This month has been huge for milestones. I've seen my biggest week ever, my new biggest month ever, and my first 300km month.
And I'm feeling great. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt as good about my running as I do now.
Don't get me wrong--I've had my tired and sore days. But when I think about how far I've come and what I've accomplished over the past few months, I almost feel as though the training for this race is as significant to me as the race itself.
Thinking back to January: At the beginning of the month I wasn't even running; I was still getting over my injuries. I started running again in the second half of the month, pulling in a grand total of 26 miles for the entire month.
February: Feeling a little better, starting to run more frequently. 68 miles for the month. I remember being concerned about the nagging pains, issues of compensation, lower leg problems, etc. I remember wishing I could just run again without being afraid of re-injuring myself. I just wanted running to feel good again. I was out of shape and still had some leftover problems, and didn't know how much I could safely run without overdoing it. I was frustrated. And yet it was at this time that a friend put the idea in my head that maybe I could still do White River this year. My first response was, "are you insane? That's only 4 months away and I'm barely running!" But as I walked away from that conversation, the fire was kindled, and I thought, "well... maybe I could do it..."
March: I decided to use March as a test month. Could I safely increase my mileage to a good starting point to get me on track for White River? I designed an ambitious training plan and decided that there was only one way to find out. If I crashed and burned, I would do so early enough to revise my plans for the summer. But it was worth trying. So in March I ramped up the mileage (I never liked the 10% rule anyway!). 110 miles for the month might not seem like a lot, but it was a major increase. And I had no setbacks.
April: 170 miles. Again, huge increases in a short period of time. This was my highest month ever, and I hadn't even been near that since January 2007. Confidence was building, but I knew there was still lots of time for things to go wrong.
May: holding rather than increasing. I gave my body some time to adapt to the increases. I battled through some difficult runs and worked on my mental training. My first 100k week. Constantly hungry. Feeling good. 160 miles for the month.
June: starting to get tired, and starting to feel as though I'm ready to be done. I seem to vacillate from day to day. One day I feel exhausted and cranky and I'm not sure how I'll get through to taper, and the next day I feel awesome and confident. First 50k training run (pb!). New biggest week ever. New biggest month ever. First time past 300km in a month. Trying really hard to get enough sleep and enough food and water to keep me going.
And now here I am. I feel as though I've already climbed a huge mountain, and I'm really happy about how far I've come. I want to celebrate, but I will wait until the last big week is done! (Still scared of the race though!)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Goodbye, popcorn
For the past few weeks I have been hopelessly addicted to popcorn. At home I eat air-popped with butter and salt, and at work I've been eating microwave popcorn (which is unusual for me!). Must be the salt...
But today is June 29 and I just finished off my last bag of popcorn until after White River. I have decided that I need to clean up my diet for the month of July. No popcorn, no chips, no candy, no fries, no alcohol, no pastries, no chocolate bars, no slurpees, no pop (except diet). This is hard for me... I love my treats. But I want to be healthy going into this race, and I also don't want to gain weight during my taper. So this is how it will be. I will not cut out cheese and pizza, or other things which have nutritional value and are good running foods. I also need to take my multi-vitamin more often, as I suspect I might be low on iron these days.
Amazingly, I've lost 4lb since March (but unfortunately it's the 4lb that I gained over the fall/winter while injured, so I am at the same weight I was a year ago).
But today is June 29 and I just finished off my last bag of popcorn until after White River. I have decided that I need to clean up my diet for the month of July. No popcorn, no chips, no candy, no fries, no alcohol, no pastries, no chocolate bars, no slurpees, no pop (except diet). This is hard for me... I love my treats. But I want to be healthy going into this race, and I also don't want to gain weight during my taper. So this is how it will be. I will not cut out cheese and pizza, or other things which have nutritional value and are good running foods. I also need to take my multi-vitamin more often, as I suspect I might be low on iron these days.
Amazingly, I've lost 4lb since March (but unfortunately it's the 4lb that I gained over the fall/winter while injured, so I am at the same weight I was a year ago).
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Weekly Summary
Monday - 12 miles
Tuesday - 5 miles
Wednesday - 10 miles (trail)
Friday - 21 miles (trail)
Sunday - 16 miles
Total: 64 miles (103km)
This makes my new highest week ever, and also brings me up to 293km for the month so far; I will definitely break 300km this month for the first time!
The hip is feeling better at the end of the week than it was at the beginning, so that is a good sign. It was a little achey today during the run but not bad, and isn't bothering me at all when I'm not running. So I am encouraged!
This week coming up will be a semi-cutback week. It won't be as drastic as the last one, but light, in prep for my last big week.
Today's run was great; although I felt tired from the week, I still felt pretty strong. It was still slow, but I sped up for the last few miles and felt awesome. This gives me a bit of confidence; the bigger weeks are getting easier! But I'm still scared of the race!
Onward!
Tuesday - 5 miles
Wednesday - 10 miles (trail)
Friday - 21 miles (trail)
Sunday - 16 miles
Total: 64 miles (103km)
This makes my new highest week ever, and also brings me up to 293km for the month so far; I will definitely break 300km this month for the first time!
The hip is feeling better at the end of the week than it was at the beginning, so that is a good sign. It was a little achey today during the run but not bad, and isn't bothering me at all when I'm not running. So I am encouraged!
This week coming up will be a semi-cutback week. It won't be as drastic as the last one, but light, in prep for my last big week.
Today's run was great; although I felt tired from the week, I still felt pretty strong. It was still slow, but I sped up for the last few miles and felt awesome. This gives me a bit of confidence; the bigger weeks are getting easier! But I'm still scared of the race!
Onward!
Good Reading
Scott Jurek's account of breaking the US 24-hour record is well worth a read. I love his attitude!
As well, I really enjoyed this post by Scott Dunlap. It gives a bit of insight into why we do this crazy thing called ultrarunning.
As well, I really enjoyed this post by Scott Dunlap. It gives a bit of insight into why we do this crazy thing called ultrarunning.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
This Harsh and Splendid Land
This harsh and splendid land
With snow-covered rock mountains, cold-crystal streams,
Deep forests of cypress, juniper and ash
Is as much my body as what you see before you here.
(from The Warrior Song of King Gezar)
I read this tonight in "Three Cups of Tea" (trying hard to stay awake on the long overnight!). Then it reminded me of another quote I read recently, by a local artist/painter named Chili Thom. He said:
"I love living here. It's got so much diverse beauty but is also a very rugged and challenging place. From the weather-hammered shorelines of the West Coast all the way through to the jagged upheaval of the Rockies, you can learn that life is not always easy but it always goes on. You see a tiny tree clinging out of a crack on the cliffs of the Squamish Chief and it shows that life is a struggle but with perseverance you can get through anything. In nature, there are a lot of challenges you have to power through. You suffer out a storm, or a long slog up to a summit, but you are always rewarded with something beautiful: a sunrise, or a 360-degree viewpoint, or an Inukshuk on the top of a mountain."
With snow-covered rock mountains, cold-crystal streams,
Deep forests of cypress, juniper and ash
Is as much my body as what you see before you here.
(from The Warrior Song of King Gezar)
I read this tonight in "Three Cups of Tea" (trying hard to stay awake on the long overnight!). Then it reminded me of another quote I read recently, by a local artist/painter named Chili Thom. He said:
"I love living here. It's got so much diverse beauty but is also a very rugged and challenging place. From the weather-hammered shorelines of the West Coast all the way through to the jagged upheaval of the Rockies, you can learn that life is not always easy but it always goes on. You see a tiny tree clinging out of a crack on the cliffs of the Squamish Chief and it shows that life is a struggle but with perseverance you can get through anything. In nature, there are a lot of challenges you have to power through. You suffer out a storm, or a long slog up to a summit, but you are always rewarded with something beautiful: a sunrise, or a 360-degree viewpoint, or an Inukshuk on the top of a mountain."
Friday, June 25, 2010
Long Run
Distance: 21 miles
Time: 5:20:24
Total elevation change: 8,800 feet
Calories consumed: 970
Tired puppies: 1
My calorie consumption almost made it to 200/hour, which has been my goal this entire training period. I have never actually hit that 200/hour mark yet, but having it as a goal helps me to force myself to eat even when I don't want to.
In the interests of listening to my body, I shortened today's run from the planned 31 miles. This means I won't make my mileage plan for the week, but I should still be able to make the monthly goal (300km).
Tried some new foods today. A friend sent me a couple of Hammer Gels to try--one banana and one chocolate. I did like them, but I found that they coated my mouth and didn't go down as smoothly as my CarbBooms and Clif Shots do. The flavours were good though! The chocolate tasted like pudding. Yum!
I also had some leftover Peanut Butter m&ms with me, which went down very well around the 20 mile mark. It helped that it was a warm day so I hardly had to chew them!
But I think my favourite new food is the Clif Shot Bloks. This was only my second time trying them and I really enjoy them. The flavour is good and they are really easy to get down. I was worried that they'd stick to my teeth or be hard to chew, but they are great!
Overall it was a good run, and I enjoyed being out there with Sammy, who is now sprawled at my feet, half asleep! My hip wasn't bad but it did ache a fair amount in the second half. I'm glad I didn't try to do the full distance.
Onward!
Time: 5:20:24
Total elevation change: 8,800 feet
Calories consumed: 970
Tired puppies: 1
My calorie consumption almost made it to 200/hour, which has been my goal this entire training period. I have never actually hit that 200/hour mark yet, but having it as a goal helps me to force myself to eat even when I don't want to.
In the interests of listening to my body, I shortened today's run from the planned 31 miles. This means I won't make my mileage plan for the week, but I should still be able to make the monthly goal (300km).
Tried some new foods today. A friend sent me a couple of Hammer Gels to try--one banana and one chocolate. I did like them, but I found that they coated my mouth and didn't go down as smoothly as my CarbBooms and Clif Shots do. The flavours were good though! The chocolate tasted like pudding. Yum!
I also had some leftover Peanut Butter m&ms with me, which went down very well around the 20 mile mark. It helped that it was a warm day so I hardly had to chew them!
But I think my favourite new food is the Clif Shot Bloks. This was only my second time trying them and I really enjoy them. The flavour is good and they are really easy to get down. I was worried that they'd stick to my teeth or be hard to chew, but they are great!
Overall it was a good run, and I enjoyed being out there with Sammy, who is now sprawled at my feet, half asleep! My hip wasn't bad but it did ache a fair amount in the second half. I'm glad I didn't try to do the full distance.
Onward!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Re-thinking the Plan
I don't think I've mentioned it on this blog yet, though most reading it will already be aware: I spent much of 2009 battling a pretty serious injury. My left hip basically seized right up, from the top of the quads all the way up into my abdomen. For months I was limping around the neighbourhood, and was off of running for awhile. I went to physio, which helped a little, but didn't find my real solution until January 2010 when I had a couple of IMS treatments (intra-muscular stimulation). That cleared it up enough that I was finally able to run without pain and start building my mileage again. Over the past 5 months it has been great, but periodically it will tighten up a bit, become sore for a few days, and then relax again. It hasn't been enough to concern me or make me back off the mileage, and goes away on its own.
But this week it has been a little more tight, and a little more sore, and it's making me nervous. It's not bad--I have been running and walking fine--but it twinges and isn't relaxing. Most likely it is reacting to my increased mileage, and the 50k I did a couple of weeks ago.
At this point in my training, the last thing I want to do is get re-injured. My risk tolerance is really low, and I really don't want to screw this up.
So I think I need to take another look at my plan for the next 2.5 weeks until taper. I had planned two more 50k runs, but I might drop this week's, and level out a bit for this week and next, just to be on the safe side. A part of me feels like that's wussing out... but I'll just remind myself that I've enough miles under my belt to finish the race; missing it because I pushed too hard would be much worse than easing off a bit right now.
Thoughts?
But this week it has been a little more tight, and a little more sore, and it's making me nervous. It's not bad--I have been running and walking fine--but it twinges and isn't relaxing. Most likely it is reacting to my increased mileage, and the 50k I did a couple of weeks ago.
At this point in my training, the last thing I want to do is get re-injured. My risk tolerance is really low, and I really don't want to screw this up.
So I think I need to take another look at my plan for the next 2.5 weeks until taper. I had planned two more 50k runs, but I might drop this week's, and level out a bit for this week and next, just to be on the safe side. A part of me feels like that's wussing out... but I'll just remind myself that I've enough miles under my belt to finish the race; missing it because I pushed too hard would be much worse than easing off a bit right now.
Thoughts?
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