So, after the fiasco last month of trying to figure out what 100-miler to sign up for and be able to qualify for Western States, I think I’ve finally got it figured out.
Here is what my schedule looks like so far:
Well hell. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, someone throws a wrench in your plans. And when you come up with a new plan, someone throws another wrench in your new plans. I CAN’T WIN!
After I didn’t get into the Western States (WS) drawing, I was 100% sure that I was going back to Run Woodstock and run the Hallucination 100. 100% SURE. Then my friend David sent me this… Continue reading
WARNING: Some of the content in this post may be a little graphic for sensitive readers. Shit happens. Deal with it. 🙂
I admit. Writing the details of my entire experience has been tough. You guys wanted the details and I plan on giving them to you along with answering the questions that you posted, but it’s taking me way longer than I expected. So, with that said, this isn’t going to be your traditional race report where I tell you mile for mile from beginning to end what happened, what I ate, and what the course was like. Instead, I’ll tell you about the moments that stood out to me the most and answer your questions in detail in my next post. Continue reading
Strong body, strong heart, strong spirit, patient mind. This has been my mantra over the past two weeks. It’s what’s going to get me through the 100-miler, along with a lot of grit. I haven’t been nervous, yet. In fact, this taper has been nothing like those taper periods in the past. I have no doubt that I put in the training and I have ran in just about scenario that can come up on race day. Continue reading
Saturday, April 18, 2015 marked my third 50-miler race. I died a thousand deaths on that course on that hot humid day. Okay, so I don’t have to be so dramatic about it, but this was a tough one for me. I did everything wrong, and I knew I was doing it wrong, but I did it anyway. Stupid is as stupid does. I don’t understand why I couldn’t get my head in the game, perhaps it was because that I had such great runs after less than stellar training that I thought I could get away without proper nutrition, hydration, and pacing during the race. It’s a 50-miler for Christ sake…you HAVE to be diligent about all of those things. I wasn’t, I got lazy, perhaps cocky, and I suffered. Continue reading
It’s hard to believe that this time last year I was prepping for my very first ultramarthon. I had no idea that a year later that the same race will turn into just a little ol’ training run to prepare for longer distances ahead. So much can happen during the course of a year…SO MUCH! Continue reading
January has come to a close and it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind with getting my running schedule set for 2015. I once again joined the Charm City Run Ultramarthon training group and I’ve made a couple new crazy running friends. The training runs with the group have been pretty awesome and I’m loving every moment being with them. They’re definitely my kind of crazy. Continue reading
When I registered for the JFK50 at the beginning of the summer, I knew that there was a chance of burning out. I have been training non-stop since I started running almost 3 years ago, but I got caught up in the moment and signed up anyway. There were spots left in what is typically a sold out race, and it was the oldest foot race in America, so why not? I had only trained for 9 weeks with my last 50-miler (NorthFace Endurance Challenge DC) and wanted to see what I could really do if I hunkered down and trained hard. Well, if you’ve been following my blog, you know that the exact opposite happened. I got sick, and busy, yada, yada…needless to say, the training really didn’t happen. Continue reading
I can’t believe it’s been a year last month since I started this blog! Looking back, I have shared so much with you and once again, I’m sorry I haven’t been around so much recently. As I sat back and reflected on the writings of my blog, I couldn’t help but go back to the beginning. You know, when crazy started…this crazy thing in my life called running. How does it happen? How did I start running and end up running ultramarathons? Well, I went back in time to see how crazy began. Continue reading
One of the questions I get asked the most is, “how did you train for your 50-miler?” Well, I tell you, it didn’t go as planned, but I still managed to have a successful run.
First, I didn’t use a full 16- or 18-week training plan. Instead, I piggybacked off of my 50K training and continued on for an additional 9 weeks until the 50-mile race. Was this smart? I have no idea, but it worked out okay for me. Continue reading
So What? I run. 