Developing a plan

The commitment made, the hard work has begun. But every big goal needs a plan, and this being an ambitious endeavor at that, the plan had to be good.

In roughly 16 weeks I need to be ready to run 31 miles over some incredibly tough terrain. My course would take me up 7,800 feet and descend 7,440 feet in a double hump of pain. Most marathon's are relatively flat and have evenly spaced aid stations stocked with liquids and food. A marathon runner has a nice paved road devoid of toe breaking rocks and tree roots or ankle turning washouts and gopher holes. This ultramarathon will be unsupported, meaning everything I need to get from start to finish needs to be on my back. This will add additional weight to carry and increase work and wear and tear. Constantly varying terrain and footing is going to mean additional muscle work to provide stability and constant changes in power.

Last saturday, I ran a steady 2 hour run at an 8:15 pace over flat ground and some streets and covered 14.75 miles-- a little less than half the distance I'll cover at Ohlone. But, my course elevation gain and descent will whittle down my pace to an average of 12-15 minute miles. That means I have to plan on 6-8 hours of running. As the Race director for the Ohlone 50K told me, "No one runs the whole course. Plan on walking 60% of some hills and work on your race pace to conserve energy ."

Cue Dan.... Dan's been my personal trainer for about a year. He's done some amazing things for me in refining my physical conditioning and nutrition. Last year's race gains wouldn't have happened without his training and advice. He has defined a training regime that I used to build endurance strength for 12 hour multisport racing. Now I need his help on putting together a plan that will condition me for 6-8 hours of running and major muscle fatigue.

So, I went to Dan with MY plan it was based upon traditional ultramarathon training plans: build on your base running (mine's about 25-28 miles per week) and grow it 10% per week to about 55 miles per week. I can do that, I thought. It'll mean 5 days/week running and 6days by mid Feb. No problem.

Dan puked on my plan.