A bit of catch up here on the training log after a hectic few weeks:
Week Ending June 27
Mon - 4 mile jog on the bike path in Squaw
Tues - 4 mile jog on bike path in Squaw
Weds - 4 mile jog with Ian T. on bike path in Squaw
Thurs - 4 mile jog with Ian T & Nick L in Squaw
Fri - 4 mile jog with a slew of runners, pacers and crewers.
Sat - 100 miles (18,000'). Western States. 16:05.
Sun - Off.
Total: 120 miles (18,000').
Felt out of sorts the whole week on the running front, but then there is little intelligence to be gleaned from a four mile jog, so I wasn't sweating things. Obviously overjoyed with the race itself, but that's all in the (lengthy) report.
Post-race interview here, if you're interested.
Week Ending July 4
Mon - Thurs: Off
Fri - 5 miles easy (1,000'). Horsetooth rolling. Felt good for the most part. Nothing of note, just a bit of lingering soreness in the legs.
Sat - 6.5 miles (1,600'). Fancied a jog to the top of Horestooth. Kind of corny, but went up to say thanks to the mountain for getting me in such great shape. Park was packed. Felt great climbing, still a little sore coming down.
Sun - 5 miles. FireKracker 5k with a couple miles of warm up.
Total: 16.5 (2,600').
Legs have been feeling good this week with some lingering heaviness and a bit of downhill soreness, but for the most part they feel like they're ready to go again. Will probably begin ramping things up a bit this week on the mileage front to a goal of maybe 70 miles per week within the next couple of weeks as I get ready for Pikes. Obviously the emphasis now becomes quality over quantity, which I'm really looking forward to, especially with this huge base I'm working from.
I've already decided that Wasatch will not get nearly the attention that States got, and I'll likely be somewhat undertrained for it, but I'm cool with that as I'm just looking at it as a fun day in the mountains.
The focus for now is definitely Pikes and possibly a road marathon towards the end of the year if I can find one that works timing- and location-wise. I'd like to post something in the low-2:30s, and think that is possible if I can motivate myself to spend some time training on the roads. Time will tell on that one I guess.
Anyway, off to pace Nick Pedatella this weekend at Hardrock. I've got the graveyard shift from Sherman to Silverton. Hope I can stay awake. Can't wait for that sunrise. Watch for Nick to go top five, or top three if he goes well.
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Great interview. You said your stomach held up most of the day -- do you have any rules of thumb that you run by in terms of fueling, like X number of gels/calories per hour or mile? Fueling has been by the hardest thing for me to get a handle on as get into some of the longer distances.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott - yeah, fueling is definitely a key element in running a strong endurance race. Until last year, I used gel packs but found the fiddliness of opening them a convenient excuse to not do so, especially later in races when my stomach would rather not consume more gel.
ReplyDeleteThis year, therefore, I have switched to using an easily accessible gel flask, and, rather than taking a full gel equivalent each time, I will take 'nips' that I swiftly wash down with plain water. I take these nips (probably half a gel) once every 15-20 minutes and find that the energy levels stay way more consistent that way. I also find that the stomach handles these smaller doses better than it does a full on gel, which can a bit wretchy on the last couple of squeezes. I use EFS Liquid Shot (a sponsor) and find that it works well for me. At WS, I was consuming about 6oz every three hours.
Some guys use gels exclusively, but I like to supplement with easily digestible fruits at aid stations as I find that fruit helps keep the stomach happy, adds electrolytes to the E/S-Cap mix, and also bumps the caloric intake. I rarely touch the other 'ultra' food that is typically on offer at aid stations, with the exception of soda.
In the time it takes a volunteer to fill my bottles, I can usually get two to three cups of soda down, in addition to a couple of banana pieces and a few pieces of liquid fruit (oranges/water melon), a couple of which I will take out of the aid station with me.
I find the time taken at aid stations to supplement is worth it over the long run, but I certainly don't waste time there and don't stop at all of them (especially in shorter races).
"Kind of corny, but went up to say thanks to the mountain for getting me in such great shape."
ReplyDeleteVery cool, that makes way more sense to me than other "irrational" things people do regularly!
See you in Silverton!
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