"There's only one hard and fast rule in running: sometimes you have to run one hard and fast."








Friday, May 21, 2010

Back to training... and a running blog returns

I've decided the next race for me (and I'm still retired, mind you) will be the Voyageur 50 Mile. It's one of those races I feel I could do well and it bothers me that I haven't; I mean, it's half on roads - I can run roads! I told John Storkamp that I'll be volunteering this year at Afton, so I won't have racing a 50K just before the 50 Mile as an excuse.

The 50 Mile takes 8-11 hours, which for me is an average heart rate of 140-145. I can either try to maintain an even heart rate, or run 5-8 hours at HR=131-134, then 2 hours @ 160 and a final hour at 169. I'm going to try to train VERY specifically for it. The workouts become:

1) 30-35 miles on trails in 5-8 hours, intentionally slow.
2) Two hour fast steady continuous run
3) one hour hard run, probably with speedwork
4) 2 1/2 hours on hills, at HR=140-145

Thursday: 1st hill run

I went to the Brickyards and did 12 miles in 2:22, heart rate averaging 146. That's 15 times up the hill (0.4 miles long, 240 feet elevation). The first mile was in 9:32 (HR=143), hard enough that the left shin and right hamstring ached - so I'm not exactly recovered. By the 10th mile, I had slowed to 11:36 (HR=146). Then it got hard, even on the downhills, and mile 12 was 13:52 (HR=156). So I can only manage 2 hours the way I want to run more than 8 at this point.

Next up: Saturday I'll be doing two loops (31 miles) at Afton. We'll see if I can manage to not run the hills hard.

8 comments:

Chris Swenke said...

To bad I'm tapering for Stillwater or I'd join you out at Afton. It would be great to pick your brain about the 50k.

Enjoy the Run -

Emz said...

ya, too bad that sounds like hell or I'd join you too.

ummm . . . enjoy [?] it!!

;)

Anonymous said...

For some reason I thought you might suprise us with entering Fans24 this year. Good luck with the 50 mile.

RBR said...

Sheesh. 15 - 0.4 mile hill repeats? That is nuts. But then again...

Ooh, 50 miler! So exciting. A 50 miler in July in Minnesota. My childhood memories of Minnesota were that July was a touch humid.

Alright, you sneaky SOB (oh, yes I said it again!) That website was my first attempt and after my computer crash (actually 2 crashes ago) I lost all the login and access information, so there it sits in cyberpace unchanged, not updated, and sporting my decidedly whitetrashtasic self on my whitetrashtastic neighbor's ATV (well, it did get hacked and turned into a Persian "Dating" site, but that was before the crash now I am wishing for those "Persian beauties" that were looking for "love and commitment in good American man")

Scream'n Turtle said...

Great job Steve.
Looks like Afton will be another blurr of a meeting again.
But YELL

Voyageur 50 M. i'll finally get my chance for that handshake on the starting line.

Stay healthy and heal those injuries,if things seem "WONKER" remember to back off and rest. Word's that someone told me awhile back-

Rad Runner said...

Good luck luck on the ****50**** Miler! High freaking five!

joyRuN said...

Sweet heavens, SQ. This is theeee most exhausting retirement I've seen. You've put some very careful thought into execution too. All that kinda thinking slips my mind as soon as I start running :(

sea legs girl said...

Great news! I guess we'll see you in Carlton (though this time we'll show up on time and not bolt immediately after the race). Could be a close race between the two of us, you know. I'm going to have to fight to keep my spot on your blog roll.