Hi:
I"m a long time RA person but have never posted in the Trail Runners forum.
I'm hoping I can pick your experienced brains.
I have registered for the North Face Endurance Challenge in San Fran in December for the 50 miler.
I have not got any more training in than I would have for a 50K race. Life just got in the way.
I'm thinking of dropping back to the 50K race. The more I remember the option is available the more my head is leaving the 50 mile option. My anxiety is lowering but I am disappointed in myself for thinking of giving up on my goal.
Pro:
I have done 3 50K races this year. All with signifigant elevation and all more technical that San Fran.
Con:
My milage is lower than I expected - much lower
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any help!
What does your training schedule look like? What do you anticipate your longest training run being and how far out from the 50 miler? I'm doing Leona Divide on April 30. The second "half" of my training schedule has me completing a 50k (PIrates Cove through Pacific Coast Trail Runs on March 19 as my last long run.
If you've already done three 50ks this year, it sounds like you have a nice base built up. I say go run the 50 miler. What's the worst that could happen? Not finishing? So what - at least you tried, which is more than most people (i.e. the significant number overweight couch potatoes) are doing. If you don't go for it, you'll never know. And when you do finish, dang you'll feel good!
BTW - I ran American River 50 this past April as my first. It came in DFL, but so what. I didn't know I could do it until I tried.
Go for it! You have absolutely nothing to lose. But you have to come back and provide a race report or you will never be given advice in this forum again. AND it better include a fashion report.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
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Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
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Fatozzig:
Thanks for that- that was exactly the "no guts no glory" anwer I was hoping to get.
The race is December 4th. My last 50K race was September 18th. (it was a bit of a strange race - a fellow runner was injured and I spent over an hour getting him to safety - should have some good race karma in storage)
Most weekends have had a 3-4 hour trail run and a longish 2-3 hour road run on top of the weekly milage.
North Face supplied a training program, which quite frankly has confused me - lots of tempo work and lowish milage relative to what I'm used to for even a marathon. Consquently I have strung together something of my own.
I will do a 25K run next weekend and have a 24K race on November 13th.
I agree - DNFing is the worst thing that can happen. It never has happened to me before. There might just be some pretty miserable hours and some long recovery.
Fashion report! I love it! Best of luck with your training and I will check back.
Just remember that nutrition is going to be a big factor. I have a tough time with that anyway, and after about 35+ miles, it was hard for me to eat anything but chicken soup. Miles 32-40 were also my darkest. Once I got past the 40-mile mark, it was just a matter of making the legs move fast enough to finish. I was very lucky in that my pacer was my running partner, who knows me very well and knew just how much to cajole, force, etc., to keep me going.
Good luck!
Thanks for the heads up re nutrition. I'm sure this will be a challenge.
I've done Ironman a couple of times and have experienced the unpleasant "sour stomach" which can come later on in a race. Yuck.
By the way, had to google "DFL". Laughed. Could be my postion.
My friend and I have a rubber chicken she bought me after we came in DFL, hand-in-hand, at last year's Hagg Lake in Oregon (she had intestinal issues and I cajoled her to the finish line). I had always thought that those who come in DFL should get one. Now, if one of us comes in DFL at a race, that person takes the chicken home until the other comes in DFL. It's a badge of honor.
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I didn't do any 3-4 hour trail runs in my training, and I just finished my first 50, which was a trail run. I expect the smarter people did do longer runs in training, and probably it would have benefitted me, but I was too lazy.
I am fortunate in that I've been able to eat whatever I try, when running long and slow, without any trouble. So I ate most of the stuff on offer, except the candy (which I didn't crave after the first aid station). I have seen that that varies a lot from person to person.
I'm a novice in ultras and ultra trails, but the vague impression I've gathered is that long runs are generally used for ultra training, not speedwork. (I did speedwork, but only b/c I like it, not b/c I thought it would be of any benefit in my 50).
PS: Fattozig, re: rubber chicken. Heh, that's cute.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
If you're at the point where you're training for marathons and/or ultras, including speed work in your training program will be highly beneficial. Right now I'm trading speed work and hill work week to week, i.e., one week my Wednesday run will be 7-10 miles with strides, the next week my Wednesday run is strictly centered around hill work. Speed work - 'cause I don't want to always finish last. Hill work - 'cause right now I suck at climbing hills.
Anyway, I've been doing speed work for about 2 years now. It hasn't made me Speedy Gonzalez by any stretch of the imagination, but I have noticed a difference.
Oh yeah, some people do say that speedwork gives you a chance to practice running economy, b/c you naturally adapt to a more efficient form as you go faster -- so that ought to be benefit long stuff too, I'd think.