Last week was fairly productive but still not what I hoped to accomplish. I had to skip my track workout due do some lingering plantar fascia pain from the previous week’s mile repeats on the track. I substituted a tempo run on the stone dust path along muddy river but I forgot my Garmin and don’t know what pace I was running. I just know it was faster than normal training. My long run wasn’t as long as it should have been but I did manage to fit in two 18 mile runs. On Monday I did 18 in Bradley Palmer and then ran the last 18 miles of the Vermont 50 course on Sunday.
Still, I feel woefully unprepared for the Stone Cat 50. I have been running consistently but feel I am lacking in long runs. Not only have I not done enough of them, the ones I have done have not been long enough. Since running a 50K in August I have done a 16 mile and two 18 mile long runs. If I don’t get in two or three 20 – 30 mile runs in October I stand little chance of finishing 50 miles.
I’m not exactly sure what went wrong. My training was going well until running the 50K. That race took more out of me than I expected it would and that negatively impacted my training in September. I’m strongly considering skipping the Mountain Madness 50K on October 17th. That race is only 3 weeks before Stone Cat and I don’t think I would have enough time to fully recover for the 50.
Total Miles: 50
Long Run: 18 x 2
# of Runs: 5
Avg. Run: 10
Trail Miles: 72%
MM50k skipping: A smart consideration! Perhaps a 35-40 mile run before Stone Cat 50--will help. I'm up for a loop (or +) in Willowdale!?
ReplyDeleteI have never run a training run longer than 25 miles...and I don't do it often. I got 1 in between Wakefield and VT, along with a couple 15-18 milers. This is only my .02 but I think our mentality for running long distances has more to do with ones ability to finish a 50 miler than getting in a bunch of 30 mile training runs. Course, I am not competitive, I simply want to go out and run/finish. There is also something to be said for being well rested. I felt fantastic before VT, and my taper was basically a week, of nothing over 12 miles and 2 days off before the race! I think you might just surprise yourself with how well you will do! (I signed up for SC50 too...though I might just be insane with that 2 weeks before JFK!) Nice to see you at VT and great job on the relay!!!
ReplyDeleteI would skip that 50k being it so close to your 50 miler. Rather get a long run of 20-25 miles in now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that you are unprepared physically. You, like Neo in the Matrix, have the potential. Now you must listen to Morpheus (me, obviously) and begin to believe. You can finish Stone Cat. You can defeat Agent Smith. You are the chosen one.
ReplyDeleteEm and Steph - you've convinced me skipping the 50K is the right decision. I'll just do a long run instead.
ReplyDeleteJuile - True, well rested is better than overtrained! Glad to hear you'll be at SC.
Steve - you totally crack me up! I hope you are able to entertain me at SC so I wont realize the pain I'm in.