Bull Run Run 50 Miler

Just to give you a friendly reminder that the Bull Run Run 50 miler has begun taking applications starting today until January 31.  Then the entrants and a prioritized list are created on February 1st.  The race is on April 19th.  For more information check out the website for all the details.  I never have run this one but I am hoping that my application is accepted.

See ya on the trails,
JP

Training Week 1/17 - 1/23

Now 3 weeks into 2011 and am starting to feel strong and my training is going well.  My 2010 season was disappointing and I have made it a point to work on areas that I struggled with and I am starting to see improvements in those areas in my training thus far.

The week started out with me taking MLK day off and enjoy my day off from work and training.  As usual Tuesday and Thursday I worked out at my gym (Island Athletic Club, which BTW is the best, Murph is the man!! and runs a  great place), I lifted weights for an 45 minutes followed by an hour of spin class (if anyone in the area wants to come to a tough spin class, take any of Pam's classes she will put a hurtin' on you for sure).  Wednesday I did some interval training on the road in a business park, which is a circle that comes out to a bit over a mile.  I did a mile warm up followed 1 mile x 3  at a 10k pace, which for me is 8:20ish.  After the intervals for my cool down I ran a quarter mile then walked another quarter mile.  Friday I got in a 45 minute workout on the Stair Master and was looking forward to a nice double run on Saturday and Sunday.   It has been fairly cold this winter so far and Saturday proved to be brutally cold (at 7am it was damn cold, I know I sound like a woosie) and was 17F at 6am.  The warm blankets seemed to be such a better idea then running 15 miles in the cold.  Since I didn't run on Saturday I decided to do a longer run on Sunday to make up for punking on Saturday.  When I woke up on Sunday it proved to just as cold at 6am as it was on Saturday.  I couldn't lose two days long runs, so I decided to wait until noon and wait for the sun to warm things up.  I made it out to Cromwell Valley Park (wanted to run Susquehanna State Park, but they received another 2 inches of snow this past week and until I purchase some microspikes I am going to have to wait for some warmer temps to help melt the snow) and ran approximately 23 miles in 4:24.  I ran really well the first 20 miles (5 mile laps) in 52:21, 52:08, 51:44, and 55:00.  I ran all the climbs and felt good until mile 21 where my lack of water consumption and S! Caps proved to be my undoing so I cut short my 5th lap and turned the run into a 23 mile run instead of 25.  I learned that I need to be more conscience of my fluid intake during the colder weather runs.  Even though I am not sweating (it's tough to gauge how much you are sweating because the sweat is being drawn away from the skin and evaporating quickly) as much as I am during the summer, the dry air also draws extra moisture from the skin, I need to drink more fluids and stay on a regimented S! Caps schedule.

I feel that my Stair Master routine and spin classes have helped my uphill running tremendously, my legs feel more powerful.  I used to walk all the uphills during races and training but I am trying to break this habit in an effort to improve my times.  I am now seeking out hills that are challenging and tougher then the hills I will see during my upcoming races.

Hopefully I will keep the momentum going in training as I have the Holiday Lake 50k (Horton race) coming up on February 12th.  This upcoming weekend will be my last long runs as I begin to tapper for the race.  Hopefully I will get in two decent long runs in this upcoming weekend and I might even have to stop by EMS so I check to see if they have any microspikes (if they do maybe I can run the HAT course this weekend).  I will keep ya updated if I do purchase the microspikes and write up a review.  BTW I have gear section on my blog that highlights some equipment that I like.

See ya on the trails,
JP

Training Week 1/10 - 1/16

I had a good week of workouts this past week.  Because of the lack of daylight during the winter months I am taking spinning classes twice a week.  The class is approximately an hour, with 45 minutes of actual spinning and the final 15 minutes dedicated to core workout and stretching.  During the class we work mostly on interval training which is fine with me because this saves my legs from pounding on the road.  I also did some interval training on the road this week too.  It went well, but the first couple minutes of sprinting are very uncomfortable and I feel more relaxed on the last few intervals.

I have had a few DNFs as much as they hurt, my DNF at MMTR really hurt.  I missed the cutoff at the half way point by 7 minutes.  After that day in November I made a promise to myself to seek revenge on the mountains that made that particular DNF so hurtful.  Because I don't live particularly close to any mountains to train on daily, I have been going to my gym and hopping on the Stair Master for 45 minutes.  I did just purchase trail maps from PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) for trails on the Massanutten Mountain, Appalachian Trail, and Tuscarora Trail.  Come Spring time I hope to spend ample time running in the mountains with my new trails maps.  With more mountain trail training this year combined with the Stair Master workouts I hope to seek revenge on the mountains that got the better of me last November.

I finished off the week with a planned 22 mile run of Susquehanna State Park, but when I arrived on

(this map was taken from the HAT Run website)

Saturday I saw that the park got significant amount snow fall during the week.  There was approximately 4 inches of snow on the trail, I decided to try and run the trail anyways but it was tough sledding (no pun intended).  Without the aid of microspikes or snowshoes, the trails were just to difficult to run.  I ran for 45 minutes before deciding to pack it up.  When I was heading home I decided stop by Cromwell Valley Park and see what shape the trails were in.  Upon arriving I saw the trails were in good conditions and only had 1 inch of snow.  I ran my course that I usually do, which is approximately 4.75-5 miles.  I ran 3 laps fairly quickly (by my standards) and felt tired, sore, and beat up after the final lap.  After the effort I put in on Saturday I decided to take Sunday off.

I am looking forward to training this upcoming week and getting in a nice long double run (hopefully 15-20 miles each day) in this weekend.  If you are reading this Dad, get well soon and listen to the the doctors!!!!!!!

See ya on the trails.

The New Year

Thought it would be nice to start the new year off with a new blog.  This is my third ultra season and I am ready for this one to be a break out one for me.  2009 was my first year and all I wanted to do was finish some races and prove to myself that I could do this ultra thing.  Last year was plagued with injury and could never seem to regain a rhythm.  2011 training is going well so far with good long double runs in December and after a short Christmas break, I am ready to get back into it.  I have a nice schedule planned for 2011:

2/12  Holiday Lake 50K
3/6    B&A Marathon
3/19  Hat Run 50K
3/27  Terrapin Mt 50K (maybe)
4/9    Bull Run 50 Mile (if the lottery gods allow me)
4/23  Promise Land 50k
5/7    Capon Valley 50K
8/?    GEER 100K
11/?  MMTR 50 Mile
11/?  JFK 50 Mile (if the lottery gods allow me)

I am hoping that these races this year will get me ready for my biggest challenge next year as I am going to sign up for my first 100 mile adventure in Vermont.

Most of my training runs are on the HAT run course at Susquehanna State Park, Mason-Dixon Trail, and Cromwell Valley Park.  This year I am hoping to spend a couple of weekends in the mountains (Massanutten & AT) and do some serious climbing.  


If anyone comes across this blog and would like to hit the trails please don't hesitate to email me.


See ya on the trails!!
JP