Happy
____
Sorry, no 50-milers up my sleeves but Ultraterri says she will soon have her 2010 trail series posted on her site. Who knows what's on her schedule!
When the alarm clock went off I almost turned over and slept in. I was so tired. Then I peeked out the window and saw my butterfly garden with it's thousands of flowers already bathed in sun light and I knew it would be a mistake not to run today. Well, I was tired during the run too and I seriously need some rest. But the run went very well. I was going to run a Brad Hudson style long run starting with 10 miles easy followed by 10 miles at marathon pace. This would be one of my last long runs, if not THE last long-run, before the mid Dec marathon. Important training run. After the HM I have decided that marathon pace is 10:22 so that's what I was shooting for today.
The last 10.5 miles show the following paces on my Garmin. Each loop is 3.5 miles, so the 4th split is not for a full mile:
10:52, 10:46, 10:39, 10:51,
10:03, 10:22, 9:59, 10:12,
10:29, 10:22, 10:10, 10:01,
_
I think it's pretty good but it felt tough to do it. Hopefully, I will be more rested before race day and be able to run a little more economically due to the course being flat.
Ultrachick
Hey Everyone! Thought I would pop in and let you know I'm doing alright. I moved into my new place last weekend and am in the process of getting somewhat settled. Hard to unpack knowing I'm going to have to pack again later in the spring. But I'm also going through everything and getting rid of a ton of stuff I don't need.
I haven't been running yet. It's beautiful here today so I'm tempted to go try-still the achilles thing. I was going to wait until the end of the week but I need to let out some emotions and clear my head. The kids are doing well and liking our new home, doing well in school and just being boys.
I didn't catch up from whenever it was I checked in last-nice picture Chris (like always). Hope everyone is doing well and take care, Kelly
Just checkin' in. Nothin' but road or treadmill running since last Friday. Will hit the trails Saturday for 24 - my last long run before the Desert High 50k on December 6. Am having slight shin issues, so am trying to keep those at bay as much as possible.
Kelly - Good to hear from you. Keeping you and your boys in my thoughts. And don't be pushing the issue with that AT. You'll end up sidelined even longer. (And I know you know this, but I just had to say it. )
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
Imminent Catastrophe
I managed a whole mile today on a local trail with my dog Daisy, we had fun but the leg pain kept it short.
"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
Not much going on with my running this week. I have mostly been recovering from the M long-run I did Sunday. This morning I ran 7 miles while son was swimming - tried to stay easy easy easy as I want to run a long-one again tomorrow, Sunday. Normally, I don't do back-to-backs; well, this is very low key compared to Leslie's kind of back to backs. I just hadn't had time to run or felt good enough to run on most other days of this week. Felt good this morning though.
I hope PerfessRRRRR is recovering well and healing quickly.
Flower - Nice easy run. Good going.
PerfessrR - I've been having some slightly naggin shin problems that I trying to keep at bay with lots of ice, ibu, and shin exercises. After my 50k in two weeks, I think I'm gonn have to ask my coach about taking a week off to let them rest and heal.
24 trail miles for me this a.m. Took about 6:35, which is slower than I wanted. Was hoping to get it done in 6:00, but I felt comparatively good at the end. Tired, legs pooped, but not totally rung out Had Karen and Charlie Dog with me for the first 10, then was on my own. Was real quiet in the forest today. I did better on my intake today, and only had some slight nausea. Almost screwed myself over, though. Got to my car to re-up on everything and didn't have the supplies I thought I did. Ended up needing to take the banana I'd brought for the car ride home. Luckily, I had a quart size baggy in my bag (for what reason, I don't know), so I used my thumbnail as a knife to cut through the banana skin so I could pull into quarters. That, the one extra Mojo bar, and a 6-pack of Clif shot bloks just barely got me through the second half of the run. Karen lives just down the hill, so when I was done, I went to her house and sucked down a bowl of homemade soup she'd promised me. Oh man, was it ever good!
It was cold out there today, too. Had my Moben sleeves on the entire time, and my gloves most of the time. Would hit these weird little warm pockets every now and then, but mostly it was pretty chilly.
Tomorrow, even though I'm only suppose to do 10, I'm gonna do 12 so that I get my 50 mile week.
A fun graph showing the ups and downs of my run. Blue is pace, green is elevation:
Leslie, I ran out of the Clif Shot Bloks too - I had exactly enough to make it through the entire run but this cleaned me out. I am glad your friend made soup for you - what a wonderful treat after a long run like yours. Wow, you were out there for a very long time today!! You are just soooooooooo well prepared for the 50K now. Take care of those shins and don't do anything stupid between now and your event. OK??!!!
It inspired me to read yesterday that you were running 24 miles today. I thought to myself, I can do that too - and I almost did. 23 is good enough for me. It makes me feel a little more confident than if I had quit at 21.
Is you 50K a course you know? Is it a difficult trail? Elevation?
Flower - Nice easy run. Good going. Tomorrow, even though I'm only suppose to do 10, I'm gonna do 12 so that I get my 50 mile week.
Thank you!!!
Leslie, Don't worry about reaching the 50mile total for the week. 48 is just as good - maybe even better given the shin issues. Soon enough you will hit the 50mile week (if not tomorrow). You have been ramping up your total weekly mileage for weeks now and you will no doubt hit the 50mile mark very soon. Ramping up the mileage too fast can cause injury. Please, stay safe until you've done the 50K event. You are such a good runner
Bacon Party!
Nice weekend on the trails - again. We've had three great (i.e., warm) weekends in a row here in Michigan - still wearing shorts and t-shirts (for running). Amazing, considering that we're well into November.
It's firearm deer season here, so I'm staying out of the parks that allow hunting... limiting options, but forcing creativity!
Saturday I did 3 hours at the old familiar stand-by - teeming with mountain bikes.
Sunday it was 2+ hours in a new-to-me little park with a 6-mile loop of mountain bike single-track. Ran the last 50 minutes in Vibram Five Fingers (my second run in them, and my first on trails) - what a hoot! They slowed me down a bit because I had to keep a really close eye on my footing - lots of roots leading to a few toe-stubs. But, it was a pace that was so comfortable (and didn't feel plodding), I wanted to just go forever. I did, however, decide to quit before really overdoing it - having learned my lesson Friday about too much, too soon.
Liz
pace sera, sera
Buzzie - NJ Joe over on the Masters Thread runs often in FFs. He loves them. I think he mostly does his recovery runs in them. Says his legs, etc., feel a lot less achy. Luckily, where I run we don't have to worry about hunting.
Flower - Good going on the 23+ miles. I like running in the rain in the forest. It makes this a bit more magical.
Good luck with your upcoming marathon. Is it a trail marathon? The Desert High 50k is in Ridgecrest, CA, in the Mojave Desert/Death Valley area. I have an aunt and uncle who live there. It's a relatively flat course, but you have to like the desert to run it. I did the 30k last year and really enjoyed it. The last 2 miles are straight downhill, which was a lot of fun. This is the "start" of my training for my 50-miler in April, so I have been expecting the increased mileage.
And speaking of increased mileage - man, oh man, oh are my legs T-I-R-E-D after my 12 this a.m. Plus the hips are a tad sore, but nothing some ibu can't (hopefully) help. The small inclines felt more like small hills. Thankfully, my marching orders were to get the miles on my legs and not worry about time or HR range. It took me a bit longer than I had hoped (2:09), and I sure was happy to get home. I've proceeded to munch my way through the rest of the day - and I'm still hungry. Must find more food . . . . .
I am impressed with the 3 hours followed by 2 hours the next day. Is that the way you do it? Back-to-back on the week ends? What are you training for?
... The Desert High 50k is in Ridgecrest, CA, in the Mojave Desert/Death Valley area. I have an aunt and uncle who live there. It's a relatively flat course, but you have to like the desert to run it. . . .
OH, I love the desert (grew up in Tucson). I know, Sonoran Desert ≠ Mojave Desert but still...I'll put this on my list.
Buzzie, I am impressed with the 3 hours followed by 2 hours the next day. Is that the way you do it? Back-to-back on the week ends? What are you training for?
Thanks!
I've been giving the back-to-backs a shot since finishing my goal road race in October.
My next "goal" is Burning River 100 next summer. On the road to that, I have a number of other ultras planned - HUFF 50K in Dec, Rocky Raccoon 50mi in Feb, and Umstead 100mi in March. (And, will likely do a bunch of other stuff along the way.)
Been finding the back-to-backs fairly easy - maybe too easy... It's definitely time to step it up a bit. Seems like the miles and hours on the trails just don't take the same toll as on the road - I'm feeling well balanced/rounded. (My weekday runs are still on pavement - just step out the door and go.)