28 February 2011

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In an effort to improve my speed, I went back to my last marathon training plan that I downloaded from the Runner's World UK website. They have Garmin training schedules that are based on certain finishing goals and targeted towards heart rate or pace training zones. Since I used the heart rate plan last time, I opted to download the training plan using pace as the base. This is a 16 week Garmin training plan. You basically enter your target race date, and if you want to use heart rate or pace as your baseline and it will create a downloadable schedule that you can import straight into Garmin Training Center and then download to your Garmin Forerunner. I just select the workout for the day, hit start and the workout begins, telling me what I am supposed to do, signaling when I am going too slow/fast, etc.

26 February 2011

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I had a long run scheduled for this weekend, but with my first soccer game of the season tomorrow and just finishing out my first week of additional cross training workouts, I opted to cut it short. I pinged every two-leged friend I have, but no one seemed to be interested in cranking out a few miles today, so I updated my playlist on my Blackberry, added some running podcasts as well and headed out the door. I ran just over 9.5 miles while listening to the UK and US Top 40. I usually do not listen to music anymore when running outdoors, but I knew I'd struggle a bit today to stay motivated so I used that little extra to keep me going. I got to make sure my playlist has a much higher BPM average next time and maybe I'll finish the run faster;-) I kept it at a steady and easy pace, still feeling like I am recovering from my last race. The weather was fantastic, with temps in the low 60s and a stiff breeze blowing in my first on certain sections of my trusty old UAH loop. Rest day (soccer) tomorrow.

25 February 2011

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For the first time in weeks, we had the whole running crew together. James was squeezing in a run between his pilot training lessons and I am all for that! (Read: once he gets his pilot's license, we can just fly to every ultra race and nothing will be "too far" any more;-) Mike made an appearance as he seems to have finally recovered from a persistent bug, only to be limping a little from playing too much soccer the night before. And even Richard seems to be getting back to his old self, charging the trails right from the start this morning, only to be wheezing 2 miles into the run (obviously remnants from the cold/flu/bronchitis he's been fighting. And of course, I was there, limping only slightly after having completed my first complete week of cross training (Muscleworks and Pilates, followed by Yoga this weekend) at the local university gym.

23 February 2011

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I decided to go for a quick treadmill workout today after coming home from work. I headed to the gym and cranked out what I thought was a quick 4.5 miles. Somehow, my Garmin Foot Pod didn't do quite as good a job in tracking my stats as it did after I used it the first time right after calibrating it via the GPS signal as instructed by the user manual. Well, my Forerunner was off by a quarter mile today, so what should have been a 4.5 mile workout turned out to be a 4.75 mile workout (according to the treadmill) thereby skewing my Garmin data quite a bit. My average pace was actually quite a bit faster than my Garmin shows. Either way, I am glad I got in a couple of miles. I will shoot for an easy 6-10 miler either tomorrow during lunch or right after work. We'll see. Hopefully, we'll have some sunshine tomorrow. That will make my decision easier.

22 February 2011

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I made good use of my time today. First, I went to a Pilates class during my lunch break (I am trying to add a core strengthening and stretching routine to my workout schedule in my quest to be come a better/faster runner). In the evening, I took my son to his soccer practice and I used that 90 minutes to get in a nice tempo run. I ended up doing just over 9 miles at a little over 8 minute per mile pace. I am finally feeling like I am recovering from my last race. The temps were in the high 40s and there was no wind or precip to speak of.

21 February 2011

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My original plan was to go for a 10 miler, but I was overruled by majority decision, so instead we went for a slow and easy 5.5 miler this morning. This did allow me to stretch my legs and engage in friendly banter as we went along. I plan to really ramp up my mileage this week with the goal to not make any of my nagging little issues any worse. That means mileage increase at slow pace to prevent any additional aches and pains. I do plan to throw in a tempo run or fartlek workout at least once this week, but that will definitely be over a short distance. The weather has been perfect the last few days with temps in the high 50s today. The sky was overcast indicating things to come. Hopefully, the weather will hold up enough to allow me to go running in the mornings without any bad weather gear for the remainder of this week.

19 February 2011

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Due to some unforeseen car trouble, I ended up staying in town this weekend. That also allowed me to go for an unexpected run. Since Anya wanted to get out for a run as well, we decided to head out together for a UAH loop and to split up after the first loop, so I could get in another one or two loops. It was really nice outside, a little over 60 degrees with a light breeze and a bit of an overcast sky. I ended up going for two more for close to 9.5 miles. I also managed to pick up the pace a little over the second half of the run.

18 February 2011

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Finally, I hit the trails again, but it wasn't pretty. Two guys huffing and puffing like they're old men. Well, acccording to my son I am anyway, but I believe 40 is the new 20. So we really shouldn't sound or look like we did. I picked up Richard at his house at 5AM this morning for what was supposed to be a nice and easy 8-9 miler on part of the Mountain Mist 50k course. Instead, we cut it short and returned home after 6 miles. Our bones and muscles (Rocky Raccoon) and cardiovacluar systems (flu) just aren't fully recovered, yet.

17 February 2011

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I woke up early, had a cup of coffee with my better half and figured, what the heck, let's fgo for a run. As my fiancee pulled out of the driveway for work, I put on some running clothes, not really sure what I was gonna do once I hit the pavement. Anyway, as I left the house around 6ish, the temps were still in the 40s, but the sun started to warm things up nicely. I decided to just do my usual UAH loop and that I would decide on the distance once I completed one loop. I picked up the pace a little compared to yesterday, but I kept getting stuck and road crossings, waiting for traffic to pass. About halfway around the campus, I realized that I still have not fully recovered from the flu, dealing with chest and nasal congestion. So I decided to keep it short and just do one loop. Hey, short run is better than no run at all, at least in my book. My bones and muscles held up well, although both of my shins are slightly sore now. Maybe because I stretched my calf muscles both pre and post run? Nah, that wouldn't make sense, would it? Anyway, I cant wait to pick up the mileage and speed once all of my physical symptoms subside. It's warming up every day. Some really nice running weather right now.

16 February 2011

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Wow, first training run since my successful 100 mile attempt at Rocky Racoon 100 in Texas 10 days ago. I'm still getting over remnants of the flu (cough and sinus issues), but I was itching to get back out there and run. I met up with James, Richard and Jay (a colleague of theirs) at 6AM at their office for an easy 4 miler around research park. After a nice and easy first mile, we threw in a 1 mile or so pickup. Man, i was literally coughing up a lung with about 200 yards to go. I just had to let James beat me;-) Richard, on the other hand, started coughing and wheezing as soon as we picked up the pace. He worse off than me for sure. After slowing down the pace to a near walk we finished out the run with another short pickup. Physically, it didnt feel great, but mentally, I was glad to be back to running. The weather was perfect, too, with temps in the low 50s and no cloud in the sky.

06 February 2011

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Warning
This race report is a novel, so you should only continue reading this if you fall in one of the following three categories: 1. You consider doing this race in the future, 2. You are a friend or family member and feel obligated to read it (which you should if you are a true friend;-), 3. You have too much time on your hands.

US STATES WITH 100 MILE RACES COMPLETED (15)

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COUNTRIES WITH ULTRAMARATHONS COMPLETED (13)

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RACE CALENDAR

  • Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M (Old Fort, NC) - March 23, 2024
  • Oak Mountain 50K (Birmingham, AL) - March 30, 2024
  • Southern States 200M (Delta, AL) April 12-16, 2024
  • Cocodona 250M (Black Canyon City, AZ) - May 6-11, 2024
  • Mohican 100M (Loudonville, OH) - June 1, 2024
  • Bighorn 100M (Dayton, WY) - June 14, 2024
  • Crazy Mountain 100M (Lennep, MT) - July 26, 2024
  • Eastern States 100M (Waterville, PA) - August 10, 2024
  • SwissPeaks 360 (Valais, Switzerland) - September 1-8, 2024
  • Indiana Trail 100M (Albion, IN) - October 12, 2024
  • Rim To River 100M (New River Gorge, WV) - November 2, 2024 (WAITLIST #99)
  • Charleston 100M (Mount Pleasant, SC) - December 27, 2024
  • The Montane Winter Spine 268M (Edale, UK) - January 12-19, 2025

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