50k Training: Week 1

This is unrelated to this post (and taken over a week ago) but it was one of the best sunrises I've ever seen so it's going here.

COME ON.

So I started 50k training this past week! I plan to eventually write a post about the training plan I'm using (which I stole from this girl) but for now you'll have to be content with a training summary because grad school.

Monday: rest

I actually planned to run but then the weekend (which was spent at a cabin and frantically trying to catch up on work after said cabin trip) got to me and I just couldn't. I was pissed at myself ("seriously? You're bailing on the very first day of training?!") until I looked at my schedule and realized Mondays are rest days. I originally planned  to do my longer runs on Thursdays and Fridays until I remembered I have a job I'm paid to actually perform, and occasionally during normal work hours. Consequently I shifted my weekly schedule to a more normal one which gives me Mondays and Fridays off. Training cycle saved!

Tuesday: 5 miles, easy

I did my go-to morning run up Skinner Butte, a super short but super sweet .75-mile ascent with a halfway decent view of Eugene. It was dark nearly the entire time (thanks, fog!) but fortunately I didn't run into any trouble (like almost getting peed on by a homeless person, which did actually happen under similar circumstances last December - but that's a story for another day). Overall, it wasn't a very memorable run.

Fogged-in sunrise.

Wednesday: 6 miles, less easy-ish

I really needed to get to school so I stuck to relatively flat pavement and pushed the pace. These runs are so much easier than trail runs, but way less enjoyable.

Thursday: 5 miles, trail

I really didn't have time to go to Spencer Butte but dammit, I wanted to! I was too early to see the sun rise, which sucked, but I've become quite fond of the Spencer area trails, which I thought were pretty lame when I first discovered them (trees, trees, trees). I was ten minutes late for office hours but hey, teacher's training for a 50k, kids! But really, no one shows up to office hours at 9:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning anyway so it was fine.

Friday: rest

I was thinking of running this day since I was planning to spend Saturday at a nearby hot springs but decided four days in a row, especially following a strenuous trail run, was not advisable.

Saturday: 2 miles

Better than no run, I guess? I wouldn't have run at all but I had to get my car after leaving it at a friend's house the previous night. I was running, like, 14-minute miles. Real speedster over here.

The hot spring (is hot springs always plural? There was only one) was awesome, by the way. Although the "warm springs trail" sign should have tipped us off - this was a very lukewarm spring. A great time was had nonetheless.

Sunday: 10 miles, long run

My plan had me doing 8 miles on Saturday and 4 miles on Sunday so even though my schedule was a bit wack I wanted to make sure I got the mileage in. I don't think I've done 10 miles since my trail half back in November.

I ran the first five miles with a couple of friends on a flat trail before driving to some steeper trails for the last five. The sun was out in full force and I was down to a t-shirt by the end, which was awesome. The run felt reassuringly easy. I wasn't breaking any speed records but I was moving along at a pretty decent clip.

Total: 28 miles

A couple of things:

• I need to be careful about doing my runs too fast. I often feel rushed in the morning which, given that I now have specific mileage targets, forces me to run faster than I should. I'm a pretty firm believer in slow, slow miles so I need to suck it up and wake up earlier.
• I'm going to have to be more flexible about training than I was when I trained for my marathon a couple of years ago. I tend to be pretty OCD about training but with my current professional/personal obligations that's not going to fly. I'll be happy as long as I can get the miles in, in whatever combination.

Have a wonderful start to your week!

One more sunrise picture. Seriously, this morning was ridiculous. I could have sat there for hours.

A (Hopeful) Return To Longer Distances

So that race I alluded to the other day? It's the McDonald Forest 50k! Yup, I'm jumping on the mini-ultra train. Or attempting to, at least. Here's why:

I wanted to do a longer race

I don't like running fast because of all the pukiness it entails, but I do enjoy the "pain" that comes from running longer distances. I've run enough half marathons at this point that there isn't much excitement in racing them. I know I can finish one without much training and since I'm not very speed-focused I don't feel like there's much to work towards. Training for a marathon was "thrilling" in the sense that I really had no idea whether I'd be able to do it. Consequently, I wanted to aim for something longer than 13 miles.

A road marathon didn't sound all that exciting

There are marathons in Eugene three weekends in a row in May (why???). Running one of them seemed the obvious choice because I wouldn't have to go anywhere and I have a better chance of convincing friends to come watch me plod along. Unfortunately, I've logged what feels like a billion miles on Eugene's main running paths (which are nice and all but not super interesting) and the thought of racing on them is really unappealing. My lowest point of the Mayor's Marathon (which offers a much better/more varied course, in my opinion) came when I hit the paths I did the majority of my training on. I wanted to avoid that this time around. So the first two races were out! Sorry Eugene Marathon, I don't understand why people think you're so great.

The Vineyards Marathon (which takes place on the outskirts of Eugene) seemed more promising but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was almost dreading doing a road marathon despite the fact that I really wanted to do a marathon (don't worry, it didn't make any sense in my head either). I've loved all the trail running I've been doing recently, though, and the idea of a trail race was exciting!

Ultras, yo!

I was taken in by the hype the second I found out they exist (summer 2009, in a magazine I found lying around at work. I could. not. believe. there are people out there who can run farther than 26.2 miles. Mind. Blown.). I couldn't help but want to try one. Will I like it? Who knows. Will I want to go farther? I haven't a clue. But I'd like to give it a shot.

Corvallis isn't that far from Eugene

I can sleep in my bed the night before. I miiiight even be able to drag a friend or two along.

It's a forest (waaaah), but there are some views along the course

A few race reports lead me to believe there are views (at times). The only other nearby race with views (that I could find) was the Mary's Peak 50k, but that seems to be a much smaller race (I think there were 40 runners last year?). This is in the same area but attracts more people.

The timing seemed right

The race is about a month into UO's third quarter so my workload shouldn't be too ridiculous. It also means I'll have plenty of time to run during Spring Break, which should be one of my highest-mileage weeks. Or, at least, I'll have plenty of time to run if I don't decide to go backpacking instead which I kind of really want to do. We'll see how/whether that sorts itself out.

I also wanted to race earlier in the year because Oregon is unbearably hot in the summer.

I've finally figured out how to fit running into my somewhat demanding school/life schedule

The key? Running in the morning! The transition was pure misery but after weeks (or maybe months?) of incredibly shitty runs, it finally clicked. These days I'm up by 6:15 and exercised, showered, fed, and on campus by 9:00 or 9:30. I'll have to run higher-mileage weeks to train for this thing but the jump from 30(ish) to 50 or whatever should be doable.

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I'm a bit hesitant to throw this goal out into the interblogs since I really hate the feeling of not following through on a stated goal. I also don't like half-assing training. School is my priority right now so if I think training for a 50k is taking away from my studies I'll have to dial down my mileage, which would likely result in a DNS. However, my excitement about the race outweighs the expected disappointment of a possible DNS.

So there you have it! May 7 (9? Too lazy to check) I'll be at the McDonald Forest 50k, barring injury/school/whatever.

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For your viewing pleasure, some pictures from the rest of my stay in Alaska:

The two photos above were taken in the same spot, one when it was warmer and there wasn't much snow and the other when it was cooler and there was fresh snow on the ground. I'm not sure why the second is so dark as it was a very bright day!

I did this hike my last day in Alaska. It was amazing.

I'm okay with these trees. 

Flying from Seattle to Eugene. I can't remember which mountain this is but it's a big 'un!

Oh hey, how did this get here?! I added two pairs of Pace Gloves to my collection because I think Merrell stopped making them entirely (you may remember the buying frenzy that ensued when Merrell came out with the Pace Glove 2.0, which I thought didn't look nearly as comfortable as the original. Well, it looks as though Merrell's largely ditched its minimalist collection, which blows). A week ago I panicked, went on Ebay and bought the only two pairs of size 8s I could find. They're the same color. Too bad I'll have to find another shoe for the 50k (because mud); I haven't found anything remotely as comfortable as these for running [insert "MINIMALISM ISN'T FOR EVERYONE, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T TRY IT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO HOLD ME RESPONSIBLE" disclaimer here]