Another PR on my 2.5 mile hill climb. Last week I took 1:30 off my best and today I took an additional 26" off with my HR one beat lower than last week. I stopped to pick up a penny too (I learned from Paula Newby-Fraser that it is bad luck to not pick up a penny before a race. Now I can't get it out of my head and am too scared to ignore it). During my taper for my first 50 mile race I ran 15:56 on Sanitas so I think this week might be another hard effort up to see how I compare. I've never been as strong on hill climbs as I am right now. A combination of double baby jogger, very hard focus on weight training, and also 1-2 hard bike workouts a week that focus on strength. It shows on the scales too as I have gotten my weight up to ~150 on a good day. After some runs I am still hitting in the 145 range though.
And I have gotten tons of comments via e-mail regarding my strategy for Leadville. To be clear, Justin put words in to my mouth and made an assumption. In my comment I said that a "friend suggested" which is far from me saying what I will be doing. I honestly have no idea how I will run. Not a clue. When I am jogging very lightly and almost uncomfortably slow I am hitting about 8:30 pace. This is one minute per mile faster than Matt Carpenter's course record... or in other words my recovery jogging effort is a suicidal pace. And there in lies the real conundrum. I do believe that running too slowly is very stressful on the body, so all I can imagine I will do is stay as relaxed and easy as possible and exert as little effort as possible in the first 50 miles and let the fatigue come to me rather than chase it. I will wear a HR monitor and hold my HR to a very low ceiling in the first 50. My only other real goal involves the number of calories and ounces of fluid I take in before half way. I feel that nutrition is my strong point which I learned from Ironman. Being able to run a 2:50 marathon after 6 hours of hard swimming and biking requires that you eat a lot. In 15 Ironmans my slowest over-all time was 9:50. For running my longest run so far has been 10:30... so beyond this I have zero plans or clues as to what is going to happen.
I may feel amazing and strong and positive or I may be crapping myself and weeping for my mom. I don't know and I think it's a waste of energy to assume or try to predict. But I do believe I am capable of going under 9 hours for the first half and then under 11 hours for the second half. Sub 20 hours, which has been my goal all along.
And there are still the possibilities of either a DNS or a DNF. Although I am pretty sure that my pacer will not allow either.
22 comments:
The HRM for the first half should be very valuable. Matt's 9:30 suicidal pace involves climbing at altitude, so that might not be the best measuring stick! I think a 12:00 mile on these climbs would be a pretty hard effort and a 7:00 down - well, I don't know.. But, if the climbs were at a 13:00 pace then a 6:00 on the downs could be tough.
I'm sure that's why you're opting for the HRM!!!
It's so completely foreign to me that I don't have even a clue as to how to run it! Paces really don't mean anything simply because of the vast number of different grades and also altitude. HR will be my choice because I understand it well. But after a certain point, around 8 hours, HR will be useless. We'll see! I'll know more on Sunday after the race.
You got me started wearing the HR monitor (via GZ). I am leaving it at home for the race. It lies to me up there.
Have you considered the sprint-up-barrel-roll-down method? Wear pads.
It only shows you what you don't want to see.
That will be plan E if A-D fail.
I trust you'll take care if yourself in the first 50, hook up with me and we'll cruise in. Maybe thurs you can hit sanitas and a little extra with me?
I'm down to a pretty light weight (lighter than ive been in 2 years) and trained pretty well right now and amped up for Leadville! I'm excited to see you do well and thrilled to be a small part of it!
That I am still alive when I am wishing to die at 20+ hours?
Tim- Ya. The plan is 100% to hit Winfield feeling good and with a full tank of fuel. You'll be a big part!
Brandon- Ha! That's why I plan to shed the HR at Winfield. Not sure I want to know I'm alive after 20 hours!
Tim- I would also be up for a TT effort up Green. I have to be home by 1pm though so I might need to start earlier than I had originally planned.
That's fine. Let's meet at my place at 8am run to and up green, down the backside and back for a nice 2nd 40 min loop?
2:40 run with 4000ft vertical just 9 days out? I was thinking of 1:00-1:15 max.
you're worried about tapering and you want to run a time trial up and down green?
I can meet you at the trailhead then. I NEED the mileage! ;-)
I'm not worried about tapering, I've done it a hundred times. A solid time up Green would be satisfying to me and since it isn't an actual race I will run well :)
What's a good time up the hard route on Green anyway? I think I ran 32 something for our TT in the snow and rain wasted tired.
hope you're not asking me. I barely ever wear a watch.
Ya, I'm not a super tech geek as others either. I'm sure some guys know the split to every tree up those routes.
Front side is just over 2 miles and I think you'd be faster than 32 since you did that with snow. And this far out - I don't think it would be a problem.
Let me know what time on Thurs.
29:XX...
Warm-up to Amphitheater then get it on. I will double check and e-mail you.
"How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight" -Tyler Durden
I can't offer any advice, the longest I have run is 13...miles and that was in New Orleans and Houston (Overpasses are considered "hills") but I can say from Louisiana "Geaux Tim Geaux". Looking forward to reading a positive race report, I think you are due.
JP- A little fight club does the body good.
Thanks Kevin!
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