid/support/etc. You want support, you have to bring your own. The Plain 100 is similar with one difference, you are actually PAYING to be self-sufficient on a 100 mile course and you only have one point to actually refuel your bottles/hydration packs/etc. If you want water on the course, better have a water filter to drink from the streams.
Hmm...with as many 100 milers in the NW now after the Oregon 100 gets off the ground next year, a person could do a true NorthWest Grand Slam by completing all 5 runs in a year. Although if the Bear 100 schedule overlaps with the Oregon 100 schedule...that would make for a very unusual race weekend where you would run on Friday, finish on Saturday, try and haul ass one state over, and then run another 100 miles within appropriate cutoffs. Although, that would also make for a very interesting story for the runner. :-)
In any case, in 2009 - I am determined to do my first 100 miler and finish it!
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