First Week Down...and a whole lot more to go

Okay, so my first official week of training for my first 50 mile Trail Run is officially in the books. Basically, it broke down like this:



Monday: Cross Train

Tuesday: 2miles easy

Wednesday: 2miles tempo

Thursday: 2miles easy

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 12 miles at 8:30 pace (overall 1:41:31)

Sunday: 6 miles at 8:30 pace (oops... overall 44:49 = 7:28 pace)



I also did my spinning class Wednesday and Thursday, and did weight training Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But, that was only b/c I had to take all of Friday off. My weight training consists mainly of body weight exercises and dumbbell training.

I am not going to lie... Saturday hurt. I felt extremely worn out. The more tired I got, the more I had to concentrate on my running form. By that, I mean actually haveing to think about footstrike and leaning forward. Before the run, I loaded up on water, ate a banana, and took off with my phone, ID, Debit Card, and 16 oz of water and 16 oz of Gatorade in 4-8oz bottles on my Helium Fuel Belt. If anyone is interested in a running belt for fuel and hydration, I highly recommend this company. Google them, but I would also suggest purchasing an additional MED or LARGE storage pocket to fit most cell phones and more than just your house key and one or two energy gels. But I digress...I took my lone energy gel at the 5 mile mark. The banana didn't work all that well for me and I felt pretty hungry the first half of the run. I will go back to my ritual of a PB&J before next week's long run.



I am also training for a couple of Olympic and Intermediate distance triathlons. So, during the week, I spin, then switch shoes and go for a two miler. As the weeks progress, I am going to start cycling first on Sunday mornings for 30-60 minutes, then go for my shorter weekend run immediately following. By that time, the beaches should have a lot more runners and cyclists.



My overall goal is to complete the 50 miler in a respectable time without killing myself. My secondary goal is to complete a Half Ironman in September/October.



Next week I will start up with my swimming program. I am limited b/c the lap swim hours are later in the afternoon. But, in a couple of months, the outdoor pool will open and I can lap swim during lunch, which is ideal for me. I have found that swimming increases my overal running condition. There is something to be said for crosstraining.

Week #1 is in the books... Time to get geared up for week #2!

Operation: Ultramarathon

Phase 1:

So after completing my second marathon about a half-hour faster than my first one, a strong sense of accomplishment washed over me. I had already made up my mind to begin training for the Shamrock Marathon in March in Virginia Beach. As soon as I arrived home, I looked up some more advanced training schedules and began getting ready for March. This was a mere 3 weeks after my first Triathlon, and I had already been looking at my next chance to run one of those. So, while looking at a more time consuming and higher-milage marathon plan, how was I to work in my cycling and swimming without burning out or overtraining?

My next opportunity at a triathlon turned out to be at the end of April, and another at the end of May. Weighing my options, I decided to focus on triathlon training...after the holidays, of course.

During the beginning of my new training regimen, I discovered something even more daunting than my two marathons....an Ultramarathon. These are reserved for those with more masochistic inclinations. Imagine...instead of running one marathon, you run two...back to back...and on trails instead of pavement.

This more than slightly intrigued me...and I set myself upon researching it more. I had heard of these before. I distinctly remember reading a Men's Health article about Dean Karnazes and how his friday night consisted of leaving his house after dinner and running 70 miles all through the night...stopping at 7-11's for a slice of pizza and gatorade every now and then.

Now I was even more inspired.

However, I decided to do it right, and be smart. I downloaded an ultramarathon training plan that emphasizes longer runs on Saturday and Sunday, with shorter "maintenance" type runs during the week. Now I can bike and swim during the week.

How is it working out so far? I'll let you know in November...

But for now, I start off this new kick with a 15k run here in Pensacola, known as the "Double Bridge Run". It begins in historic downtown Pensacola, crosses 3 mile bridge, through Gulf Breeze, and across the Sikes Bridge into Pensacola Beach. My overall time was 1:12:30 and I finished 333 out of almost 1500 entrants.

Recovery for now...then back on track Monday.