It is so hard to believe I ran 90 miles this past week! Wow, I never thought I would run that far. I remember a time in 2009 when a friend (Scott Huitt) told me he was going to run 30 miles, and I thought he was insane. I swore to my wife I would never get into running THAT much. Yet here we are about a year and a half later. (Note to self: don’t swear to things)
Honestly this week was probably the toughest training week I have ever done. When my running was in the 70’ish range I was having fun and felt GREAT. In fact I felt like superman and completely invincible. But getting into the 90 range is a huge difference, and I don’t feel so good. And that is why I included it in my training plan. Somehow I knew I needed a week like this for my first 100 mile ultra. I hope it pays off.
In the final miles of my 30 mile long run I was seriously having doubts in my abilities, though I continued to push and continue running. In my mind I was seriously wondering what I had gotten myself into. After all, if I had to push so hard to finish 30 miles, how was I going to finish 100? Of course I recognize this is just part of the mental games our brains play on us, and will trust in my training to carry me through the ultra. Finishing a very hot (73 degrees) and humid (80%) 30 miles at the end of a very aggressive training cycle was and awesome accomplishment on its own.
Some 30 mile run facts (the day after a 20 mile run): I went through 120 oz of electrolyte drink, 6 gels, 2 peanut butter sandwiches, 8 oz Coke, and was still 4 lbs lighter than when I started.
I have had some people ask questions about my training and nutrition in preparation for the ultra, so I will be writing another blog post about the details. I really wanted to do it for my own records as well after reaching the taper, so watch for that soon.
Running Miles: 91
Quantity: 5 (see runs below)
Time spent running this week: 14:49:50
Calories burned: 12,021
Avg. Time/Mile: 9:34
Avg. Heart Rate: 136
2011 Running Miles: 337
Runs
Mon: REST
Tue: 12.5 mi at 8:59
Wed: 16 mi at 09:20
Thu: 12.5 mi at 9:20
FRI: REST
Sat: 20 mi at 9:55
Sun: 30 mi at 10:23
Cross Training
Core Weight Training: 1
Walking: 2 mi
Judo Practice: 0
4 responses to “Week 04, 2011 training summary”
A week like this really ought to give you mental strength. I’m glad you came out of it healthy and uninjured (and hope you stay that way).
Nice job!
WOW! What’s a week! Congrats on making it happen!
90 miles in a week= awesome!
Yes, I once vowed to never go farther than a 5k either.