Well things seem to be winding down training-wise for me. Not too sure if that is good or bad as it has been kind of forced. Friday and Saturday I only got out for about 9 miles each day and then Sunday nothing at all. Today will most likely be 0 miles as well unless I get on the trainer for bit.

The little one has my excellent running itinerary all messed up! She's been up late which limits my sleep for the night. No big deal really, just need to HTFU and run tired and feeling like crap. However now she is getting up randomly between 4 and 7am. This was the nail in the coffin for my training. My only window of opportunity are those few hours in the early morning.

Well I guess it's ok since I am winding down mileage towards the North Downs Way 50. In all reality anything I do from this past weekend until race day really will have limited affect on my race performance anyway. However there is always that thought in the back of my head wondering or really getting me down about missing workouts and missing the only "me time" I get when I run.

So in the past I mentioned I bought an UltrAspire handheld and had complained about the crap bottles they come with. Well I bought a Specialized Purist bottle yesterday and they work perfect in the UltrAspire handeld. Definitely recommend that setup. The Purist bottle is similar to the classic Specialized bottles so well known in the cycling community but they have a valve that prevents water from shooting out unless you squeeze the bottle, similar to the Ultimate Direction Kicker Cap. So, if you leave the top open while running it won't spit water out with the up an down motion. I was really psyched that this set up worked!

Oh, so I may end up sneaking in another ultra this fall. The wife and I have considered plans to head up to Scotland to visit her mother on the Isle of Arran. I'm hoping I'll be able to sneak in the River Ayr Way Challenge, a 41 mile footrace from inland Scotland to the ocean along the River Ayr in, well, Ayr, Scotland. Later after the race we'd catch the ferry over to Arran to see the mother-in-law and her husband. Sounds like it could work out.

The wife was born in the area and could visit relatives while I was running, she would be managing the little one and also isn't really into spectating or chasing from aid station to aid station. Then the coolest part would be that we are on the Isle of Arran. Super beautiful island, coastline and mountains with lots of trails! I'm psyched to get back up there to run. There are some pretty cool possibilities for rad loops in pretty rugged terrain. We'd be in Kildonan on the south end of the island so I'd need to figure out the bus system or find a ride to the main trail heads but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Only thing is that I'd most likely have to start later in the morning. Buses on an island that is 65 miles around most likely don't start at 5am! There's also a Buddhist retreat on another sub-island off of Arran that would be cool to check out, Holy Isle. It would be cool to check it out and run around the island. I'll need to see when the ferry runs.

A fairly uneventful week so far. Tuesday got on the trainer and rode my bike for about a half hour. Yesterday woke up early and ran for about 7 miles and did a little speed work. Nothing structured just some sustained bursts of speed here and there.

This morning woke up early but decided not to run. I do need at least one day off this week! Nothing huge planned this weekend. We've got my wife's sister's family in town but they sleep in anyway so I'll be home before they're even up! Starting to taper now for the race, maybe do one longish run Saturday, 15 - 18 miler, then 10 - 12 Sunday? Then the next couple weeks will be fairly easy runs, maybe 40 mile weeks.

A nice relaxing 6.5 mile run this morning, nice to see the sun again! 

Friday got out for 8.5 miles, felt ok I guess nothing to make note of, just another run.

Had a very successful Saturday long run today. Was up late with the little one Friday night and didn't sleep very well at all, maybe 5 hours at the most. I woke up at 4am but didn't motivate until 415. I wasn't sure what I was going to run, everything has been flooded lately along the River Severn so I changed my mind from a big out and back at the last minute and ended up doing laps around my normal 8.5 mile loop. This worked out great. I could refuel at home and be back out running right away. I was able to run with a handheld bottle and that's it, very nice. I think this was good practice for my race too since there are aid stations about every 7 miles. I also figured out what I would actually need with me during the race (one handheld with water and a couple Gu's).

Fortunately it was light out when I headed out the door. It was pretty foggy but by the time I was done it had started to clear up. Temperature was about 48 when I started which was perfect. I had intended to run about 5 hours. Ended up doing 4 laps of 8.5 miles and banging out 34 miles in about 4 hours 28 minutes! I felt great the entire run, of course I had to push through some tough times mainly overcoming muscle aches and pains but otherwise felt great. The first two laps I was clocking about 8 minute miles and the second two laps about 7:30. Feeling good instilled confidence however one thing to keep in mind is that the race course will be a bit hillier. Not that I was running flat laps but the hills will wear one down!

Took off today. I really think I should have done something other than stretching and rolling but being out of town last night and all morning it has been tough to motivate today. I'll get back out tomorrow and see how I feel.  

Off to a fairly decent week so far. Was a bit sore after Sunday as expected but really only felt it in my quads from the descents which was great! Monday the little one gave me time for a half hour on the trainer real easy which was a nice active recovery. Of course also busted out the foam roller for the legs too. I was pretty much totally recovered by Tuesday so went out for 8.5 miles, felt excellent. Hammered out the run in about an hour. Wednesday however with the wife out of town for work I opted for a day off.

Today got out for 8 miles. Felt like crap, really tired. My body felt fine though. The little one has been playing games the past few nights so my sleep has been limited and not consistent. So, I'm blaming my daughter. I slept like a rock last night but I think the accumulation over the past few days caught up to me. I've been trying to nap whenever the little one naps just to get caught up or maybe even ahead which has been helping. Speaking of being tired, I sure wish the little one would go for a nap now, I could use one!

no more poppies

Planning on running Friday a normal 8-10 miles, then Saturday for 5  hours. We're off to my father in law's on Saturday night so I'm not sure if I'll get out Sunday. I'll throw in my stuff and would love to get out early before everyone gets up and run a few miles to clean out the system from Saturday, we'll see.

I've been looking for a new handheld bottle since I've been breaking the Ultimate Direction nozzles and that Nathan Elite I got was a piece of shit. Fortunately www.ultramarathonrunning.com had begun selling UltrAspire, I think I mentioned this! I randomly was looking at their race calendar and saw they now have a storefront. Best thing is that they also sell Race Ready shorts! I've worn those shorts for years and was bummed I couldn't get them over here. So far the Ultraspire handheld I've got seems like it will work great. The bottle is kind of hokey though, it has (had, it's already been removed) a magnet in the bottom of it to make tap water taste like spring water or some weird shit like that. Dead weight I see it as. Also the top of the bottle is angled so you don't have to tilt your head back as much when drinking. I never had a problem before so I'll most likely swap out the bottle for a good old Specialized cycling bottle, the gold standard of bottles! Other than the bottle the handheld portion is great, fits nice and snug. Still need to try it out but I think it will be fine.

I also got an UltrAspire Spry running vest. Never had or used one of these before. Essentially a super light stripped down Camelbak that fits nice and snug to your body so it doesn't bounce around. It's got two smaller pockets on the front that you could hold food, an extra bottle, a camera, smart phone, etc in. One the back is a small pocket that could fit some extra layers of clothing or a small water reservoir if need be. Pretty cool for long runs for someone like me who carries handheld bottles. There are some other features/pockets etc. as well. I hate having shit bounce around my waist. I may use this for my 50 miler if the need for extra clothing presents itself.

UltrAspire Spry

Looking back at Kidderminster

Well I got out for the long one. A modified plan and I definitely didn't avoid the wet as I was hoping! It didn't map out as long as I had hoped but the time I was out is good enough. Ended up running from Kidderminster to Ribbesford Wood via Devil's Spittleful. Then got on the Worcestershire Way trail and ran it to Abberley and back. Ended up being out for about 4.5 hours and did about 27 miles total.

Woke up about 430 but wasn't out the door until around 5 I think. Was actually a very nice morning; maybe upper 50's and partly cloudy. Didn't see one person the whole run! 

footpath through center of a field

Everywhere ended up being a sloppy muddy mess. I attempted to keep my shoes dry but once I went ankle deep in water it was over. All of the trails were slippery mud which wasn't fun in my road shoes but I made do. I guess it was a good test to see how my feet would react to being soaked. No problems at all from blisters which was nice.

looking up at Abberley Hill

clock tower and school

I also wasn't expecting to have such rolling terrain the whole way. A few really steep climbs at Abberley Hill that had be walked. Some cool creek crossings too, fortunately had foot bridges because they were raging pretty good from all the rain.

Overall a pretty good run. I ran about 15 miles yesterday and felt good this whole run. I only brought two bottles of water and 4 gels which I think was a little slim for food but it didn't affect me at all. Next time I'll need to bring more to be on the safe side. I also brought my iPod but never turned it on. Too much to look at I guess. On the way back I did miss a turn adding an extra half mile or so. I was definitely thinking a bit fuzzy by then.

A successful start to the weekend. Finished off today with 2 hours of running - 15 miles. Dodged any sort of rain other than a few sprinkles. Ended up heading out the canal. Considering I've been tired this past week I figured it was a good choice.

I'm kind of on the fence about where to run tomorrow. I still want to knock out 30 miles but I think it would be nice to have an option to bail out if I feel like shit. But then again isn't part of the challenge of running these distances is to deal with the valleys and revel in the peaks?

Also, I'm not sure how psyched I am to figure out the train situation. I do not know the Great Malvern area all that well and I may end up running through a bad part or Birmingham if I choose to go there. I'm not sure. I'm guessing I'll do another out and back on the canal or maybe an out and back on the Worcestershire Way trail.

With all the rain everything is soaked; vegetation, mud all over, puddles. Canal seems like a good option, but it would be fun to see some new terrain.