Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Weekly Run Log December 18-24, 2011
12/24/2011: McCabe Loop. 0:24, 2.25 miles, 50' vert.
Weekly Summary: 7.25 miles, 1750' vert.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Time
It was only an hour and 24 minutes and yet I felt as though it was an entire day. I became aware of one more thing that I love about trail running while going for a jog up Monadnock yesterday. With the exception of my long runs in preparation for 100 mile events each run that I embark on is an adventure that takes little time and satisfies as though I had planned to be out for an entire day. Yesterday’s run lasted one hour 24 minutes involved stepping into the unknown and seeing a place that I thought I knew in a new light.
In the last few years my definition of wilderness has changed dramatically. In several hours time I can get in to the mountains deep enough so that I am encountering backpackers who have been out for days. That is something that is pretty special to me. These folks have dedicated several days of time, even a week and I am able to sleep in my bed every night and compress several “trips of a lifetime” into one week of running. Pretty cool.
In the last few years my definition of wilderness has changed dramatically. In several hours time I can get in to the mountains deep enough so that I am encountering backpackers who have been out for days. That is something that is pretty special to me. These folks have dedicated several days of time, even a week and I am able to sleep in my bed every night and compress several “trips of a lifetime” into one week of running. Pretty cool.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Schedule and Weekly Run Log
Weekly Run Log - December 11-17, 2011:
12/13/2011: Short run down back in McCabe Forest because it was a nice day. 1.0 mi., 50'
12/15/2011: Skatutakee/Thumb Loop. Rainy and fun. 1:11, 4.5 mi., 850'
12/17/2011: McCabe Loop w/o garage extention. Not timed, 2.25 mi. 50'
Weekly Summary: 7.75 miles, 950' vert.
Lotteries
My biggest piece of news is that my name was drawn in both the Western States and Hardrock Lotteries. I was okay with running just one of the two but when my name was pulled in both lotteries it poses a problem: The races are three weeks apart. This is not enough time for me to recover from one before going to the other. Even if I were able to recover enough to run both the financial commitment would be much greater. I'm not even sure I will have the money to make it to one of the two.
When it comes down to it I want to run the Hardrock much, much more than I want to run Western States. Western States will be held on June 23 and 24, Hardrock the weekend of July 13 to 15. If the schedule had been switched around I might consider trying to run both with the expectation that I would run as far as I could and DNF at Western States. Running Western States and traveling to Hardrock with the expectation that I would DNF at Hardrock would not be acceptable for me. My number one priority is being 100% ready for Hardrock.
So what does that mean now? It means I will probably be taking a pass at Western States despite the strict "No Refunds" policy that will swallow up my $370 race fee. I just need to look at the loss of the race fee as, what was, a good hedge against losing the Hardrock lottery. It was just that the odds really worked in my favor this year and now I have to make some decisions.
Wapack and Back
For the last few years I have wanted to run a 50 mile race close to home. I have spent many hours running on the 21 mile Wapack Trail and have been looking forward to the day when I could run the Wapack and Back 50 miler because it is a beautiful trail with a great southern New Hampshire feel. Unfortunately the race date is May 12 this year, making it two months before Hardrock. While not impossible, if I were to run both it would make my chances of being 100% for Hardrock lessen.
Instead of trying to cram a 50 miler in two months before the Hardrock and having a questionable recovery and buildup for Hardrock it would seem wiser to plan conservatively for next summer with the big event being Hardrock and plan another 50 or even another 100 later in the fall (Mountain Masochist 50 or Grindstone 100 maybe?). To complicate things a little more, there is a 21 mile option at the Wapack and Back, which would fit into my schedule a little better (as a long run) but would lessen the 50 mile trail run experience in subsequent years when I would make it a priority to run the race in May. My plan, for now, it to wait it out and decide as the Wapack and Back draws nearer. Hardrock is set in stone but other races will depend upon how I am feeling down the road.
The Nitty Gritty
In the last year I have been compiling information on my mileage, vertical ascent and recovery times. This has been somewhat useful in helping me make decisions. I was able to look at mileages run after 50 mile events to figure out my average recovery time and "ramp-up" abilities. The reason it is only somewhat useful is that a.) I don't have all that many races under my belt, and b.) the circumstances have not similar enough from year to year. Last year I ran two 50 mile events within 3 weeks of each other which didn't give me good data on my ramp-up ability after just one 50 mile event. If I were to use this to create a training schedule for one 50 followed by a 100 mile event two months later, I would be comparing apples to orange. Unfortunately, I just don't know how long it takes me to recover from a 50 properly. Run Rabbit Run, being my first 50 would almost be a baseline, but for the fact that I ran it off of a 12 mile long run and didn't have the experience to run it well with attention to recovery afterward. My body has become more accustomed to the mileage and I train smarter these days. Therefore, I recover much quicker.
So there you have it. The plan for next summer is starting to take shape. I am more excited for this summer than last summer. That says a lot because last summer was pretty amazing, both in planning and execution. For now, I am trying to get back to a winter mileage plan. I don't know how that will pan out because work is taking off, but work, in itself is good training. On any given night I will hike 6 to 8 miles down the mountain on gun runs. That's 4,500' to 6,000' of descent in a night. Not bad!
12/13/2011: Short run down back in McCabe Forest because it was a nice day. 1.0 mi., 50'
12/15/2011: Skatutakee/Thumb Loop. Rainy and fun. 1:11, 4.5 mi., 850'
12/17/2011: McCabe Loop w/o garage extention. Not timed, 2.25 mi. 50'
Weekly Summary: 7.75 miles, 950' vert.
Lotteries
My biggest piece of news is that my name was drawn in both the Western States and Hardrock Lotteries. I was okay with running just one of the two but when my name was pulled in both lotteries it poses a problem: The races are three weeks apart. This is not enough time for me to recover from one before going to the other. Even if I were able to recover enough to run both the financial commitment would be much greater. I'm not even sure I will have the money to make it to one of the two.
When it comes down to it I want to run the Hardrock much, much more than I want to run Western States. Western States will be held on June 23 and 24, Hardrock the weekend of July 13 to 15. If the schedule had been switched around I might consider trying to run both with the expectation that I would run as far as I could and DNF at Western States. Running Western States and traveling to Hardrock with the expectation that I would DNF at Hardrock would not be acceptable for me. My number one priority is being 100% ready for Hardrock.
So what does that mean now? It means I will probably be taking a pass at Western States despite the strict "No Refunds" policy that will swallow up my $370 race fee. I just need to look at the loss of the race fee as, what was, a good hedge against losing the Hardrock lottery. It was just that the odds really worked in my favor this year and now I have to make some decisions.
Wapack and Back
For the last few years I have wanted to run a 50 mile race close to home. I have spent many hours running on the 21 mile Wapack Trail and have been looking forward to the day when I could run the Wapack and Back 50 miler because it is a beautiful trail with a great southern New Hampshire feel. Unfortunately the race date is May 12 this year, making it two months before Hardrock. While not impossible, if I were to run both it would make my chances of being 100% for Hardrock lessen.
Instead of trying to cram a 50 miler in two months before the Hardrock and having a questionable recovery and buildup for Hardrock it would seem wiser to plan conservatively for next summer with the big event being Hardrock and plan another 50 or even another 100 later in the fall (Mountain Masochist 50 or Grindstone 100 maybe?). To complicate things a little more, there is a 21 mile option at the Wapack and Back, which would fit into my schedule a little better (as a long run) but would lessen the 50 mile trail run experience in subsequent years when I would make it a priority to run the race in May. My plan, for now, it to wait it out and decide as the Wapack and Back draws nearer. Hardrock is set in stone but other races will depend upon how I am feeling down the road.
The Nitty Gritty
In the last year I have been compiling information on my mileage, vertical ascent and recovery times. This has been somewhat useful in helping me make decisions. I was able to look at mileages run after 50 mile events to figure out my average recovery time and "ramp-up" abilities. The reason it is only somewhat useful is that a.) I don't have all that many races under my belt, and b.) the circumstances have not similar enough from year to year. Last year I ran two 50 mile events within 3 weeks of each other which didn't give me good data on my ramp-up ability after just one 50 mile event. If I were to use this to create a training schedule for one 50 followed by a 100 mile event two months later, I would be comparing apples to orange. Unfortunately, I just don't know how long it takes me to recover from a 50 properly. Run Rabbit Run, being my first 50 would almost be a baseline, but for the fact that I ran it off of a 12 mile long run and didn't have the experience to run it well with attention to recovery afterward. My body has become more accustomed to the mileage and I train smarter these days. Therefore, I recover much quicker.
So there you have it. The plan for next summer is starting to take shape. I am more excited for this summer than last summer. That says a lot because last summer was pretty amazing, both in planning and execution. For now, I am trying to get back to a winter mileage plan. I don't know how that will pan out because work is taking off, but work, in itself is good training. On any given night I will hike 6 to 8 miles down the mountain on gun runs. That's 4,500' to 6,000' of descent in a night. Not bad!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Some Statistics
The view toward Monadnock (in the background)
from Pitcher Mountain on the M-S Greenway.
I started running again, after The Bear, on October 8th with a very quick 0.1 mi. run on a walk I was doing at the family cottage. For the month of October I ran 15.8 mi. in 8 runs.
For November I ran a total of 25 miles in 7 runs. I have not felt the push to increase my mileage very quickly and that is why I have been feeling pretty good joint-wise. My cardiovascular system has taken a hit though.
My longest run in November was 4.7 miles long on the 30th (yesterday).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)