After stringing together a good training cycle, I feel ready to run a great race out on the island this coming weekend. With this being a focus race and all, I'm faced with the dreaded tapering period. I've been in tapering mode for a little over a week and frankly, it's no fun. Interesting how I can struggle to get the mileage in during training, but while tapering, feel so anxious. I think that's the point of tapering: to be well rested so that you're anxious to run hard on race day. It was all I could do this last week to take a few days off. It was all I could do to keep my mileage down. It was all I could do to keep my pace down for my Saturday long run (which I failed at doing, btw).
Now that I'm tapering though, I've been thinking about a few things...
I'm looking forward to a brand new experience with this upcoming race: actually racing. Go figure! In reality though, I've gone into all my previous races with only the goal of finishing. First marathon... check. First 50... check. First 100... check. The only exception last year was Speedgoat, which I didn't taper at all for and which I used as a training run, rather than a focus race.
I learned a lot through experience last year. Those lessons have helped me progress to where I am now. It's also been fun sharing my newfound knowledge with my dad (training for his first 50 in June), and my friend Scott (who's running his first 50 this weekend). I've done several runs with each of them this year and they've really helped me maintain my focus and stay consistent, which is something I struggle with.
So this time around I've got no excuses. I'll be running to test my ability and to learn how hard I can push myself. I still plan on enjoying the scenery and camaraderie, but I also plan on testing my limits. I understand that it will certainly be uncomfortable. As crazy as it sounds, that might be what I'm looking forward to most! It should make for an interesting day come Saturday. Good luck to all those running, and hopefully I'll have a PR to report next week.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Another Great Day on the Island
As planned, I was able to get out on Saturday for the group training run out at Antelope Island. It was an absolute blast! We met up at 8:00 am and after some chatting and a quick bathroom break, the group started right around 8:30.
First, we headed to the north end of the island to run the campground loop which makes up the last 6 or so miles of the race. I ran with my friend Scott and we took it really easy on this loop. The views were amazing and this part of the trail is one of my favorite! It consists of lots of technical trail and seems to have endless rocks to dance your way around. As much as I love smooth single track, technical trail is where I feel at home.
After completing the loop, Scott continued on the trail to tackle the next section which is the first 19 miles of the race. I went back to the car to refill my water bottle and to grab my other bottle as well (knowing I had 3 hours or so in front of me with no place to refill). I didn't want to let him get too far ahead of me. In my rush to get back on the trail, I forgot to grab my waist pack. Not a big deal since the only reason I wanted to carry it was for my camera. Come to find out later though, I left my salt pills in there as well... Oops! Scott saved me and hooked me up with a few later on.
I pushed it hard to make up some ground and finally caught Scott just before the top of the ridge. We then kept a nice, easy pace up to the location of the Elephant Head aid station. Upon arrival, we decided to do the loop first.
Scott's knee had been bothering him a bit, but he wanted to see this section so we pushed on. After descending down to White Rock Bay, we made over way over to climb the switchbacks. I could tell Scott wasn't doing too well, and at the top of the switchbacks he told me to go ahead so I could get the out-and-back section done. He would head back to the parking lot.
I pushed it hard on the out-and-back and did it in under 30 minutes. When I got back to Elephant Head, I saw Jun there and stopped to talked with him and his group for a few minutes. They started the descent back to the parking lot and I tagged along with them. They pushed it pretty consistently the whole way and it felt great opening things up!
We finally arrived at the parking lot and chatted for a few minutes. I couldn't see Scott, so I went over to the truck and there he was, slouched in his seat. He had finished about 40 minutes ahead of me! His knee was giving him fits so he took the shortcut back to the car. I felt bad! He was pretty bummed about his knee situation. Looking back on his splits though, he was right on his mph target even though his knee was not in a great place.
All in all, it was a good day out on the trails. Ran the 25 miles in just over 4 hours, which included all the stops. Really encouraging results for me! Saw lots of familiar faces and got to spend time running with others, which is always enjoyable! I left my camera at the car, but Jun has some pics of his group over on his blog if you need some visual stimulation :)
First, we headed to the north end of the island to run the campground loop which makes up the last 6 or so miles of the race. I ran with my friend Scott and we took it really easy on this loop. The views were amazing and this part of the trail is one of my favorite! It consists of lots of technical trail and seems to have endless rocks to dance your way around. As much as I love smooth single track, technical trail is where I feel at home.
After completing the loop, Scott continued on the trail to tackle the next section which is the first 19 miles of the race. I went back to the car to refill my water bottle and to grab my other bottle as well (knowing I had 3 hours or so in front of me with no place to refill). I didn't want to let him get too far ahead of me. In my rush to get back on the trail, I forgot to grab my waist pack. Not a big deal since the only reason I wanted to carry it was for my camera. Come to find out later though, I left my salt pills in there as well... Oops! Scott saved me and hooked me up with a few later on.
I pushed it hard to make up some ground and finally caught Scott just before the top of the ridge. We then kept a nice, easy pace up to the location of the Elephant Head aid station. Upon arrival, we decided to do the loop first.
Scott's knee had been bothering him a bit, but he wanted to see this section so we pushed on. After descending down to White Rock Bay, we made over way over to climb the switchbacks. I could tell Scott wasn't doing too well, and at the top of the switchbacks he told me to go ahead so I could get the out-and-back section done. He would head back to the parking lot.
I pushed it hard on the out-and-back and did it in under 30 minutes. When I got back to Elephant Head, I saw Jun there and stopped to talked with him and his group for a few minutes. They started the descent back to the parking lot and I tagged along with them. They pushed it pretty consistently the whole way and it felt great opening things up!
We finally arrived at the parking lot and chatted for a few minutes. I couldn't see Scott, so I went over to the truck and there he was, slouched in his seat. He had finished about 40 minutes ahead of me! His knee was giving him fits so he took the shortcut back to the car. I felt bad! He was pretty bummed about his knee situation. Looking back on his splits though, he was right on his mph target even though his knee was not in a great place.
All in all, it was a good day out on the trails. Ran the 25 miles in just over 4 hours, which included all the stops. Really encouraging results for me! Saw lots of familiar faces and got to spend time running with others, which is always enjoyable! I left my camera at the car, but Jun has some pics of his group over on his blog if you need some visual stimulation :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
What's With The Helicopter?
My buddy Scott and I decided to hit the hills last night after work. We were hoping to put in about 10 miles and the weather turned out to be absolutely perfect! We ran on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Draper and although it was still quite sloppy, and somewhat slippery, we didn't have too many problems keeping a running pace.
While making our way towards Corner Canyon, we heard a helicopter approaching from behind, flying low. It zipped right by us, then turned around and came back in our direction. Strange. We thought maybe they were searching for something (or someone), but then it stopped and hovered right next to us. We noticed it was a news helicopter, so we joked around saying we might be on the news. It hovered there for a good minute or two, then finally went off into the distance.
The run went really well and we got in a good amount of vertical. We were both pretty spent by the end of the run. I finally got home and started making dinner when I hear my phone ring. It's my sister Brittany.
She asks, "Did you run after work?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Did you run in the mountains?"
"Yes."
"Were you wearing a red jacket?"
"Yes."
At this point I thought for some weird reason that she was driving somewhere near the trail - not even close to her home, mind you - and she saw me.
Then she says, "I saw you on the news."
I laughed, completely forgetting about the helicopter. (Yeah, I'm a bit slow after a hard workout!) I didn't think it was really newsworthy, but we do live in Utah :)
Anyway, here's my 5 minutes of fame. (ok, so it's more like 10 seconds)
24 seconds in...
While making our way towards Corner Canyon, we heard a helicopter approaching from behind, flying low. It zipped right by us, then turned around and came back in our direction. Strange. We thought maybe they were searching for something (or someone), but then it stopped and hovered right next to us. We noticed it was a news helicopter, so we joked around saying we might be on the news. It hovered there for a good minute or two, then finally went off into the distance.
The run went really well and we got in a good amount of vertical. We were both pretty spent by the end of the run. I finally got home and started making dinner when I hear my phone ring. It's my sister Brittany.
She asks, "Did you run after work?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Did you run in the mountains?"
"Yes."
"Were you wearing a red jacket?"
"Yes."
At this point I thought for some weird reason that she was driving somewhere near the trail - not even close to her home, mind you - and she saw me.
Then she says, "I saw you on the news."
I laughed, completely forgetting about the helicopter. (Yeah, I'm a bit slow after a hard workout!) I didn't think it was really newsworthy, but we do live in Utah :)
Anyway, here's my 5 minutes of fame. (ok, so it's more like 10 seconds)
24 seconds in...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Antelope Island Training Run: 2/12
It's been a crazy week so I haven't had much time to write. I've even neglected my daily logbook for about a week as well. Time to get back on it I guess!
Anyway, I was able to get out to Antelope Island last week for a training run. There was a pretty solid group of 30 or so people that came out. Good times! I stuck with my buddy Scott for the whole run. When I do these longer training runs, I like to take it easy and enjoy myself, rather than suffer by pushing myself too hard. I do enough of that during the week! So we took it at a steady pace. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure...
All in all a great day; beautiful weather, and 23 miles under my belt. Starting to feel fit and ready to race in about 5 weeks!
Anyway, I was able to get out to Antelope Island last week for a training run. There was a pretty solid group of 30 or so people that came out. Good times! I stuck with my buddy Scott for the whole run. When I do these longer training runs, I like to take it easy and enjoy myself, rather than suffer by pushing myself too hard. I do enough of that during the week! So we took it at a steady pace. A few pictures for your viewing pleasure...
All in all a great day; beautiful weather, and 23 miles under my belt. Starting to feel fit and ready to race in about 5 weeks!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
On The Upward Trend
I really look forward to this time of year. Daylight extends ever so slightly each day, temperatures slowly start trending up, and training comes into full swing. OK, so this is only the second time I've run through winter, but you catch my drift! I'm rousing with life again and feel as though I'm just coming out of hibernation. It's not to say I haven't been running through winter, because I have. The momentum though, is finally on the up and my energy is in a focused, entirely positive direction.
Another exciting aspect of this time of year is finalizing a schedule for the upcoming year. The major piece of my running puzzle was completed on Saturday when the lottery for Wasatch was held. Unfortunately, it's not happening for me this year :( I was a bit bummed at first, but now I have the opportunity to run the Bear 100. Since it happens two weeks after Wasatch each year, I don't know that I ever would have done them both in the same year. So I'm stoked to be able to run the Bear this year! It's a new challenge on what will be a completely new course for me. Plus I'll probably end up running most of the Wasatch course in training this summer, so I can't be too bummed about it!
Training is going about as expected. Been hitting some weeks in the 50 mile range, and I'm hoping to hit 60 this week. Could be interesting though, as I got my annual cold last week and skipped a few days running. I'm glad it hit now instead of later! It feels nice to just about have it out of my system, though. I'm less than 7 weeks from the Buffalo Run so now's the time to step up and knock out some good runs.
I've also decided to do a run of marathon distance or greater each month this year. I got my January run in the last Saturday of the month. It was a perfect day and I was able to bang out my 26.2 pretty easily. I was trashed afterwards since I didn't hydrate very well or take in enough nutrition, but that's beauty of training... Teaching your body to go without, which in turn makes you stronger. Not everyone subscribes to the aforementioned philosophy, but it seems to work for me!
Another exciting aspect of this time of year is finalizing a schedule for the upcoming year. The major piece of my running puzzle was completed on Saturday when the lottery for Wasatch was held. Unfortunately, it's not happening for me this year :( I was a bit bummed at first, but now I have the opportunity to run the Bear 100. Since it happens two weeks after Wasatch each year, I don't know that I ever would have done them both in the same year. So I'm stoked to be able to run the Bear this year! It's a new challenge on what will be a completely new course for me. Plus I'll probably end up running most of the Wasatch course in training this summer, so I can't be too bummed about it!
Training is going about as expected. Been hitting some weeks in the 50 mile range, and I'm hoping to hit 60 this week. Could be interesting though, as I got my annual cold last week and skipped a few days running. I'm glad it hit now instead of later! It feels nice to just about have it out of my system, though. I'm less than 7 weeks from the Buffalo Run so now's the time to step up and knock out some good runs.
I've also decided to do a run of marathon distance or greater each month this year. I got my January run in the last Saturday of the month. It was a perfect day and I was able to bang out my 26.2 pretty easily. I was trashed afterwards since I didn't hydrate very well or take in enough nutrition, but that's beauty of training... Teaching your body to go without, which in turn makes you stronger. Not everyone subscribes to the aforementioned philosophy, but it seems to work for me!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
My New Food Obsession
I should probably title this "our" new obsession because this is something that me and Lydia are obsessing over at the moment. It is my blog though, so sorry Lyd. (Truly though, she probably enjoys these even more than me.) What I'm talking about are Green Smoothies!
Handful of raw baby spinach
1 Cup Soymilk (or Low Fat Milk)
I've been using variations with/without the banana, and different portions of different berries. To date, I haven't had one I didn't like. Best of all, it's an easy way to get a bunch of raw foods in a tasty package! Apparently you can also use kale, mint, romaine, and other greens when making these. We just use baby spinach because we buy it from Costco anyway, so it's already in the fridge. Might have to try out some other variations in the future, though.
* Quick Tip - If you need a balanced breakfast on the go, just add some ground oats and milled flaxseed. It's delicious!
When I first heard about green smoothies, all I could think about is blending a bunch of vegetables together and trying to choke it down. While I'm sure some people out there might do this, it doesn't sound all that appealing to me. I was reluctant to add anything green to a fruit blended smoothie. Eventually though, I mustered up the courage to add some greens and was pleasantly surprised by the results! Even better is the fact that I'm getting more veggies in my diet (something I struggle with) without having to eat a bland salad every day. And that makes me happy! Lydia even swears that it helps her skin :)
I still don't have it down to an exact science - nor do I really measure when I cook - but here are the basics for my green smoothie:
1 Cup Soymilk (or Low Fat Milk)
1 Banana
1 1/2 Cups Berries (pick one or mix 'em up)1 T Agave Syrup or Honey
Add Water or Ice to achieve desired thickness
My Breakfast version of a Strawberry-Banana "Green" Smoothie
I've been using variations with/without the banana, and different portions of different berries. To date, I haven't had one I didn't like. Best of all, it's an easy way to get a bunch of raw foods in a tasty package! Apparently you can also use kale, mint, romaine, and other greens when making these. We just use baby spinach because we buy it from Costco anyway, so it's already in the fridge. Might have to try out some other variations in the future, though.
* Quick Tip - If you need a balanced breakfast on the go, just add some ground oats and milled flaxseed. It's delicious!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Time For An Update
What a slacker! Three weeks into the year and I haven't written a thing. Good thing I have people like my dad to call me out on it! The reality however, is that I haven't had much to write about so far this year. Nothing truly exciting has happened - bad or good - and things are pretty much clicking as far as running is concerned.
I've been able to put together some fairly solid weeks for the last month. Been consistenly knocking off between 40 and 50 mile weeks, with 5 or 6 days of running each week. It's easily been my best stretch in the last 4 months or so. Sweet! I still have some lingering pain in my lower legs which I've attributed to shoe problems, but I think I've finally got the right shoes and things seem to get slightly better each week. I'm sure if I took a few weeks off things would heal completely, but I'm not about to do that. Smart? Probably not, but I'm just over 9 weeks out from my next race and can't really afford the time off. If things were getting worse I'd stop, but things are slowly progressing in a positive direction... So I'm not stopping!
In my attempt to be a bit more social (being a recluse by nature), last night I went over to Wasatch Running Center for the weekly Thursday night run they put on. Quite honestly, I was expecting a much larger group to show up. Turns out there were only about 7 of us, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. I actually came home with a few goodies courtesy of Brooks and Saucony. Awesome! I'm always up for some free gear.
Things are great at the moment! Now if the snow would just melt...
I've been able to put together some fairly solid weeks for the last month. Been consistenly knocking off between 40 and 50 mile weeks, with 5 or 6 days of running each week. It's easily been my best stretch in the last 4 months or so. Sweet! I still have some lingering pain in my lower legs which I've attributed to shoe problems, but I think I've finally got the right shoes and things seem to get slightly better each week. I'm sure if I took a few weeks off things would heal completely, but I'm not about to do that. Smart? Probably not, but I'm just over 9 weeks out from my next race and can't really afford the time off. If things were getting worse I'd stop, but things are slowly progressing in a positive direction... So I'm not stopping!
In my attempt to be a bit more social (being a recluse by nature), last night I went over to Wasatch Running Center for the weekly Thursday night run they put on. Quite honestly, I was expecting a much larger group to show up. Turns out there were only about 7 of us, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. I actually came home with a few goodies courtesy of Brooks and Saucony. Awesome! I'm always up for some free gear.
Things are great at the moment! Now if the snow would just melt...
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