My Journey to 50 miles (2nd attempt)... (comments welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Sunday was also a nutrition run. She had 3 ginger ale Clif bloks before we took off, then 3 at 45 min and 3 at 75 min with plenty of water. @DopeyBadger Billy, I'm not really sure how to figure out Donna's nutrition. I just had her take in fuel like I would. That seem ok?

So 24g at 0 min, 45 min and 75 min. Should be fine. It's fairly minimal, but for a HM you don't press the glycogen depletion system as much. If you want to rule out "nutrition" as a reason for things going wrong on race day, then aim to take in as much as you can tolerate without exceeding 60g from single source (like glucose OR fructose OR maltrodrextin) or 90g from combo source (like maltodrextin AND fructose). Just be sure to practice it throughout training to find what you do and don't tolerate. At the end of the day, training will account for 95% of your half marathon race day performance. Nutrition plays a much smaller role in a HM than in a marathon or longer.

 

[disneygpa]

So 24g at 0 min, 45 min and 75 min. Should be fine. It's fairly minimal, but for a HM you don't press the glycogen depletion system as much. If you want to rule out "nutrition" as a reason for things going wrong on race day, then aim to take in as much as you can tolerate without exceeding 60g from single source (like glucose OR fructose OR maltrodrextin) or 90g from combo source (like maltodrextin AND fructose). Just be sure to practice it throughout training to find what you do and don't tolerate. At the end of the day, training will account for 95% of your half marathon race day performance. Nutrition plays a much smaller role in a HM than in a marathon or longer.

Thanks Billy! Maybe we should add one or two more bloks at each interval.

 

[disneygpa]

Whew... what a week so far. Weather has taken a turn the last few days and I'm feeling it right down to my soul. Work has been one big $hit show for months now. We are losing people, work load is the same and all upper management does is continue to come up with stupid metrics that show how poorly we are doing. Well duh! You took away all of our resources, we have less people, aren't allowed to purchase needed tools and supplies. We are constantly putting band aid fixes on wounds that need tourniquets. My biggest fear is that someone gets hurt or worse because of a failure that could have been prevented..... OK... enough whining.

This weeks running has been pretty good so far! Monday was 5 miles @ EA. Weather was still pretty nice for this run. Learned tonight that I may have to start carrying my headlamp with me on evening runs. By the time I get home take a nap, stretch and get going it's starting to get a little dusky toward the end of the runs.


Tuesday was 2 miles with Donna. Decided last minute to try a little different route for this. It was tons of downhill for the first mile and tons of uphill for the second mile. Nice to mix it up a little and run through a different neighborhood.



Wednesday.... oh Wednesday!!! Holy smokes batman, it was a blustery day!!! Wind was blowing at 22mph with gusts up to 30. Fairly warm for November around here and just a little rain towards the end. When the wind was blocked or at my back it was a great day for running! My first M mile felt so good! Breathing was great, settled into a nice steady pace. Finished that first M mile and then had to turn around... the return trip was a different story! I run through a BIG open church parking lot and when I rounded the corner of the church it was like running uphill! Wow! I don't ever remember running into a wind that was that hard for that long. Fortunately when my 2nd M mile came up I was back in amongst the houses and it wasn't too bad. That 2nd M run was again pretty comfortable. Right up until the last quarter mile when I left the houses and was back on the main road with the wind in my face. Then it became a little more challenging!



Overall a good run! Normally I'll see a few folks walking or running while I'm out. But last night was so crappy there was only one other crazy person out!

 

[disneygpa]

If you have 14 min to spare and you want to see what the Chuckanut 50k looks like, this is a pretty good video! Maybe everyone is right.... maybe I'm crazy...

 

[disneygpa]

@DopeyBadger Billy, this is how I put my trail run into my Garmin.


I split the 4th mile in half so I would know when to turn around.
I'm expecting my Garmin to get lost in the trees so instead of putting the durations as miles, I thought it would be better to put in the time.
Does that make sense?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Seems reasonable to me. We'll see how it goes on the first one and then adjust as necessary moving forward.

 

[disneygpa]

Seems reasonable to me. We'll see how it goes on the first one and then adjust as necessary moving forward.

Thanks Billy. I was hoping you'd agree.

Thursday's run was another R run for Donna. Again, I'm happy to report she's doing great! She is comfortably running her distances and keeping her breathing under control. She recovers quickly after the short run.



Saturday was a chilly morning 4 miles. All went well. Nothing really to note.



Sunday. I decided to skip Sunday's 4 mile run with Donna and we did a little recon on the Chuckanut trail. Ended up being 6.5 miles and roughly 1100ft of elevation gain.

We started at what would be about the 11.5 mile point and hiked the trail backwards (from the race). It was a great day for a hike! We began at the trailhead for 2 Dollar trail which begins with several switchbacks, then a slow climb up to Fragrance Lake. We then walked around the lake and headed down to the trailhead for the Fragrance lake trail. This would normally be where I'm starting my training runs. Then we walked up the Interurban trail until it intersected with Cleator RD then it was an uphill climb back to the car! Note: probably should take Donna's little SUV up Cleator RD, a few spots where the little Civic almost bottomed out!!!

One thing I immediately noticed about the trail is the number of roots and rocks. This ain't gonna be like running at Disney at all. Or for that matter any other running I've ever done. At least while running off the Interurban trail, I'm not going to be able to get into a comfortable mental state and just cruise along. I think this is going to take a lot more mental focus to avoid a slip, trip or fall.

Thought about doing the 4 mile run with Donna after we got home, but I was pretty tuckered out. Decided it was a fair swap that we had done the 6.5 mile hike instead.

 

[disneygpa]

@DopeyBadger Billy, hope your ankle is feeling better soon! Am I correct to assume that where I put the light blue dot is the approximate starting point for all of my trail training runs?

 

[shellott-hill]

I am excited for your trail runs. I look forward to every summer here to head into the mountains to run the trails. It is definitely a different type of running. You do need to be mentally aware of your surroundings and always be looking for the next spot to plant your foot. I think that is why I enjoy it so much. There is no drifting off into a running meditation and your stride length is always changing to adapt to the terrain.

All the best.

 

[disneygpa]

Monday's run was 5 miles @ EA. Somedays I find my EA runs kinda ho-hum. Monday was a crappy day at work. Even crappier than normal lately. By the time I got home I really didn't feel like running. I wanted an ice cold beer, pizza and to sit on my sofa and veg. But instead I took a short nap, stretched and laced up the shoes. I grumbled all the way down to the main road and started running. Half a block and still grumbling, half a mile and I was glad I'd gotten my shoes on. After a mile I was feeling better. After 2 miles life wasn't so bad... At then end of 5, I didn't hate my job anymore and didn't need beer, pizza and a sofa to get thru the night. Instead, went home, had some meatball pho, water, finished putting together a Thomas Kincaid Aladdin puzzle and listened to a TimeSuck podcast about the anti-vaccine movement.

Running is definitely where I get to detach from "life"....



All splits where a touch fast, but I'm ok with that. I'm really happy I was able to get it done! Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have the ability to run... Sometimes I need a reminder that overall my life has been pretty blessed and that one crappy day doesn't make a complete crappy life...

 

[disneygpa]

Got a little bit a of a late start on Tuesday but it worked out well because the rain stopped.
All in all a good run! Donna did her R intervals like a champ! At the 90sec point she was starting to get winded but recovered quickly once we went to walking.

Got my flu shot today. So far no side effects. Hopefully there won't be any and I'll feel like doing my 5 miles tonight!

 

[disneygpa]

Wow, I'm 4 runs behind so I'll make this quick ish.

Last Wednesday was a fast finish run. 5 miles at LR and 1 at M. The only thing that stands out about this run is that I thought it was 4 + 1. I was surprised when my Garmin didn't jump to M pace for the 5th mile. But I trusted that I put it i correctly and ran all 6. Turned out to be a good run. I'm really comfy at my LR pace. Feels like something I could just do all day.


Thursday. WOW, talk about breezy!! We left the house without gloves and hats and boy did we regret that decision. It wasn't bad as we were leaving, but coming back the wind made for some tough intervals even at slow pace. Cut this a little short as both of us were starting to get earaches from the constant wind.



Saturday. Decided to swap Saturday and Sunday's runs because of work. We were having a major shutdown and I didn't know how late I would be working on Sunday. So just to make sure we got the long run in, I swapped them.

We went back out to the Centennial trail and ran from the center of town north and back. Great day to be on the trail. Few bicyclist this day. I think the grey and breezy conditions kept most at home. We were better prepared for the wind today. It wasn't as hard but we had hats and gloves anyway. Nutrition was good and Donna did great! Slight scare at about 6 miles. She got a weird cramp in her left leg. It ran from her foot all the way up to her knee along the outside of the shin. We stopped and stretched and walked an extra interval. After that she said everything was good so we continued. Really proud of her!!! The gradual build up of distance is really helping her with her confidence!!!



Sunday. After a very physical day at work I really didn't feel like running. I went home and took a quick nap, looked out at the beautiful sunshine and decided I'd at least go out and try. After the first few intervals, I was feeling pretty good. Glad I went out! We soaked up what is probably the last of the sunshine for the week and just had a relaxing run. I'm kinda paying for it today as I have a giant know in my lower back. Not unusual for me. Just gotta stretch it out.


I think my Garmin is loosing it's mind. The distance, time and pace are right, but that map is WAY off!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

View attachment 537328

@DopeyBadger Billy, hope your ankle is feeling better soon! Am I correct to assume that where I put the light blue dot is the approximate starting point for all of my trail training runs?

Thanks. Better, but not where it needs to be for me to run on it. Tried last Friday (11/13) and didn't make it past the neighbor's house.

That's correct!

 

[disneygpa]

I'm a little behind with my updates. Had to shuffle some runs around to accommodate work.

Thursday moved to Friday, because DW had to work late. All went well and we still got a date night! Nothing too fancy since all restaurants are back to outside dining or take out only. Run itself was nice. Donna had 8 R runs which she did great on! It was another breezy night that made some south running intervals interesting!

Saturday. I took my Brooks Calderas back to the running store and even though I had put 18 miles on them, they let me exchange them for a new pair. I opted for the Nike Wildhorse 6 Trail shoe. Ran in it on the paved trail today with no problems. Not sure why the Brooks didn't work, but they kept giving me pain on the outside of my feet between the arch and heel. 3.5 easy miles with DW. Ended up walking the last half mile, someone needed to go potty, and guess what.... there's no place to go out there!!



Sunday! Big day for me. My first ever trail run. Got up and got going fairly early. Made it to the trail head at about 9am. I really thought I'd beat most folks out there, but the small parking lot was nearly full when I got there. Note: get there at 8am when possible. I had stretched before I left the house, but after the 40 min drive, I'm not sure how effective it was. Note: probably should do some more stretching and possibly a little warm up run prior to heading up the trail. Had a piece of toast with peanut butter on the drive up. Wasn't quite as good as usual because it had gotten cold.

First mile, according to my Garmin approx 600ft elevation gain. I expected this to be difficult. But it was even tougher than I imagined. I power walked the steepest parts, jogged the flat(ish) parts and enjoyed the few down(ish) parts. Came up a little shy on pace and was very winded!

Second mile, only 377ft of elevation gain. Whew! Of course nearly all of that was in the first 1/3 mile. So nearly 1,000ft of elevation gain in the first 1.3 miles. Again, a combo of walking up the steep parts and jogging when I felt I could. Last 2/3 of this miles was flat was relatively flat. Felt really good to jog most of this after the brutal uphill!

Third mile, woohoo!!! Some downhill to enjoy!! Ran most of this mile. Felt good. Walked a few short steep places.

Fourth mile, more downhill for the first half of this mile, turned around at the halfway point, then back uphill for the second half. Ran most of the downhill and jogged most of the uphill as the grade wasn't quite as brutal as the first mile. Also, took in a GU at 3.5 miles. Probably should have taken this earlier. I didn't feel low on fuel, but according to my Garmin, I'm burning thru the calories at a faster rate out on the trail.

Fifth mile, some gradual uphill here. Again, a combo of walking the steep parts and running when I could. A lot of gradual uphill.

Sixth mile up to finish, at 5.5ish miles the descent begins. And continues until the trailhead. Enjoyed running this, but noticed that when I would level out I was still breathing hard. I think I might be holding my breath on the steeper parts of the downhill. Probably not the best idea and something I need to be aware of while on the trail. Also, running downhill is tough. Really have to watch my speed and footing. Lot's of pine needles, root, rocks etc to be aware of. I didn't a have any issues. But, I can see it becoming a problem if I'm not focusing.

All in all, I'd have to say I'm satisfied with my first trail run. My left knee is a little sore this morning as well as right above my right ankle. Not bad, and I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. Honestly, I thought my quads would be screaming after the downhill!

Normally, I burn roughly 100 calories per mile but according to my Garmin I was a little more than 150 calories per mile. I probably need to have a different fuel plan for the trail running. I took in a GU at 3.5 and 5.5 miles and drank all my 22oz of water. I never felt like I was running low on fuel or energy, but I'm sure this will be an issue with the longer runs that are coming up.

Final note to self for this run. If it's above freezing, wear shorts and don't carry your cell phone in your pocket. Sweats were too hot and the cell phone kept pulling them down on my right side.





Even though intervals 3, 5, 9, 11 and 13 weren't programmed into my run my Garmin added them. Weird and frustrating.
Also, did not run 3.5 miles with Donna Sunday night. She didn't get home from work until almost my bedtime. We will run her 3.5 tonight and I'll skip my 2.5 mile EA run to get us back on schedule.

 

[disneygpa]

Dang, a full week without an update. Work and life have been crazy busy!

Last Monday 3.5 miles @ EA.

Last Tuesday. Big day for Donna. She had to run 5 min intervals @ 11:48. She was very nervous about running for 5 continuous min. But she crushed it! She really nailed her intervals and said that toward the end of the last one she was starting to feel the longer time and speed.



Last Wednesday. 6 mile fast finish. I don't remember much about this run except for some reason I thought it was supposed to be 5 miles. Imagine my surprise when on the 5th mile my Garmin didn't switch to my faster pace. No worries, I figured it out on the run and ran my 6 miles.


A little disappointed in myself for not running Thursday (turkey day) we only had Donna's sister over, but she didn't feel right just leaving her for a run. Then my niece showed up late and that day was shot. I'm a little more disappointed in myself for not running Saturday. Donna ended up getting called into work and didn't get home until very late(by our standards) it was almost my bedtime. She was exhausted and we decided to skip :-(

Sunday! What a great day for a run! I had to work all 4 days of the long weekend. We were cleaning substations which means lots and lots of walking, climbing, squatting and kneeling for me. I was beat but definitely didn't want to skip Donna's long run. I'm happy to say that she did great!!! 8.29 miles according to my Garmin. Towards the end she said her legs were feeling fatigued but said she could have gone farther. So proud of her!

 

[disneygpa]

So, second week in a row that I've only done weekly updates. I gotta get better than weekly. I don't write things down at home so if I have anything specific from a run to discuss, I end up losing it over that week.

Last Monday, 5 miles @ EA. Nothing spectacular about this run. We've had incredibly decent weather up here for this time of year. All I can really remember from this run was that it was really relaxing!!


Tuesday, 3 miles w/ Donna. Went a different route today. Trying to mix things up a little. Another great night for a run!



Wednesday, 3 M Tempo intervals. 7 Miles total. Another uneventful run. I like doing the M tempo runs. I don't recall anything specific. No problems that I can remember.



Thursday, Donna, 6 - 5min intervals. Again, she did great on this! So much fun watching her progress! She was a little fast on her last interval, but it was mostly downhill and she was enjoying it!




Saturday, 5 miles with Donna. This was another amazing day for running! Sunny, and 50ish. Left the house just before sunset. Ran an old route that gives a great view to the west and watched the sun go down! Great day.



Whew, and that brings us to Sunday. I'm gonna put Donna's 5 miles first. We waited till dark to run, so we could enjoy the Christmas lights. I really find this relaxing. Even though by the 4th mile, I was really feeling the earlier run!



Now for the big run of the week. I felt better on the mountain this week. Did a little warm up jog on the level ish part of the trail before heading up. My niece tagged along this week. I'm pretty sure I almost killed her. I think she totally underestimated the effort of running continuously uphill. About half a mile in, I was feeling pretty good. I was still trotting along, but she had stopped to walk. Since she's never been on the trail, I figured it was best to not lose sight of her. So, I walked. Hopefully in two weeks she won't be quite so winded and we can run a little more.
Tried to get her to have some fuel before we left, but I don't think she believed the old man when I said it was necessary. Anyway, maybe she'll listen next time. She was definitely struggling. She never gave up, but I'm sure she was thinking about it.
First 3 miles is basically uphill. Roughly 1700ft of elevation gain. This is no $hit.... There are a few level/downhills along the way, but for the most part it's a grind!



Then it was downhill for a bit, then turn around and go back up the hill you just ran down! That portion of the trail is clearly favored by the bike riders. Trail is banked on several of the corners with deep grooves. I'll have to be really aware of the bikes that might be on there. Fortunately, I got there early enough that we saw a few heading up to the top as we were coming down. Not an issue, at least today.
Then for the good part, roughly 3 miles back down! No real problems here, ran at a comfortable pace. Somewhere around mile 7, my quads were feeling it. Going to be interesting when that mile 7 today turns into mile 25 on race day. Also, lost focus momentarily and stubbed the crap out of my toe. Dang that hurt. I didn't go down but I did stumble a bit. You really can't let your mind wonder while running on the trail. Too much stuff to ruin your day.
Overall, I'd give this run a C+. I think I could have run a little faster on the way up and hopefully in two weeks the niece will be ready to do so!


I had a little fuel before we took off, granola bar and water. Then a GU every 30 min + water. This seemed to work out for fuel and water. No problems with running out of energy or feeling dehydrated. I may start on the Muarten before these longer/harder runs. Haven't made this decision yet. Not sure if that's over doing it or not.
Got a new running vest. Sunday was the first day out with it and I have to say it worked out pretty well! I have two 17oz bottles in pouches on the chest and several small pockets that work well for the GU packs. As well as some larger pockets on the back for hats/gloves etc. It was comfortable and I didn't have any issues with it chafing or anything. Only complaint is that the big pocket in back requires me to take off the vest to get into it. Not a big deal really.
Overall a really successful week of running! Hope everyone is staying healthy!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

So, second week in a row that I've only done weekly updates. I gotta get better than weekly. I don't write things down at home so if I have anything specific from a run to discuss, I end up losing it over that week.

Last Monday, 5 miles @ EA. Nothing spectacular about this run. We've had incredibly decent weather up here for this time of year. All I can really remember from this run was that it was really relaxing!!
View attachment 542560

Tuesday, 3 miles w/ Donna. Went a different route today. Trying to mix things up a little. Another great night for a run!

View attachment 542561

Wednesday, 3 M Tempo intervals. 7 Miles total. Another uneventful run. I like doing the M tempo runs. I don't recall anything specific. No problems that I can remember.

View attachment 542562

Thursday, Donna, 6 - 5min intervals. Again, she did great on this! So much fun watching her progress! She was a little fast on her last interval, but it was mostly downhill and she was enjoying it!

View attachment 542563


Saturday, 5 miles with Donna. This was another amazing day for running! Sunny, and 50ish. Left the house just before sunset. Ran an old route that gives a great view to the west and watched the sun go down! Great day.

View attachment 542564

Whew, and that brings us to Sunday. I'm gonna put Donna's 5 miles first. We waited till dark to run, so we could enjoy the Christmas lights. I really find this relaxing. Even though by the 4th mile, I was really feeling the earlier run!

View attachment 542567

Now for the big run of the week. I felt better on the mountain this week. Did a little warm up jog on the level ish part of the trail before heading up. My niece tagged along this week. I'm pretty sure I almost killed her. I think she totally underestimated the effort of running continuously uphill. About half a mile in, I was feeling pretty good. I was still trotting along, but she had stopped to walk. Since she's never been on the trail, I figured it was best to not lose sight of her. So, I walked. Hopefully in two weeks she won't be quite so winded and we can run a little more.
Tried to get her to have some fuel before we left, but I don't think she believed the old man when I said it was necessary. Anyway, maybe she'll listen next time. She was definitely struggling. She never gave up, but I'm sure she was thinking about it.
First 3 miles is basically uphill. Roughly 1700ft of elevation gain. This is no $hit.... There are a few level/downhills along the way, but for the most part it's a grind!

View attachment 542581

Then it was downhill for a bit, then turn around and go back up the hill you just ran down! That portion of the trail is clearly favored by the bike riders. Trail is banked on several of the corners with deep grooves. I'll have to be really aware of the bikes that might be on there. Fortunately, I got there early enough that we saw a few heading up to the top as we were coming down. Not an issue, at least today.
Then for the good part, roughly 3 miles back down! No real problems here, ran at a comfortable pace. Somewhere around mile 7, my quads were feeling it. Going to be interesting when that mile 7 today turns into mile 25 on race day. Also, lost focus momentarily and stubbed the crap out of my toe. Dang that hurt. I didn't go down but I did stumble a bit. You really can't let your mind wonder while running on the trail. Too much stuff to ruin your day.
Overall, I'd give this run a C+. I think I could have run a little faster on the way up and hopefully in two weeks the niece will be ready to do so!
View attachment 542583
View attachment 542582
I had a little fuel before we took off, granola bar and water. Then a GU every 30 min + water. This seemed to work out for fuel and water. No problems with running out of energy or feeling dehydrated. I may start on the Muarten before these longer/harder runs. Haven't made this decision yet. Not sure if that's over doing it or not.
Got a new running vest. Sunday was the first day out with it and I have to say it worked out pretty well! I have two 17oz bottles in pouches on the chest and several small pockets that work well for the GU packs. As well as some larger pockets on the back for hats/gloves etc. It was comfortable and I didn't have any issues with it chafing or anything. Only complaint is that the big pocket in back requires me to take off the vest to get into it. Not a big deal really.
Overall a really successful week of running! Hope everyone is staying healthy!!

The "reverse course" is no joke as evidenced by the difference in expected pace on a training week basis. You were pretty close to the expected average pace despite us going into this with only one other person's run to base these pace ideas off of. So I'm feeling good with the design thus far. Take care of yourself, keep listening to how your body is feeling, and stay healthy!

 

[disneygpa]

The "reverse course" is no joke as evidenced by the difference in expected pace on a training week basis. You were pretty close to the expected average pace despite us going into this with only one other person's run to base these pace ideas off of. So I'm feeling good with the design thus far. Take care of yourself, keep listening to how your body is feeling, and stay healthy!

Thanks Billy! I'm loving this plan so far! My goal is to actually hit the paces by the end of the plan. I think I can do it!! The trail runs are challenging but doable, and I think the more I learn about the trail the better it will be! Body is sore but good today. I feel it's pretty normal after yesterdays run. Left IT band is a little achy but nothing that some stretching can't fix. Hope you guys are all good in Wisconsin!

 

[disneygpa]

Well dang. This week is turning into a train wreck for running. Donna worked late Tuesday, so the plan was to shuffle some things around and get that run in on Thursday. Well, Wednesday I took off work early and got that run in before going to the dentist. Didn't feel up to running last night, I was still having some issues from the dental trip.

Going forward. I think we are going to do Donna's Tuesday run tonight, skip the Thursday run and then get back on track starting Saturday. Hopefully I'm up to it.

Still not a 100% from the dentist. I had two teeth extracted and still having a little bleeding. Doc said it's nothing to be concerned about as I have a good clot and it's just a little seepage. I know that's gross, but it is what it is. Plus, I'm feeling really tired since Wednesday, like I want to sleep all day. Dang, I really underestimated how I would feel after going to the Dentist. Hopefully, I can power thru and we can get a run in tonight.

 

[disneygpa]

@DopeyBadger Billy, Donna heads out of town on Tuesday. While she's gone, can I just run her portion of my training as EA runs instead of the run/walk I would normally do with her?