Back 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 an extraordinarily long time.  Myself and two friends signed up for the Uwharrie 100 in October.  36 hour cutoff, with 17k of vert.  Having done the 50k in 2019, I know what kind of joy...and misery....I am in for.  I’m coming off the back end of a calf injury I picked up closing out the dumpster fire that was 2020, but have a good start to a training plan that is a mix of running and time on the Peloton.  Having found precisely zero folks out there talking about how to supplement ultra training with a Peloton, I decided to pick back up my writing.  

Training yesterday - 45 minute PowerZone Endurance Ride with @oamoto

Training today - easy 3 miles on the pavement

On the books for tomorrow - Peloton...like I said, calf injury...

Umstead 100 - race report

This 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.  Although folks can complete the distance without support, us mere mortals rely heavily on others to engage in this selfish sport.

I developed a little bit of an ITB issue in December, so I had fairly low volume training the entire time (at least from training plans I have seen and what I have read online).  I never ran more than 56 miles in a week.  For those of you looking for low volume training plans, that worked (sort of, see below) My training looked like this:

December 29	x	x	x	4	x	24	x	28
January 5	x	x	5	x	x	18	x	23
January 12	x	1	5	4	x	24	6	40
January 19	x	4	x	5	x	24	8	41
January 26	x	x	5	x	x	12	x	17
February 2	x	x	5	4	x	28	9	46
February 9	x	5	2	5	x	30	10	52
February 16	x	x	4.5	x	x	8.2	5.3	18
February 23	x	4	5	x	x	47	x	56
March 2	x	x	3.5	x	x	13	4.5	21
March 9	x	5	x	4	x	20	8	37
March 16	x	4	x	x	x	14	3	21
March 23	x	3	x	x	x	100	x	103

Although I finished, I essentially was forced to walking the last 25 miles.  I developed a calf strain around mile 70, which I would attribute to 3 things: 1) I had ran 70 miles already; 2) I didn't get enough vertical during training; and 3) my volume was so low that since I didn't get enough vertical my calf said enough was enough.  Without the calf strain, I likely would have came in sub-24.  Oh well, another year perhaps.

In concluding, the race is extremely well run and the volunteers are better than any race I have previously ran.  If you can manage to grab one of the coveted spots, I highly recommend it.  If you are running the race and want to talk about the course, etc. please reach out.  I used to live in Raleigh and the course was my old training grounds, so I had the added benefit of knowing every bump of the course before I even started.

Umstead 100

I'm in!  I am working on a training plan and am going to go after my first 100 miler this coming March!  

Eastern Divide 50k

5:30 and 15th place (unofficial results).  A race report (with official results) will follow soon and replace this post)!

Week of 6/09

This 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 ranking (53.94%).  It also predicts that I will run this race in 7:32:05.  It will be interesting to see how accurate that is, as my goal is to go sub-6.  Of course, the data set that the website has to calculate from is small and the two results are substantially different.  A sub-6 race could throw things even further off!

I plan to head out for a run with the group today (6 miles) and maybe stretch the legs out on Thursday with a short 3 miler or so.  Check back next week for results and a race report.

Week of 6/02

Last 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 first ultra without my trusty crew chief there at every aid station, since she has to stay home with the kids.  It will definitely take more planning and better packing on my part but since the race is "only" a 50k (i.e., I shouldn't have to worry about a shoe change, head lamp, etc...), it shouldn't be that bad.

My week went like this:

The 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 exposure to some vertical to give me an idea how my training is going.

"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.

Week of 5/12

This 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 advance of the Eastern Divide 50k next month.  I certainly won't have the conditioning level to race it hard but it will be a great way to spend a day in the mountains power hiking the uphills.  The week went like this:

Week of 5/05

This 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:

Week of 4/28

This 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 like this:

Week of 4/21

It 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 feet of vertical climb!

The week went like this:

Coaching!

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!

Week of 4/14

It 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 miles in a long time during which my Garmin was not tracking my every step, as I was trying out my new Soleus Ultra watch (NFI).  It was liberating to not be able to look down and see my pace at every single moment.  The extra added benefit was that one of my buddies and I did the last 2 miles fairly quickly (sub-7's).  If I would have been using my Garmin, I know I would have slowed myself because mentally I would not have thought that such a pace was sustainable with the last mile long climb that we did.  The learning point being, +1 for the mental aspect of what we do.

Building 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 following few days!

Which leads me to the week of 4/07.  I was planning on having around a 20 mile week, as I haven't ran more than 16 miles  in the past 5 weeks (which was last week) and the four weeks before that were whopping 5 mile weeks!  By the end of the day Saturday I had 19 miles in and was going to call it a win. We had friends running the Raleigh Rock n Roll Marathon and were planning to watch at a few points on the race.  As logistics go, I figured it would be easier just to run to the course and make a few shortcuts along the way to see my friends in a few different spots than deal with parking.  It was an abnormally warm day, so I actually ended up spending some time with one of my friends that day, which lead to a 13 mile Sunday.

It is truly baffling how my body has transformed over the past year.  I rarely did more than 20 mile weeks in the past but given the volume I did last year, I was able to run a 32 mile week out of nowhere after basically not running for over a month and it was no big deal.  I guess it is just one more step towards relentless forward progress.

My race plans for the rest of this year are to run a marathon with my wife - either the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon or the St. Louis Rock and Roll Marathon.  If we end up doing the STL marathon, I will likely flip around 2 weeks later and run the City of Oaks with a few friends.

I have begun the search for an ultra next year and am debating between a 100k and a full 100...stay tuned

It 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 tired to lace up.  Everyone is on a much better schedule now so I got in 3 runs this week.  

Tues and Thur - flat 5 milers with a buddy.  We pretty much hung out just under 8's since he has a marathon next weekend.

Sun - did the company mill loop at Umstead for 6 glorious miles of single track.  

And now for the knowlege bomb...out of nowhere my wife said she thinks I should run a race next year!  #bestwifeever.  I have started looking at 100k's and have my eye on the Thomas Jefferson 100k, put on by WS100 veteran AJW.  I have to decide whether I want to stretch and go for a 100k or train faster and try to get a sub-10 50.  I have plenty of time to train and decide as it will be a while before my mileage gets anywhere north of 30.   

JFK50 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 race was well organized and the volunteers were amazing but the course design just isn't my thing.  I knew going into it how much road/tow path there was but I had never run such a race.  Having done so, I know that I enjoy more off road races, especially ones with little to no pavement time.

I ran the entire race in the Brooks Cascadia's and had no issues.  The shoes did just fine on the final long stretch of pavement.  This was my inaugural race with the UltrAspire Spry vest and I couldn't have been more pleased.  I used it for 43 of the 50 miles and only switched to a handheld for a stretch so I could charge my Garmin (I put the battery pack in the zip pocket of the handheld).

In the end, I ran a sub-11 50 miler and that was my goal before the twins arrived.  My new training schedule leading up to this race of doing a long run on Saturday, followed by a 10 miler on Sunday paid drastic dividends.

JFK50 results

10:51:36.  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.

Ankle Synovitis

As 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 no issues while running, other than the outside of my ankle felt a little off when I finished my run on Sunday.  Four hours later, it was screaming.  Any motion in the ankle joint caused immediate (negative) feedback.  I went to an ortho who said I had synovitis.  He prescribed NSAID's and recommended physical therapy.  The drugs worked and a few visits to a therapist at D1 later (for soft tissue work) and my ankle seems to be back on track.  I was able to run 24 this past Saturday and am going to go for 30+ this weekend.  If the ankle feels good, I will be heading towards the JFK50 in two weeks!  Although I had to adjust the volume of my training I still feel better prepared for this race than I did earlier this year for the TNFEC 50.

In total, I took two weeks off to get back to the point where I am running pain free.  Although the therapist said I could run on it without doing permanent damage during that time, I figured it was better to go into the JFK50 a little under trained by missing one long run than hobbling out there for 11 hours (hopefully less) on a bum ankle.

TNFEC 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, which had a 5 a.m. start.  Later that morning there was a 50k (7:00 a.m start) and marathon (9:00 a.m.).  I had never ran an ultramarathon before and, to add to my anxiety, it was supposed to get up into the mid-90s early and stay there all day, which was well in excess of what I was acclimatized to.  There were 3 "waves" separated by a minute to let us stretch out before entering the trail.  I was in the last wave and at 5:03 a.m. I was off!  At 5:02 a.m. I realized that my Garmin 405 failed to upload the workout I had planned to monitor my heart rate throughout the day...epic fail (although it turned out to be a good thing later on).