After rambling 11 miles on Saturday and 30 on Sunday this past weekend, I believe it is time to shut it down until Burning River. By shutting it down, I mean that awful, horrible but necessary word: taper.
At this point, with under 20 days to go, I don't believe that another long run or back to back session, which admittedly I said I wouldnt do but only did a 23/15 miler and a 11/30, will give me any more endurance or insight into planning or prepping for the race. By my own admission, the plan that I had sketched up before, I never really followed in hitting the weekly mileage goals, but in the end did go over the mileage estimated by about 50 miles. I have done a lot of walking during this training which I believe will serve me well in teaching my body to get comfortable with running/walking anywhere from 10 -12 min/miles which is in stark contrast to last fall when I qualified for Boston.
In tapering, I need to take it easy and cut back on the duration of my daily ramblings and rest. I need to let my body repair and recuperate from the pounding I have put it through to get ready for biggest adventure yet. I want to be at the starting line come August 1st @ 5am feeling like a caged dawg ready to scamper 100 miles.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Planning and Plotting
With race day being a mere 21 days away at the time of this writing, the enormity and complexity of this event have begun to weigh on my mind. At this point, the easiest thing for me to do is to go out and run. It doesn't require any thought and with just one more long run scheduled for this weekend I am about to shut it down and allow my body to rest.
What I can't allow myself to do is to let my mind to rest. After the recon run, I have started to begin planning the logistics for this race. In just about every other ultra or marathon, I have been able to either drive myself and crew, or have had Dirrty Girl or The Finkelstein there to give me a short lift home. This 100 miler is another beast.
First off, is child care. Being away for a few days, has meant asking grandparents months in advance to block off a weekend to watch Little Dirt Dawg and Dirrty Feather, while I attempt this selfish test of endurance. I have even enlisted my sister's help to drive down to help my dad and stepmom with the task of watching kids. To help me, I always believed that some people would want to come along on this adventure and crew and right now I have cajoled Kevin and Nate into pacer roles along with Dirrty Girl and perhaps one out of town guest. With verbal commitments in hand, that has meant searching and securing hotel rooms close to the finish and figuring out what time to leave home to make it down to the race HQ in time for the dinner and pre-race meeting.
That has been easy. The struggle has been now to lay out a plan for my crew for the day. I have it easy so to speak. I just have to run/walk and crawl. Luckily, Brian, will also be running Burning River and we have spoken about running together during the race. The course is a point to point, so with my crew at the finish line, I will be taking a shuttle to the start, and then running towards them. My hope and plan is to meet up with them along the way and have them follow me along, but this is where I have had the most difficulty. Trying to project pace as to when you might roll in is a little bit like predicting the weather. You might be right 50% of the time. I have no clue what the weather will be like in 3 weeks or how my body will be feeling. Right now all I can do is guesstimate. Pacers can not begin until mile 60, a mistake i quickly emailed out to people when i had misread and said 70, so it will be a long day in the car for them as i don't initially project hitting that mark until near dark. So now i have to try and match terrain and distance to who will pace and when. Pace will be irrelevant at that point i figure as it will be quite slow. However, I hope by that time my pacers will have found me, as it is in an area unfamiliar to us all and hopefully with the use of my phone i can alert them as to where i am out on the course.
That being said, I have been mentally going over what I think I need for drop bags, and at what aid stations. Reports say you can run the first 30+ miles in road shoes before switching to trail for some more technical sections. So, I think I am going to do that, but then it gets fuzzy. How much food do I take with me? Do I take just a handheld water bottle and a fanny pack, or a handheld water bottle and single water bottle waistpack? Do I need a new double water bottle waistpack? What about my hydration backpack? What is going to be my fueling plan? How often am I going to take Endurolytes? Am I going to use those 5 hour energy drinks again and where, when might I do those? Do I have a run/walk pattern to start the race with? How many extra batteries do I need to buy for my headlamps? How many coolers do I need for the van and Crew? What are they going to eat for the day? Intial thoughts are jotted down, then crossed out, and referenced again.
It really is quite dizzying. I am sure in 3 weeks I will have it figured out.
What I can't allow myself to do is to let my mind to rest. After the recon run, I have started to begin planning the logistics for this race. In just about every other ultra or marathon, I have been able to either drive myself and crew, or have had Dirrty Girl or The Finkelstein there to give me a short lift home. This 100 miler is another beast.
First off, is child care. Being away for a few days, has meant asking grandparents months in advance to block off a weekend to watch Little Dirt Dawg and Dirrty Feather, while I attempt this selfish test of endurance. I have even enlisted my sister's help to drive down to help my dad and stepmom with the task of watching kids. To help me, I always believed that some people would want to come along on this adventure and crew and right now I have cajoled Kevin and Nate into pacer roles along with Dirrty Girl and perhaps one out of town guest. With verbal commitments in hand, that has meant searching and securing hotel rooms close to the finish and figuring out what time to leave home to make it down to the race HQ in time for the dinner and pre-race meeting.
That has been easy. The struggle has been now to lay out a plan for my crew for the day. I have it easy so to speak. I just have to run/walk and crawl. Luckily, Brian, will also be running Burning River and we have spoken about running together during the race. The course is a point to point, so with my crew at the finish line, I will be taking a shuttle to the start, and then running towards them. My hope and plan is to meet up with them along the way and have them follow me along, but this is where I have had the most difficulty. Trying to project pace as to when you might roll in is a little bit like predicting the weather. You might be right 50% of the time. I have no clue what the weather will be like in 3 weeks or how my body will be feeling. Right now all I can do is guesstimate. Pacers can not begin until mile 60, a mistake i quickly emailed out to people when i had misread and said 70, so it will be a long day in the car for them as i don't initially project hitting that mark until near dark. So now i have to try and match terrain and distance to who will pace and when. Pace will be irrelevant at that point i figure as it will be quite slow. However, I hope by that time my pacers will have found me, as it is in an area unfamiliar to us all and hopefully with the use of my phone i can alert them as to where i am out on the course.
That being said, I have been mentally going over what I think I need for drop bags, and at what aid stations. Reports say you can run the first 30+ miles in road shoes before switching to trail for some more technical sections. So, I think I am going to do that, but then it gets fuzzy. How much food do I take with me? Do I take just a handheld water bottle and a fanny pack, or a handheld water bottle and single water bottle waistpack? Do I need a new double water bottle waistpack? What about my hydration backpack? What is going to be my fueling plan? How often am I going to take Endurolytes? Am I going to use those 5 hour energy drinks again and where, when might I do those? Do I have a run/walk pattern to start the race with? How many extra batteries do I need to buy for my headlamps? How many coolers do I need for the van and Crew? What are they going to eat for the day? Intial thoughts are jotted down, then crossed out, and referenced again.
It really is quite dizzying. I am sure in 3 weeks I will have it figured out.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Burning River Recon Run
If the opportunity arises to preview a course that you are going to ramble over 100 miles, then you better seize it. Such was the case on Saturday, when with Dirrty Girl's assistance I was able to drive down and take part in a training run. that covered the last 30 miles of the course.
A shuttle took us from the finish line back to the 70.3 mile mark and a group of approximately 17 of us headed out. Grant it, I will probably be running most of this in the dark, but more than anything I needed to wrap my head around the area, the course, and converse with other runners. Reading a course packet is wonderful, but to hear tips and words of encouragement from some amazing runners who have done multiple 100 milers and races like Badwater rely gave me a boost
The course was absolutely stunning and i cant wait for August 1st .
--Post From My iPhone
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day
It was with pure joy in Little Dirt Dawgs voice that he said after I got a massage that I could take him and Dirrty Feather to see the Dinosaurs @ the Detroit Zoo for Father's Day. Armed with a cooler and a wagon, we ventured out, hoping to return home.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Inspire Daily
I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted into the Brooks I.D. program and it has got my tiny little sponge thinking.
Per the website, here is a description of this amazing program:
Brooks I.D. Program Brooks I.D. stands for Inspire Daily. These two simple words guide the principles of the program. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 1,200 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders.
Let me be honest, that I initially applied because of the gratuitous discount given to Brooks I.D. members. Seeing that I run in Brooks, with my current list including the Axiom 3, Dyfance 2, and Cascadia 4, I thought why not? I thought that at least I was pushing my own limits, but a coach, mentor, or leader? However, coinciding with my acceptance, a strange and most unexpectedly thing has happened. Something, I would have never imagined.
Through the podcast which I had orginally intended to chronicle my 100 mile adventure, I began to get some emails from listeners saying that I was an inspiration to them and motivating some of them to get out the door and maybe even to head on over to the "dark side". I then paced my friend Joe to a new PR showing him he could run faster than he thought and now he is focusing on a half marathon in the fall. Little Dirt Dawg and Dirrty Feather ran down a Kids Fun Run and away from clowns. My friend, Megan ran her first half marathon with a plan I had worked up for her and has now set her sights on the Detroit Free Press Marathon this fall. And of course, Dirrty Girl ran her half marathon. All of this of course, I have put on the podcast, because I thought it made listening and enjoyed running with all of them. But in listening to the audio, I have begun to think, that maybe I am doing something good.
Maybe I am inspiring some people. Maybe I am showing others that just because you have a job and family, that if you make some time for yourself each day you can achieve your goals and still spend time with your family. Maybe people can see that you don't have to be fast to cover long distances, just be willing to put the time in and ride out the bad patches. Maybe through my rambling diatribes, people can see that running is a wonderful sport. Maybe, just maybe, I am sharing my passion for the sport and can epitomize what a Brooks I.D. member is all about.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
T-Ball
If running is one passion that I want to pass on , then my other as a youth and as an adult that I wish to pass on is baseball. The smell of freshly cut grass, the crack of the bat, the oversized wad of Big League Chew, and the exhileration of making a game saving play or hit, is something that I will always remember as a youth. Whether it was wiffle ball with my neighborhood pals, or in an organized league, I have fond memories of playing America's favorite past time. 
Since Little Dirt Dawg turned 5, he was able to start playing t-ball this season. Grant it, he may be as tall as some of his 7 year old teammates, but that has not stopped him from trying to pick up some skills including switch hitting and fielding.
As a member of the Crickets, his first game was this past weekend, and I have to say that I am glad I am an endurance athlete. Those games are long! Six innings, practically no one gets out and there are nearly as many parents out on the field helping the kids as there are players.
However, that being said, I wouldn' t trade it for a moment even when Little Dirt Dawg switched from being in the ready position to writing his name in the sand as he was out there having fun and proudly proclaimed at the end of his first game; "We won, it was a tie."
Since Little Dirt Dawg turned 5, he was able to start playing t-ball this season. Grant it, he may be as tall as some of his 7 year old teammates, but that has not stopped him from trying to pick up some skills including switch hitting and fielding.
As a member of the Crickets, his first game was this past weekend, and I have to say that I am glad I am an endurance athlete. Those games are long! Six innings, practically no one gets out and there are nearly as many parents out on the field helping the kids as there are players.
However, that being said, I wouldn' t trade it for a moment even when Little Dirt Dawg switched from being in the ready position to writing his name in the sand as he was out there having fun and proudly proclaimed at the end of his first game; "We won, it was a tie."
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