I’m now in the favorite part of my training cycle – The Taper. It seems that most people (or at least most people with blogs) dislike this part of race preparation. I love it. Lower miles, more sleep, less work. What’s not to like? Frankly, I like it so much, I do a 3 week taper…
How I Crushed My Long Run
I went into this morning’s run with a little trepidation. This was my longest training run of the cycle at 30 miles and the weather was supposed to be rather harsh with low 30s temperatures and rain/snow. I didn’t have any fear of not finishing the run, but it just didn’t sound like fun. Last…
Digits: March 2016
Little late here with my March numbers. Here’s how March shook out for me. Running March 2016 February 2016 March 2015 Miles 139.7 123.1 198.9 Time (minutes) 1,458 1,177 2,108 Pace (min/miles) 10.4 9.6 10.6 Ascent (feet) 13,623 11,056 17,094 Max Weekly Mileage 52.27 41.0 56.2 Min Weekly Mileage 13.3 20.8 24.1 Max Daily Mileage…
Flipping The Switch
Last weekend I started getting a little excited to train. I haven’t really been that gung ho (anyone else remember that movie from the 1980s?) about this training cycle. I have just kind of been going through the motions. I’ve been getting all my long runs in and have been close to my weekly mileage…
Digits: 3/26/16 MAF Test
Here are the results from yesterday’s MAF test: Time Pace HR Overall 50.2 10.0 142 Mile 1 Mile 2 Mile 3 Mile 4 Mile 5 Pace 10:24 10:05 09:58 09:49 09:49 HR 141 141 142 142 142 I ended up 9 seconds slower than my February MAF test, which I’m chalking up to…
Origin Story: How I Found My Luck
I’m not normally a superstitious person. I’ve stepped on enough cracks in my life to cripple a major country. I’m partially color blind so who knows what kind of cats are crossing my paths. And the only wood I knock on are doors. So when it comes to racing, I don’t always eat the same…
Buckle Up
Ultras are funny things. Most of them are small, low key events without a lot of flash. If you run a marathon or a half marathon, you’ll get a big shiny medal. And each year they seem to get bigger and more elaborate. Ultras don’t typically give out finishers medals. That’s not to say you…
Why Am I Doing This To Myself?
I typically ask myself this question at least once every ultra I run. And I don’t ask this in a joking, “gosh, what have I gotten myself into” way either. When I start questioning my reason for being hours into a run with hours left to go, it’s 100% serious. Sometimes it’s just a fleeting thought that passes through my head,…
2016 Naked Bavarian 40 Mile Race Report
What: Naked Bavarian 40 Miler When: Sunday March 6, 2016 8am Where: Leesport, PA Time: 8:11:57 Place: 55 of 99 Well, Sunday didn’t turn out quite how I had planned it. I thought I could easily cut 15-20 minutes off last year’s time and I only ended up 1 minute 14 seconds faster due to…
Naked Bavarian 40 Mile Preview
It’s off to Blue Marsh Lake in Leesport, PA Sunday for the second annual Naked Bavarian 40 Mile run. I did this race last year and am looking forward to running it again. The race is organized by Uberendurancesports, which puts on some of southeastern PA’s best races. I’ve done a number of their races…