Almost time to taper

In June I really tried to push up my mileage and focus on hills with one "speed" workout each week.  My June totals were 390 miles in 25 runs and about 14,000 feet of climbing. The major difference in my high mileage training this time around was quality. Before I traveled to Texas to run at Nueces I was putting in close to 100 mile weeks BUT no real focus on hills and very little speed work. This time around my back to back long days were for the most part all run at Robinette's. I tried to but in at least 50-55 miles in every other week and on my "shorter" weeks do 40-45 miles at a quicker pace. That was my sun-mon routine. Tuesday was 6.5-8 easy miles. Wednesday was a 12 mile tempo run in the morning and 6 easy in the afternoon. Thursday 6.5-8 easy miles. Friday 16-20 miles at a good pace but not tempo effort. Rest on Saturday then start the week over on Sunday. I feel that coming from the injury I had at Nueces this is about as good of a plan that I could muster. This Sunday I'm do my last long run of about 5 hours(7 laps at Robinette's). After that I'm starting a slow three week taper. I have faith in my training and I'm excited to run Burning River 100 mile on the 27th. I had a great race running Hurt the Dirt but was too scared to finish at the Yankee Springs Double Marathon. I felt I had plenty to go the distance but my IT started burning starting the third lap so I called it a day after the third lap. It was a great training run to start off the month, 41 miles at an 8:33 pace. I feel like I'm over the injury and ready to redeem myself. I already have it in my head to run my own race at Burning River. 100 miles is a looong way no matter how good of shape your in. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I had a time or place goal set but the most important thing here is to FINISH. I'm excited to have my new Pearl Izumi N2 Trail, Pearl Izumi Ultra Short Tights, UltrAspire gear, and Fluid hydration products. Solid training is all but done and great gear, the rest is all mental. I'm excited and optimistic! I'll let you know how it goes, wish me luck!

Yankee Springs "race" report

This Friday Tarryn, Dylan, and I went to Yankee Springs for the race weekend. There were races all three days. Because of just getting over my IT injury about five or six weeks ago I originally signed up for the marathon . I switched to the Double Marathon about two weeks ago thinking it would be better training for the Burning River 100. Friday night I volunteered to help with the 10k race. Another added bonus was the opportunity to meet and chat with Montrail stud Max King. Tarryn and Dylan left just before the 10k start and I was staying the night in a cabin because of the 6 am Double Marathon start time and they would come in the morning. I didn't get done helping out until around 10 pm then headed to the cabin to get ready for bed( about 11:30pm), 4:40 am came pretty early but I felt ready to run. Part of the reason I chose to run the Double was an article I ready on Irunfar.com about using "B" races as practice runs working your way to your "A" race. Bryon Powell signed up for a 100 mile and just planned on dropping at 50, great way to have a fun long training run. I've never done this in the past because if I'm in a race I want to race. So I went into this with the mindset that this was only a training run and to not destroy my legs. The next month or so is the peak of training for the 100 mile, so I couldn't afford to be laid up for a week because I pushed too hard. There were only about 23 of us signed up for the Double so no big crowd to force me into the race mindset. The course was four 13.1 mile loops of technical single track and rolling hills but no major ones. In the first loop I started with another runner for the first two miles, then I was alone. I rolled through the first lap not feeling very smooth but no issues. I came through in 1:45 for the 13.5 mile loop(GPS). I felt smoother the second lap and other than day dreaming past a turn adding about 4-5 mins and stepping over a turtle laying eggs on the trail it was uneventful. Coming into this race I was doing a lot of shorter, hard back to back runs. 12-16 mile tempo runs Sunday night and 19-26 mile trail runs Monday morning. So the longest single run I had was a 26 mile run in 3:27. Starting off on the third lap I still felt alright but I could tell that the lack of "time on my feet" in long runs would be an issue. I slowed the pace down quite a bit and just enjoyed an easy lap. About half way through the lap I was starting to realize that if I run the full Double(55 miles for me) I'd be out there for 8 hours and do what I said I wasn't going to, destroy my legs. So even though it felt tough to do I decided to call it after three laps. I ran 41 miles in 5:53 an 8:33 per mile pace with 2800ft of elevation gain and equal loss, it was a great workout. It was 15 miles farther and 2 hr 26 mins longer than my longest run since my injury. I accomplished what I wanted out of the "race" with a solid training run and a good time. Staying injury free and working my way back up to 100 mile weeks is the goal. I believe it was a wise decision and I stand by it. I don't feel beat up and I'll probably run tomorrow which is what I wanted moving forward in training for Burning River. I tested a new piece of gear on this run also. I wore the UltrAspire Quantum race belt with my gel flasks and electrolyte pills and it felt great. I'm happy and excited to bump up the mileage and get in great shape for Burning River!

Feeling Good

I've feel the best that I have in a long time. I think the IT band injury I got at Nueces in Texas may have been a blessing in disguise. I'm no longer getting wrapped up in the number of miles I'm running per week and focusing on quality. I have been slowly but steadily increasing my mileage with the focus on quality. I've been doing my long runs on the hilliest trails around G.R. and getting in hard tempo runs. I'm currently running about 75 miles per week over five days with plenty of quality. I ran Hurt the Dirt trail half marathon a few weeks ago where I won by six minutes in a 1:22. It was mountain bike trail with tons of snaking around and rolling hills. There where three races going on at the same time which did make it tricky to pass and get in a good rhythm, along with all the twist and turns. I felt like it was closer to my marathon pace than half marathon but a great fitness gauge. I was fortunate enough to meet up with Jeff Browning for a couple trail runs this week, Patagonia and UltrAspire sponsored Ultra runner. I was able to chat with him and get some good insight on training and racing 100 miles. He was an awesome dude and very laid back, gotta love ultra runners. I'm feeling confident about Burning River 100 on July 27th. In two weeks I'm running Yankee Springs Double Marathon for a hard workout/ B race. My goal is to work on pacing for Burning River and give a solid effort without destroying my legs. The course does have some short steep climbs but overall a runable course. I'm going to shoot for sub 7 hours but just listen to my body and run how I feel. I am grateful that I have UltrAspire and Fluid as sponsors. I have great hydration gear with quality product to put in it!

Getting in a groove

Finally my IT issues are over! I took it really easy for a few weeks and babied myself. I'm getting excited to hit the training hard again, just a little smarter this time around. I was getting caught up in the numbers game with my mileage and not focusing on quality or listening to my body. I've signed up for Yankee Springs Trail Marathon June 1st, Max King attending, and Burning River 100 mile July 27th. Burning River is the USATF National Championship and my first 100 mile so this will be my main focus. I've only been running five days a week with back to back long runs and a combination of two speed, hill, or tempo runs. I figured I'll get in great Marathon shape for Yankee Springs then switch my focus over to Burning River. I'm doing my speed work at 5:30-6:10 pace depending on the workout, and my long runs have been in the 7-7:20 range. I've only been really running for the last two weeks but I feel my strength and speed coming back. I put in 60 miles last week and I plan on staying in the 65-80 range until after the Marathon. Then I'll ramp up my long runs and be in the 85-100 range over five days. I'm so blessed that I have this passion and ability. I've seen several things over the last few weeks, including the tragedy in Boston, that really brings out the gratitude. I'm rocking my Team Red, White& Blue shirt and saying my prayers. God Bless.

Listen To Your Body

Listen to your body, lesson learned. After my rough falls at the Nueces 50 mile I didn't want to loose my fitness, I felt I was still in great shape. I took five days off from running but when I headed out to get in some easy runs I still felt banged up. I chalked it up to just being sore. I jumped right back into training and put in a 95 mile week one week out. I struggled with several of the runs but wanted to be ready for the Indiana 100 mile. All this did is aggravate my IT band and force me to drop from Indiana 100, booo. I took an easy week of cross training, foam roller, and rest. I am running again this week but easing back into the mileage. I've had some pretty good runs but am keeping them short(4-10 miles) for the next week or so. I've been stretching and introduced strength training into my routine. I believe I got caught up in the mileage game and wasn't focusing on quality and listening to my body. I believe for me if I stay around 80 miles per week and focus on quality workouts I stay injury free and feel faster. Thanks to Fluid I have hydration and recovery mixes that I believe really work. UltrAspire allows me to have great products for my training and racing. I am also teaming up with Team RWB to help support out veteran's. My new focus will be the USATF 100 National Championship July 27th, Burning River 100. I'm going to do several local races in my build up to the 100. I had to learn the hard way to listen to my body but I feel I will be a stronger faster runner because now that I have refocused my training.

Nueces Race report

Driving from San Antonio to Camp Eagle it was hard not to notice the hills in "Hill Country". I knew before heading to Texas that I was going to be on bigger hills than anything we have in Michigan. What I wasn't prepared for was the rocky footing there. Camp Eagle is on a 1400 acre reserve miles from any city. The area was absolutely beautiful! We arrived Friday night with the race starting Saturday morning at 6am. I had the opportunity to mingle a little and chat with Paul Terranova, cool dude. We started the race in the dark and at a quick pace considering the terrain. At around the 3 mile mark I tripped and fell on my hands and elbows, I blamed it on the dark. The sun came up after about an hour and I thought I'd be fine with the footing in the sun. I was running with Jason Bryant, Cody Moat, David Brown, and at about 10 miles Brian Rusiecki caught up with us, I fell again shortly after. Paul went off by himself from the gun and was moving at a good pace. Brain dropped back a little and Jason, Cody, Brian and I came through the first lap in 2:05, the course record was 6:28. A quick refuel and we were off  on the second loop. I fell...again, and it was starting to take a toll on my right knee and hip. The four of us stayed fairly close on this lap as well still running strong. I felt like I could keep moving pretty strong but wanted to take it a little easier on the big hills this lap. My final fall I didn't catch myself at all landing on my right knee and hip and doing a full summer salt on the rocks, ouch. I came through the second lap in 4:19 with Brian, Jason and Cody had 3 minutes on us. My knee and hip were hurting but I was still on a great pace. I started the third loop and got to a smaller climb and my hip just wouldn't let me climb. It was a tough decision but I decided to pack it in. That is my first ever DNF and it was bitter sweet. I had a great experience and ran great for a 50k. I feel I was/am in great shape but wasn't prepared for how technical the course was. My Garmin had about 3000 ft of gain and loss in the 34 miles I covered. I feel like I could have easily set a PR (6:24) on a less technical course. I'm happy I had the opportunity to race with some great guys and roll over my fitness for the Indiana Trail 100 in about six weeks. During the race I wore my Montrail Mountain Masocist which worked very well on the rocks. I also wore my UltrAspire Cell and Twitch combination. I was very comfortable and I think the Cell is the perfect amount of storage for a long race. Thanks UltrAspire. I ran this morning and will again this afternoon, eager to redeem myself. See ya on the trails!

Feeling Good

Nueces is only 10 days away and I'm enjoying my taper. I put in a hard(for me) last two weeks before the the taper running 195 miles in 12 runs. I think the taper helps just as much mentally as it does physically, this week anyway. I know next week I'll be anxious to run and have a hard time keeping the miles low. I feel strong, injury free, and confident. I'll  keep this post short since I'll have a race report in about two weeks. I'm excited to run in a USATF championship race and meet some other like minded nuts. I train alone 99% of the time so some social interaction is welcomed. I'll be wearing my UltrAspire Twitch and Cell combination along with a 20oz handheld. The MBS system UltrAspire has is the first one I've ever used that doesn't bounce and annoy me. I'm happy I have such great gear, there are plenty of other things to focus on during an Ultra than gear malfunction or irritation. Wish me luck!

Good News/ Bad News

Its been a strange last two weeks of training. At the end of my second 80 mile week my right knee started feeling a little tender. I've ran every step outside this year no matter what the weather. I believe this is what caused the soft tissue damage in my knee. Doing back to back 20 mile runs in 4" of snow, slippery sidewalks and roads, and negative temperatures may have been a little ambitious. I've been running in the Montrail Bajada and Mountain Masocist, both have a sticky rubber outsole and great lug pattern. That said, I was slipping a bit on the hills and I think that's what caused my knee tenderness. I just finished a easy week with two recovery days in a row. I've ran on the treadmill the last two days since we've gotten over 20" of snow in 48 hours. I did a tempo run yesterday with 6 of the 11 miles at 6min pace(max for my treadmill). My knee felt much better and I felt that I could hold that pace forever. Did an easy 9 today with no tenderness or pain, good thing since I'm running 30 miles in the morning. I have two more weeks to kill it in training then a two week taper leading to Nueces 50 mile. I did get some exciting news on Friday...I was accepted as an Elite Immortal for UltrAspire! I am really excited about this since hydration and storage are always really important. I feel they are making the best hydration products on the market right now and I'm privileged to be a part of their company. I'll update my training on here in two weeks...getting really excited for a great 2013 racing season!

Nueces Training

I'm back in the swing of training after Yankee Springs 50k. I took the week after Yankee easy (54 miles) so I didn't carry over any fatigue for Nueces training. I'm shooting for about 450 miles over five weeks, six runs per week with Sunday off. I've never ran higher mileage during to winter but I have great footwear, Montrail Mountain Masocist, for snow conditions. As of now I have no aches or pains and am really looking forward to racing in Texas March 2nd. I ran 80 miles last week and didn't feel to taxed. Life constrains my mileage more than the will or ability to run more. This week is mostly single digit temps. but I'm still excited to increase the miles. I'm not going to do much speed work in this cycle but throw in as much hill work as I can handle. 

1-14/1-20

M- 24 miles 7:28/mi pace

T-  6.6 10/mi pace with friends on hilly trail at night

W- 20.2 7:29/mi pace to work

Th-5.2 7:35/mi pace home from work

F-  16 7:14/mi pace

Sat-8 7:14/mi pace

Sun- Rest

Total- 80mi

Yankee Springs Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the 50k at Yankee Springs Winter Challenge. It was in the low 20's at the race start and 1"-2" of pack snow(some ice) on the trail. The course was a double 25k loop with steadily rolling hills but no  big climbs. I went out at an reserved pace with Jonathan(met at race) we held at a 7:17 pace for the first 8 miles then I picked up the pace. I felt good and steadily gained a lead. At the 14 mile mark my GPS beeped and I glanced at my split. After another half mile I noticed I didn't see any foot prints from the 10k runners, which worried me. I decided to run just a bit further before turning around. Once I hit 15 miles I reached a road and knew I was lost, I quickly back tracked. I was averaging a 7:10 pace at this point and lost for 2 miles. I just tried to hold my pace and move back up in placing. I found out I was in 5th place and quickly passed into 4th. I was told at an aid station that first was 6-7 minutes up and 2nd was about 3 minutes. I was  20 miles in at this point and kept pushing. I passed into 3rd place around 22 miles. At about the 24 mile mark(for me) was the next aid station, I was still about 3 minutes back from 2nd. I hit my Marathon mark at 3:11 and shut down the effort. I knew there wasn't enough time to catch 2nd and I had 3rd in the bag. I ended up 9 minutes behind first place. If I hadn't gotten lost the win was mine, live and learn. My legs feel fine today and tomorrow I start training for the USATF 50 mile National Championship in Texas March 2nd.  I have a great base going and I'm going to train harder than ever for this race. Nick the Montrail rep was cool enough to give me a pair of Bajada's for this race. They felt great and they are a company I'm very interested in apply for a sponsorship through. Keep training and racing hard and I'll be a sponsored runner by the end of 2013.