(Vail this April)
Day off of work and rest day on the training schedule. The white whale of days.
I’m in the seventh week of training for a 100 that takes place on December third. It’s the same 100 I did last time. My one and only 100. I mentioned that I would probably be signing up for this race in my last post, which was in February. Jeez. So I’ve had a lot of time to think about whether or not to do it, and it just made sense to get it done now, when I’m feeling energized to do it. There’s some kind of forward momentum in my life currently, where I just feel motivated to do everything to the fullest. That sounds cheesy as hell but I’m serious. Everything feels kind of new right now, still.
Training itself is going well at the moment. The past week mileage-wise, was eight-six-eight during the week, and eighteen-twelve on the weekend. (Not super important but I do the weekday runs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and the “weekend” runs on Sunday, Monday. Because of the weird post office work schedule.) That twelve last night after work was hard to get out the door for. But when I finally did, it was much easier than I expected. I did it in two hours, with my vest on. Basically running the whole time, except to use the porta-pottie (twice). I think I took three short walk breaks. It feels like progress to be able to do training runs like that after working a full day in the intense Florida summer heat and humidity. Gonna try and keep that energy.
I’ve been at a sort of crossroads with running nutrition for a minute, and I think I might have found which way to go. I’ve used Gu forever it seems. For my first ultra I used Shot Bloks exclusively. For some reason I abandoned those, and I don’t remember why. I started using Gu gels after that, and just dealt with all the things I hate about them. First, they’re not all bad. Nutritionally, Gu gels give me everything I need. But the effect they have on my mouth is like torture. I think it’s the sweetness of them; my throat gets so dry-feeling that I constantly have to drink water, even when I don’t need it. I don’t like the taste of them either. Doesn’t matter which flavor, they make me cringe. Enter Maurten. I read about Maurten products after hearing about them on Strava. Then I heard that riders in the Tour de France were using Maurten products almost across the board. They are definitely worth a shot if you are a runner, cyclist, or whatever. I won’t explain their products, but I can explain how they’ve affected my training. In my short experience with Maurten products, I can say that they give me energy I can feel, which Gu gels never did. I can also say that the gels Maurten makes are sweet, but have no real flavor, and are the consistency of Jello. Most importantly, they don’t make my throat feel nasty. Even better is that all the Maurten products have more carbs than Gu. So far, so good. The only downside is the price. They’re a little expensive.
Shoe-wise this time I’m sticking with the Pegasus. In New Orleans I ran in the 37 and it gave me no problems at all. My long runs are in the 38 now, and they feel even better. My toes feel like they have more room vertically in the toe box, which is a good thing when compared to the 37. My rotation right now consists of all Pegasus and one Hoka Rincon. I wear the Hokas on Fridays, so the last of the weekday runs, where the training schedule calls for speedwork. It says that it’s optional, and last time around I opted out, but as of now, I’m in, and it’s making a difference I think. I’m just going harder now — when I can — instead of trying to conserve energy or whatever. I read something that said if you’re not working on your speed, you are counting on your ability to delay fatigue to get you to the end of the race. I mean, so logical it’s silly. So I’ve been taking that seriously, and I think I’m beginning to see it work for me. Example, last night.
I’ll try to keep this page updated with posts but… you know.
runjournal 