Training by Racing

Here are my training logs from July of 2011, starting a with the week in Telluride, Colorado doing trail work for the Hardrock 100.  Believe me, that was a workout.  That was followed by the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 a little over a week later.  The point in the charts is to show how I dealt with the time between races.  This is also the first time I have run so many races in such a short period of time.  That is a really great way to train.

For me, it is a lot easier to go out and run a 50 K for a training run than to just go out and run 7 or 8 hours.  I also know that I run a lot harder in any race than I do running alone out in a secluded area.  The thing you have to figure out is what you need to do between races.  After a 50K, like a marathon, you have to give you body some recovery time.  If the races are two weeks apart, as they were in September and October where I ran a 50K on Sept.18, then 13 days later ran another , much harder, 50K, then 14 days later ran a 50 mile race, there isn't time for the usual recovery - build up - taper cycle.

It seemed to work very well to just run a recovery 2+ hour run the next weekend and race again the next.  I felt strong at each race, including the 50 miler that I did not finish.  Following the 50 mile race I did have time to go through the a short recovery cycle and build up mileage again for the 50 miler in December.  Again, I used two back-to-back races, the two 21Ks on November 12th and 13th as "HARD" runs in the training cycle.  If you don't think running back to back 21Ks on very hilly courses qualifies as a hard run, I suggest you try it sometime.  This was followed by a few more long and hard runs before tapering for the Lookout Mountain 50 Mile race on Dec. 17th.

This racing schedule turned out to be great timing for preparation for the Rocky Raccoon 100.  I was able to run a 2:40 recovery run the one week after the 50miler.  Four hours the second week following the 50 and my 8 hour run on the third week, ready to start tapering for the 100.  I just didn't count on a leg injury, probably a tibial stress fracture.  And No, I didn't go to the doctor.  The Dr would just tell me to take it easy and not run for six or eight weeks.  Besides, they really can't tell if it is a stress fracture until they take a second xray a few weeks later.  And, of course, there is nothing "really" broken, just damaged.  I always have something damaged!  That is why I will just get out my tri-bike and ride the next few weeks.  It is time to taper and I can ease back into running easy runs a week or so before the RR.

Five weeks after Tahoe I had built back to about 5 hours.  I also ran 5 hours on the 6th week, then ran 5 hours again on the 7th weekend, (September 4th.) On the 8th week, Sept. 10th I ran a taper run for 4 hours and then ran the Autumn Equinox 50K at Oak Mountain on the 18th.  Two weeks later I ran the Stump Jump 50K in Chattanooga, TN.

On October 15th is when I ran 38 miles of the North Face Challenge 50 mile race in Pine Mtn., Georgia.  I immediately came home and entered the Lookout Mountain 50K.  I had to redeem myself.

November 5th, I volunteered to help with the Pinhoti 100 and got very little sleep that weekend.  I did not run any.  In fact on the weekends of October 23th and 30th I did trail marking and clearing for the Pinhoti.  That was a workout.  The numbers off the bottom and side of the page of hill repeat times.  November 12, was the Ruffner Mountain 21K and November 13, was the Xterra 21K, both races here in Birmingham.  That was another first.  I never ran two races in two days.

Starting in November I began counting down the weeks to the Lookout Mountain 50 mile race down the right side of the chart.  I listed the Tashka 50K, in Tuscaloosa, on December 10 and really wanted to run it, but I could not expect to do well in the Lookout Mountain race if I did so I skipped it.

The Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Race is February 4.  I ran two recovery runs from the Lookout Mountain 50 miler and then did the 7:56 training run at Veteran's Park on January 7th.  That is the run where I think I caused a stress fracture in my tibia.  It is a little better now on the 13th but still pretty sore to the touch and there is still some swelling.  I still hoping it is only a really bad bruise.  It still has 3 weeks to heal before RR.  I am going to ride my bike for the next couple of weeks only.  No running.

50K to 100 Miles - Preparing for the Pinhoti 100

This is the next installment I posted back in  March of 2011.  The training log is pretty accurate and will give you a good idea of how I prepared for the Pinhoti 100.  I had run my first 50K, the Dizzy Fifties, on November 17, 2007.  A few months later I ran the Oak Mountain 50K on March 22, 2008.  By then, I had decided I wanted to run the Leadville 100 which, at the time seemed like a joke.  I knew I had to find a long  "Training Race" to figure out how to go about running 100 miles.  I started looking through websites on ultrarunning and found "Run100s" with a link to "Ultrarunning" magazine's calendar.  As I started looking for something that looked interesting I found the Katcina Mosa 100K in Utah.  For some reason I thought I could run that.

I signed up and started training like I thought I need to train.  Take a look at my May, June and July training and you will see why I could not even come close to running 100K in the Utah mountains.  I was only able to run 39 miles.  I don't remember exactly when I decided to enter the Pinhoti 100 but I think it was immediately upon returning home after the Katcina Mosa.  I knew I had a lot of work to do in three months to have any chance at finishing Pinhoti.

I pulled out my old training log and listed my workouts starting at the end of May 2008 up through the Pinhoti 100 in November.  This is not the main points or major runs, this is 100% of every run, bike and swim workout I did in that 5 month period.  You will notice, I was also training for a triathlon in July.  I did a lot of bike riding didn't I?  Now, looking back on my training for Pinhoti I am really amazed I was able to finish.

The times shown in red are my long runs. The bold type indicates races.

2008	Training Log
Date	Description		Time	Distance
May 31	Oak Mtn-Trail run – loop		04:40	22.5 mi
Jun 16	Run – Houston, Tx – flat		03:20	25 miles
Jun 20	Lookout Mtn -Stage Race- (One stage only)		03:40	22 miles
Jun 22	Run – Oak Mtn – 4 Hill Reps - Green Trail		02:11
Jun 25	Swim – Oak Mtn		57 min
Jun 28	Run – Oak Mtn – 6 hill reps - Green Trail		03:25
Jul 02	Swim – Oak Mtn		54min
Jul 04	Peavine Falls Run		01:04	8.2 miles
Jul 04	Bike 2 laps Oak Mtn after the Peavine Falls Run			36 mi
Jul 10	Swim – Oak Mtn			900 yds
Jul 13	Chattanooga Waterfront Tri		02:45	Olympic
Jul 17	Run – Oak Mtn – Red		02:30	14 mi
Jul 19	Run Oak Mtn– Red+3 hill reps - Green Trial		02:59	16 mi
Jul 23	Run Oak Mtn–2 hill reps - Red Trail		Tornado Run	8.4 mi	***
Jul 26	Run Oak Mtn– hill rep		02:50
Aug 02	Katcina Mosa		13.5 hours	39.5 mi
Aug 06	Run Oak Mtn– +2.5 hill reps - Red Trail		02:30
Aug 09	Run Oak Mtn– Loop		02:55
Aug 12	Run Oak Mtn		2 hrs
Aug 16	Run Oak Mtn – Night Run		05:50
Aug 19	- Aug 25 - Short Runs		?
Aug29-Sept9	Telluride  Colorado– 8 days
Sep 02	Ran up Tomboy Road		01:25
Sep 03	Hike up Ajax Peak from Bridal Vail Falls  3 hrs.
Sep 06	Imogene Pass Run- Telluride, Colorado		03:48	17 miles	8 Weeks Out
Sep 08	Ran Bear Creek to Wasatch Trail		2 hrs
Sep 13	Training Run for Pinhoti – I20-Cheaha		05:35	25 miles	7 Weeks Out
Sep 16	Run-from Home 2 Laps 3,000 ft climb		02:05	13.36 miles
Sep 18	Run-from Home 1 Laps 1,500 ft climb		01:11	7.5 mi
Sep 20	Training Run - Pinhoti–Adams Gap-Cheaha-back		05:30	Night back	6 Weeks Out
Sep 23	Run-from Home 1 Laps 1,500 ft climb		01:15	7.5 mi
Sep 25	Run-from Home 1 Laps 1,500 ft climb
Sep 27	Run Oak Mtn		2 hrs
Oct 04	Stump Jump 50K- Chattanooga		06:48	50K	5 Weeks Out
Oct 07	Run Veteran's Park		01:50
Oct 09	Run Veteran's Park		01:10
Oct 12	Oak Mtn-Trail run – loop		07:18	30+ miles	4 Weeks Out
Oct 14	Run Veteran's Park		1 hr
Oct 16	Run Veteran's Park		2 hrs
Oct 19	Oak Mtn-Trail run – loop		3.5 hr		3 Weeks Out
Oct 21	Run Veteran's Park		1 hr
Oct 23	Run Veteran's Park		1.5 hr
Oct 26	Run Oak Mtn		2 hrs		2 Weeks Out
Oct 28	Run Veteran's Park		2 hrs
Oct 30	Run Veteran's Park		1.2 hr
Oct 31	- Aug 2 - Helped with Florida Ironman				1 Week Out
Nov 05	Run Veteran's Park		1 hr
Nov 08	Pinhoti 100		29 hr	100 mi

*** The run on July 23rd was the run I decided to do because there was a line of severe thunderstorms headed directly toward Oak Mountain State Park and I thought it would be fun to run in the storm.  I planned to run up the red trail for a few hill repeats because it comes up between two ridge-lines until it finally reaches the crest of one of the ridges at 2.25 miles (since lightning hits the ridges, usually.)  The crest of the ridge was my turn around point.  The thunder was getting closer as I reached the ridge and started back down.  By the time I had descended about half a mile the bottom dropped out and lightning began hitting the ridges all around me.  The trail turned to a river and I could no longer tell where I was stepping.  I was a little concerned about running in ankle deep water with all that lightning so after about another 3/4 of a mile I stopped at trail head with a 3X6 cover over a park map.  As I stood there the wind picked up dramatically and stuff started raining down out of the trees.  I was very concerned that one of several  large pines by the sign might fall so I stood where I could keep an eye on them.  After about 30 seconds the wind increased in velocity even more and began to shift around to my right.  Over  another 30 or so seconds the wind shifted by about 120 deg. and continued blow harder.  Now large limbs and  pieces of trees were coming down all around me.  Instead of staying under the small shelter I took off deciding I preferred being a moving target which was a really dumb decision.  Now I was running out in the open, still running in ankle deep water, limbs were still raining down and I was still about 3/4 of a mile from the car.  About the time I decided I should go beck, the wind began to subside and the lightning seemed to be moving off.  I made it back to the car and within a minute or two the downpour tuned to a steady rain and the thunder was definitely moving away.  So I headed up for a second hill repeat.  Now I saw the damage from the storm.  Eight or ten large trees were down along the trail, including one laying across the trail.  It was an exciting run!  Since I get caught in bad weather pretty often anyway,  in the future I will leave running in storms to chance.

I would absolutely not advise to try to run 100 miles following a training schedule like this.  It is not even adequate for a 50 mile race.  Next, I will post my training log from July and the Tahoe Rim Train 100 until December and the Lookout Mountain 50 mile race.