A Tweak-Tweak here, a Tweak-Tweak there...

I'm still alive. Very busy, but still training. Starting to find my groove.

Basically, due to job office relocation (same company, longer commute), my training time has been gobbled up by the commute. So I'm left with doing short runs during the week (so no midweek long runs). But that's okay. I found that my body can't really tolerate that right now anyway. So it's going to be workouts during lunch (sandbag training for strength, some rope work, and some runs - hopefully it won't rain out there too often since I won't have any indoor facility to do those things), short runs immediately when I get home of 30-60 minutes, a long run on Sundays, and maybe a middle distance or short run on Saturdays.

I've also recalibrated my HR zones, going off of the Karvonen method for HR calculation (the Suunto T-Series HRM's seem to use that) and getting my resting HR from my morning averages (64 bpm) and my MaxHR from the Dizzy Daze run at the end (191 bpm), I end up with a completely different set of zones from when I did my metabolic test. I believe that my aerobic capacity has improved since then and my training runs seem to prove this as well based on the Training Effect that is being generated and my ground speed improving overall. I'll get into this later on.

Main focus: Dial into the Zones more and treat next week's 50 miler (Mt Si) as a practice in walk/run combos, hydration/fueling, pushing after mile 29 before Rattlesnake Lake, and then throwing the hammer down for the remaining 15 miles on the downhill to finish (hopefully within the cutoff).

Dizzy Thoughts

I had a pretty decent run yesterday and thanks to my buddy Rob T. and letting me borrow his old ANT belt, I had better readings using my Suunto t6. The old belt I had I found had cracks in it, which would explain the erratic readings from before. I still need to work more on keeping my HR in check, but I was able to stay in my low-intensity aerobic zone (below 138 bpm) for 40+ minutes out of a solid 47 minutes. Most of the increases in HR were around 1-3 beats above 138 bpm, which is a good thing...but it could be better. So in 3.2 miles, I'm able to run about 47 minutes. Based on this, I can potentially finish tomorrow's Dizzy Daze run in about 7.5 hours if I run/walk the 50k distance and keep my HR completely within my fat-burning zone. However, I could also do everything in 6.5+ hours if I opt to stop at the marathon point. I guess I'll just have to see how much I'm up for it. I really only need to do enough to get my endocrine system to respond appropriately in time for the Mt Si Ultra (doing the 50 miler again).

Then again, I could just run the first 6-7 loops in my low intensity and then run the last 2 loops at a harder pace to finish sooner and see how the EPOC looks afterwards. I'm sure I'll figure it out by tomorrow morning.

Hitting the reset button - Oregon 100 Training, Week 1

Well, I can't say this is a genuine reset, but definately a rebuild. My main focus is on the Oregon 100 (aka Hundred in the Hood) as my A-priority race in late September. At the moment, I'm rebuilding my base after a bout of being ill with some kind of flu bug that really messed me up. I'm still HR training, but found some defects that I think I've remedied, so hopefully things will get even better as the weeks progress. Anyway, here's the first week of training I've done...


March 3rd - 2 Miles on the treadmill, first mile as a warm-up. You can tell I was trying to get back into the swing of things and not very well.






March 4th - 4 Miles easy, outdoor run. This was the start of when I figured that something was up with my Suunto T6. Rainy day run, but I felt really good.







March 5th - Ran 6+ miles with the group. Had about a 20 minute head start to finish with them in the end. I thought I was doing okay until after I got the HR data. More indication that something was up.








March 7th - First long run day. 14 miles of hell. My body was cooperating at first, but the HRM wasn't after about 6 miles in, giving seriously erratic readings. I eventually went old school, running about every quarter-mile and checking my pulse on my neck to stay within my HR zone. This was also the longest run I had done in a VERY long time. I realized that you need to run long frequently to be able to maintain your form and endurance level. This includes teaching your muscles to retain glycogen more efficiently while burning fat and teaching your endocrine system to not rebel against your own body.

The 7th was also the day where I had to effectively "break" my Suunto T6 in order to get the battery out of the back. Whomever designed this thing was on crack. I used a Dremel to wear down the plastic slot and fashioned a hole that would fit a regular flathead screwdriver and was able to open it easily without breaking the rubber O-ring seal. After replacing the battery, I filled the newly created screwdriver hole and slot area with glue from my glue gun and smoothed out the area. It is still retaining its water-proof design and now I can replace the batteries quickly without any headaches.




March 8th - My legs and body were really tired from the previous day, but I knew I had to do something to get those 8 miles in. Time on your feet is extremely important, so I opted to take the dog out for an 8 mile walk. This was the only time where my HR stayed in the fat-burning aerobic zone this week. But I'm glad I did that purposeful walking. My HRM didn't go crazy and I was very efficient in my walking, even with the dog. This is a good thing during the 100 miler since EVERYONE WALKS, but those that walk with purpose versus just doing the death march have a better chance of finishing.


Total miles this week (including the miles from the calibration of my device on Monday at the track): ~36 miles! (Right now, I'm REALLY enjoying my rest day today!)

Next week's projected mileage: ~42 miles. The weekend back-to-back long runs are going to be on the Mt Si Ultra course from Tanner Rd to Rattlesnake Lake and Cedar Falls (16 miles on Saturday) and then from Rattlesnake Lake to Cedar Falls (8 miles on Sunday). These two runs will essentially replicate the "hardest" parts of the Mt Si Ultra course. The last time I trained on the course like this a year ago, I had stopped at Rattlesnake Lake. This was a bad move since I could have sucked it up and kept going instead of dropping out @ Rattlesnake since I had it in my head that the final 4-5 miles to the turnaround aid-station was too far for me to do. Doing these two runs should psych me up a bit more. Familiarity can make things easier on the mind and in these events, it is more mind over body.

Da Tub

Well Nic, you wanted to see it? (pics courtesy of Barefoot Jon - Marathon Maniac #209)

Recovery and Portable Ice Baths

Thanks for the encouraging comments post-Mt Si. I'm doing my best to recover at the moment and build myself back up into better fighting form for the Redmond Watershed Preserve 12-hr run on May 17th (Ugh, wish the Cascade Running Club would get an AthletesLounge.com or Active.com account for payments! Even Paypal would be better than mailing in the app!)

Anyhoo, as I said - so far, so good. Quads are not as sore, but my feet are still doing that knuckle-joint cracking sound, but that'll pass like it always does. I am more stoked on the next event and the training I'm going to stick to like glue.

King Arthur made a comment in my last entry regarding the ice bath I brought to the race, so I figure to let everyone in on the weird logic that filled my head for this idea.

After my experience at Mt Si in 2006, ice baths were one thing that would have been great to have. The Snoqualmie River is nearby, but not in a good way as everyone knows. Running that last mile to the finish, you see the pretty water looking all calm and cold...and you know that you just can't stop and jump in since you got a mile left to the finish line! After my first and so far only successful 50 miler, I was hyper-sore for 5 days straight and walked like a croquet hoop. It wasn't until after crossing the finish line at the Tacoma City Marathon in my pacing duties that I understood why ice baths worked so well. I jumped into the tub and soaked up the chill like nobody's business and I was fine in under 48 hrs.

Then seeing several pictures of various folks dipping in lakes, rivers, buckets, and storage containers - I figured that having something deep (and long) enough to soak in for races that were sans-ice baths but really need it...it just made sense. Most of us are able to get through a marathon or a 50k without having to jump into any kind of body of water, unless there is a need to recover quickly (e.g. MultiDay/Back-to-Back races).

So the question was, how big of a container? I needed to get a good size storage container. The largest size I found for cheap was a 45 gal container with little wheels. It was big enough to sit in, but your legs couldn't stick straight out (you are mildly bent at the knees.) But it was a trade off. Any longer and I wouldn't be able to put it in my minivan without removing more seats!

Now that I had my bathtub container, I had under-estimated the amount of water I needed at Mt Si. I only brought 4 gallons of water and purchased 5 bags of ice from the local QFC. Thankfully, I was able to use the school's water via the custodian's closet that was open and I filled the tub up (well, OVERFILLED) with another 15+ more gallons. Ten would have been plenty.

Note to Shawn: I'm taking the tub with me for NB2V. I'm sure that after a 108 mile slog, people will look forward to jumping into an ice bath at the finish in Vantage. :-)

Mt Si Ultra Race Report (aka Sucking Wind)

I'm not kicking myself nearly as much as I did yesterday, but it still is a letdown.

So what the hell happened?

The short story: I DNF'ed at mile 30 after having 27 miles of great running.

The long story: After weeks of bad mileage (0 miles to 25 miles per week) and trying to recover from a very stubborn chest cold, I still had a small bit of hope that I would be able to finish the Mt Si 50 Mile Ultra. I had a sound strategy for the event itself, from what would be in my drop bags, to the pace I was going to run & run/walk at. I even setup an icebath tub in my car for afterwards to help me recover.

This was the second time I did this 50 mile run. The first time was a year ago and I finished in 10:37. I wasn't planning on beating my PR, but just to finish.

We started out at 5am and due to my familiarity with the course, I helped a few early start newbies to where we needed to turn off at in the darkness. As the sun rose, the glory of nature really showed itself. It was a great day for a run of any kind. It was a great day to be outdoors.

I hit the first aid station/dropbag #1 point @ mile 5.7 and drank up some Pepsi and GU2O. I also slammed an Espresso Love GU and then headed to the next point about 4 miles away. Time - 1:04:51

As I kept going, I conversed with a few of the early starters to let them know when to expect the next aid station (which was the turnaround point). However, the race turned me into a liar. The spot where the aid station was supposed to be wasn't there! I look into the distance and see a runner coming towards me. I run towards him and he said that they were late and they were over a quarter mile from where they should be. Figures I would be getting some kind of extra credit miles. I got some water from the guys and walked them to the spot they should have been. So what should have been 9.9 miles into the run became 10.5 before I turned around. Time - 52:24/1:57:16

Since the course is designed as an out-n-back, I was able to return to my dropbag and get my bottles to continue on the course. The weather was nicely warming up as the morning progressed, so off went the gloves and long-sleeve. Slammed another GU along with some potatoes and thanked the volunteers. 14 miles and so far, so good. Time - 41:26/2:38:42

As I left the aid station, Eric Sachs showed up soon after and decided to push me for about 0.5 miles...literally. We all had a good laugh. Once back on the road for that brief mile, I stopped along the side to shake out the gravel that ended up in my shoes. I didn't wear gaiters this time, but I was thrilled to see that I didn't get any blisters in the places I did last year. I waived at all the relay runners and non-early starters as they came in the other direction. I soon headed back up the stairs to get back on the trail and to get to the next aid station. 20 miles into it, still feeling good and not feeling any signs of the chest cold, I was in good spirits. I loaded up at the aid station since it was going to be 9 miles to the next full station and about 5 miles to the unmanned aid station of just water and bananas. Time - 1:13:49/3:52:31

As the sun continued to shine down, I drank a bit more than usual, but I was still feeling well. After an botched hi-five to the Deputy who was controlling traffic, I got to the unmanned aid station at mile 25 and drank some more before heading up the 4 miles to my second drop bag. Time - 49:38/4:42:09

I checked my watch and realized that I was actually doing BETTER than last year so far. Not having soles covered in large blisters does make for speedier times on the course. As I ascended the mild 2% incline that lead up to the next aid station, I started to slow down WAY TOO MUCH about mile 27. It was like someone let the air out of the tires. I trudged my way up to the aid station and sat down. It was the longest 4 miles I ever had to do (or it felt like it anyway). Time - 1:01:41/5:43:51

I got some serious help from Jim Kirby (9 time winner of the race) who was volunteering this year due to injuries and I drank up some chicken soup from my dropbag along with a Starbucks DoubleShot and some water and Gatorade. After a 10+ minute sit, I got up and slowly shuffled my feet in a lame walk to get things moving again. I moved along for at best a quarter mile and then collapsed to the ground on my hands and knees. I just didn't have the endurance to keep going. I sat there on the ground for awhile, hoping that my composure would come back and I could continue. But after awhile, I realized that there was no way that I could push on for 20 more miles, even if the last 15 would be downhill. I just wasn't in enough shape to do it. So, eating some serious humble pie, I waived the white flag as I returned to the previous aid station to indicate my drop and begged for a ride back to the start where my icebath would be.

Due to the time I arrived, I had the chance to see the front of the pack finishers. They were all sympathetic and encouraging. Sometimes, it's just not your day in a race is what they pretty much said. But they did also say that having bad training weeks doesn't help either. Eric said that it was better to drop than to be in an ambulance. A VERY GOOD POINT. I had alot of time to soak in the icebath and think of everything. Although I lost out in getting a 50 mile finish this time, for the time I was out there - it was a good run and a gorgeous day to do it. Plus, the people there also made me understand why I do what I do. As I always say, ultrarunners are indeed salt of the earth people. Another thing learned, NEVER HALF-ASS YOUR TRAINING. I made a vow now never to do what I did and take better care of myself.

I have the Redmond Watershed Preserve 12-hr run in 5 weeks and I'm going to make sure I'm definately ready to stick that one out as long as possible and redeem myself.

Another Race, Another DNF

I won't go into details right now, but it wasn't pretty.

But I learned alot...ALOT.

For Sunday to remember

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

Confucius
Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)

Menthol, Onions, H2O, *cough* repeat

Menthol - The stuff in cough drops and chest rub, note the hell...er, smell.

Onions - The thing that Shrek described himself as to Donkey, having layers (not to be confused with Parfaits...mmmm, parfaits). Used in lots of cooking things and has medicinal properties. Also note the smell.

H2O - Two hydrogen atoms binded to one oxygen atom. Somehow two elements that are gases form something liquid and one of the things that sustains life on this planet. Note the non-smell.

*cough* - The thing I keep doing, but not as frequently thanks to the ingredients above...but I still keep doing *cough, cough* said action.

Today will be 9 days of no running. I'm getting seriously twitchy, but it's all good. (Although I am getting really annoyed with those commercials on TV for New Balance and the whole "You miss running like a girlfriend" promotion.) As long as I can get enough of this chest cold out of my lungs, the better off I am for Mt Si on Sunday. Sunday is also proving to be good weather wise. The forecast shows sun with clouds and a highs in the 60's. For a 50-mile run, that's a good thing. Less things to have to wear and worry about. Still have some trepidations about running 50 on extremely low mileage compared to when I ran marathons or 50k's under low mileage situations, but there's a first for everything and this will be a learning experience for sure. Only thing I hope for (other than surviving in the cutoff time) is to recover quickly afterwards. I really don't want to think about the possibility of having to take a few days off of work because my body crapped out post-race.

Scaling Back & Gearing Up

Over the past few days, I realized that in order for me to remotely do okay for Mt Si, I have to get over this chest cold first. It's in its final stages, so alot of dry coughing & icky coughing is happening to clear out the left lung. Because of this, I've kept my running to nearly zero and have opted to focus on purging as much of this as possible until Mt Si since there isn't enough time to increase my cardio-endurance before the event.

I also told the family not to worry if they can't show to see me finish this one. The only race that I would really like them to be at is the White River 50 in July anyway.

For Mt Si prep, I have figured out what I need to do and where specific to my dropbags.

- Dropbag #1 -

* 2 Ultimate Direction handstrap bottles filled with Orange Gatorade
* Aleve (6 pill blister pack)
* GU Packets (Espresso Love flavor)
* Spare gloves
* Spare long-sleeve shirt
* Spare pair of Injinji Tsoks
* Large Garbage Bag
* Container of S!Caps
* DayQuil
* Cough Drops
* Quench Gum
* Vaseline
* Hot Hands instant hand-warmers

- Dropbag #2 -

* 1 liter Vacuum Bottle Food Container filled with HOT Chicken Noodle Soup
* Mexican Coca-Cola
* Container of Orange Gatorade
* Container of S!Caps
* Can of Starbucks DoubleShot Espresso
* Can of Chocolate Ensure
* Aleve (6 pill blister pack)
* Large Garbage Bag
* Spare Gloves
* Spare long-sleeve
* Spare pair of Injinji Tsoks
* 2nd pair of shoes (New Balance 719's)
* Vaseline
* Cough Drops
* DayQuil
* Hot Hands instant hand-warmers
* Cellphone

- In car -

* Warm Clothes
* 45 Gal storage container with bag of ice and jugs of water
* Towels
* Blister kit (needle, alcohol wipes, bandages, etc)
* Slim-Fast shake

- Before race -

* Eat good warm breakfast
* Wear headlamp till dropbag #1 is reached
* Drink 16 oz water & take one S!Caps suppliment
* Vaseline feet up and put on Injinji Tsoks and Mizuno shoes
* Dress appropriately for weather (reports show rain currently)
* Wear Hot Hands instant hand-warmers if temp feels too cold

- Strategy -

Since the name of the game is surviving, I have to learn not to push too hard because of my lack of good training miles these past few weeks. So the game is to run where I am able to, walk when I can't, and to do my best to keep moving until I finish.

* Pre-Start (0.0 mi) - Drink water and take S!Caps, carry no additional hydration
* Start to Aid Station #1/Dropbag #1 (5.7 mi) - Drink with provided aid. Stash headlamp into dropbag if light level is decent.
* Aid Station #2 (9.9 mi) - Self-supported aid station, drink some water and take another S!Caps before returning back to Dropbag #1.
* Aid Station #3/Dropbag #1 (14 mi) - Drink again with provided aid. Take UD bottles out of dropbag. Pack some GU packets and the Aleve to take on the course. Swap clothes and possibly wear garbage bag as rain slicker if necessary.
* Aid Station #4 (20.4 mi) - Possibly refill one bottle with drink from Aid Station. Eat some solid food if possible before going on.
* Aid Station #5 (24.3 mi) - Most likely going to pass this aid station unless I really feel the need to swig water or grab a banana. It's more important to get to the next aid station anyway.
* Aid Station #6/Dropbag #2 (28.9 mi) - The Super-Spot! MUST GET HERE BEFORE 12:30pm! (7.5 hours from Start) Drink up the hot soup in the dropbag right away. Drink up some Ensure and Starbucks DoubleShot. Share with other runners since it's unlikely anyone would turndown hot soup and super-caffine like Starbucks. Eat some aid station food, if desired. Fill one bottle with Mexican Coca-Cola. Pop Aleve if necessary (take some with along course for rest of time). Swap clothes and garbage bag rain-slicker if necessary. Swap shoes if necessary. Leave out can of Starbucks DoubleShot and Ensure on side of trail if the chance of getting back to drop bag on return is not within cutoff time.
* Aid Station #7 (34.4 mi) - Only 15.6 miles to go, time to HTFU! MUST GET HERE BEFORE 1:40PM CUT-OFF! Take some food and drink before leaving.
* Aid Station #8 (39.9 mi) - Only 10.1 miles to go, SUCK IT UP! MUST GET HERE BEFORE 3:00PM CUT-OFF! Since this is the same aid station as #6, the dropbag might still be here if I get back before 12:30pm (although I highly doubt it). Refuel & Refill with aid station drink and with stuff left on the side of the trail saved from earlier.
* Aid Station #9 (46.7 mi) - Only 3.3 miles to the finish! GO! GO! GO! Self-Supported aid station (and LAST aid station). Unless if there is a need to get some water or banana, just got to hang in there and take it mile by mile for the last three.

If I feel the coughing coming on too strong (hope to be done with it by Sunday), I'll be downing DayQuil and popping cough drops while out on the course. If things start to turn seriously south and I know there is no way for me to go on, I'll put my tail between my legs and drop on the course at a manned aid station and take the DNF.

- Post-Race Recovery-

* Drink down Slim-Fast shake
* Fill up storage container with water and the ice (or what has survived of the ice) to take immediate ice-bath to help with recovery
* Dry off and change into regular clothes
* Take Aleve if necessary
* Take care of any blisters
* Early night of sleep since I have to work the following day

So, to sum it up:

- Go Slow
- Go Long
- Go Safe
- Go Have Fun

Go Long or Go Home

A phrase that a fellow Maniac (and other Marathon Maniacs) says when it comes to races and training. This past Sunday, I learned it well.

With the leftover germies in my system, I wasn't expecting much in speed or endurance when running with the Balanced Athlete group. I also wasn't sure what distance everyone would end up doing either, but I knew that I'd stick to the running more if I was with a group than by myself this time around. I was hoping for a shorter distance of 8 miles like everyone had been doing in past weeks.

I got to the store just after 8am and found out that everyone was going to do about 15 miles. Okay, so no 8 milers. Guess I'll have to suck this up and pray my lungs don't explode out of my chest. As we went towards the Green River Trail, I sucked on my cough drop and did my best to breath. It took almost an hour for my lungs to feel like they were clear, but it was a great feeling after days of gasping. I ran up ahead of the group to make a pitstop at a port-a-potty along the route...to which the guys who were trailing behind decided to rock and shake up the port-a-potty while I was inside. Scary moment there when I dropped my water bottle on the floor. Ew.... I chased the group down and with a pseudo-tough-guy voice, "OK, WHO SHOOK THE PORT-A-POTTY?!" Everyone in typical comedic fashion, all (literally) pointed to one guy. We had a good laugh but good thing we were another mile from a water fountain where I could clean up the bottle!

At this point, we were close to 8 miles out. Then the group splintered off. Some wanted to do some quick tempo/speed work, the rest of us headed back. I was suprised at the pace I was moving at (even with a pitstop). I ended up doing just shy of 16 miles when it was all said and done (15.8 acccording to gmap-pedometer). My pace was at a 9:45/mile. Pretty good for a guy who's doing his best to be on the mend before his 50 mile beating. I'm not the only one who has trepidations about Mt Si. Eric Sachs said that he knows that he's going to be hurting too since his training hasn't been too good (even though he's in better running shape than me, more seasoned, and does more miles per week - about 50 on average). But we'll both be towing the line at 5am on race day, so who knows?

No turning back now

I paid the fee. I'm now registered for the Mt Si Ultra (50 miler).

The goal is to finish. Not break my PR from last year (10:37), just finish and finish in-tact.

Although you could laugh and think of what I'm doing as of late as a "Couch to 50 mile training plan".

The art of HTFU and the H2O game

A week of no running due to me blaming scheduling conflicts and such - I learned to point the finger to myself and decided that it's time to Harden The F*ck Up. Yesterday was me trying to get back into the game. Although I was shooting for 26 miles but ended up doing 20 + 1-2 miles of walking, I'm satisfied with the lesson. Seems that a 2 liter hydration pack is enough for 20 miles of distance on the run. Beyond that, I need an additional source of water or hydration from somewhere. So after hobbling almost 2 miles to the nearest thing that was open that had a phone, I called a cab to take me home. That's going to be the last time I do that.

24 hours after the run, I'm feeling fine and looking forward to moving my feet some more. Mt Si may hurt me on April 13th, but I'm going to put up a hard fight every mile.

Mt Si Ultra training and 2008 goals

Drove to the In-Laws for a visit yesterday. Well, I dropped off the rest of the family at the In-Laws. **I** went for a trail run to help me prep for the Mt Si Ultra (yes, I'm still planning on doing the 50 miler with the shitty training I've been through lately). The run was actually really good. I was aiming for 4 hours and to do the full out-n-back of 22.6 miles, but ended up doing something close to 18 miles (finishing time of 2:55:17) instead based on where I had to turn around. Seems that Mother Nature decided to knock a few trees down on the trail and I wasn't going to scale a natural fence to continue on the trail. The trail itself goes up at about a 2% incline. I was able to keep my pace even and "slow" going up. I incorporated everything Eric Sachs @ The Balanced Athlete told me. Shorter strides. Easier footstrikes. Faster leg turnover. Even with a hydration pack on my back, the effort and feel was at a good level. However, once when I turned back around, my legs had to get use to the pounding of going downhill. Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE downhill running. However, there is a difference between a short series of downhills and one long downhill that doesn't seem to stop. My body eventually adjusted, but I know I'll need to practice more LONG downhill running before Mt Si. Possibly hitting the same trail 2-3 more times before April 13th.

Now, regarding my goals for 2008 and my training in general, I finally came up with something...

First off:

"Better work / life balance = more time for training!"

And the rest of the goals:

- Stronger base fitness level (I want to be at the point where I could do a 50k or longer at a drop of a hat).
- Lose the "freshman 15" I gained at my previous job and the crazy schedule I left behind.
- Improve upper-body and core strength to improve running form.
- Get a serious sub-4 hour marathon finishing time (and by serious, I mean by finishing closer to 3:30.)
- Have a better run for the Mt Si 50 mile ultra in April and improve my time from last year.
- Finish strong for the White River 50 mile ultra in July
- Do well as a pacer for the Cascade Crest 100 trail run
- Get 2008 miles for the entire 2008 year.

As for my training itself, I think I've come close to a good solution for a training schedule that I can keep weekly. Basically, I'll be running about 5 times a week (4 times a week minimum). I'll have the long run of course, one tempo run, and one speed session. The other runs would be for recovery and maintaining stamina/endurance. So my schedule should look something like this during the week:

Monday: AM Easy Run (1hr/5-6 miles); Noon Strength Training & Core workout
Tuesday: AM Tempo Run (1hr/6-7 miles); Noon/PM Recovery Cross-Training
Wednesday: AM Easy Run (1hr/5-6 miles); Noon Strength Training & Core workout
Thursday: AM Interval Run (1hr/6-7 miles); Noon/PM Recovery Cross-Training
Friday: AM OFF or Cross-Training; Noon Strength Training & Core workout
Saturday: Race (they do tend to do them on Saturdays alot) otherwise OFF, Cross-Training, or Long Run depending on the situation for that week.
Sunday: Race or Standard Long Run if the Saturday was a non-run day. If Saturday was a race or a long run day, this would be a day off from training or cross-training. Otherwise, the day after (Monday) would be treated as a recovery day and either the day will be taken off or cross-training will be done in-place of the run and everything will pick up on Tuesday or be doubled-up on Tuesday with an AM Tempo Run and Noon/PM Recovery Runs.

I seriously need to re-dedicate myself to a training program and stick with it. I thought it would have been easy once I got back a normal work schedule, but since I didn't have ANYTHING structured and I have races all over the damn place as training runs, it has made things difficult. However, now that I've written it out - that's the first part to committing myself to it. So after my recovery jog/walk tomorrow, I can expect to start forcing myself to get up earlier to do these workouts and do them outside instead of on the dreadmill - I've been so bloody bored with being on those things for the past two weeks!!! I have to get use to doing outdoor runs and be the one to control the speed with my body and feet, not by a button. Hope this works! *crossing fingers*

Taking Care of Yourself

Even though I've completed a decent number of Marathons, Ultras, and a variety of runs from 400m on up, I'm always learning.

The lesson this week was to make sure you get into some warmer and dryer clothes if you can after a long run, ingest some good carbs and some protein soon after the workout, and take your vitamins. End result by not doing this: A monster chest cold that knocks you out for a week and gives you a big zero for your running mileage.

Today, I went out for the first time in over a week and was able to do 5.34 miles within a respectable 53:45 (10:03/mile pace) in windy and rainy conditions. Going to be so happy when I go & buy my new gym equipment and get a treadmill that ISN'T broken from previous high-mileage runs I inflicted upon it!

So I missed the Bridle Trails 50k Twilight Run this year. Although it'll be there next year, I mostly run for the fun of hanging out with running folks that share the same passions of putting one foot after the other over long periods of time.

Now that I'm ALMOST better, I've got 13 weeks before my first 50 miler for the year, Mt Si. But I'm not too worried. I've got a few things up my sleeve to make that ultra my bitch!