The Keys to Success to Run" One Day"

I haven't run many 24 hour races, but I feel confident in my race strategy. The three keys are pace, diet, and body temperature.

I find an aerobic pace that allows me to run as efficiently and with as little extra movement as possible. This will allow me to put little stress on my stomach which allows me to digest food and put less stress on those running muscles to delay the build-up of lactic acid.

I like to alternate salt, fat, and sugar every twenty minutes or so. I prefer eating more often as opposed to a lot every hour. This has worked for me and keeps my energy levels pretty even the duration of the race. Vespa every two hours is key also.

As nighttime draws near, putting on the right clothing is key. Keeping your core temperature consistent keeps the blood flow to the muscles and stomach which need it. When you get hot or cold the body diverts some of your blood flow to deal with regulating your body temperature.

Lastly, I have found that running more and walking less keeps me looser and more uccessful. I thought mixing in walking early would help rest my running muscles and help me late in the race, however I found it did the opposite. Finding a pace I could run a long with was the key.

At Across the Years, I'm going to build in a faster paced ile every ten miles to help with the lactic acid build up.....I will let you know how it goes.

 I hope this helps.

The Light in the Tunnel is a Little Further Away

I guess that light is a little further away:) After running an intelligent race and forced to stop at 16 hours due to a left groin issue, I am signed up for Across the Years on the 29th of December. I need a full 24 hour to build my confidence for the 2013 World Championships in May. Mileage is not the goal....it is all about the time. The thing is if I run the majority of the 24 hours, the miles will take care of themselves.

What went right at 24 Hours The Hard Way? I had zero stomach issues and I was we'll hydrated throughout the race...peeing every 45 minutes or so. Also, I finished 100 miles in 14:00:50. That was about 15 minutes off my time at NorthCoast but the groin was tightening up big time the last ten miles and this course was much more challenging.

I will build on these positives and focus on heeling the groin and focusing on long race paced runs with long tempo runs built in once my body heels. I am excited about the opportunity to get better for Worlds and enjoy the nice Arizona sun:)

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Eight days stand in the way between me and the end of my 2012 race year. I haven't allowed myself to sit back and reflect on my success' because there were always other races on the horizon to focus on and train for. I guess that is how we are wired....we know that we are only as good as the next race. AND I have had as much disappointment as success in my running career, so with that, I try to stay in the moment. The moment right now is 24 Hours the Hard Way.

My training has been going well following Western States in June and the TRT 50k in July. It has taken my body awhile to shake out all those long races in the spring and early summer. My legs finally have a little bounce to them.  In hindsight, it was probably a good idea not to run at the 24 Hour World Championships in Poland in September. My body really felt run down.

I was pleasantly surprised that I ran so well at the Lake Tahoe 72 mile three weeks ago. I had no hill training/altitude training going into the race and my energy levels were consistent all day and I never had any low points after about 20 miles. It has given me some confidence going into the 24 hour race next weekend. I have some target goals for the race, but 24 hours is a long time and things can change in the matter of a couple of minutes, so I won't make any mileage predictions:)

1.) Find a pace I can maintain for as long as I can maintain it. Walk as little as possible.

2.) Attack the miles between 3 and 6 am.

3.) When the sun comes up, ride the adrenaline from the sun to 9 am.

4.) Run for my family at home and for all the kids at Prescott Middle School.

My twin brother Tom will be accompanying me on the trip and will be an integral part to my success. You will be able to follow my progress on Facebook and Twitter when my brother has time. All your positive vibes are greatly appreciated.

Training August 6th-August 12th

Monday- It was a slow hilly run on the treadmill. My legs were fatigued and slow from the two runs the day before. It took me 1.5 hours to run 10 miles:( I did go up to 10% incline but it wasn't my finest day. Even with the slower pace, it was a hard run.

Tuesday- I met Bruce in the morning for our usual 12 mile loop. The legs were still sore but not quite as bad as the day before. We averaged in the high 7's almost 8's. The legs still had no pep.

Wednesday- Hallelujah! It took an afternoon run in 100 degree temps to wake up my legs. The 7+ miles to work felt easy at the 7:20 pace I was running. After stubbing my small toe at work(It is probably broken:() I ran home and that too felt pretty easy. I ran 14.35 for the day and in 1:45.

Thursday- Another very encouraging day:) I met bruce for our usual 12 mile canal loop and added two miles my legs felt peppy:) That made it 14.25 miles for the morning at 7:45 pace, but the toe is black and blue and i am beginning to be concerned that the toe is broken. Then I decided to get on the treadmill and add another hour hill work:) It felt easy(7 miles up to 12% incline. That made it 21 miles for the day:)

Friday- A much needed day off:)

Saturday- Only one hour on the treadmill this morning. I ran from 1% to 12% incline and from 7.5 to 6.5 mph. I totaled 7 miles.

Sunday- I did squat:) That leaves me with 64 miles for the week which is very poor. The next two week's training will determine whether I will be running Tahoe or not. The motivation is just not there right now.

Why Do I Like Double Workouts?

I know there are pro's and con's on the effectiveness of double workouts, so I will get one of the major con's out of the way.

In my opinion, there is no debate, breaking up a long run over two runs isn't as effective as doing the long run in one run. I don't know of too many people that would argue that, BUT there are advantages to doing double workouts.

First, I like doing double workouts because it promotes calorie burning 24/7. So, I will do one or two double workouts so that I can "lean up" for a peak race.

Also, I find that double workouts simulate sore legs at the end of a long race. This helps me mentally to prepare for the final miles of a 100 mike ir 24 hour race.

Lastly, I like double workouts because the second workout can serve as a "shake-out" run to get the legs ready for a key workout the next day or it can be used to loosen up the legs after a morning speed work session.

I know double workouts may not be popular by some, but I find them to be an essential part of my training.

Building Up Again

It is so easy to want to immediately get right back into your peak training schedule following a big race, but it is important to give your body some rest. What does rest look like? That means lower mileage and lighter to no speed work for three to four weeks.

I always notice a change in my body about a month or so after a big race and even a bigger change eight weeks after a big race. And that is when the body is ready for increased mileage and harder efforts such as long tempo runs.

I am currently a little more than five weeks removed from Western States and a little over 12 weeks out from my next big race at 24 Hours the Hard Way at the end of October.

So, the majority of August will be used for getting my legs used to pavement again and getting a solid base for the bulk of my training for September and October.

I know it is hard to be patient as a runner because it takes so much time to get to the peak of your training, but it is imperative that you give your body rest and recovery before building back again and with only one race left on my schedule this year, I want to end with a bang. This training philosophy gives me the best chance.

Training for July 30th-August 5th

Monday- 12 mile run on a 5 mile out and back on one of the frontage roads in Cheyenne. The run was on a rolling paved road at 6,200ft elevation. I ran the first five miles comfortably and the second five at 6:40 pace. I ran the last mile in 6:29 and about died. I finished my run with two miles barefoot on grass. It was a very hard run.

Tuesday- legs were tight and the breathing was still tough but I was able to run 12 miles on a 0.75 mile loop in 1:32 in the neighborhood pretty comfortably. The goal is to run at least two hours on the frontage road tomorrow pretty easy with some pickups built in.

Wednesday- not near what I wanted to do but it was something. I ran two four mile out and backs where I ran the first two miles comfortable, then I picked up the pace the two miles back to the house. Each of those miles were under 7 minutes per mile. I finished with about a mile of barefoot running. The end total was 9 miles in 66 minutes.

Thursday- best run of the trip! I finally didn't feel the altitude:) I ran 12 comfortable miles around Cheyenne. I can't seem to get past 1.5 hrs in this trip but that is what you get when you are on vacation.

Friday- Tough run today. The goal was to get in some speed work; however, all I could muster was a three mile tempo run in the high 6:10's and a two mile tempo run in the 6:30's. The altitude kicked my behind:) I finished with three miles barefoot on the grass for a total of 11 miles in 1:20.

Saturday- off( drove 18 hrs back home from Wyoming)

Sunday- Tough 17.36 mile run today in 2 hours. The eighteen hours in the car and all the junk food on the ride didn't help. This run definitely shook all that out of me:) but I paid the price.....then I immediately jumped in my pool to cool down:)
Finished the night off with a one hour hill workout slowly to shake out the legs. It is tough to start a run at 9pm after a long weekend. I finished with 80 miles for the week and ten hours of running. It is something to build in.