222 days until the 2012 Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run...
I've been away from blogging for 3 days - not because I've taken the weekend off from working out - quite the contrary - had 2 great workouts, family activities, etc :o)
12.3 miles - 2 hrs - Aaron Maurer, Chad Uhde, Rick Fountain, John Byrne
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/63573020/?new_route=1
5.4 miles - 1 hr - Aaron Maurer, Curt Johnston, Rick Fountain, John Byrne
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/63339160/?new_route=1
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/63573020/?new_route=1
My legs were tight in the beginning but they loosened up after about 20 minutes. Today we decided to incorporate some power walking into the run when we hit steeper hills. I commented to Rick that we probably should have been doing this all along. Whatever mistakes are in the past should be left in the past and I should just look toward the future. I knew this from previous experience but my stubborness pushed the notion that "reprieve from running is a good thing" to the back of my mind for the past 5 months. Well, the results of periodically power walking the upper 1/3 to 1/2 of some steeper hills left us refreshed near the top of the hills, gave us a kickstart to start the next part of the run, helped us achieve a negative split of 4 minutes on the back half of our run, and made us feel less tired at the end of our run than in the past. I will try to remember this for all future long runs that we do.
I have told a number of people about my sister Kim's experiences with marathons. Kim has developed an amazing attitude about living a healthy lifestyle - she loves to run and to stretch. She has run more marathon races in her life than I know I ever will. She's not motivated to beat others or to torture her body in her runs, she just likes to run and does an excellent job. She once told me that when she ran her first two marathons she refrained ran through the water stations so she wouldn't lose time. On her 3rd marathon she questioned her sanity, wondering, "Why am I not enjoying this race more and replenishing my body with needed fluids? It's not like I'm at the front of the pack setting out to win this race." So she stopped at every water station there was, walked a bit and drank water. The end result - she posted her fastest time ever. We often forget the body needs rest and nourishment. I need to keep this in mind as I continue training for this monstrous race.
Sunday night was a terrific night as I made contact with Christian Robbins - a friend I met at 2005 Leadville. Christian is an amazing runner, but more than that, he is an incredibly wonderful person. I am impressed with many of the quality people I have met through working out and particularly, with long distance running.
Christian DNF'd (did not finish) at Leadville in 2004 - which was shocking considering that when I met him in 2005, he was incredibly strong and fit and blew away the course in less than 24 hours. He was a man on a mission in 2005 and was not to be denied. Since setting my 24 hr goal for Leadville, I've been wanting to reconnect with him to try to learn what he did during 2005 to go from not finishing to not just finishing, but finishing among the great runners. After trading a few emails and voicemails we finally connected last night on the phone. In answer to my question of "What do you attribute your success to?" he gave me some excellent advice - some of what I was expecting and some of what I wasn't expecting.
1. Setting a specific goal and training for it. Christian actually had a goal of sub 25 hours, which is what he needed to earn a gold belt buckle but the run was going well for him and his performance the first 60 miles put him on a new high that helped him fly the remaining 40 miles. I am locked in on 24 hours. It may or may not happen but it is what I want and I will use that as fuel to keep working hard to realize it.
2. Having a meaningful purpose for your goal. This means different things to different people. Whatever the purpose is, it better be meaningful enough to get you through the pain and difficulties you will inevitably encounter during this race. We'll find out on August 18th if my purpose is meaningful enough to get it done. I believe it is. I am very motivated by overcoming difficult obstacles and given the fact that I barely finished the last race in time, I think a sub 24 hour finish qualifies as overcoming a difficult obstacle. It also fits in nicely with what I am attempting to do with inspiring others through speaking and writing - that we are all capable of accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves in life.
3. Training with intensity, especially during workouts that are 1 hour or less. Christian has told me that he runs on a treadmill at 10 mph for 60 minutes! Whoa! I am very intimidated by that, but I know it is something that I should strive for. I have run for 45 minutes at 8 mph so it isn't unthinkable but will probably be something I need to work up to. He strongly believes that searing the lungs is a good thing. I am of the same mindset that the mental toughness that comes with continuing on when you are exhausted is very valuable - especially at Leadville when there are so many mind games that occur. Rick and I have done a lot of very intense training on the treadmill at 10-12 mph but usually in 30 - 150 second spurts. It is very difficult but 10 mph for 60 consecutive minutes is a whole different ballgame. I will incorporate intensity into future workouts.
Surprising to me was learning that Christian DNF'd after 5 consecutive successful Leadville finishes. When I asked him why, he commented that he didn't feel a strong sense of purpose like he had in the other years, plus the weather was lousy that year. He did say that he could have made it through the weather if he had chosen but wasn't feeling a strong sense of purpose. I will hang on to my sense of purpose and mission - which I feel is very strong at this point.
I am so glad I had the chance to talk to Christian last night - what an inspiration. I learned so much and look forward to continued conversation with him over the next eight months.
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
I've been away from blogging for 3 days - not because I've taken the weekend off from working out - quite the contrary - had 2 great workouts, family activities, etc :o)
This is where it all begins and ends - the start (4 a.m.) at the corner of 6th St. and Main St. in Leadville, Colorado!
Saturday started off at 4:30 a.m. with a run that totaled 33.5 miles. It was actually broken up into 4 legs to accommodate the people who joined up with us along the way. Attached are the links of the maps of what we ran. We finished at 10:46 a.m. and actual running time was 5 hrs and 46 minutes.
12.3 miles - 2 hrs - Aaron Maurer, Chad Uhde, Rick Fountain, John Byrne
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/63573020/?new_route=1
5.4 miles - 1 hr - Aaron Maurer, Curt Johnston, Rick Fountain, John Byrne
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/63339160/?new_route=1
5.2 miles - 1 hr - Curt Johnston, Rick Fountain, John Byrne
10.6 miles - 2 hrs - Doug Himmelman (muling on bike), Rick Fountain, John Byrne
This is the longest single day we have traversed since starting this training on September 1st. Legs were tired, as expected but we finished pretty strong considering the length of the run. It is interesting to note how the first 2 hr leg was 12.3 miles and the last two 2 hr legs were 10.6 and 10.6 miles. We did finish up a few minutes early on the final 2 hr leg and we had a couple longer walk breaks on the last two legs - it just goes to show how the body does fatigue the longer it goes on. There will probably be more severe drops than this when Leadville rolls around. I was very pleased that the there was an improvement from the 2nd leg to the 3rd leg.
Foolishly I didn't stretch much afterwards so I felt pretty tight the rest of the day - I learned my lesson. Rick and I confirmed plans for a leisurely 2 hour run Sunday at 7 a.m. :o)
Sunday morning run - approximately 12.5 miles - a little inexact as I don't remember exactly which farmhouse we turned around at but it's pretty close.
My legs were tight in the beginning but they loosened up after about 20 minutes. Today we decided to incorporate some power walking into the run when we hit steeper hills. I commented to Rick that we probably should have been doing this all along. Whatever mistakes are in the past should be left in the past and I should just look toward the future. I knew this from previous experience but my stubborness pushed the notion that "reprieve from running is a good thing" to the back of my mind for the past 5 months. Well, the results of periodically power walking the upper 1/3 to 1/2 of some steeper hills left us refreshed near the top of the hills, gave us a kickstart to start the next part of the run, helped us achieve a negative split of 4 minutes on the back half of our run, and made us feel less tired at the end of our run than in the past. I will try to remember this for all future long runs that we do.
I have told a number of people about my sister Kim's experiences with marathons. Kim has developed an amazing attitude about living a healthy lifestyle - she loves to run and to stretch. She has run more marathon races in her life than I know I ever will. She's not motivated to beat others or to torture her body in her runs, she just likes to run and does an excellent job. She once told me that when she ran her first two marathons she refrained ran through the water stations so she wouldn't lose time. On her 3rd marathon she questioned her sanity, wondering, "Why am I not enjoying this race more and replenishing my body with needed fluids? It's not like I'm at the front of the pack setting out to win this race." So she stopped at every water station there was, walked a bit and drank water. The end result - she posted her fastest time ever. We often forget the body needs rest and nourishment. I need to keep this in mind as I continue training for this monstrous race.
Sunday night was a terrific night as I made contact with Christian Robbins - a friend I met at 2005 Leadville. Christian is an amazing runner, but more than that, he is an incredibly wonderful person. I am impressed with many of the quality people I have met through working out and particularly, with long distance running.
Christian DNF'd (did not finish) at Leadville in 2004 - which was shocking considering that when I met him in 2005, he was incredibly strong and fit and blew away the course in less than 24 hours. He was a man on a mission in 2005 and was not to be denied. Since setting my 24 hr goal for Leadville, I've been wanting to reconnect with him to try to learn what he did during 2005 to go from not finishing to not just finishing, but finishing among the great runners. After trading a few emails and voicemails we finally connected last night on the phone. In answer to my question of "What do you attribute your success to?" he gave me some excellent advice - some of what I was expecting and some of what I wasn't expecting.
1. Setting a specific goal and training for it. Christian actually had a goal of sub 25 hours, which is what he needed to earn a gold belt buckle but the run was going well for him and his performance the first 60 miles put him on a new high that helped him fly the remaining 40 miles. I am locked in on 24 hours. It may or may not happen but it is what I want and I will use that as fuel to keep working hard to realize it.
2. Having a meaningful purpose for your goal. This means different things to different people. Whatever the purpose is, it better be meaningful enough to get you through the pain and difficulties you will inevitably encounter during this race. We'll find out on August 18th if my purpose is meaningful enough to get it done. I believe it is. I am very motivated by overcoming difficult obstacles and given the fact that I barely finished the last race in time, I think a sub 24 hour finish qualifies as overcoming a difficult obstacle. It also fits in nicely with what I am attempting to do with inspiring others through speaking and writing - that we are all capable of accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves in life.
3. Training with intensity, especially during workouts that are 1 hour or less. Christian has told me that he runs on a treadmill at 10 mph for 60 minutes! Whoa! I am very intimidated by that, but I know it is something that I should strive for. I have run for 45 minutes at 8 mph so it isn't unthinkable but will probably be something I need to work up to. He strongly believes that searing the lungs is a good thing. I am of the same mindset that the mental toughness that comes with continuing on when you are exhausted is very valuable - especially at Leadville when there are so many mind games that occur. Rick and I have done a lot of very intense training on the treadmill at 10-12 mph but usually in 30 - 150 second spurts. It is very difficult but 10 mph for 60 consecutive minutes is a whole different ballgame. I will incorporate intensity into future workouts.
Surprising to me was learning that Christian DNF'd after 5 consecutive successful Leadville finishes. When I asked him why, he commented that he didn't feel a strong sense of purpose like he had in the other years, plus the weather was lousy that year. He did say that he could have made it through the weather if he had chosen but wasn't feeling a strong sense of purpose. I will hang on to my sense of purpose and mission - which I feel is very strong at this point.
I am so glad I had the chance to talk to Christian last night - what an inspiration. I learned so much and look forward to continued conversation with him over the next eight months.
Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!
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