I love talking running with other runners.  It warms me up; like a wax warmer sending heat and a beautiful fragrance to my soul.

With the first official week of ultra training under my belt, I am feeling motivated and energized.  This is partially thanks to the extra half week of rest due to my sprained ankle and partly to some encouraging conversations from really tough everyday runners.

For me, running is definitely not a solo sport.  It is way more fun to run with others and to share stories and experiences with people who "get it" and have "been there". I am constantly amazed by the people in my clubs; both the road runners and the trail runners.  These are people who hold it down with work and family like everyone else and still find ways to train 40, 50, 80 miles a week with thousands of feet of elevation gain to boot (I'm thinking maybe I'll resuscitate theRunnersRun Interviews sometime soon...there are some awesome stories).  It blows my mind but also makes it accessible.  Like...if they can do it, why can't I?  God made our bodies to do amazing things.  It's just a matter of focusing and finding the motivation to persevere.   With a bit of training and dedication almost anything is possible.

Increasing Mileage

This first week of ultra training was a 30 mile week.  I am training for the TARC Fall Classic 50 mile Ultramarathon on September 30th.  It is about 13 weeks away.  This first week was a fun week which spanned vacation on the Cape and lots and lots of fireworks.  It felt pretty easy to get the miles in.

I hope to run at least 30 miles a week for the duration of the training and to get a few (at least two) 50 mile weeks.  This is a lot of running for me but necessary.  The goal of this training regiment is to RUN MORE.  50 miles in one day is a long way and I will not be prepared if I cannot get at least two 50 miles weeks in training.  Check how I'm doing here.

I feel good now but the real test will be after 9 or 10 weeks of training when the cumulative fatigue starts to hit.  Like I told a friend from my club this evening who I ran into on my run, I'm taking it one training run at a time.  If I look out at future weeks in the schedule, I get overwhelmed :)

Training Plan

I plan to use the below plan as a guide for weekend long runs.  I found it using a random Google search that lead me to the Santa Clarita Runners Ultramarathon Training Schedule Generator.   I'm already a little behind the schedule because of the sprain set-back but I'm okay with adjusting.  The long run schedule seems logical and I will plan to follow the progression.  I plan to do my own thing for the weekday runs. Run-commuting to work (6 miles one way) is a standard weekly run for me and I'm hoping to incorporate a couple of back to back runs per week involving the commute.  Long runs will mostly be done on the trails to mimic race conditions.

Stay tuned for summer running fun!

How about you?

Do you think of running as a solo sport of more of a community sport?

Do you follow a plan when training for a race?

Have you ever had that kind of run that keeps you up at night?  Makes you want to go back because you know you can do better?  That's how I felt about the Reservoir trail run I did with my friend Liza earlier this month. 

It was rough.  Took me out for a week but I really wanted to do it again.

The Reservoir trail really is a beautiful trail in the Middlesex Fells Reservation.  It's about a 6 mile loop around 3 reservoirs; South Reservoir, Middle Reservoir, and North Reservoir.  The trail crosses two towns, Medford and Winchester and is marked with orange markers.  It can be hilly but it's not very technical.  It has a lot of little nuisances in the many rocks and roots waiting to trip you up.  The Skyline trail (white markers) also circles the reservoirs as well as some access roads and smaller unmarked paths.

Two weekends ago my friend Liza and I attended the TARC Trail Running Camp held at the Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA.  

TARC (Trail Animals Running Club) is a local trail running group with active members mostly in New England but in other states as well.  I have been interested in running with them for quite some time but haven't up until now. 

I have been thinking about becoming a morning runner for a while now.  I decided to make my move this month.   

There is one small detail that has been standing in my way...I am probably the opposite of a morning person.  I find the transition from sleep to activity extremely challenging and not to mention I'm super uncoordinated when groggy.  My body becomes its own tripping hazard.

A couple weeks ago I decided to do my 15 mile run on a one mile loop around my neighborhood.

Why, you ask?

Because...Honestly...

I have been feeling like a crap runner these days.

I know that's not true. I know that running performance is all relative.  I know that I should be happy with how far I've come (I only managed 32 miles last year due to injury!).  Even with all of that "knowledge", I have still feel that something is off in this marathon ramp up.

My runs have been super slow (I mean suuuppper slow) and the process just hasn't felt the same as it has in the past.  I have been distracted by all the details and a little more than intimidated by the distances.  It was starting to worry me that if I couldn't get a solid run in before marathon day,  I would be in for a disaster on the 18th.

I decided to do the loop to strip all the logistics and worries away.

just run.

Surprisingly, it worked out.

My house was the "aid station".  The 4 major streets around my neighborhood connect for a one mile loop.  Of course I switched up directions and I forced myself to only stop according to plan -- running the first 5 miles nonstop then stopping every 2 miles after that.

I think this worked out because:

1.  I was close to home so I knew what to expect.

2.  I had easy access to fuel without having to haul it.  I carried my shot blocks but left water and Gatorade on my porch.

3.  Knowing the route allowed me to zone out and just run. I was able to maintain a steady pace the whole way!

Aside from slight boredom, there were no issues.  It was really good to get my legs moving and get a little confidence back.

Best run I've had all summer.