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.

I celebrate myself; And what I assume you shall assume; For every atom belonging to me, as good belongs to you.
…
The smoke of my own breath; Echoes, ripples, buzz’d whispers, love-root, silk-thread, crotch and vine; My respiration and inspiration, the beating of my heart, the passing of blood and air through my lungs; The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore, and dark-color’d sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn; The sound of the belch’d words of my voice, words loos’d to the eddies of the wind; A few light kisses, a few embraces, a reaching around of arms; The play of shine and shade on the trees as the supple boughs wag; The delight alone, or in the rush of the streets, or along the fields and hill-sides; The feeling of health, the full-noon trill, the song of me rising from bed and meeting the sun.
-Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass. 1900.


I've decided that a 45th birthday deserves a little extra celebration. I'm going to run the 50K (31 miles) by myself. On my birthday. Alone.

Evolving motivation

At the end of last year's finale race at Tahoe Blue, Team Tenemos Frijoles had reason to be proud. We had evolved from rank-ass amateur status as a team of middle age "had beans" to a finishing on a tough race course just behind the pro-teams. We ended the racing season strong. With that accomplishment, I entered the post-season wanting a new goal for the Spring.

I've always loved the outdoor life or at least the allure and romance of it. As a youngster, my Dad often took me hiking the AT in northern GA or bird hunting in Sandersville on the property of my Grandad's cannery (now shuttered). Together, as adults--Dad in his 70's and still stronger than most at 50-- we paddled the Allagash Wilderness together.

Adventure Racing allowed me to combine a lot of these outdoor focused activities together along with a high test blend of sweat, competitiveness, and thrill seeking. But Trail running really connected me to the solitude and beauty of the outdoors.

Having done a few trail races as conditioning for adventure racing, I was interested in finding something local, fun, and tough. Dean Karnatzes and his "Ultramarathon Man" become another motivational book that lead me to finding something truely challanging. My search led me to this race from Mission Peak in Fremont, CA across the steep coastal mountains to Lake Del Valle outside Livermore, CA.

Background

Three years ago, pulp-fiction became a catalyst for personal change. "Four Days to Vera Cruz" certainly entertained and intrgiued me with the fictional travails of an adventure racer but it also peaked my interest in the sport all together.

While I was fairly active, I was moving into middle age on autopilot surrendering too easily to the Sirens of Sedentary Living and participation in the corporate rat race. Sure, I trotted out a few miles running each week (or maybe every two) and could still chase a soccer ball for a few minutes before finding a good excuse to ease up the chase ("I'm okay, not a problem, just a little sore from pushing away from the table last night, guys.")

That book got me thinking. And there's no doubt that subconciously, pending middle-age crises perhaps had some impact. But Phillips energized me and motivated me. I decided I had to try this sport (sans drug smuggling cartels with psychotic trackers).

Enter my friend, we shall call "Racer X". RacerX was equally bonkers and a match with our Type A physical proclivity to self-inflict pain. We liked to push ourselves. Little did we know we'd need it.

The stage was set. And we found our first trial: the Silver Sage, part of the Big Blue Adventure Race 12 hour race series. We trained (or so we thought) and found out how much we really needed to train more.

Fast forward 2 years. We're training for our 3rd year of racing and have steadily moved up and become pretty competitive for an amateur team. We ride hard. We learned to navigate effectively. And race more efficiently. We took on a personal trainer to help us train better. Sure, we're mid-40's, but not doing too badly for old farts.