Thoughts on required gear.

Not sure what day we are on for this sickness bug I'm harboring but it's still here but better. I've had a rough time getting out with family stuff anyway, top it off with some growing demotivation and thoughts of it will get better if I rest, I haven't been running nearly as much as I'd like. 

As always "at least it's only March" pops up but soon it will be May and I need to have the miles in if I hope to race well. All that base mileage from December and January come in handy now and I should bounce back quickly. Worcester Marathon may end up just a training run with no goal planned since the big workouts I need to do may beat me up too bad now.

I've made a list of previous race finishers that are running Lakeland this year, all of which were top 10 previously or people I know to watch for. Looks to be about 10 guys who made the list. Most are previous top 5 and you know want the win! On a positive, if I recall, they all are off the course record by an hour at least, and their finish times vary by 3 hours.  So, seems to be a pretty even field unless there are any dark horses signed up, like hopefully me! However in these distances things can vary drastically depending on weather, navigation, etc. I guess it's good to have an idea though.

Started looking at the required gear to get a little motivation. I've got pretty much all of it but just want to be sure I'm not carrying extra dead weight. Currently I'm looking at the required extra base layers, top and bottom. I can't find a specific weight requirement, only long sleeve top and bottom. UTMB says minimum 180 grams for a size medium top. The Lakeland race directors say it cannot be used or worn during the race except for emergency. So you can't start with it on. Weird. Well I've got some really light pieces and if it's for emergency and is just going to sit in my pack I'm going light as I won't need it unless I'm dropping out and need someone to come get me. The "can I use this during the race" isn't a question, these need to be lightest and most packable possible, function doesn't matter.

This is a bit different for the waterproofs required. I've already got the lightest weight waterproof breathable top and bottom (well at least until recently a new jacket came out) and it could be used during the race so not much room for picking and choosing here. It is what it is. 

We do have a drop bag halfway where I'll have changes of running clothing and shoes but these things  and what I'm starting with will be determined closer to the race depending on the weather. 

Just some thoughts. 

Sick running

So it's still hanging on. I am feeling better though which is a start! I finally got on my computer to upload some photos too which is nice. Most are from this morning but the night that the moon and Venus were right next to each other was a couple weeks ago.

moon and Venus

Despite feeling like crap and not really seeming like I've been running I did get in a few runs this week. Not the mileage I want but all things considered.... 

This morning I woke at 4am having a coughing fit and opted to stay up, had some coffee, enjoyed the silence and the birds out side. Well that is once the stupid dance clubs shut down the "thump thump thump" of the shit ass music they play all night! 

Got out the door at about 530 I think, not in total darkness for once, and had a super easy six miles with photo stops not worrying about time or anything.

The canal activity is up now that the river level is down and the weather has been nicer. The narrow boats have pretty small motors so any bit of high water they stay off the River Severn. 

smoking stove

The stinky smell of the wood stoves reminds me of waking up in a tent when I was a kid camping with the scouts. Mildly uncomfortable sleeping in the cold morning, the stink of smoldering trash or whatever we had thrown in the fire the night before. I have no idea what wood they burn but damn does it smell bad!

new pavement

As I've mentioned for about a mile down the canal they've been paving the tow path. I'm not sure why but in talking to the caretaker he thinks it's to cover the concrete slab covered power lines. Too many idiots have been stealing cables to get money for them so he thinks it's to protect them. Anyway I wish they'd do the section up the canal into town. It's so uneven that when it rains it's nearly impassable. I just hope the more rural section down canal stays dirt, it's fairly even, drains well, and doesn't really get a lot of commuters. Besides, I prefer the softer surfaces! 

The foot issue I had going on seems to have gone. I'm still unsure if it actually was my new shoes or not. I have been running in the other models though and they all just seem a bit more comfortable. 

Sickness!

And plans change temporarily. Some how picked up a sickness bug! Took a few days off over the weekend to try to shake it but it's holding on. Just a mild cold but it's been keeping me up at night. Oh well just push on through for now. I was getting psyched for running again too! 

All the paths here are fairly dry so I can return to my normal running routes. One bad, but maybe good thing is that the canal path has had about a mile of it paved. Good because it is less muddy, bad because it's paved. I'd much prefer to run on the dirt! 

The weather has improved as well so soon it will be shorts time. I always have trouble changing it up from my 3/4 tights. I honestly think it's because they have a zip pocket perfect for my phone! It's also slowly getting lighter earlier, just when I get used to the dark. Well I'll be cast back to the shadows temporarily March 30 when the UK has it's daylight savings time. 

So just putting one foot in front of the other, waiting to feel better, then ramp up the miles and the speed work. Hopefully this foot issue I've had heals up as well.

Worcester Marathon? Shoes. Minor injury.

Got in my longest run as of late, 16 miles this past Saturday. Felt good and averaged around 6:56 minute miles. This week is a relatively easy week with a  long run of 14. So far I've been stuck on the treadmill since the wife is out of town this week. No fun since I've had a mild cold; achey, tired, mild sore throat. 

Seriously considering the Worcester Marathon on May 4th I think. I could use the miles so I figured why not race it. All I really need to do is add in a few marathon specific workouts and I should do ok, I have the base miles. A little bit of rearranging to the normal schedule to accommodate a short taper. 

Main thing I'd need to do would be some faster miles to get my leg speed up and focus on holding a faster pace for longer. Since I train at around seven minute miles very easily I'd like to think I can break three hours. So I did some research and figured out a few key workouts and what pace they need to be at. I'd love to run a 2:45 which may be feasible. I'll see how these key workouts go with that goal in mind and adjust accordingly. 

My left foot has been aching a bit which is odd. A pain on the outside right at the "knuckle" of my little toe. It seems to go away once I'm warmed up but still a but of a concern. I keep thinking it may be my new shoes. I've been in the Brooks PureCadence for a while now. I got a new pair of the Cadence 3 in January and they do fit a little narrower. The upper seems to be a little stiffer too compared to the Cadence 2. We shall see, I'm going to push on through, keep my eyes open for close out Cadence 2's, and hope for the best. Kind of bummed out about the width change as the Cadence 2 was awesome! I do have two pairs of the PureGrit 2 though which fits wider so if need be I've got back ups.

I've been super happy with the Brooks PureProject line of shoes. Yeah the narrower fit MAY be an issue but otherwise they are awesome. As mentioned I've been running in the PureCadence for a while and I've raced and trained in the PureGrit 1 and 2. I also recently got a pair of PureConnect 3 to try out. Basically a more flexible, less cushioned, neutral version of the Cadence. I love the flexibility of it but a tad bit more width could be nice. I've just been hesitant to wear them with my toe issue. I don't necessarily need the support of the Cadence, since changing my foot strike support is useless, but I preferred the feel. 

Well, on with the miles. Hopefully this mild cold goes soon but at least tomorrow I'll be running outside which is so much nicer on my sinuses.

Miles are rising

It's been a few weeks since I've posted on here so I haven't had much to say I guess in terms of running. 

Training is going well, my heart rate efficiency continues to improve. I'm trying not to get hung up on my overall weekly mileage and started to focus mainly on the one longer run on the weekend. I'm up to 14 miles on Saturdays and this will now slowly creep up a couple miles each week. Soon Sunday will increase as well and the weekend will be back to back long runs. During the week I'll try to run 8 miles three days but I've allowed it to vary and am not stressing about it. 

Yesterday I saw a first while out for a run. Two drunks having sex on a dirty dark alley sidewalk at 630am! Add that to the puke counting I've done, the random drunks pissing on the street, random 530am yelling, unmoored boats in the middle of the canal, and domestic disputes. Early weekend mornings bring out the best! 

I've been going long on Saturday, the day I work, versus Sunday because it seems to me that if I'm tired at work I'm more occupied and don't notice it as much as at home. Also my co-workers are usually in the same boat, big workout that morning, ravenously hungry, tired; they understand. It's a conversation point too since I work at a running store. It's nice to be able to "be my worn out self" and have people understand and laugh! We're all well caffeinated and we will also run out as needed for food throughout the day. At home it's too easy to be grumpy around the wife and little one, not good, as finding time to run can be a selfish act anyway. Dragging the tiredness over someone else just isn't fair.

The rain has finally let up but all the trails and paths are soaked so I'm still running on the road. Not bad really but it will be nice to return to my old routes, especially for the longer runs 16 miles and longer. It's also getting lighter earlier, slowly, but it is and that's a start! 

Running injury free at the moment too other than some split skin on my little toe. It's nice to run slower and not be in pain! Base mileage is good! 

So I think I've got around 21 weeks now until the Lakeland 100. My motivation has risen again which is good, so as with before, time to plug in those miles. I'll start looking into my gear and food once spring hits.

January

And the first month of the new year is done and I'm feeling tired! Stuck to my plan of 40 miles per week at a heart rate between 140 - 150 and I've seen significant improvements. I need to incorporate some more speed work though as my leg turnover is too slow to keep my heart rate up where I want it to be. 

So I've never played with this method of training, and I'm by no means 100% sticking to it but it has been working as it's suppose to. The plan, of which I am only vaguely familiar with, is the Maffetone Method. The idea is to train between a certain HR zone over time and your efficiency will improve. 

You take 180 minus your age to get the top end of the zone. I add 10 due to my running history. This zone is supposedly the aerobic zone and the zone where you utilize fat for fuel, not sugars. So it's super efficient. When starting out the pace can be heinously slow but over time it gets better. So for me I run between roughly 140 and 150 bpm. If I'm going up a hill I slow down as much as needed to stay within that zone. 

Looking back at my runs from late November I was clocking around 740 minute miles within that zone, now I'm at around 650 minute miles! Yes, these times do fluctuate a bit if I'm tired etc but it's really cool looking back at the data and seeing the improvement. 

In general I'm tired and having a tough time motivating. I think I need an easy week to recover a bit and then get back at it. It's still really early in the time frame leading up to Lakeland 100, about 6 months, so no need to push too hard or far anyway. I'd like to stay at 40 to 50 mile weeks for a couple more months  and see how I feel. For Superior I averaged around 40 miles per week, for only a few months, with a few stints between 50 and 70, but damn did those weeks tire me out. I figure I'll be pretty well off sticking early to 40 in the training, take a break, and ramp up then early summer. I'll be way ahead of my previous hundred miler training though and also should be able to handle more miles.

It's slowly getting lighter out earlier but still not enough for decent photos. Soon. I hope! Than I'll have something to look at! Can't wait for things to dry out also. The rain has been persisting all winter so any form of trail or path is muddy or flooded. I've been sticking to the roads to keep clean. At least it hasn't been raining very often in the early morning when I'm normally out. 

So on with plugging away the miles, no immediate plans in sight! 

New goal to focus on

So here we go. Signed up for my second hundred mile run. Pretty exciting. Very nice to have a goal now to focus my training on. 

Looking at the list if registered racers there are a handful of top ten guys returning for what I would assume is a chance at the win so I think it won't be easy. Either way the main goal as always is to be safe and then finish.

Still quite a long ways off until July 25th (26th?) so no need to get too crazy with the training. Tough not to though! Looking at my training from last year I'm way ahead mileage wise starting out this year. This may seem like a bad thing but considering the accumulation of base miles over the past few years I'm right where I should be. 

Lately with the wife's new job I've been clocking a lot of treadmill miles which hasn't been too bad. Watching movies and also starting to go through Lakeland 100 YouTube videos passes the time rather quickly. Besides, it's been soaking wet outside so when I do get outside to run I've been sticking to the roads. It has been a nice change of scenery.

The few injury issues I'd been complaining about have gone away which is nice. I've been keeping my heart rate low and adjusting my pace as necessary. I'm at the point now that I need to do some speed work to get my cadence and turnover quicker. My heart rate is just too low for my turnover, it needs to be higher. So the heart rate focused training has worked as it should have over the past few months!

Nothing spectacular training wise going on. Trying to stick to 40 mile weeks through January and then I'll assess what's next. I need to begin a long run once a week on the weekend so that will become the first main change. 

Otherwise I need to consider the navigation and self supported aspect of the race. Sure was nice seeing family at pretty much every aid station during Superior! Familiar foods at the aid stations too! This time there are only I believe 5 areas for spectators and no outside support is allowed other than a drop bag around half way. No big deal really just need to plan ahead with the gear. 

Navigation is my main concern as I most likely will not be able to pre run any of the course. Thankfully some guy went through the entire course with a camera and filmed the junctions! Pretty cool of him! Also in talking with a race veteran it isn't too difficult. So I'm not too worried but may try to get my hands on a GPS watch that can upload the route just to be safe.

More on all these aspects I need to consider later on.