Category: Ultrarunning

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Back to Normal: Eat, Sleep, Train, Work,

Everything is back to normal. I run, ski, work, walk dogs, eat, sleep, repeat. Skiing at Gunstock is amazing. All the trails are so fun and have great views of the lake. Lucky me I get to work there.

Last week temperatures were warm and then soon as I’m ready to run, it’s cold again. Yesterday and today I ran on the treadmill.

On the treadmill I always choose a trail run to watch. Lately it is a trail in Arizona with prickly pear, saguaros and mountains in the distance. I try to adjust the grade based on what is on the trail. It makes the miles go by.

Mileage is short as I get back at it. But you know…..

I actually miss the long Monday and Tuesday runs. I can’t wait to get back to it. The days when the long run just overtakes your day and you schedule nothing. It’s all about the long run. It’s hard and I am anxious about it, but I do enjoy it. Holy Cow: 3 weeks until Antelope Canyon and flying to the southwest.

Here’s Goldie, entertaining me with her antics.
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And the hits keep coming

Out for the count.

5 days of no running and laying on the sofa.

Flu symptoms, negative COVID  test

I’m never sick.

Keeping me company on the sofa.

All my cold medicine expired since I haven’t been sick in years. 

I have no energy; just enough to barely walk the dogs. 

I read an entire book yesterday. Running Home by Katie Arnold. It was so good. She writes about her family, being a mom, an ultrarunner and writer. 

One of my favorite lines from the book when she is just about to finish a race: “I was running from the inside, from the certainty that anything is possible if you just keep going.” (pg 222)

And what I remember, and what is clear from her book about running: is that you get in a flow with your running and the world falls away. That is what I want with my running but it doesn’t seem to happen. 

She went on to win Leadville 100 in 2019 – the year I dropped out. 

She wrote an article for the New York Times shortly after winning the race. 

What I remember most about that article. Her ending line:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/well/move/leadville-katie-arnold-ultramarathon-training-parenthood.html
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Back to Back Runs – the story about a bust

Monday was supposed to be 28 miles.

Tuesday was supposed to be 18 miles. 

Actual: 19 and 11. UGH. 

None of these colors are good

Monday started at -3 degrees at 6am. I knew my only option was the treadmill to start. My gym closes at 10 so I was able to run on the treadmill for just under 2 hours then came home and ran outside. The air was brutal cold at 5 degrees. I just needed to finish a long slow. I had an appointment at 1:00. I almost never make a plan on a long run day, but I couldn’t avoid it. I told myself I would run until 12:30 and finish the remaining 7 miles after the appointment. After the run I didn’t have enough recovery food and rush to the meeting. Poor planning. I didn’t eat right or hydrate right. The meeting went longer than anticipated and I didn’t have enough in me to finish the remaining miles. I was done for the day. 

Monday. I woke up knowing I just needed to do the miles. Just do 18 miles no matter what. I needed to run outside and I knew it was going to warm up so I waited until 11 to start when it would be 20 degrees. I got caught up with work stuff and cleaning and suddenly 11 turned into Noon. I knew the first part of the run would be trails with a goal of 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I had the perfect route in mind. When I hit the trail it was like running in sand because the snow got too soft. I kept going, thinking of the route, and how good it was going to be to run in the snowy woods. The trial got harder and harder. I was fatigued from yesterday, which was the point of this run, but everything was coming unglued. My brain said go home, my legs said get off the trails. I got off the trail and did a hilly road loop back to my house to regroup. On the way, I just wanted to be done. I was miserable. And, I gave into my brain and stopped. 

This is all terrible. I want a do-over. I want to be better. I want to do everything I say I’m going to do. Today I want a chance to start over. 

Lessons Learned:

  • Plan food in advance: food for before, during and after the run.
  • Don’t make any plans on back-to-back run days.
  • Make a new playlist to stay motivated.
  • Regardless of weather, just run outside, damn it.
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Training Update – It’s Going to be a Big Week

This week is big miles. 

It’s starting out pretty decent:

Total miles this week: 54. 

Monday’s run was half trail and half pavement. It was pure joy running on packed snow in the woods and not seeing a soul. 

Somehow I managed to run 21 miles on Monday and wake up to run 15 miles today. This morning I wanted to go back to bed about an hour before needing to leave for the run. So I napped until just minutes before heading out the door. It seemed to work. I started out feeling pretty good. It was a mental training run the entire time.

I feel pretty good right now, on my sofa with my feet up. I’m looking forward to not running tomorrow. Plus it is going to be COLD tomorrow and there is a storm coming in a few days. I dread the treadmill so I’m hoping to get miles in when it warms up.

One thing that kept me running both days was remembering a motivational sign I saw at my gym. 

Rest don’t quit. Good advice.

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Leadville Training Update

I’m signed up for the Leadville series: marathon, 50M and 100M, and training is going pretty well: 

Red=Bad
Yellow = Not Bad/Not Good
Green=Good

Not 100% green but I will take it for a win.

It’s been cold and I had a few sessions on the treadmill. I just dread the treadmill. Coach says watch a movie or listen to a book. I’m not sure those options are possible but I do have to learn to make the best of it. Similar to the 24 hour race in April when I have to run 3 mile loops for 24 hours, mental prep is on the ticket this week, and probably for the next 6 weeks. I’m not looking forward to the treadmill or 3 mile loops. But then again, who actually looks forward to running 100 miles. Ha. 

I haven’t been hiking in the mountains yet this winter and I’m hopeful that I figure out a 4,000 footer next week. This week is a training rest week. The plan is to get every mile in and stay relaxed. Next week miles will go up and I’m excited. I can’t see the schedule yet on Training Peaks and that might be a good thing.