Friday, June 17, 2022

100-Miler Training : Update #4

Wow, I can't believe it's already been two and a half months since my last 100-Miler Training Update. And at this point we are LESS THAN 30 DAYS OUT from race day! {Cue MAJOR freak out HERE!} I feel like so much has happened (yet, at the same time, it seems like nothing much has changed), so let's get to it and jump into the post already, right?! 

Well, not too fast... If you're sitting there, scratching your head and asking yourself "ONE HUNDRED MILES?! WTH?!", then let's take a quick second so you can catch up. Take a few minutes and check out the previous posts - we'll wait!

Okay, now that everyone's on the same page, we can proceed ;) 

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Since my last post I've run four races (one trail marathon, one 50K, one 53K and one 12-hour event). I didn't race any of them, but was strictly using them as a way to get in my mileage without having to run my same home routes week after week. As I'm sure you can imaging, preparing for a 100-miler takes a lot of training miles. At the beginning of the process, when I got my training plan together, I went out onto UltraSignUp.com to see if there were any local-ish races that would fit into my calendar. My thought was, if I was having to do the mileage anyway, I might as well do it with the camaraderie of the running community (not to mention having fully stocked aid stations and a medal at the end weren't too shabby either ;)). Because these races all fit (almost) perfectly into my training plan, I didn't train or taper specifically for any of them. I simply approached them as my normal weekend miles (plus some extra logistics). I know that might not be what everyone would have done, but it worked for me. (Also, having races on the calendar made sure I was getting in time on the trails as opposed to just road miles, which is what I often have to do when I'm fitting in my runs before going to work.) 

1: Run with the Burros 26 Miler | 2: Leona Divide 50K | 3: Bishop High Sierra Ultras 53K | 4: Nanny Goat 12-Hour

Besides the races, I've also been going to physical therapy twice a week for a hamstring/ glute/ abductor issue I've been dealing with since November. I really lucked out with my PT and not only has she gotten me back into running shape, but she's also been super encouraging along the way - helping me to believe I might be able to tackle this HUGE endeavor. 

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[Side Note: I am still walking some of my mileage currently. When I meet with my PT I give her my schedule for the upcoming week and depending on how my body is doing, she gives me suggestions on how to tackle my mileage. For example, I may jog all of a 4-miler but on a 30-miler I may do intervals of jog 5 miles, walk 1 mile and repeat five times. I thought this might frustrate me, the fact that I'm not running 100% of my miles, but I have found it super helpful because I only have to focus on smaller chunks of mileage at a time. And, let's be real, in ultra running there's a lot of walking ;)]

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I think in the past few months I've only missed a handful of runs - and that's saying something when I'm scheduled to run five days a week. Sure, I've rearranged some of them to work better with our plans, but other than that I think I've maybe only not done three or so of my runs. And, don't hear that and think I'm running through injury or pushing myself beyond my limits (because THAT is NOT smart), but this is me listening to my body AND my body adapting to this training cycle. 

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Along with the seemingly "great" things that have been going on, I've also had to deal with getting COVID. Yep, after being able to successfully avoid it for the past two and a half years, it finally got me. I was extremely lucky in the fact that the only symptom I had was a nasty dry cough. And, surprisingly enough, running kept the cough away so I was still able to get in the mileage I had on my schedule during the quarantine! Obviously there is no "good" time to get the virus, but I would say that getting it over a month before my BIG race {hopefully} at least gives me adequate time to fully recover. 

Bummed to test positive but it definitely could have been worse.

Brian and I have also been able to solidify some of the logistics (like booking our flights, our lodging, our rental car, etc). We still have quite a bit of planning to do over the next month (working out our projected paces, drop bags, etc), but I'm feeling okay about where everything stands and hope we have "plenty of time" to tackle everything else left on the list.

(Sorry for snapping this photo {and then sharing it} without your consent, Pavey!)

I'll be honest, I don't know how many more updates I'll post before the race - maybe just one with an overall game plan or a wrap-up of how my training went. Sure, there are still a few weeks before we board the plane to Washington, but with work/ life/ the peak of training happening, I've gotta be realistic about what I can actually accomplish. With that said, here's to these next couple weeks being great and giving us our best shot at tackling this 100-miler come July 15th.

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Any great advice you want to pass along while I head into these last few weeks?

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