Beware, batbear...
Ok, finally a co-worker dropped BORN TO RUN on me. I'm late to the party, but I've got to say I'm intrigued by the book and the idea of the ultra but I've never even run a marathon. My longest distance to this point is about 16 miles.
In particular, there is a 40 miler in my backyard, the Mount Mitchell Challenge, that is beckoning for 2012. No way I'll be ready for it this year.
It involves running up a mountain through the snow.
This year, my main goals are to put in 1500 miles and run every day, but if I can really build my base i may be able to plow through 1500.
I know I'm going to have to shed my aversion to running early AM miles if I'm going to have the time to train for it.
Anyway, I'll be lurking to gather information and see if I can really commit.
2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.
You can do it! That goal is totally reasonable. This time one year ago I had never run more than 15 miles. I was training for some short (but really steep) 3 mile mountain runs when I met this crazy guy in the mountains that was on mile 30 for the day. He said he was an ultra runner and this was par for the course for him. I thought he was nuts. Then I ended up reading "Born to Run". I fell in with some folks who have regularly run long distances for years and learned quite a bit through the general conversation during our weekly early morning 10 miler.
I was inspired. I ran my first mountain marathon one week before my first 50 miler. I'm hooked. Now I've run two 50's and am planning for a 100 sometime when I have a little more time to train (lot's o' kids). This year has taught me a ton about what is possible. I will never look at an obstacle the same. I am a different person than the guy who balked two years ago when I heard about people running 20 miles, in an entire week!
Keep running, keep smiling and keep laughing. The early mornings and the bears are all part of the comedy.
Ok, finally a co-worker dropped BORN TO RUN on me. I'm late to the party, but I've got to say I'm intrigued by the book and the idea of the ultra but I've never even run a marathon. My longest distance to this point is about 16 miles. In particular, there is a 40 miler in my backyard, the Mount Mitchell Challenge, that is beckoning for 2012. No way I'll be ready for it this year.
You will not be ready until you stop thinking like a pavement pushing short race person. I love running pavement races, but I understand ultras - I can be in really poor marathon shape (By my standards) and still enjoy the heck out of an ultra. It combines some easy downhill and flat section running with alot of powerwalking + uphill hiking.
It will depend on if there is a time cutoff - But a 10 hour cutt-off would be doable - I think they have a marathon with that race too
Find a trail 50k ultra in 2011 and then Feb 2012 - Do the 40.
I really can not make you understand the amazing difference in mentality doing an ultra compared to a 1/2 marathon or full - You must experience it.
Long dead ... But my stench lingers !
Good Bad & The Monkey
Mount Mitchell is a very challenging race. Very challenging. Therefore: a fine goal. But I agree, get several test trail 50k races in between now and Mt. Mitchell registration.
BTW, their registration fills lightning fast.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Batensmack;
Born to Run is a good book; the author's a good guy-I traded some email with him while I was deployed. .
Mount Mitchell looks and sounds like a great event. As per a note below, I also heard it fills fast. My advice synch's with some below, sign up now and run in anpther local trail event this spring or summer. If you're close to this event, you're close to a lot. There are all sorts of events from Virginia through Georgia;
http://ultrasontrails.com/ The South Carolina Trail series run by Terri Hayes; really good, low to little to no cost events. ran at Enoree last spring.
www.extremeultrarunning.com Dr Horton's site anmd events right in Virginia; don't let the title get to you-ultras are extreme until you've done one. The Promised Land 50K is in April. Dr. Horton puts on a great event.
http://www.badtothebone.biz/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=249 Another really good Vriginia-based organization with several events this spring and summer.
The Gator Trail 50K at Lake Waccamaw isn't far from you either, last weekend in March.
Tim
Arlington, VA.
Thank you for the encouragement, guys. It was more than I expected. Even in a great community like RA you sometimes get some pretty cynical responses from folks and it was really nice to hear the opposite. Thanks. Seriously.
I'm looking at the Chatooga trail 50k (June 26) and have contacted the race director. It fits in with my work schedule well as I can start to amp up mileage as school begins to wind down and the early AM weather gets a little more reasonable in the spring. I do run trails currently, but I haven't done any really long trail runs (7-9 miles generally) but they can be pretty steep and tough. Nice thing about AVL is that there are plenty of of options.
The October 2nd FATS 50k might also be an option, but I'm running the A-CT half on Sept. 16 and I plan to run it pretty hard. Not sure if I'll be recovered well enough by October 2 to make it happen.
I have a couple of friends who are running marathons that might be interested in going in with me. That seems like it would be a good idea for a first-timer.
Ok...here we go...maybe...
I agree about the encouragement here. I too am planning my first ultra--although its a 24 hour loop event--so the challenges are bit different. Runningahead is generally very supportive--but I also find the ultra community even more supportive than most.
Born To Run is an awesome book. Cant help but to get motivated after reading that.
Bates, I am (planning on) running Umstead on April 2, not too far from you. The last 50 miles, I can run with pacers. Pacers can run any multiple of 12.5 miles. If you want to come and run a lap or few with me, that'd be great and would get you some experience. The course is very different from Mt. Mitchell, but it will give you a chance to start playing with pacing and nutrition.
Pacing is a great idea... definitely take Trent up on that if you're around. You get to experience the race w/o the stress. (I love pacing more than racing, I think)
Trent - I am going to talk to the missus tonight about it. She has a friend in Chapel Hill that has been begging her to come visit for a year or more so it could be that she would go for it if I could convince her that she'd get to hang out with her.
Hypothetically, what sort of pace would you be looking at? I would be pushing it to be in shape to make two laps by April 2nd, but I think it can be done.
12-15 minutes per mile, which is walking/crawling the hills, and lightly jogging the flats/downs. The job of a pacer is to keep the racer going no matter what. So 20 m/m is faster than a stop.
Bacon Party!
I'll be there too - in no shape to be doing any of it.
If Trent is too fast for you, you can come and keep my sorry ass moving!
Liz
pace sera, sera
Sweet! A1 will also be there. I know a couple others on the roster.
Batensmack, one of the cool things about Umstead is that you can volunteer and pace anybody. Apparently, they have pacers on stand by for any of the runners. I may or may not have others as well, so if I am full, feel free to jump in with Buzzie or others.
2 weeks after even a hard half would be plenty of time to recover. Especially since you'd be treating the 50k as a training run rather than an all out race. Have fun with it.
Buzzie, looks like you just did the 50 last year at Umstead. Was that your intention? A fiend of mine planned the 100 and dropped to 50.