Queen of 3rd Place
The virtue lies in the struggle, not in the prize.Richard Monckton Milnes
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Thanks for all the wishes, everyone.
Leslie - that's really cool what you did for the neighborhood. Must have been very rewarding. I hope you can get more runs in with Karen, as Lydiard said, it's "far better to run too slow than too fast".
Joe - going for another big mileage week?
Didn't quite BQ yesterday, at 4:06:55 I missed it by 6:55. Felt fantastic with the 3:55 pace group until mile 16 and then suddenly the legs felt like lead. Could have pushed harder after that but my heart wasn't in it. But it was a beautiful day and great course (LOTS of folks trying to BQ) and I was pleasantly surprised to see how close I got considering I've just mid-training cycle for an actual goal marathon in November. Should mean it will come easy in November, right?
And yes, the beeg five-oh is Sunday. As runners instead of being sad we can say, HEY! A new AG!
Ex runner
Trails are hard!
Happy 50th and new AG, Arla. Does it make the BQ a tiny bit easier? 50's easy--the next one sounds a little scary to me. 60 sure sounds old, but i don't feel that old (most of the time). Celebrate well.
Need a fast half for late fall. Then I need to actually train for it.
It ain't gonna be nothin' in November. You'll kick BQ butt. And an upcoming bday Sunday? You're hitting that new AG running (ha ha ha ha ha!)
Rest day for me. I thought about doing strength training this, a.m., but I think I'm going to change that to Wed/Fri as opposed to Mon/Wed.
On the 3NJ's Facebook page, a listener posted this link re coming in DFL in ultramarathons. It's a really great article and totally exemplifies why I love trail/ultra running so much. The part that really got to me was the section about the guy who came in last this year at Western States. I got all misty-eyed thinking about how hard that guy struggled to finish and the folks cheering him on to the bitter end. The community and comradery I've experienced in ultra running is, without a doubt, second to none.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
jfa
Happy Birthday Arla! Like Stumpy says, it's just a number. Besides, with folks in as good as shape as us, 50 is the new 40!
Hey Stumpy, that makes 60 the new 50 ya know.
Leslie- you have the scariest avatars. You Ultra folks are a rare breed indeed.
Blew off two days of runs for sailing. It's coming down to the end of summer so I have to prioritize. Will be heading out for a 2.5 hour lr today though. Hopefully get up around 50mpw again despite my slovenly behavior.
7.1 miles this a.m. in foggy conditions. Crossed paths with a family of 3 racoons. They seem to be pretty prolific around here right now as the only "predators" are cars.
Got an email from Kate yesterday in which she gave me a brief lowdown on her run at Cascade Crest over the weekend. Trail sounds brutal, but she finished, bad blisters and all. She got her finisher's buckle, but is more excited about the bumper sticker she can add to the UM (ultra mobile) along with her Western States bumper sticker. Her comment, "Collect them all!"
I was very touched in that she wrote me before she'd even talked to her coach or her sister, Karen. Told her she was an evil influence as, since reading her email, I have grown more sound in my resolve to try a 100-miler in 2014. We'll see, 'cause as I sat in the chair around 5:00 a.m. this morning wishing I could go back to bed, I thought to myself, "And you want to train for 100 miles? What time of the morning do you think you'll be getting up to do that?" It's vicious cycle.
PS - I've changed my avatar for the squeamish.
Leslie - enjoyed the article about being DFL. Gotta agree with Joe...and I'm not so sure this new one is an improvement! Re: 100s, is the training all that different from doing a 50? Maybe throw in a night-time run or two to practice running at night?
Joe - enjoy the sailing! Guess your boat's a tad small to do any laps.
Stumpy - the new BQ time is the same as my old one because the standards were tightened.
My oh my were the legs sore yesterday. Couldn't even run one step. Funny how running a marathon easy vs. hard is so different afterwards. Took a rest day yesterday and...we'll see about this evening. Hopefully this will loosen up quick, because I'm supposed to run the Disney Half this coming weekend. Might be more like "run".
Hi ho hi ho, off to go home to grade papers.
Our HM Queen is running this weekend?? Good luck and have fun!
Re training for a 100 v. 50 - The mileage increase would be the biggest thing. I know during her peak weeks, Kate puts in 70-80 miles. I have yet to hit 60. Depending how much the mileage increased during on week days, I'd have to get up even earlier or do two-a-days. There's the whole being gone all weekend running.
As I've heard many an ultra runner say, this is a selfish sport, and it's hugely important to have a supportive, understanding spouse. When/If the time comes that I want to go for it, I know Shorty will be supportive, but it'll still suck for him. Just a lot to think about re time commitment, body commitment, money commitment, but I'm getting closer to committing myself to an insane asylum.
That's funny Leslie concerning the discussion of how much time we devote to running. Currently there's a thread about DB putting in a 938 mile month! I could not imagine that. My top week is probably about 12 - 13 hours of running. When I was separated and going through a divorce, it was much easier to come up with that time. Now with a spouse ( who is very understanding and supportive ) work, and other hobbies (sailing) it's tougher to come up with the time.Unfortunately, Nobby does not seem to like two a days, which would make it easier on my schedule.
Arla- good job on your BQ attempt , even though you came up short. It's a testament to your fitness level that you came so close .
Good luck on your half! I really enjoyed the whole Disney experience last year.
Nice long run last night. 15.5 miles in 2.5 hours. Chugging along and pressed the display button on my Garmin and the button fell off. Now I can't see the display at night or turn the thing off. Just hung up with Garmin support, they are sending me replacement number 6. They promise this one to be brand new (not a refurb). Geesh!
#artbydmcbride
Happy big Five-Oh, youngster!
Runners run
Hi Ilene!! (Waves madly).
Joe - you're funny. All those other hobbies and then you pop out and run 15+. BTW, Nobby has posted, yes I'm quoting, "doubles are always better". He's a big advocate for doing an easy 3 first thing in the am, and getting in whatever else you're doing later on. That would really up your mileage.
Leslie - 70 - 80 miles, yes, that's a lot. Definitely agree with you that there's a bit of selfishness involved, and that's ok. I've seen (relatively) reasonable training plans:
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Arla - I should get Coach Gary to send me what he thinks would be an appropriate training plan so I can start thinking harder. Now that I'm talking about it a lot, I'm leaning toward Headlands Hundred. I've run a few 50ks in the Marin Headlands, and there's a 50-mile option the same day the 100 happens. I know what a little over a quarter of the torture of those hills feels like. With the 50, I could experience half the torture! The other pluses are (1) the elevation only gets up to 998, (2) the overall elevation gain/loss is minimal compared to most 100s, and (3) it's relatively close to home (6 hrs away). (I'm slowly talking myself into this . . . )
Joe - I could not imagine almost 1000 miles a month. Where does the guy find the time, whether he's single or married? That's basically doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and running, with a little work and family time thrown in to mix things up a bit.
Speaking of miles, 4 this a.m., followed by about 45 min of core/strength training whilst finishing up "Man in the Moon." One of my all-time favorites. No matter how many times I watch it, I always cry at the end. If you've never seen it, it's a really sweet, coming-of-age movie with Reese Witherspoon (her first movie at age 14), Tess Harper, and Sam Waterston (one of my favorite actors).
My co-worker/good friend is taking me to see K.D. Lang tonight at the Van Duzer Theater, a small, intimate theater on the Humboldt State campus. Should be a great time. The only unfortunate part is it probably won't get over until 10:00 or later. This means there's no way I'm getting up at 4:30 to run. Which means I'll be doing my tempo run tomorrow after work. Ugh!
Leslie - a local guy I sometimes run with did Headlands as his first 100 last year, said he had a blast. He did the 50 a couple of times first so he had a real good idea of what to expect (I think he said the 100 is two laps of the 50?). He had also paced a friend on the 100, the same friend returned the favor. Well-planned overall. So maybe do the 50mi this year and the 100 next?
Very slow 6 last night on still very sore legs. Felt great to get out there, though!
I've always enjoyed the 50ks I've done out there (except when the weather was crap). With the 50 and 100, it's the same 25-mile loop, but each time, the loop is run in the opposite direction.
Headlands was Kate's first 100 and my first experience with a 100 miler and she has told me if I ever decided to do a 100-miler, she'd be my pacer. I would take her up on that in a heartbeat!
The k.d. lang concert last night was amazing! That woman is not only an absolutely phenomenal singer, she's a fantastic showman, as well. She sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and there was dead silence for the entire song. It was an amazingly moving experience. It was one of those times when I would have given almost anything to have been able to hit rewind to watch it again. The audience exploded in a standing ovation when she was done. And as Denise said afterward, if that was the only song she sang the entire night, it would've been worth it. What a night!
After work today, 6 miles with 3 tough tempo miles embedded in the middle. Now I'm ready for bed. Nite ~
16 miles this morning with Chris, who I met at Mt. Hood. He killed me on the hills, but on the flats and downs we were pretty evenly paced. I asked him if he was holding back for me, and he said no. I miss running with Karen, though. Guy/Gal chat, especially with a guy you don't really know, isn't the same as gal/gal chat with one of your best buds.
I have to tell on myself, though. Last night I got by hair dyed a pretty significant red. Nothing that's not appropriate for work, but definitely a change. After our run today, I was looking at my hat and shirt - the dye, from sweating, totally stained my hat, shirt, and neck! I looked like I'd been running in a cloud of red dust!! I'm betting Chris was wondering what the heck was going on with me. Too funny!! Note to Self - Don't hair dyed the night before a sweaty long run!
Okay - Off to do transcription ~