Less than 80 days till GO!!!

Getting pretty excited and pretty nervous about Race Day.  After completing my second 50K of the year, I feel well trained, but the idea of doing a few miles more than three of those in a row is sort of daunting.  I need to really think about my eating and plan for it.  The hot and humid run I did this past weekend left me feeling a bit nauseaous at the end.  Not sure what it was but the food was not sitting well.  Need to test out a few more ideas on my traing runs.

Rainy Day Motivation

So yesterday it was raining and it was raining and the last thing I felt like doing was going for a run in the rain, this winter and spring had until the past week provided perfect trail running weather.  So I texted my supportive and loving boyfriend.  "I need motivation to run, UGHHH."  Expecting him to reply, take a break, take a nap, no worries.  HA HA HA!!  Mike quickly replies with - "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."    Hmmm I think, that is a good one.  He replies again with - "Run or wire brush my Land Cruiser for me :P."  And now I am thinking, running would be better, even in this downpour.  Then last, the most powerful reply - "Zekey wants to go!"  So I got in my run gear and decided this would be a great chance to test out my rain coat, got both dogs ready for the trek, and headed happily (well not at first, but the dogs were) out the door.  Lesson learned: My Marmot rain coat is not waterproof.

104 days to go, plenty of time :D

Completed a 50K in the Pennsylvania Wilds two weeks ago. There were plenty of hills and rocks to make it challenging. Whenever I go out for a trail run in PA, whether in my own backyard or a completely different location, I am stunned by it's beauty. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state full of great views, rocky climbs and sweet creeks and rivers. Just signed up for another 50K which will be equally as challenging, I know becasue I ran it last year, over Memorial Day Weekend. This one is in Cowan's Gap State Park about an hour west of my home. I guess I may have been a bit over zealous about getting signed up (limit of 75 runners) because I was the first one on the list. Yikes!

So far, my training is going well. I am being careful not to overdo it and also incorporating many hilly runs, 75% of the time I am climbing or descending. I am fortunate to live at the base of the Tuscarora Forest which offers challenging runs.

Last week
Sunday - 12 mile run on the fire roads, first 5 with Mike and the pups and the last 7 back to my house alone
Monday - 5 mile out and back, halfway up the mountain.
Tuesday - 7 mile trail run at Codurus State Park, 2.2 mile climb up the Flat Rock trail to the amazing vista, then challenging downhills on the return plus a few side trails
Thursday - 20 mile hilly run, drove 10 miles from my house with Zeke, ran back with him, ate a PB&J and then ran back to my car, the things we do for our dogs.
Friday - 4 mile run around the neighborhood with Mike and the pups, RAIN!!!!

Looking forward to one more week of training in Newburg and then off to Berlin to venture onto some brand new terrain.

20 weeks to go...this is DEFdoable

Slowly and surely getting my mileage up. Last week was a great week, a lot cooler and lots of time for hilly miles. Still trying to lose a few pounds to make the hills easier (42 miles).

Upcoming week of running will include the following...now that I am up in Newburg full time, I will have some new running routes to explore.

Easy run Monday, just 3 or 4 miles
On Tuesday I will do a fairly long run, likely out my door and up the mountain behind me, 12 miles. May break it in two and run one part alone and one with Mike.
We
Wednesday may be a good day for a swim.
On Thursday I will do a tempo run for 6 miles, need to do these regularly since the longer runs tend to slow my pace down.
Looking forward to a long run on the hilly AT, heading south for about 8 miles, lots of hills but it is a beautiful run and I have found at least one person to go along with me.
Saturday is a good day to rest and then head out for a 8 mile run on Sunday, maybe cruise along the Cumberland Valley Rail trail.

Should be a good week!

Me at the finish of the Leadville Silver Rush Run

So after 50 miles I still felt good, at least that is what I keep telling myself...but really it is a 95% mental and 5% physical. If I say I am going to run 100 miles, then mentally I know I can run and will run 100 miles. Last year I knew I had to run 50 miles and that is what I ran.

March 19th - Week of Running

Tuesday - 6 x 1 mile repeats on the Rail Trail, 10:00, 9:45, 9:30, 9:15, 9:00, 8:45.

Thursday - 2 Laps around Pinchot (16 total, fairly hilly)

Friday - 9.9 miles up in Lykens with my dear friend Jillie (long time no see but she is doing Hyner Challenge too)

Sunday - 8 miles on fire roads behind my house in Newburg

Slowly getting there!

No pacers for me...

Due to lack of interest and financial concerns, I am no longer able to provide accommodations for my pacers. :-( I will be staying at the 3 bedroom house since this is my only option because the hostel and most area hotels are sold out for that time period. I instead will be sharing it with other Leadville runners or support folks. Six can stay there and I have two rooms/4 spots available at $500 for five days per room. Sorry. This house project is really costing way more than expected.

Well thought out training plan

http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-100m.asp

This is the approach I am taking to prepare myself for the race.

Monday Run

Pacers Wanted

I need some pacers for my return, the 50 miles backs, I can have one at a time and there seems to be several places I can drop pacers off and pick a new one up.

Segment 1 50 - 55.5 - 5.5 miles (Serious up and downhill here - Hope Pass)

Segment 2 - 55.5 - 60.5 - 5 miles

Segment 3 - 60.5 - 70.9 - 10.4

Segment 4 - 70.9 - 76.5 - 5.6 miles

Segment 5 - 76.5 to 86.5 - 10

Segment 6 - 86.5 to Finish - 13.5 (This has the least amount of elevation change)

Any volunteers. A flight to Colorado isn't cheap but it is amazing. You would need to get out at least 4 days before to acclimate.

Staying here Aug 15th till the 20th.... Nice!!

http://www.vrbo.com/262300

Making my accommodation plans

Found a potential place in Twin Lakes, a nice cabin with a hot tub. This locations appears to be central to the race activities. Hope it works out, I am sure my legs will appreciate the hot tub on Sunday after the race.

Training plan set - 28 weeks till go!

Downloaded Epic Runner to my Droid tablet to assist me with my training plan. Wanted confirm my thoughts on how to train for a 100 mile race and give me a way to track it. Not too bad of a program, just annoying because you can't say which days you want to be your longest run days, it just assumes you need them on the weekend. Easy enough to change and I am happy enough with the results. Not too bad for $1.99.