May 9, Mount Magazine Trail Run

Mount Magazine Trail Run

Fun - Wet - Beautiful!  May 9, 2015

One Mile At A Time

Every mile counts:

I don't have any natural gifts, talents, abilities to get me to the finish line of a hundred mile race without perfect training.  This means maintaining focus this 16 weeks out.  It means hill workouts, hill repeats, when I don't feel like doing hill repeats.  It means heat training when I don't feel like heat training, it means core work, I never feel like core work.
Every mile thus far has been migrated through 9 weeks of the training plan I'm using.
I still need to tighten up on core work.  Yes, it is happening weekly, but not 3 - 4 times a week.  I don't want that to be the reason I don't make it across the finish line.

Every bite counts
Every mile counts
Every workout counts
Honor the rest day

Little things done this last week to toughen up:

Trail run on grown over, hot humid trail - do the uncomfortable
15 mile run with each 5 mile block faster than the last - do the uncomfortable
1/4 mile walking lunges
Run my normal route the hard direction - longer uphills

Things needed to improve:

Tighten up diet
3x a week core work
Heat training more often
Maybe, an all nigher

Remember, every mile counts, 16 weeks to go.

What if....

What if......

It is Sunday, October 4, 2015.  Chasing down cut offs is scary, almost unbearable.  

Think back to April, May, June, July, back then, every extra bite that went into my mouth.  What is that 20 extra pounds that I didn't lose doing to my race against cut off times?  Is missing the finish line worth that one extra bite?

The other option;

Today, May 30, 2015:
Every healthy choice, every "its not okay", every time extra is resisted gets me closer to the finish line.  Every bite, every calorie, every yummy gets me too slow to make cut off times.  The choice is 100% mine.  Today is the day I must begin.  Everything I do must have a purpose.

THE SQUAMISH 50/50 | A Ginger Runner Film

Embrace doubt, otherwise you will never know what you are capable of - The Ginger Runner

Gratitude Post:

Week 5 training complete.
Moving on to week 6.  I don't have to run a million miles, I just have to get through one week at a time.

Week 5 was a bit crazy.
     I have wanted to do hill repeats on the corkscrew out in the Ouachita National Forest (a 1/2 mile long, steep, windy hill).  Some weeks the 2 hour drive to get there just isn't going to happen.  Last week was one of those weeks.

Wednesday night, May 20, 2015
    Hill training night, I decided to do a tire drag instead.  I have been dragging a tire once a week, 4 miles, with a 30 step run/30 step walk ratio.  To replicate the 1/2 mile hill I decided to do 6 miles with a half mile run/half mile walk ratio.  I did, for 5 miles.  My butt is still officially kicked.  What a hard workout!  Our Beagle needs exercise, so Coach Mikey goes with me at night or when it isn't too hot:

Coach Beagle Night Run Training Buddy

Here is the tire set up:  Car tire, rope, MTB inner tube.  Horse not included

Smokey assisting in my morning workout

Friday May 23, 2015
Training run on the AT 100 Course:

Book of Mormon

Alma 30: 44

....... The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

Just Keep Running - 20 Weeks and Counting

Monday night before our running club meeting another runner asked me what I was training for.  With hesitation I mentioned the Arkansas Traveller.  I didn't mention the "100" part.  Her next question was about the distance.  I, with timidity, offered "100 miles".

Upon saying out loud that distance I thought of how insane such an idea was, crazy, stupid, impossible, who the hell am I, the slowest of the slow, to think I can run 100 in the allotted time.

I remembered what another ultra runner, Rich Brown, told me about shutting down, shutting off, that voice!

This is week 5 of training.  I have hit every mile! I have consistently done weight training since Feb.  I am now consistently doing ab/core work.  This week the goal is to use the inversion table and power lung daily.  I have lost 30 lbs and still wisely losing.  I have 6 years of ultra training experience.  I have amazing mentors and friends to advise me. That negative voice in my head is the opposition to the goal.  I'm telling that voice to go pound sand.

24 weeks to Arkansas Traveller 100 - Journey to 100

October 3 - 4, 2015
http://www.runarkansas.com/AT100.htm

April Fool's Day, April 1, 2015 while hiking/running/migrating at Lercher 15 Trails the decision was made.  My goal for some years was to run the Arkansas Traveller before I'm 50 years old.  That means I have to do it this year.
So while injured, having not run more than 12 miles since Jan 21st, having dropped out of the last 3 races I've entered, I came home from a trail adventure and entered the Arkansas Traveller 100, on April Fool's Day.  Some fool I am!

Yesterday while writing out the training schedule in my training log I realized this week was the first week of the 24 week training plan.  So this is week one on this journey, 23 weeks to go after Saturday.

I'm not running much so Tuesday I drug a tire 4 miles.
Wednesday I ran/walked 10 miles, taking it easy, finished with no ill effect.

Happy Training!