Trail Runners

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What's up here? "Is there anybody out there?" (Read 500 times)

HappyFeat


    Good luck in Philly, Buddo! Would love to hear how it goes for you.

     

    I've got a 14er planned for tomorrow.....earlier than I'd like...but when 3 friends and 6 dogs invite you along...it's hard to pass up....especially since I don't go trail running alone.  I think the rain will hold off until we're done, but I'm ready either way.

     

    Last weekend, I got to go trail running both days - Hurray for that! - though it was tough on my legs and the rest of my running week suffered. I don't do well with two relatively long runs in a row....but again, I simply can't resist the opportunity to get out in the woods. It's exhilarating, challenging, strenuous while also being peaceful, calming, rejuvenating.

     

    Hi Leslie, that's a shame about the Elk River Trail "improvement." Definitely doesn't sound like what you wanted.

    Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

    Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

      Hey folks - Things starting to heat up in here again?  It's been quiet for a few months.

       

      Tomorrow must be Buddo's marathon?  Good luck and let us know how it went.

       

      I've been running, but am also in a rest period.  Have been slowly building my miles back up and put in 28 this week.  The break's been nice, and I'm definitely feeling more rested.

       

      Today it was 10 trail miles out at Headwaters.  I could definitely feel the extra ST training I've been doing, but I'm very pleased with how the run went.  I worked the hills harder than I have been, and ran up sections I normally would have walked.  It threatened rain all morning and started drizzling when I was about a mile from the car.  When I got done, I walked around for about 5 minutes to cool down, took all my crap off and got in the car, and about 5 minutes later, the skies opened up and it dumped for about 3+ hours.  Talk about lucky!

       

      So there's a section of the Elk River Trail up towards the top of the climb that always turns into a muddy, snotty, slippery, shoe-sucking mess.  Lots of waist-high ferns, alder trees - it's a fun section to try and navigate.  Seriously, it's fun!  I hadn't been all the way to the top in almost a year and was looking forward to sliding through there.  . . . . . . . . . They've totally groomed!   Tore out the ferns, took out the trees, and groomed it with crushed rock.  It looks like a freaking park.  It sucks!!  Evil  I understand it was probably done for erosion control purposes, but it still sucks.  Completely changed the whole atmosphere of a big section of the trail.  I popped around a corner, not knowing what had been done, and WHAM!  It looks completely out of place and was total jolt to the senses.  Literally stopped me in my tracks as my brain tried to register what I was seeing.  Bummer.  Total bummer. Dead   . . . . . . but I still had a great run. Smile

       

      Yo from Philly. Yeah Leslie, they did the same thing in a section of the park where I run. Took out a whole section of woods. Always sorry to see that.

         Ran 3:53 for the marathon. Had to hold the pace back to stay on track. I feel I could have run faster, but this was my first marathon and I didn't want to blow up, and didn't know what to expect as far as how I should be feeling at what points in the race. I felt great the whole way. No real struggle till about last 5 where I just put my head down and plugged on. I opened up and ran 8:00 miles for last three knowing I could finish. Next fall, when I plan on doing another following OD 100 in June, I'll shoot for 3:15. Or faster. We'll see. I really enjoyed the whole experience. the cheering fans were awesome! Very different from a trail race. 28,000 runners, tons of music and crazy people. Just lots of fun the whole way. Loved it!

         Calves hurt now though, oh boy! Feet feel sore but good. I'll continue in the minimalist vein, maybe even moving back into my Vibrams if the nueromas don't bother me. Plan now is to just build the volume of my weekly mileage, hit a few 50k's and 50 milers before June, then the real goal of the OD 100. YO!

      "Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.

      HappyFeat


        Hey Buddo! A big High-Five to you! I think coming in under 4 hours is a great finish time! If I were ever to try one, that would be my dream goal. Glad you had such a blast and that your race strategy paid off.

        Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

        Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

          Thanks! I'm surprised by how much fun it was. Sub 4 is pretty doable for most average runners. I followed a plan, for the most part, that was from a book entitled 4 Months to a 4 Hour Marathon.  If you have the discipline to do the training, the outcome is almost a foregone conclusion. That's how I viewed it at least. I would like to qualify for Boston. Age adjusted time is 3:20. How old are you? You could do a 4 hour if you wanted to! The authors father went from a pack and a half a day of smokes to running a 4 hour marathon. Most people shoot for that. Out of 11,500 finishers, 3,000 finished between 3:30 and 4.

          "Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.

          HappyFeat


            I'm 56 (you can click on my profile) and just accomplished my first sub-2-hour half marathon (1:59 in Sept). It didn't go as well as I would have hoped though; so I'm working on my training and will find a HM maybe in the spring for a do-over.  I feel like I make progress so slowly that a 4-month marathon program would be unrealistic for me, but I will check out the book. At the very least, it might get me to my HM goal fasterBig grin

            "If you have the discipline to do the training,..." made me smile (see my log) ... although I wouldn't call it discipline so much as "enthusiasm" for my training....but yes, I've worked hard to get where I am now....and have higher aspirations.

             

            My 14-mile trail run last Sunday felt a lot harder than it should have...probably just one of those days - although the whole preceding week was the same.  My trail running buddies are back in marathon training mode and so have a 16-mile trail run planned for next Sunday. I'll be running with them and hoping like crazy that I'm up to it. A 4-hour marathon is the goal of one of the ladies - she missed it by 7 minutes in Portland a couple months ago. Now there's a woman who seriously wants a do-over!

             

            Thanks for your race report, Buddo. I loved hearing all the details.

            Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

            Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

              Uh, yeah, I see what you mean. You have some serious consistent good volume training. The book just presents a very basic framework of 2-3 signifacant runs per week, a "speed" workout phase with an increasing long run, a "stamina" phase that also continues to build the long run, and then a taper for the race. The Run Less, Run Faster book has the same framework. It seems pretty basic. Brain Training For Runners by Matt Fitzgerald follows the same framework though a little bit harder. Almost all of the programs on the market that I've seen seem to emphasize three quality workouts per week (1 speed, 1 tempo, and 1 long run) with the other days as easy runs or cross training.

                 I'm 44. I guess I have "youthfull optimism". I would think 4 hours is doable with the volume of your training. What do I know though. A real coach would be a better guide. I don't know much really. The 4 hours just felt easy.

                 Check out Matt Fitzgerald's book on Brain training. He has some good half programs, though they can be a bit intense. He starts off with fast, hard runs, then backs off towards race pace the closer one gets to the race date. I was using his program and for marathon training last summer (before I got pnuemonia), and ran a 20:00 5K in a training race about 3/4's of the way through the program. His program had me on pace for a 3:15 marathon, though I started the training with a goal of 4 hours. I just got more and more fit, except for that pnuemonia problem.

              "Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.

                Check me out, I'm a marathon expert after one race. I'm such a loser. Sorry if I'm coming off arrogant. Don't mean too. Just excited I guess and sharing my experience, limited as it is.

                "Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.

                HappyFeat


                  Check me out, I'm a marathon expert after one race. I'm such a loser. Sorry if I'm coming off arrogant. Don't mean too. Just excited I guess and sharing my experience, limited as it is.

                   Are you crazy?? Don't be ridiculous! I do the same exact thing with my running friends and I have no marathon experience at all! So how bad is that?!  I say something like you just did and they say, "Yeah but you've been running a long time and you read a lot - you know stuff." So we all have our reference points. Your experience is valuable in and of itself. I LOVE the discussion. It can be motivating, encouraging, thought provoking, challenging - always worthwhile.

                   

                  MTA:  "Just excited I guess and sharing my experience."  This is what connects us as runners, right? and is the purpose of these forums.

                  Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                  Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                    I tried running yesterday, just 3 miles easy. Felt terrible. My calves hurt and I felt wiped. Guess it's too soon. Tomorrow makes 1 week from the marathon. Read in a few books at the bookstore that 2 weeks of no runnign is the norm, so I'm kicking my feet up till next Sunday.

                    "Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.

                    HappyFeat


                      "I'm kicking my feet up till next Sunday."  Good idea, Buddo! You earned the rest and your body is clearly insisting on it.

                       

                      MTA: If it were me, I'd enter that 3-mile trial run in my log with details of how it felt so that next time you do a marathon and look to see what you did after and why, you'll know exactly.

                       

                      I'll be running 16 trail miles tomorrow with my buddies. It's a daunting prospect because I've only done 16 a few times before and they were painful at the end. So now  I think I might actually be "tweaking" over it.  Just about every tendon and muscle hurts at this point; which seems ridiculous!  The forecast is in my favor - no rain and temps in the 40's predicted. Right now I'm telling myself "What's 2 extra miles? It's nothing!" I need to get over this hump.   The good news is we're getting dropped off and running point-to-point, with the second half being trail we run every time we go out. So I'll know right where I am when it gets toughest. I find that reassuring.

                      Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done. 

                      Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.

                      MorganaRuns


                      Slower than you

                        Hi everyone! I just found this group and joined. I'm a refugee from Runner's World. Next up for me: Red Top Rumble (11.5 mile trail race) in Cartersville, GA (Red Top Mountian), then Thrill in the Hills trail half at Ft. Yargo State Park. Long term goal is Mystery Mountain Marathon for my first trail marathon.

                        "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man" - The Dude

                         

                        Upcoming races: AthHalf: 10/20


                        Imminent Catastrophe

                          Hi everyone! I just found this group and joined. I'm a refugee from Runner's World. Next up for me: Red Top Rumble (11.5 mile trail race) in Cartersville, GA (Red Top Mountian), then Thrill in the Hills trail half at Ft. Yargo State Park. Long term goal is Mystery Mountain Marathon for my first trail marathon.

                           

                          Are you a GUTS member MorganaRuns? You picked a pretty tough race for your first trail marathon! 

                          "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                           "To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

                          "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                           

                          √ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

                          Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

                          Western States 100 June 2016

                          MorganaRuns


                          Slower than you

                            Are you a GUTS member MorganaRuns? You picked a pretty tough race for your first trail marathon! 

                             

                            I am a GUTS member and I have been warned. I want my first marathon distance to be on a trail, though, and I haven't been able to find anything local. Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.

                            "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man" - The Dude

                             

                            Upcoming races: AthHalf: 10/20

                            AutBatgirl


                              Another RW refugee here (hi Morgana!). I moved to north Colorado a couple of months ago, and am excited about doing a lot more trail running. So far, it's just been at the nature areas around my house, but I'm sure I'll start venturing further as life settles down.

                              No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.


                              Imminent Catastrophe

                                I am a GUTS member and I have been warned. I want my first marathon distance to be on a trail, though, and I haven't been able to find anything local. Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.

                                 

                                Well, there's the Scenic City Trail Marathon in Chattanooga, that's a nice one. And the Twisted Ankle in Summerville which is also tough, especially if it's hot. Both of them are in May. 

                                I've volunteered as the race photographer at MMM the last two years, I hope to see you there next year!

                                "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                                 "To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

                                "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                                 

                                √ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

                                Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

                                Western States 100 June 2016

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