tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22512238269482863942023-11-15T14:01:04.332-05:00Chasing UltraMy musings on training and racing since leaving the pavement...and marathons...behind.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-10221169999669553612021-01-02T17:23:00.004-05:002021-01-02T17:27:35.356-05:00Back at it...I didn’t realize it had been 5 years since I posted. Over 5, actually. That is what happens when you try to keep racing, and have a real job and lots of kids! Since then I’ve ran, wouldn’t necessarily say raced, five 50k’s, the Uwharrie 40 and a 50 miler. Since it has been over 5 years since doing my first 100, it is time to try my go at running around in the woods for anAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-36792340944385406402015-07-25T10:07:00.002-04:002015-07-25T10:07:57.107-04:00Umstead 100 - race reportThis was my first 100 miler and I hit my "B" goal, finish in under 28 hours. In summary, it was an extremely cold year for the race (temps dipped into the single digits at night) and there was a lot of carnage as a result. I had the help of my family in crewing me and my friends to pace me. Without them, I don't think I would have been able to accomplish my goal. AlthoughAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-18858402277627729992014-09-11T09:10:00.001-04:002014-09-11T09:10:01.589-04:00Umstead 100I'm in! I am working on a training plan and am going to go after my first 100 miler this coming March!
Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-64268047810198062342014-06-23T14:43:00.001-04:002014-06-24T10:18:43.831-04:00Eastern Divide 50k5:30 and 15th place (unofficial results). A race report (with official results) will follow soon and replace this post)!Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-42439648991926853532014-06-17T09:13:00.000-04:002014-06-17T09:13:09.914-04:00Week of 6/09This week was a mini-taper before my 50k this Sunday, the Eastern Divide Ultra. I ended up running 3 days for a total of 25 miles. I officially registered for my race, which is the first race I will be doing that is registered through Ultra Signup. After creating an account, the website pulled my results for TNFEC50 and JFK50, to give me a total ranking (52.66%) and age group Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-54523377618631485692014-06-11T09:44:00.000-04:002014-06-11T09:44:37.783-04:00Week of 6/02Last week was the final week before my taper to make sure I am healed up in time for the kick in the stomach that is otherwise referred to as the Eastern Divide 50k. It was a solid 32 mile week (I only had time to run 3 days) and my long run left me feeling about as ready as I can given my current time constraints and my rather last minute decision to run the race. This will be my Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-31898147458933722432014-06-02T09:35:00.002-04:002014-06-02T09:36:04.146-04:00The last 2 weeks...
My last two weeks have been a little off. I tweaked my back, which sidelined me for a few days and I also had friend come visit both weekends. All in all I put in 41 miles over the past two weeks, 18 of which yesterday. The Eastern Divide 50k is going to be tough given my current lack of fitness and there is no way I will be racing it, just running it but it will be good Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-13371076751215119782014-05-21T10:46:00.000-04:002014-05-21T10:46:08.936-04:00"The Switch Flipper"A few weeks back, AJW wrote a column over on iRunFar about the "switch flipper," which he described as that breakthrough workout that re-confirms the training you have been doing is working and that your body is ready to handle an increased load. For me, that workout was yesterday.
It was our regular Tuesday 5 mile Big Boss Brewery pavement pounding group run, but we changed the course Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-64899362387388536402014-05-20T09:39:00.000-04:002014-05-20T09:39:31.969-04:00Week of 5/12This week was awesome. Like usual, Tuesday was a speed day with the added benefit of the mercury climbing over 90. Thursday was a single track/bridle combo that involved torrential downpours with flash flood warnings and two water crossing (one barely a trickle and the other a little tricky). Overall it was a 32 mile week. The mileage is slowly starting to inch upwards in Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-48034259278786516582014-05-12T16:13:00.001-04:002014-05-12T16:13:25.872-04:00Week of 5/05This was a scheduled rest week that turned out a little lighter than originally planned. That is what happens when you have awesome newborn twins though. I generally plan a down week every 2-3 weeks, depending on how I am feeling. Although I take a lot of rest weeks, in comparison to others, it keeps me relatively injury free. The week went a little something like this:
Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-36279051428068573032014-05-04T12:34:00.003-04:002014-05-06T09:55:14.778-04:00Week of 4/28This was a good 30 mile week. My new plan involves 2 heart rate based workouts along with 2 other runs based on feel. Tuesday will be an anaerobic day and Sunday will be a fat burner to hopefully help me run more efficiently during races. It was a little odd running with the HR monitor this week, as I haven't worn it since my last race (in November). Overall the week went Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-88736311386686176402014-04-28T09:28:00.003-04:002014-05-06T09:56:31.583-04:00Week of 4/21It was an easy 28 mile week that went as planned. I needed to start ramping up a little volume again since I decided (last minute) to race the Eastern Divide 50k the end of June. If I had my normal base, gearing up for a 50k wouldn't be tough but since I haven't ran over 20 miles at one time in over 2 months I need to get back in fighting shape! Plus, the race has about 6,500 Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-10077604160538628722014-04-21T11:43:00.000-04:002014-04-21T11:43:38.564-04:00Coaching!
After talking with friends that I helped train for marathons earlier this year, I decided to offer my coaching services to those middle to back of the packers out there looking to improve, or do their first, marathon or half marathon.
Check out the coaching services tab for more information!
Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-12961876058145217212014-04-21T10:14:00.003-04:002014-04-28T09:46:00.108-04:00Week of 4/14It was a scheduled rest week of sorts so I only did 14 miles (2 runs). My plan for the rest of this year is to maintain a steady 35-45 mile a week base and to work on my speed at distance in anticipation of running a 100 miler next year.
Seeing as how Sunday was Easter, the group decided to not be heathens and ran the 9 mile loop at Umstead on Saturday. This was my first run over 6 Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-63213910142492367412014-04-15T10:31:00.001-04:002014-04-15T10:31:16.061-04:00Building a base...I guess technically my base building began last week with an unexpected 32 mile week. Although I didn't think I would be worrying about building my base for a couple years, since we just had twins, my wife told me the other day that she supports me doing another ultra next year (amazing). Out of an abundance of caution, I confirmed her statement a few different times over the Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-39523079362263279682014-04-06T23:02:00.001-04:002014-04-06T23:02:18.176-04:00It was a 16 mile kinda......week! It wasn't long ago that I was logging 45 mile weeks on a fairly regular basis. All of that changed (in a good way...duh) when the twins came along last month. The first month I was struggling to get one 5 mile run a week in. It wasn't because my wife wasn't supportive - she was practically pushing me out the door. The reality was that I was just to dang Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-33875669926305559392014-04-04T10:35:00.001-04:002014-04-04T10:35:45.853-04:00JFK50 race report
Ok...so many months later I still have not gotten around to writing a race report. I suppose it has been to long for me to write a real one so here is a a summary of my thoughts, which I guess could be considered a race report. I am glad I ran the race, given its history and size (a 1,000 runner ultra - what?!?!). That being said, I don't think I would run it again. The Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-28989993235681110152013-11-24T14:58:00.001-05:002013-12-09T07:41:02.886-05:00JFK50 results10:51:36. A new PR (by a lot). It was cold. Last year I would have qualified for WS100. Oh well, personal goal accomplished. Race report to follow.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-65037083452320466412013-11-08T12:36:00.000-05:002013-12-13T13:17:44.027-05:00Ankle SynovitisAs a beginner utlra runner I suppose some type of injury is inevitable. Although I diligently tried to apply the 10% rule, "listen to my body," and all that stuff, ultimately my body has to adjust to the new demands that I am placing on it. For me, a brief injury is one of those adjustments.
About a month ago I did a 28 miler on Saturday, followed by 10 on Sunday. There were Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-24379972778096530522013-10-16T17:40:00.002-04:002013-10-21T08:56:23.004-04:00TNFEC 50 miler race report
June 1, 2013 - Washington D.C. (technically we were in Sterling, VA but that isn't how North Face advertises it)
3:45 a.m. - why is my alarm going off...why is it so dark...what is...oh yeah...that's right...I'm about to run 50 miles. After a little breakfast and final gear check my wife drove me to the start line. There were a little over 300 folks registered for the 50 miler, Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0Algonkian Regional Park, Sterling, VA 20165, USA39.058175 -77.377470739.033515 -77.4178112 39.082834999999996 -77.3371302tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-24706345629688135182013-08-29T09:25:00.002-04:002013-08-29T09:25:42.192-04:00Training - AugustFortunately, my training continues to progress. I broke from my traditional 2 weeks up/1 week down regimen that I have been using so that I could have a rest week over Labor Day weekend to spend some QT with my wife.
Fairly early into the training for my last 50 I feel into the habit of only running 3 days a week - doing two 6'ers mid-week and then one long day on the weekend. I Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-22457119087980928252013-08-01T09:26:00.000-04:002013-08-01T09:26:42.156-04:00Training - the last half of July
My training for the last half of July was fairly uneventful. I ran 29 miles the week of 7/15 and 30 miles the week of 7/22. I had planned to log a few more miles the week of 7/22 but it just didn't work out that way. On my Sunday run (on July 28th) I started to have some foot pain along the outside edge in the danger zone (aka stress fracture zone) so I backed off the pace and Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-27148112279279270382013-07-24T09:43:00.001-04:002013-07-24T09:43:59.117-04:00JKF 50 here I come!It's official. Although the check cleared the bank a few weeks ago, I waited to get my SASE with a tiny slip of paper confirming that my application into the 2013 JFK 50 had been accepted. It's an old school race that doesn't take online applications and sends everything by snail mail. The cut-off time is an hour less than my last 50, so I better have learned all the lessons I Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-79823648421390543332013-07-16T22:59:00.000-04:002014-06-19T13:16:52.786-04:00Why?
All of us have been asked it numerous times by friends, co-workers, strangers who see your race T-shirt (the list could go on for a while). They just don't get why, to us, marathons are a training run. The conversation usually ends with that person shaking his/her head, calling you crazy and making a comment about ruining your knees.
Nights like tonight remind me why I Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251223826948286394.post-79373429750272277842013-07-16T21:59:00.003-04:002013-07-16T21:59:42.858-04:00Training - week of July 8
Recovery. A necessary part of staying healthy. Recovery is not only physical but also mental. It's mental in the sense that it gives you more time to spend with your wife, husband, kids, etc. and it doesn't seem like every free moment that you have you are out there. It is physical because we are, after all, only human and our bodies do need time to adjust to training Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637568568899205364noreply@blogger.com0