trails

Race Week

December 2, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

6 days until the Rehoboth Beach Marathon!

Tapering is in full swing and my legs are just beginning to get a wee bit antsy.

Operation Stay Healthy is also in full swing. Matt (who is never sick) has been sick since Thanksgiving. Unfortunately it’s viral and just needs to run its course. Knock on wood, I’m still healthy. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Running RBM sorta came out of left field. Why RBM? In a nutshell, timing. After Philly RnR, I really regretted not registering for the Philly Marathon. When I tried to upgrade my Philly Half registration to the full, it was already sold out. Running and racing have been going so well these past 2 months I need to run a marathon.

Other perks of RBM:
– great reviews on marathonguide.com
– flat and fast –> with a rails-to-trails section!
– race day is Saturday – I’m already planning my lazy Sunday
– start time is 7AM
– my hotel is around the corner from the start line –> this may be hands down the best thing ever! I can stay warm in my hotel room until the very end (and endless use of a clean toilet…but that goes without saying, right?)

I registered for RBM on Halloween…2 days before it became a very popular marathon (after the cancellation of NYCM). It’s sold out now – both half and full – and I‘m excited for another chance to run with the NYCM refugees.

So that left me with 5 weeks to get my act together with training. Truthfully my act was pretty much together since, after the Philly RnR in September, I have been quasi-ultra training. Lots of miles, all slow.

Looking at my training log since January 2012…
Number of 50+ mile weeks = 16
Number of 20+ milers (including races) = 14

I feel good physically and mentally about RBM…despite not knowing exactly what my marathon pace will be. That’s uncharted territory for this Type A girl. But that’s exactly what I need.

But more on goals in another post Winking smile

Do you prefer Saturday or Sunday races? I love a Saturday race because I don’t like anything looming over my head. Sunday races suck your entire weekend away.

Laid Back

June 21, 2012 by Kristy 11 Comments

That’s my approach to training for this 50K. More miles at a relaxed pace…no muss, no fuss. Physically, it has been smooth sailing. Mentally, it takes some getting used to.

Hawk, perfecting the art of laid back

I figure out my training for the upcoming week on Sunday, so my plan is created on a week-by-week basis. This allows me to adjust if my legs are feeling especially tired and work my runs around whatever I have going on that week.

The 3 most important things I’m focusing on for 50K training…

Pace
Mentally, this is what I struggle with the most. Compared to my last few training cycles I feel as if someone flipped the switch entirely pace-wise. To put it into perspective for all you numbers people like me, last summer I ran a 22-miler at 8:30 pace and my 17-miler last weekend was done at 9:39 pace. One minute and 10 seconds slower per mile! I have the best intentions at the beginning of a run but find it hard to remain slow once I zone out and autopilot kicks in.

I know I should probably go even slower – no faster than 10:00 pace – but it’s a work in progress. The more I slow down, the more beneficial it will be for me come race day.

Back-to-back long runs
I’m doing a long run on Saturday followed by (at least) a 10-miler on Sunday. My weekend mornings are almost consumed with running, which is OK in my book.

Saturday’s LR is done on the same hilly route I use for marathon training. Sunday’s LR is done on trails.

Volume
I hope to max out hopefully in the 60s for mileage. This will all depend on how my body adapts though. Doing no harsh speed work definitely helps, as this was the reason I never went over 55 miles per week during marathon training.

Here’s what my training looked like last week.

MON: 5 miles, Garmin-free
TUE: 8 miles, 9:22 pace
WED: rest
THU: 5 miles, Garmin-free
FRI: barre rest, I just couldn’t get out of bed!
SAT: 17 miles, 9:39 pace
SUN: 10 miles, 9:42 pace

I see plenty of this in my future, just much slower Smile

And, no, I don’t miss track workouts one bit! Slow and steady wins the race this summer.

I might be crazy…

June 18, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

Signing up for a 50K in central NJ in the middle of August. Are you crazy? Yes, I might be.

What I neglected to mention in my last post was the course description…

Multiple ~ 2.5 mile loops on dirt roads, flat single track trails, and open fields (+ 1 additional mile on dirt roads for 50k) – per the Turkey Swamp 50K website.

That’s a lot of loops. You’re off your rocker. Perhaps.

I did research 50Ks in the area and I did voluntarily chose this one. I read some blog recaps and watched YouTube videos (yes, people have YouTubed parts of the course).

My reasons for choosing this 50K, in no particular order:

– I get to sleep in my own bed the night before the race. I really didn’t want to travel anywhere.
– I wanted to capitalize on my Boston base.
– After running 1 loop, I can pretty much memorize where every root and stump are, which greatly decreases my chances of tripping.
– The Turkey Swamp 50K is part of a festival of races (10-Miler, 25K, and 20-Miler). So if it’s ungodly hot, I can always drop down to a shorter distance.

So you’re probably thinking that last bullet sounds like a cop-out. It’s not, I am committed to training for the 50K but I like having options. In August. In 100% humidity.

My approach to training is extremely laid back, which is a first for me…to say the least. Maybe it’s the relaxed pace or the whole laid back ultra environment?

I plan to do another post on my training this week, so stay tuned if you care Smile

Ever do a race with a crazy multiple loop course? This will be my first!

Is location a huge factor when picking a race? I’ve never signed up for a marathon that I couldn’t drive to, as crazy as that sounds.