The Happy Runner

I can’t believe it has been almost three months since my last posting. I had many aspirations to write more this winter, but life happens. Onward and upward as the saying goes. Or downward into the dark abyss that COVID19 is trying hardly to take us down.

It seems that my latest goal of completing my first 100 miles at Riverlands in early May will be put on hold. It hasn’t been officially canceled yet, but I think it is coming. Of course given that running over mountains, and through the woods (to grandmothers house we go) has its own “social distancing/isolation” built in my training hasn’t really been impacted by the pandemic and I don’t expect it to. A race gathering with a couple hundred folks is a different matter all together. Even in the worse case scenario of complete shelter at home orders, running on the trails behind my home will continue to be the perfect option to stay fit mentally and healthy in these unknown times. And if the race is canceled, then so be it.

I plan on continuing my training regardless if Riverlands suffers the same fate as most of the worlds marathons and ultra events. At the very least it will prepare me for my current aspirations for this fall. More on that later, for now I believe an update is in order on what I have been up to the last couple months.

I have been steadily training and averaging around 40-50 miles a week for January, and February. For March I have been ramping up to 60 mile weeks and will cap around a 70 miles as my biggest week before tapering down as we approach May.

A primary concern of mine was over training, and burning out before the big day. The idea of running 100 miles is daunting and it could feel like I should be running a lot more than my marathon training, but in my research and advise from many ultra running friends that hasn’t been the case. The advice was to slow down, take it steady, and run back to back days of long distances in training. With that in mind, I have been running with a heart rate monitor to keep me in the anaerobic zone and tacking on the extra long run day each week. Otherwise, my weekdays have been much the same as my marathon training. I have learned that I have to run significantly slower then I would’ve thought to stay in the zone (maybe my marathons times have fallen apart in recent years because I have been training too hard on my easy days…hmmmm). Right, wrong, good or bad, that is the strategy I have implemented and the proof will be in the pudding…..maybe, hopefully, go the fuck away COVID19.

Beyond my running, I haven’t quite figured out my food plan for up to 30 hours of running. I think I’m just going to have my normal foods I like to eat and my protein shakes around. I also know that eventually my will power to not consume large amounts of baked goods at an aid station will falter. The other unknowns are mental fatigue, running on root exposed and rocky trails at night, how my body will react over 60 miles (furthest I have gone), keeping the digestive system balanced, staying hydrated but not water logged (primary goal is to NOT have urine the color of coca-cola like I did on my first 50….opps), and the list goes on. There is definitely a lot to consider, but I don’t believe my typical “be prepared for anything” will work here. It is the unexpected that will get you and I just plan on rolling with the punches. Adapt, overcome, finish is my mantra.

In my training, I have done a lot of fun runs this winter. A few of my highlights are a three part snow show race series at Bradbury, a celebratory 60th birthday party by completing a 60k, a fat ass running event at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, and some epic adventures with my buddy Adam.

The Bradbury snow shoe races series started in January and completed in early March. It is hosted by Trail Monsters Running (TMR) at Bradbury State Park. The distances varied from under 3 miles (due to lack of snow) to just over 4 miles. Not very long, but challenging in their own rights. The weather was just about perfect on each of the race mornings with cold temperatures and plenty of sunshine. The best part race series was the community, energy, seeing my running friends, and being officially badged as part of the TMR family. This was the first time I have raced in snow shoes. I have run in them often over the years but only on my own. I can say without a doubt, I didn’t enjoy the race experience in them. I just felt clunky, over worked for the speed achieved, and just generally felt that I am better suited out of snow shoes. I don’t see myself signing up for next years series but who knows. I change my mind often about these things. At the very least I’ll certainly volunteer and cheer on as part of the TMR community.

Toward the end February, I joined one of the TMR leaders and 40 or so other TMR friends to celebrate her 60th birthday by doing a fat ass event with the goal of doing a 60k, if you wanted to. Fat ass events are in the theme low key ultras with the idea of being relaxed, loosely organized, community fun adventure runs. I without question took on the challenge of the full 60k. (Seriously, of course I would). The course was set up for 6 mile loops back to the start. The day was warm for February and absolutely stunning with bright sunshine and clear skies. The dinger of this day was the ground cover conditions, it was like running on sugar. My hips paid the price for several days after for completing the distance. I even grabbed my poles for the last 2 loops as I feeling the burn. Partly, that’s because I decided to toss my “heart rate” training out the window and went out on the first 3 loops with another runner (cough, 12 years younger, cough). Because you know, I can’t help and throw down when the opportunity presents itself……I lost. Still had a great day and out of the 40 plus starters only 2 of us went the full distance and I felt accomplished and glad for my training to see me through the conditions.

A couple weeks after the 60k I joined another TMR Fat Ass event at the Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. This park was a hidden gem of a location for me. I had never heard of it before and it was about 25 mins from home. They have a great trail system and I’ll definitely be doing more exploring this spring/summer. The idea with the event was to go as far as you can in a 6 hour window. It was once again a loop style with each taking you about 4 1/2 miles. About 20 other runners started the day and I took off at a brisk pace leading the pack. Unlike a couple weeks before there wasn’t anyone who went out with me so I set my own steady strong pace. I once again ignored my heart rate training pace but at least I planned on it this time. The terrain was challenging but nothing like the sugar. This was surprise frost holes, mud, and ice. You know typical Maine transition season trail conditions. I finished the first loop fast to discover I was about a mile short in the distance. Luckily one of the TMR’s was getting a late start so I went back out with her and found where I went wrong. I am glad to have corrected this error as it was a beautiful single track section. After we reconnected to the main trail that I had inadvertently stayed on Lap one, I broke off and retraced the single track section to make up for the distance I had skipped. I finished my 2nd loop strong and right in line with mileage. I went on to finish 4 more Laps bringing my days total to 6 Laps (around 27 miles). I spent the better part of my day alone in the woods occasionally passing by runners coming in and out of the start. I am probably missing the point of fat ass events and really should spend the day as part of the community. But on this day I did go the furthest distance in the given time and earn myself a delicious growler out of it. I think the next fat ass I’ll stay with a group and enjoy the day chatting….yeah, sure, that’ll happen.

One of my favorite memories from running this winter was with Adam on a 15 mile day out at Bradbury. The plan was simple: Start at 7 am and leave from Bradbury to connect with a TMR group run 10 miles away at another park by way of what is referred to as the beautiful loop at 9 AM. Only catch was i had never run the loop and was guessing on the directions and the hand drawn map. I guessed wrong and didn’t even start on the correct side of the park (way to go Bucky, nice map reading skills). We never met up with TMR group and the conditions were intense. Intense might be an under statement. It was a rainy, cold, slushy hell, but I wouldn’t trade it for another day. Most of that has to do with having company. On my own, I am not sure I would have gone the full 15 miles, as it was the TMR group that I was suppose to meet only ended up doing 3 miles themselves. Most of the morning was spent running through ankle deep slush and simply getting lost. Adam and I forged ahead convinced we were on the right track, we weren’t and not even close. Our adventure took us through streams, and into knee deep slush, all the while my saying, “oh just a little longer and we will be there”. Finally, when 9 AM hit and we faced a significantly larger stream forging, we admitted defeat. We had zero desire to go back the way we had come, and cut through the woods to what we hoped was the right direction of a road. We didn’t find a road, but we found a familiar trail…….the one we had started on two hours earlier. Having done a complete circle, we decided to go up Bradbury and at least get a summit out of this, and completing our last few miles to call the day at 15. The day was very challenging, but it was a wonderful memory to look back upon. We blasted our favorite songs, we sang, we made videos of us running through the slush, and trying to jump over streams (unsuccessfully, it turns out that like in high school track, I still can’t jump). All in all one of my top running days of the winter.

As winter comes to a close and we transition to spring, I remain hopeful that with Covid19 will go away as fast as it has come and Riverlands will be a go. The hosts (TMR) has said they will make the decisions by April 20th. Even if it is canceled my near 500 miles of training so far this year won’t go to waste. I will continue to push ahead as I have lots to do the summer and fall (hopefully). My grand plan for the year was to complete all the races TMR hosts and offers. This includes the snow shoes race series (check), the summer trail race series, and Big Brad 50 milers/50K. The only hitch in the plan is how to do the 50 mile and 50K (82 miles). The run the same course, just the 50K does one less loop but it is technically its own race. I have two ideas: the first is that TMR will allow me an extra early 4:30 AM start, and will even allow me to finish an hour after cut off at 7:30 PM. That would gives me 15 hours to complete my goal, but also means I need to average 11 min/miles on a challenging course. I am not sure I can do it, and am waiting to see how I do at Riverlands at 80 miles in. The second idea and back up plan is to run the 50K on the day before the race and the 50 miler on race day. Beyond the TMR races, I plan on going back to Tennessee for the 2020 running of the Barkley Fall Classic and finish the year with round 4 of the good old Milly-nocket marathon.

These great plans for the remainder of the year have left me optimistic and feeling strong. My body aches and pains are minimal with my nagging left hamstring mild on the worst days. Maybe there is something to this anaerobic target heart rate training that is slowing me down. Here is to hope and faith that I have many positive race reports for the year, but if all else fails no better way to be socially distant then out in the woods and over the mountains. A happy runner signing off, Namaste.