I have set a long-term goal of succesfully finishing the Hardrock 100 by the time I'm 40--a little over a decade away. Given how ridiculously punishing Hardrock is, and the unpredicitability of a lottery system, I have given myself a few years to achieve this goal. I recently registered for the 2011 Leadville 100. So, the majority of the posts leading up to August of 2011 will center around my efforts to succesfully finish Leadville. However, underlying my posts concerning Leadville is an unbending desire to conquer Hardrock.
Why another blog? I had to answer this question before creating yet another blog in the infinite universe of blogospher. I created this blog for two main reasons: 1) to provide an easy way for me to log my training activities, including their successes and failures. At the end of a race, whether sucessful or not, it is extremely useful to look back at your training regime in order to analzye ways to improve. The blogging format provides me with a ready alternative for documenting my training activities, and one that I can access and edit all over the world. 2) Having read many, many blogs, websites, race reports, etc. concerning ultra running, I have realized that there is very limited information out there on how to properly plan and train for ultras. I do not pretend to be an authority on properly training for ultras, but I do recognize a void in ultra training information currently available on the web. So, my hope is that by logging my training sessions and techniques, including failures and poor techniques, others might benefit.
I should also note that I am a middle of the pack runner only. I'm just a regular Joe, er Ryan.
Hi Ryan, good luck with the blog. Using it as a training tool is a good approach, as not only will it be a log of training progress it can also act as a silent training partner making you accountable and sometimes guilty if you start easing off!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the lack of information on ultras out there, and that's what I intend my blog to become, a decent resource for runners of all levels. The key thing that I am learning though is that running beyond 26.2 is that your body's response is very much individual and often inconsistent. Perhaps this is the reason why there aren't too many books on the subject, or perhaps it's because the potential authors are spending all their time out their training!
Hey Andy!
ReplyDeleteThe silent training partner aspect is a good point. Considering how long it takes to succesfully train for a 100 miler, the more accountability the better!
I actually found your blog after creating this one. You do a good job with it.
I guess the varied and inconsistent responses our bodies produce is b/c of the myriad of factors present in every race? I do think there are general principles that apply to every middle of the pack runner--e.g., the need for testing nutrition during training runs, mixing in night runs, gradually increasing mileage, the need for at least some long runs, etc. BUT, how the "rubber hits the road" in applying these principles is where individuality takes off. I will have a set workout schedule that might be ideal for me (after some tweaking, of course!), but b/c of my body type, time constraints, diet, etc. is likely not a perfect fit for others. Experimentation is key.
I hope to see you out on the trail!