March stats

I figured I'd start off with a couple photos Aravaipa Running took at the Mesquite 50.

Race start

Mesquite aid station (4.2 miles)

Running with NateS

Daylight finish

Eyeballing my time...

It's been a great month for training and things are moving along nicely towards my A-races this year. I have a new found sense of speed and endurance that I have not felt in a long time. It could the post-race benefits a week after the Mesquite 50 but I'd like to think that they are the result of all the hours I'm putting in.

I would say that one of the main differences in my training schedule this year is that I have to make the most of my time. Allow me to explain...

Last year, I was free to run every morning between 4 and 8 am. In hindsight, I took that convenience for granted. There were plenty of mornings I would sleep in and blow off a run just because I could.

This year, I get Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. That's it (at least during the week). My wife's schedule has changed and I absolutely have to make the most use of those two days...it has forced me to have a clear discipline and focus - which is great.

So here they are - stats for March (and a little glimpse back to January and February too!)

March Statistics

Being the nerd I am, I also wanted to see how things were going against the last couple months.

A nice increase between February and March

A jump in March thanks to the Mesquite 50

Happy running!

Shutting down 2012

Sometimes the best way to appreciate the future is to really look back and reflect on the past. This has a little bit more meaning for me this year now that I'll be entering that +40 age bracket :-) There are so many things about last year that I did not think I could do...but I did. Each year I always like taking a walk down memory lane but I also hope my accomplishments inspire others to take that leap and do something they didn't think was possible.

"Don't take the free ride in your own life"

My races for 2012 included:

• PF Chang Marathon
• Coldwater Rumble 50k
• SanTan Scramble 50k (DNF)
• Mesquite Canyon 50k
• Black Hills 100(K)
• Leanhorse 100 M
• Javelina Jundred (paced 30 M)

By no means is this a huge race schedule for the year but it all culminated with running 100 miles at the Leanhorse in Hill City, SD.

I still can't get used to saying that. People still look at me like I'm f*cked in the head too.

It's awesome.

Even better, my total mileage for the year will end up being right around 1,600 miles with just over 76,500' of elevation gain. That's equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest just over 2.5 times.

How much time does that take? Just over 263 hours of training.
How many calories did I burn? Around 185,000.

Having done all that, I'm excited for what this next year holds. I don't intend to take 40 lying down.

I plan to be on my feet.
And it's going to be awesome.

Numb and dumber

This week's mileage has gotten (is getting) somewhat ridiculous. Yet, here I sit in denial of what I'm putting my body through and how well it seems to be responding. If all goes according to plan, I should top 70  miles this week...hell, I've done half of it already.

I should be ecstatic and elated that I've been able to push beyond the meager 25-or-so-miles-per-week I was doing not more than 60 days ago. For whatever reason, I'm fairly numb to it all. I've been trying not to think about the total distance each week because it just makes the runs (and week) seem longer. Next week is an "easy" week so I'm looking forward to dialing it back a bit.

It's weeks like this that really help bring everything back into perspective though. Sure, running 100 miles might sound dumb to most folks. But then again, these are often the people who lack the perspective to comprehend that such a feat is even possible.

I freely admit that when I started my training plan, I couldn't wrap my head around running 100 miles - let alone 100 km. It seemed like a pipe dream. No - a physical impossibility. But that's why you train. You teach the body and the mind that anything can be achieved. Guess what? Over time, it starts to become real.

Disbelief turns to confidence. Fear turns to strength.

"Impossible is not a word, it's only an excuse not to try"

Does a body good

I was telling my wife last night that it's still hard for me to imagine putting in more mileage than what I'm doing today. I'm not even at the peak of my training and yet, I'm just plain tired.

T.I.D.E. (as Etta would say).

I'm on track for about 65 miles this week but honestly, it feels like a billion. I have to keep reminding myself that I have no basis for comparison...I've never run this much in my life. I had a general idea that it would be hard, but running for 5-7 days in a row is plenty for me. I know what my training schedule says, but it can suck it. I know when to push and when to rest.

Today, I'm resting. And i don't feel bad about it at all.

I didn't do squat because of work last week so the 'jump' in mileage is somewhat artificial. I've got 20 planned on the trail tomorrow morning. My hope is to get that done in about 3.5-4 hours.

The Black Hills 100(k) isn't that far off and I really need to feel better about tackling that distance in the next 5 weeks. I feel feel much better prepared over last year but I am afraid of getting punished by all the elevation change in South Dakota...10,831' of gain to be exact. That is a lot of ouch time.

Thanks for reading.

Envelope = pushed

Most endurance athletes will tell you that there is something self-sustaining and gratifying about reaching a goal that you've never achieved before. Often times the fruits of your labor are not really evident the next day...or even the next week for that matter. Over time the small successes allow you to sit back and revel in the moment when something really exciting happens.

(Dude, what are you talking about?)

Last week I broke 50 miles. Yes, running.

I ran 52.4 miles from Monday to Sunday (3 days of business travel mixed in there too).

Even during my peak weeks prior to last years Black Hills 100 (50 mile) race, only once did I exceed 50 miles in a week. And then I proceeded to get sick.

I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life...and we're still nearly 4 months away from the Leanhorse 100!

I'm not only running faster (generally) but I'm also doing more miles and recovering well enough to have the stamina for back-to-back runs throughout the week.

I hope your run(s) this weekend were great. Thanks for checking in.

Mileage and sugary-goodness

He's a post to keep my meager group of follows satiated with an update of sorts. There isn't much going on lately. Just running off Thanksgiving still. While the word 'diet' really isn't in my vocabulary, you might say I'm attempting to be on one this week by just watching what I eat.

This means not plunging my face into the bowl of home-made whip cream or eating 3 chocolate-peanut butter cookies after dinner. Damn you sugary-goodness.

I'm working on my mileage this week - actually, consecutive miles. I'm trying to run more consecutive days in a row to ensure I'm building both mileage and endurance. 8 miles on Monday followed by 10 miles on Tuesday. 13 miles on Thursday followed by 15 miles on Friday. This will certainly test your resolve but also your commitment to pain.

While I did fine at Pass Mountain a couple weeks ago, I'd really like to finish far better than 8 hours at McDowell Mountain on December 10th.

Thanks for checking in!