There are 1,440 minutes in each day. I know because I calculated it a while back and built a whole training plan focused on that number. A decent amount of this time is taken up each day by working, sleeping, and running. That still leaves a ton of unallocated minutes each day that just seem…
DON’T PANIC! (and trust the process)
I had a couple good examples recently where trusting the process benefited me that I thought I’d share. The first happened this past week at work. The weather forecast was for 3-5 inches of snow during the day followed by rain. The snow didn’t start until about 10am so my drive into work was uneventful,…
A Different Kind of 5K
There are a couple different thoughts on long runs. Some people prefer to run by time (3 hours, 5 hours, etc). While I’ve based a couple of mine on time in the past (like maybe 3), mine are done with a distance in mind (20 miles, 25 miles, etc). Ever since I discovered the idea…
Scratch That
I’m not having very good luck with my 25 mile training runs. My last one did not go according to plan and this morning’s was even worse. Worse from the standpoint that I never even bothered to head out for it. I had kinda been dreading the run all week long. The temperatures had been…
Waitlisted
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. I’m now 0-3 in 100 mile race lotteries. The first two were Western States and with my odds below 5% in both years, I was not expecting to get in. Things were different with Massanutten Mountain 100 though as there were only about…
I [blank]
I headed over to my favorite local trails yesterday for a 25 mile training run, but came home with only 20 miles on the Garmin. It’s very rare (like maybe once a year) that I don’t end up getting in my planned mileage. While I’m a little disappointed in my performance, I’m not overly torn…
2018 Year in Review
Coming into 2018, I had accumulated 5 years of running history with four years at marathon or beyond distances. While I don’t have anywhere near expert level knowledge on running, I think I’ve developed enough proficiency to understand where I am personally pretty well. I know what I can do and what’s not feasible. I…
A Season of Waiting
Your tree has been carefully selected and placed in the living room. The ornaments have been pulled from storage and arranged just so. The lights have been untangled and strung from top to bottom. Presents have been purchased. Cards have been sent and received. Parties have been prepped and invitations sent. While there will always…
NJ One Day at the Fair Preview
I have my last race of the year in a couple days and I’m not nearly as anxious heading into it as I normally am. Typically, I’m all kinds of obsessing over weather and gear and logistics, but I’ve hardly given the race much thought over the past month or so. That’s not to say…
Just a 20 Miler
I had a humorous exchange with a co-worker this past week. He’s training for his first ultra that’s coming up in a couple weeks (Labor Pains) and I asked how far he was running this weekend. He said “just 20 miles” and immediately paused like he’d just dropped the F bomb. After a second, he…