Summer is coming

After a brief hiatus last week due to an ear infection and business travel to Chi-town, I'm back on the wagon and logging some good mileage this week. I have been mapping out my schedule over the next couple months and am genuinely starting to worry that I won't have the time to ramp up to the mileage I need to run the 50 mile race at the Black Hills 100.

If the course were flat I would design a training plan where my longest run was about 35-40 miles and call it good. The problem with that however is that the 50 mile race in June has over 9,000 feet in elevation gain. This is not trivial. I still have a strong recollection of what 4,300 feet of elevation gain felt like during the San Tan Scramble 50 km run last February...it wasn't that fun. Here is the profile of the 50 mile run in June.

Turn-around point at mile 25

This is going to take some serious miles and hill training. Oh, wait...Arizona is flat. This could be a problem. The key is making sure my long runs incorporate the trail running and hill work all at the same time. While I would love to speculate at my projected time for 50 miles, my goal is only to finish (under the 16-hour time limit of course).

One of the other challenges is going to be beating the heat of Arizona leading up to the race. Morning runs right now are perfect. Shorts and a t-shirt are all that is required to ensure a comfortable and cool run in the 60-degree mornings. You can feel it though...summer is knocking on the door and the cool morning temps are not going to stick around for long.

Have a good one and thanks for reading!