Today is a nice winter day. Despite some clouds, the temp is a relatively comfortable 35 degrees and the wind is light. I set out for a one-hour maintenance run and ended up doing an hour-and-a-half. Obviously I felt good, but I probably should dial back the exuberance. It's still too early in the season for that. Anyway, if Saturday's 22-mile long run goes off as planned, this will be my first 40-mile week in the train-up to the Colorado Marathon.
Yesterday, I hit 500 miles on my ASICS GT-2160 Trail shoes. My usual rule--probably as a result of being brainwashed by the shoe companies and their agents at the running magazines like Runners World--is to discard any shoe that makes it intact to 500 miles of service. The truth is that few running shoes are that durable--at least in my experience. I love the ASICS GT-2100 series because of their durability, and even though I'm trying to move to a more minimalistic shoe, the GT-2160 (road and trail versions) continues to be my go-to training shoe. I'm thinking of giving the Saucony ProGrid Guide 5 a try though. It is lighter than the GT-2170 (the latest iteration of the GT-2100 series) and has a smaller heel-to-forefoot differential yet still offers decent cushioning. Whether it is as durable as the GT-2100 series shoes is another question.
I never completely retire running shoes that appear to have life left in them. They get a second life as yard-work shoes. Waste not, want not.
I say that, but some runners--even elite runners--make me feel like a wastrel. I was watching "Unbreakable," a documentary on the 2010 Western States 100 ultra marathon a couple of days ago and couldn't help but notice elite ultra runner Antony Krepicka's training shoes. They were gnarly. What's more, he was shown repairing/altering them by shearing off part of the soul with a knife. Here's a guy who likely gets all the free shoes he wants and he's wearing these hacked up, beaten down shoes. Plus, he runs 150+ miles per week without injury. Go figure. Maybe my 500-mile rule is too arbitrary. Just saying . . .
Speaking of shoes: In addition to the Saucony ProGrid Guide 5, I'm also considering a new trail show, the ASICS Gel-Fuji Racer, and a couple of training shoes: the Altra Instinct for the road and the forthcoming (Fall 2012) Inov-8 Trailroc series for the trail. I've never run in either Altra or Inov-8 shoes, but I've heard good things about them and would like to try them one day. You never know when you're going to find another Mr. Good Shoe!
Showing posts with label "Unbreakable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Unbreakable. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Inspiration and Ultras
Winter is still with us. Today dawned sunny, but that sunshine masked cold temps and blustery winds. Tomorrow promises worse as more snow is on the way. I figured that we'd get January sometime. It just happened to be in February. Alas.
Anyway, I braved the cold and wind and managed to complete my first speed session of the season. Considering the conditions, it went better than expected. Anyway, I keep reminding myself that foul winds blow on race day too. Conditions for both of my 2011 marathons were nasty: a cold rain and wind. Of course, both were in the Pacific Northwest. Go figure.
Following Jeff Galloway's advice (Marathon: You Can Do It!), I planned to run my 4 x 1 mile repeats at a 9:30 pace. As it turned out, I was closer to a 9:00 pace. But, I felt comfortable throughout, so I'm guessing that it wasn't too fast.
The focus of the upcoming week is a long run: 22/23 miles. I'm been checking the seven-day weather forecast and trying to pick out the best day for it. Right now, that looks like Saturday. So, I'll adjust the week's schedule with that in mind. Instead of cross training tomorrow, I'll do a slow-and-easy recovery/maintenance run of one hour.
I ate alone Friday night--leftovers!--and was thinking about my running/racing schedule following the May 6 Colorado Marathon. I've begun to narrow down my choices and am leaning toward either the Pikes Peak Ascent in August or the Madison, Wisc. North Face Endurance Challenge 50-Mile in September. Since I was spending the evening alone--the wife was out with colleagues--I watched two running videos: the race video from the 2011 Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon and "Unbreakable," a documentary about the 2010 Western States 100. My wife also is a runner, and watched these with me the first time. But, I know better than to suggest a reprise to her. So, her absence worked for both of us. For earlier comments about "Unbreakable," see here: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/just-for-hill-of-it.html
Both videos are great advertisements for their races, but "Unbreakable" is especially inspirational. I don't watch many things twice, but I've now seen it twice and expect I'll see it several more times. When you watch something a second, third, etc. time, you notice new things each time. The first time I watched "Unbreakable," I was drawn to the drama of the race among the top contenders--Anton Krepicka, Geoff Roes, Hal Koerner, and Kilian Jornet--the back stories of the four runners, and the remarkable scenery. This latest time, I was struck by the gonzo sound track.
Another takeaway from a second viewing is a deeper appreciation for the four main contenders. On the first viewing, I marveled at their self-discipline, competitive spirit, and heart (as in courage). I saw those traits the second time too, but I also saw in many ways the antithesis of the modern professional athlete. These guys were unfailingly polite, soft-spoken, and selfless. If ultra racing has any prima donnas, they were not present at the 2010 Western States 100.
Back to my soap box: Let's start a groundswell for adding a 100K trail race for the 2016 Olympic Games. After all, they're adding golf.
Anyway, I braved the cold and wind and managed to complete my first speed session of the season. Considering the conditions, it went better than expected. Anyway, I keep reminding myself that foul winds blow on race day too. Conditions for both of my 2011 marathons were nasty: a cold rain and wind. Of course, both were in the Pacific Northwest. Go figure.
Following Jeff Galloway's advice (Marathon: You Can Do It!), I planned to run my 4 x 1 mile repeats at a 9:30 pace. As it turned out, I was closer to a 9:00 pace. But, I felt comfortable throughout, so I'm guessing that it wasn't too fast.
The focus of the upcoming week is a long run: 22/23 miles. I'm been checking the seven-day weather forecast and trying to pick out the best day for it. Right now, that looks like Saturday. So, I'll adjust the week's schedule with that in mind. Instead of cross training tomorrow, I'll do a slow-and-easy recovery/maintenance run of one hour.
I ate alone Friday night--leftovers!--and was thinking about my running/racing schedule following the May 6 Colorado Marathon. I've begun to narrow down my choices and am leaning toward either the Pikes Peak Ascent in August or the Madison, Wisc. North Face Endurance Challenge 50-Mile in September. Since I was spending the evening alone--the wife was out with colleagues--I watched two running videos: the race video from the 2011 Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon and "Unbreakable," a documentary about the 2010 Western States 100. My wife also is a runner, and watched these with me the first time. But, I know better than to suggest a reprise to her. So, her absence worked for both of us. For earlier comments about "Unbreakable," see here: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/just-for-hill-of-it.html
Both videos are great advertisements for their races, but "Unbreakable" is especially inspirational. I don't watch many things twice, but I've now seen it twice and expect I'll see it several more times. When you watch something a second, third, etc. time, you notice new things each time. The first time I watched "Unbreakable," I was drawn to the drama of the race among the top contenders--Anton Krepicka, Geoff Roes, Hal Koerner, and Kilian Jornet--the back stories of the four runners, and the remarkable scenery. This latest time, I was struck by the gonzo sound track.
Another takeaway from a second viewing is a deeper appreciation for the four main contenders. On the first viewing, I marveled at their self-discipline, competitive spirit, and heart (as in courage). I saw those traits the second time too, but I also saw in many ways the antithesis of the modern professional athlete. These guys were unfailingly polite, soft-spoken, and selfless. If ultra racing has any prima donnas, they were not present at the 2010 Western States 100.
Back to my soap box: Let's start a groundswell for adding a 100K trail race for the 2016 Olympic Games. After all, they're adding golf.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Qualifying for Boston = Best Performance by Me in a Running Role
After Sunday's long run (17 miles), yesterday was an active recovery day: 3+ miles of brisk walking. Today was an active recovery/maintenance-run day: a one-hour run at a leisurely pace. Considering that I did 17 miles on Sunday, I've had only very minor soreness in my quads. Actually, hardly worth mentioning. No other issues at all. So, I'm a happy camper. I'll do another one-hour maintenance run tomorrow and cross train on Thursday. I plan to try a hill workout on Friday before more cross training on Saturday. I'll do six miles on Sunday, including a "Magic Mile" time trial. The Weather Service is predicting a week of nice winter weather here in Hog Heaven: temps near seasonal norms in the low-to-mid 30s and sunny. We'll take it!
Since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its Oscar nominations this morning (for a list of the nominees and everything else Oscar, see here: http://oscar.go.com/), I've been thinking about what kind of personal performance I'd consider Oscar-worthy in Ft. Collins (Colorado Marathon) in May. And, I think I've settled on a Boston Qualifying finishing time. Right now, that is not my time goal. In fact, my time goal is 15 minutes slower than the Boston standard for my age group. But, you never know. If my training goes better than I expect and everything falls into place on May 6 . . .
As usual, there were no running-related movies in the mix. There is a baseball movie: the Brad Pitt vehicle "Moneyball." Pitt, who plays real-life Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the movie, also was nominated for Best Actor. I read Michael Lewis' eponymous book on which the movie is based but haven't seen the movie. I do have it on my "Shopping List" at Amazon.
If there was an Oscar for Best Running-Related movie of 2012, I'd give it to Journey Film's "Unbreakable: The Western States 100," a documentary on the 2010 Western States 100 that featured a marquee battle among a quartet of elite ultra runners. See my earlier post on the film here: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/just-for-hill-of-it.html
Perhaps the best running-themed movie ever is "Chariots of Fire," which won four Academy Awards in 1981 including the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the inspirational story of two British runners who competed in the 1924 Olympics. Check it out if you've never seen it.
Of all this past year's movies, I'm most looking forward to seeing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," director David Fincher's U.S. adaptation of the first volume of Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's acclaimed Millennium trilogy. All three of Larsson's noirish novels featuring computer hacker bad girl Lisbeth Salander have been filmed in Sweden and are available in the U.S. with English subtitles. I've read the trilogy and own DVDs of the three Swedish films. The Swedish films star Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth and she nails the role. I'm interested in seeing how well American actress Rooney Mara inhabits the part.
Since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its Oscar nominations this morning (for a list of the nominees and everything else Oscar, see here: http://oscar.go.com/), I've been thinking about what kind of personal performance I'd consider Oscar-worthy in Ft. Collins (Colorado Marathon) in May. And, I think I've settled on a Boston Qualifying finishing time. Right now, that is not my time goal. In fact, my time goal is 15 minutes slower than the Boston standard for my age group. But, you never know. If my training goes better than I expect and everything falls into place on May 6 . . .
As usual, there were no running-related movies in the mix. There is a baseball movie: the Brad Pitt vehicle "Moneyball." Pitt, who plays real-life Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the movie, also was nominated for Best Actor. I read Michael Lewis' eponymous book on which the movie is based but haven't seen the movie. I do have it on my "Shopping List" at Amazon.
If there was an Oscar for Best Running-Related movie of 2012, I'd give it to Journey Film's "Unbreakable: The Western States 100," a documentary on the 2010 Western States 100 that featured a marquee battle among a quartet of elite ultra runners. See my earlier post on the film here: http://runningthrutwenty12.blogspot.com/2012/01/just-for-hill-of-it.html
Perhaps the best running-themed movie ever is "Chariots of Fire," which won four Academy Awards in 1981 including the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the inspirational story of two British runners who competed in the 1924 Olympics. Check it out if you've never seen it.
Of all this past year's movies, I'm most looking forward to seeing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," director David Fincher's U.S. adaptation of the first volume of Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's acclaimed Millennium trilogy. All three of Larsson's noirish novels featuring computer hacker bad girl Lisbeth Salander have been filmed in Sweden and are available in the U.S. with English subtitles. I've read the trilogy and own DVDs of the three Swedish films. The Swedish films star Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth and she nails the role. I'm interested in seeing how well American actress Rooney Mara inhabits the part.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Day After
It's the day after my latest long run: yesterday's 15 miles. Although I labored during yesterday's run, I felt fine this morning for my cross training. Cross training, of course, equals active recovery. Since the weather continues sunny and unseasonably mild--cooler than the last couple of days, but still not bad--I did a five-mile walk/hike to and thru a local park. Whatever benefit it did for my training, it was great fun being out and about on an early January day. This incredible winter weather has to end some time, but until it does, there's nothing to do but revel in it.
I've been thinking about time goals and speed work recently, and it represents a quandary. On the one hand, despite my age, I'm still competitive. So, it's never enough to just finish. (At least in the anticipation. Often in the running, finishing is good enough.) I'm always setting time goals. For this spring's Colorado Marathon, I've set 4:30 as my goal. That's relatively modest, but it would have won an award in my age-division at the 2010 Colorado Marathon. On the other hand, the running workout that I enjoy most is the long slow run. Yeah, I know. To all you whipper-snappers out there, 4:30 sounds like a long slow run.
Time goals, even modest ones, require at least some speed work. And, I'll do it. But, I won't like it. Jeff Galloway, whose marathon training regimen is aimed most directly at those seeking to finish, discourages speed work--especially for older runners. It's the quickest way to injury, he warns. But, bowing to reality and runner ego, he includes advice and training programs for runners with time goals.
I think that what I find most intriguing about ultra marathons is that there is no higher goal than finishing. At least not for average runners. Speed takes a backseat to endurance. One of my favorite ultra runners, Geoff Roes, argues that in ultras leg speed is among the least important factors. Geoff, who set a course record in the 2010 Western States 100 (and was featured in the documentary about the race: Unbreakable: The Western States 100), claims that strength, endurance, patience, stubbornest, and determination are all more important than leg speed. See Geoff's blog at: http://www.akrunning.blogspot.com/
All this gives me pause when thinking about a long race for the fall: should I choose marathon or ultra? Right now, I'm leaning toward ultra. For the long slow miles! Plus, if Geoff is right, ultras play to one of my strengths: stubbornest.
I've been thinking about time goals and speed work recently, and it represents a quandary. On the one hand, despite my age, I'm still competitive. So, it's never enough to just finish. (At least in the anticipation. Often in the running, finishing is good enough.) I'm always setting time goals. For this spring's Colorado Marathon, I've set 4:30 as my goal. That's relatively modest, but it would have won an award in my age-division at the 2010 Colorado Marathon. On the other hand, the running workout that I enjoy most is the long slow run. Yeah, I know. To all you whipper-snappers out there, 4:30 sounds like a long slow run.
Time goals, even modest ones, require at least some speed work. And, I'll do it. But, I won't like it. Jeff Galloway, whose marathon training regimen is aimed most directly at those seeking to finish, discourages speed work--especially for older runners. It's the quickest way to injury, he warns. But, bowing to reality and runner ego, he includes advice and training programs for runners with time goals.
I think that what I find most intriguing about ultra marathons is that there is no higher goal than finishing. At least not for average runners. Speed takes a backseat to endurance. One of my favorite ultra runners, Geoff Roes, argues that in ultras leg speed is among the least important factors. Geoff, who set a course record in the 2010 Western States 100 (and was featured in the documentary about the race: Unbreakable: The Western States 100), claims that strength, endurance, patience, stubbornest, and determination are all more important than leg speed. See Geoff's blog at: http://www.akrunning.blogspot.com/
All this gives me pause when thinking about a long race for the fall: should I choose marathon or ultra? Right now, I'm leaning toward ultra. For the long slow miles! Plus, if Geoff is right, ultras play to one of my strengths: stubbornest.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Just for the Hill of It
Or not. I debated doing a hill workout this morning, but decided against it since I'm doing a long run (15 miles) on Friday. No sense in overdoing it. So, I ran an hour (c. 6 miles) at marathon race pace. I didn't start out to run race pace, but I was on race pace at two miles and decided to hold it there. It felt pretty comfortable. And, it's early in my train-up. Who knows? Maybe I'll need to recalculate race pace before May 6 (Colorado Marathon). As Martha Stewart would say, "That would be a good thing."
For those of you looking for a little inspiration to kick your training into high gear, I'd like to suggest a documentary that I watched last week: "UNBREAKABLE: The Western States 100." The film covers the 2010 Western States 100 and focuses on the competition among four of the world's best ultra runners: Kilian Jornet, a two-time Ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc winner from Spain; Hal Koerner, a two-time Western States champion from Oregon; Anton Krupicka, an elite ultra-marathoner from Boulder, Colorado; and Geoff Roes, another elite ultra-marathoner from Juneau, Alaska. For those who don't know, the Western States is one of the most celebrated ultras on the planet. The race starts at Squaw Valley, Calif. (Lake Tahoe) and continues through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Auburn, Calif. The race footage is thrilling, the interviews with the principals are informative, and the scenery (along the course and at the home bases of the four runners where they are profiled) is gorgeous. The documentary is directed by JB Benna and is available from Journey Film at their website: http://www.journeyfilm.com/servlet/StoreFront
Over Thanksgiving, I watched "On the World Stage: A Spectacular Mountain and Extraordinary People," the commemorative DVD for the 2011 Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon. The Pikes Peak Ascent starts in downtown Manitou Springs, Colorado, and winds its way up the eastern slope of the mountain, gaining 8000' of vertical in 13 miles and ends at 14,115'. The Marathon, held the day after the Ascent, turns around at the summit and returns down the mountain to the start. The commemorative DVD is relatively short but adequately captures the grueling nature of the races. It is available at: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/order.htm (This race is on my bucket list.)
I've (obviously, see bucket list above) never run the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon, but I've been to the summit. The first photo below shows me at c. 13,000'. I would say hiking, but I'm (again, obviously) sitting. Probably wondering what I was thinking when I decided this would be a good idea. This was August, 2007. The summit was already socked in and it was only just after noon. Before the afternoon was over, we'd hike through hail, sleet, and rain. The second photo shows the wife and me at the summit. It was in the 80's that afternoon down in Manitou Springs. It was 35 degrees at the summit. We didn't stay long!
For those of you looking for a little inspiration to kick your training into high gear, I'd like to suggest a documentary that I watched last week: "UNBREAKABLE: The Western States 100." The film covers the 2010 Western States 100 and focuses on the competition among four of the world's best ultra runners: Kilian Jornet, a two-time Ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc winner from Spain; Hal Koerner, a two-time Western States champion from Oregon; Anton Krupicka, an elite ultra-marathoner from Boulder, Colorado; and Geoff Roes, another elite ultra-marathoner from Juneau, Alaska. For those who don't know, the Western States is one of the most celebrated ultras on the planet. The race starts at Squaw Valley, Calif. (Lake Tahoe) and continues through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Auburn, Calif. The race footage is thrilling, the interviews with the principals are informative, and the scenery (along the course and at the home bases of the four runners where they are profiled) is gorgeous. The documentary is directed by JB Benna and is available from Journey Film at their website: http://www.journeyfilm.com/servlet/StoreFront
Over Thanksgiving, I watched "On the World Stage: A Spectacular Mountain and Extraordinary People," the commemorative DVD for the 2011 Pikes Peak Ascent and Pikes Peak Marathon. The Pikes Peak Ascent starts in downtown Manitou Springs, Colorado, and winds its way up the eastern slope of the mountain, gaining 8000' of vertical in 13 miles and ends at 14,115'. The Marathon, held the day after the Ascent, turns around at the summit and returns down the mountain to the start. The commemorative DVD is relatively short but adequately captures the grueling nature of the races. It is available at: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/order.htm (This race is on my bucket list.)
I've (obviously, see bucket list above) never run the Pikes Peak Ascent or Marathon, but I've been to the summit. The first photo below shows me at c. 13,000'. I would say hiking, but I'm (again, obviously) sitting. Probably wondering what I was thinking when I decided this would be a good idea. This was August, 2007. The summit was already socked in and it was only just after noon. Before the afternoon was over, we'd hike through hail, sleet, and rain. The second photo shows the wife and me at the summit. It was in the 80's that afternoon down in Manitou Springs. It was 35 degrees at the summit. We didn't stay long!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)