Heartland Training week 3

This week was an easy week, no super hard runs just logging some easy miles and letting myself heal from all the weeks of hard training and many miles. I am starting to really look forward to Heartland I feel like my training has been good and am feeling confident. But, on the other hand 100 miles is a long way and you just never know what might happen. The next two weeks will seem like an eternity since I will mainly be running only short slow runs or not at all. I plan on resting quite a bit over the next two weeks, my legs and body have been taking a pounding from the last month or so of training. Usually I don't like the taper time leading up to a race but, in this case it is necessary to let my legs heal and recover. I'll need to find something else to keep me occupied over the next two weeks. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to strategies and run different scenarios over and over again in my head. I will be a little disappointed if I don't run as well as I think I can, but I'll take another finish in the 100 any way I can get it. I will need to concentrate on my fluid intake and calorie intake during the race and make sure I'm getting enough fluid and fuel to make it 100 miles. Without either one of them it will be a long day (or a short one) out there. The fluid intake worries me the most I have had several bouts with dehydration in my long training runs, something I hope I have under control now.

Monday 9-21-09 Easy 10 mile county road loop. 1:15min.

Tuesday 9-22-09 9.5 mile county road loop. 1:08min.

Wednesday 9-23-09 18.5 miles on Clinton North Shore Trails 8 solo 10.5 with the trail gaters and trail hawks.

Thursday 9-24-09 took the day off since I ran more than I should have Wednesday.

Friday 9-25-09 10 mile county road loop. No time.

Saturday 9-26-09 Rest

Sunday 9-27-09 14 mile county road loop in the morning. 6 miles @ the Trail Gators picnic with the Trail Gators.

Total miles 68 Push ups 750. 240 squats and lunges.

Heartland Training week 4

This week has been better training wise. My running has been better and my legs have felt better this week. I'm still bummed my sister is not going to be able to pace me. I was really looking forward to sharing this experience with her. I did get another pacer lined out I think, my good friend Gabe is going to take over pacing duties, and I'm sure he will not listen to my needless wining and keep my ass moving. And rightly so being he is a sub 24 hr finisher of Western States. I have started to get some thing put together for Heartland I printed out maps for my crew, complete with road names and aid station locations and miles between aid stations. Sunday I made my last long run prior to Heartland did a 40 miler with Gary Henry on the levee to county roads. It was a good training run to end the hard training. For the next three weeks I will need to let my leg heal and rest from all the abuse and mileage put on them over the last month or so. Next week I will still get in a few miles and maybe one more long of 20. Then it will be just short easy runs for the next two weeks. I usually don't taper for runs but a 100 is different, you half to go into a 100 with fresh legs or you will pay later. I have completely deconstructed myself over the last month so I need to rest and let my body heal and come back stronger. Going into Heartland I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, and a lot better prepared this time than my first 100 at Rocky Raccoon in February. But, you never know what will happen in a 100 and only time will tell if all my hard training pays off. Starting to get excited about Heartland I have been looking forward to running another 100 for what seem like forever. There is somthing about the challenge of trying to run 100 miles that really gets me going. I love to see how far I can go and how far I can push my body and mind. In shorter races is mostly all physical but in a 100 is not only physical but a mental game also. You get a lot of time to think and reflect and question what your doing and why your doing it when your out there running for 24 +/- hours. For my last 100 I made a list of 10 reasons I wanted to run 100 miles and memorized the list and when times got tough I remembered the list and all the reasons why I was doing it.



Monday 9-14-09 10 county road miles. Felt good today nice and easy 10 in 1:14.



Tuesday 9-15-09 14 county road miles to Osage City and back. Was a really good run ran the first 7 hard then backed off for an easy 7 home. 14 miles in 1:50.



Wednesday 9-16-09 10 miles at the Governor's mansion trails. Hit the trails for 3.5 solo then met up with the Topeka Trail Gators for another 6.5. No time today forgot the garmin at home.



Thursday 9-17-09 Rest



Friday 9-18-09 14 mile county road loop to Osage City. Nice and easy 14 today have a long run planned in the morning. My right knee is giving me a little pain I think is from my runners knee.
I think all the miles have irritated my runners knee. Nothing I can't deal with though.

Saturday 9-19-09 40 mile run in Lawrence with Gary Henry levee to county roads. Last long training run, felt good and feel like I'm ready to get this thing going.

Sunday Rest

Totals this week:

89 miles

750 push ups

200 P90X squats and lunges

Week 5 Heartland training.

We'll this week was full of setbacks and problems. Just when it seemed everything was going great, BAM and the tides change. I found out my pacer is not going to be able to pace me as planned due to work obligations and part of my crew is out also. Not a big deal I should be able to get things lined out before Heartland. My running also took a setback this week, as I have been going really hard now for two weeks running harder and more than normal. As a consequence my legs have been a little ragged out this week. I took Monday off after last weekends long runs and Tuesday did an easy hour on the elliptical. Wednesday I ran in the morning and afternoon with the afternoon run not so great. I decided to take Thursday off again to let me legs get some rest because I was going to do a long run Friday afternoon and another long run Saturday morning to put as many miles in a 24 hour window as possible. My Friday long went reasonably good (slow) for the first 16-17 then was a slow, slow struggle with a lot of walking the rest of the way to 26 miles. I also got dehydrated and was down 8 lbs when I got home. I tried to hydrate good Friday night so I could do it again Saturday morning. I was still down 6 on Sat. morning so decided to take it slow and drink lots and lots of water. I had no choice but to go slow, I just could not get going and really struggled to get in 20. It was a struggle to even run at the end and I just didn't seem to have the motivation I usually have the last couple days. Being dehydrated don't help matters any either. Sunday I was going to run but decided to rest and take what I got this week and hope to get a good week in next week. It was a down week for me but hope to get back after it this week.

This weeks training:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 6.5 miles on the elliptical Cardio Level 12 (it was raining today)

Wednesday: 7 miles on treadmill in 1:02 in the a.m. 10 miles p.m. county road loop in 1:16.
Total 17 miles.

Thursday: Rest

Friday: late afternoon 26 mile county road loop. 26 miles in 3:58min. Slow at end with a lot of walking.

Saturday: 20 mile morning county road loop. 20 miles in 3:10 with some walking at end.

Sunday: Rest

Totals:
69.5 miles
500 push ups
250 P90x squats and lunges