I run for...the mountains

Less than 24 hours before race day. I'm a mix of nerves and excitement. Last year's performance is constantly in the back of my mind. There's an obvious fear that I won't finish the like last year, that the elevation will prove to be too much. On the other side of that fear is knowing that I was able to run 20+ miles of the same course and roughly 4000ft of the total 5700ft of elevation gain. Last year being able to complete the 35K left my dignity in tact so that I could avoid the dreaded DNF and it was definitely the most difficult run I've ever finished in my life. This year I know better. I know the course. I know the climbs. I know when to step on the gas and when to pump on the brakes. I've trained for this.

Elevation Profile - Last year I made it to the 10mi turn around

The 50K course map

My plan going into training this year was to get some more trail experience and do more overall that would make me a better runner. In comparison to last year, I've definitely made an improvement. In addition to the endurance aspect of training, I focused on what would help me with the elevation - trails, stairs, and hill repeats. I also did more core work and cross training this year. Lastly, some jump rope to help with my foot strike and coordination. I don't want another fall like last year! Although, it could have been a lot worse.

24 hours before race day this is what I'm focusing on: hydration, nutrition, and mental training. As far as running goes, I know I've done all that I can do. I've been tapering my mileage for the last 3 weeks so my primary goal has been to be the best me I can be at the starting line. Hydration and nutrition is simple for me. Now that I've transitioned to a LFHC diet like Keto, I'm honestly not as worried about bonking out on the course but I am increasing my salt intake quite a bit. My hydration strategy has pretty much been the same for the last 5 years. I drink to thirst and make sure I alternate between electrolyte drinks and water. It's going to be hot day on race day so although there are plenty of aid stations, I plan on bringing both my hydration belt and my handheld with me on the course.

Mental training part 1: Every year this means something different to me. This year it's more important than ever. I've reviewed last year's race over and over again. I know that in the moment deciding to drop to the 35K was the best decision for me but I cannot shake the feeling that mentally, I could have been better prepared. I big reason for last year's failure had to do with not understanding the course or the elevation and have lofty goals for myself. Once I realized I could not run my 10-11min miles, I immediately got discouraged. This year I'm more realistic. I have three goals: a conservative one, an aggressive one, and one somewhere in the middle of those two.

#1 (conservative) - Pace: 20min/mi     Overall finish time: 10.5 hours   

#2 - Pace: 17min/mi     Overall finish time: about 9 hours    Projected finish time: 3:56pm

#3 (aggressive) - Pace: 15min/mi     Overall finish time: about 8 hours

Mental training part 2: As I'm writing this, I'm currently listening to my Ultra/Mountain playlist.A mix of motivational songs and mountain songs to keep me focused on the task at hand. I don't plan on listening to music on the race course but will listen to it all the way leading up to the race. It will also be ready to go on the course if needed for an extra boost. This year's theme song - Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons.

I was born to run, I was born for this

Whip, whip
Run me like a racehorse
Pull me like a ripcord
Break me down and build me up
I wanna be the slip, slip
Word upon your lip, lip
Letter that you rip, rip
Break me down and build me up

Whatever it takes
'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do whatever it takes
'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains
Whatever it takes
You take me to the top I'm ready for
Whatever it takes
'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do what it takes

Mental training part 3: I've come up with some mental block "busters" to help motivate me during the race. Typically I will come up with a mantra or two each year but this year I've created a whole list. I need all the motivation I can get.

1. One foot in front of the other. 1, 2 (this has a nice cadence to it and I've used it during training runs)

2. I love doing this (sometimes I need convincing)

3. My legs don't hurt 

4. I can breathe. My lungs are open.

5. I did 21 miles of this course last year.

6. I did 4000ft of the 5700ft of elevation gain last year

7. I run for those who can't (and I will keep those individuals in my mind throughout the race)

8. I run in remembrance of those I've lost (and I will think of them individually)

9. Pain is only temporary, the feeling of achievement lasts forever.

10. Keep going.

11. Run happy. Smile.

12. I have completed 4 marathons. I can do this.

13. I can eat whatever I want after this. (Carbs included!!)

14. Giving up is not an option.

15. The time is now.

16. Be fearless

17. You are tougher than you think you are

18. Think - easy, light, smooth & fast (from Born to Run) 

So that's it folks. Nothing left but to conquer that mountain. This has been quite a journey this year. Last year's failure. Being sidelined from running for at least 2 months. Surgery 6.5 months ago. A spring PR at the Illinois Marathon 10K. Signing up for Table Rock 50K again. Training on the trails and through the heat. All to hopefully be able to officially call myself an ultrarunner and on to my first 50 miler or 100 miler. 

Stay tuned for the race report to come in a couple days. Thanks for everyone's support!

I run for...mental toughness.

Race day is 6 days away and pre-race anxiety is definitely setting in. I can't really run a whole lot since I'm tapering for my race and since running is what usually helps with my anxiety, I've had to focus more on my mental toughness training.

Of course, there is quite a bit of mental toughness training that goes on throughout the training months but I've come to realize that in the last week, mental toughness training is of utmost importance. The primary reason being what I've already mentioned; it helps ease pre-race anxiety.

For me, mental toughness training the last week before the race started last night with my Ultra Prep Plan. I laid out my step by step plan for all 7 days leading up to the race. I will keep track of things like fitness, visualization/meditations, stretching, nutrition, hydration, sleep, supplies, etc. Just writing everything out on paper helped me sort through the mental barrage of anxiety-provoking thoughts I've been experiencing lately.

My Ultra Prep Plan & Race Day Plan

I woke up this morning with the same jitters as the previous day. Today I focused on following my plan. I had a healthy breakfast and drank plenty of water. This morning I spent 15 minutes stretching and going through a series of strengthening yoga poses. Mental training today consisted of watching ultra marathon movies. The first was Running on the Sun, a movie about the Badwater 135. Truly inspiring. Runners start in Death Valley basin and run to Mt. Whitney, a total of 135 miles. The next movie I watched was Unbreakable: Western States 100.  Again, absolutely incredible footage of 4 elite ultra runners vying to break the Western States 100 record. After watching my movies, I was ready to run. I had an easy 90 minute run scheduled for today. It's really the last "long" run before race day. I managed to get in about 7.5 miles with a combination of walking/running. For the first 2 miles or so, I simply could not shake the butterflies in my stomach! I kept thinking about race day and what it will be like, going through a mini-rehearsal of the race itself. All good mental toughness training. Now that I've completed it, my nerves are settled (for now!) and I'm ready to check the next thing off my prep plan.

From today's 7.5 mile run

Tonight I do the last little bit of shopping that I need to do to get all of my supplies for race day. For the most part, I just have to pick up my food - what I'm eating for my pre-race dinner and the morning of the race. During my race, I will be taking in mostly gels and candy and some "safe" foods offered at the aid stations. I should already have everything else I need. If not, I have another small shopping trip worked into my daily plan for Wednesday this week.

Tonight I also plan to find a guided visualization/meditation specifically for athletic performance or else create my own guided meditation to listen to the rest of this week. This is somewhat new for me. Usually I just create a written summary of the way I want the race to go and review it the night before and the morning of the race. Being that this year's race is a little more intense, I felt like visualization/meditation every day would be more helpful.

Before I get my full 8 hours of sleep tonight (hopefully this goes as planned), I will spend another 15 minutes stretching. Then tomorrow I just follow my prep plan again with all the same important elements - fitness, visualization/meditations, stretching, nutrition, hydration, sleep, supplies, etc.

This will also be my last blog post until race day. I hope to give my full race report either Saturday night or Sunday. After my race, my husband and I plan on spending a couple days in the Charlotte, NC area where my main priority is going to be eating pizza and drinking beer. Haha. So if you don't hear from me, you can always take a peek at the race results at www.tablerockultras.com. Then, it's back to the real world next Tuesday and time to think of a whole new set of goals for the rest of the year and for next!

Happy running!
Amanda

I run for...preparation.

Last Saturday's 9 mile run - Chicago Marathon here I come!

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."

Runners are creatures of habit, especially marathon runners. We know that all of our long runs during training are practice runs for the marathon. So we need things to be as similar to race day as possible. Shoes, clothing, time of day, elevation, nutrition, hydration, music, mantras, etc. We prepare for these things months ahead of time so that there are no surprises on race day. In fact, the #1 rule for race day is...nothing new on race day.

Beautiful landscape for a 9 mile run

Marathon training has not yet started but I'm already in preparation mode. This year has already been really different, in that I will not be running a race this Spring. Last year I did the Flying Pig Half-Marathon. The year before that I did the Go! St. Louis Half-Marathon. This year's plan was to run the Russ Vegas Half-Marathon in Arkansas but I missed the deadline to sign up. My back up race was going to be the Flying Pig 10K but I also missed the deadline for that. I still may work a race into June or July but by that time I will be in the middle of marathon training and the race will have to fit perfectly into my training plan somehow.

Big hill on one my training routes

Even though I missed the races this Spring, my training has been the same. I trained for the half-marathon and the 10K because I thought that I would be running them and it is all good prep for marathon training. On the topic of preparation, I have started to follow a normal routine, the same routine I will follow once marathon training starts. This means long runs on Saturday or Sunday and going to bed early the night before in order to get up early for the long run (and be out of the heat!). Right now I'm using mid-distances to keep myself in shape and maintain my endurance from the half-marathon training. So my Saturday/Sunday runs are going to be anywhere from 6 to 10 miles until official training starts.


Preparation also means starting to be more mindful of my nutrition. Before marathon training begins it's good to focus on weight loss. Simply put...you will become faster if you shed a few pounds and once marathon training starts weight loss generally doesn't happen for most people. The reason being that you need those extra calories to keep your body adequately fueled for those long runs. So adequate nutrition is my focus for the next month. Low carb/high protein on my non-running days and paying attention to good sources of carbohydrates on my running days. I'm also loading up on lots of fruits and veggies. Bananas, beets, Brussels sprouts, cherries, berries, kale, sweet potatoes, broccoli, watermelon - these are all packed with nutrients that are good for runners!

Apple, carrot, and strawberry juice - Post-run drink

For my first 2 marathons I followed the Jeff Galloway training program for beginners. I highly recommend this program for any beginner runners that want to train for and run in a marathon! However, last year I switched to a Hal Higdon program and as a result I had a lot more success in terms of being able to push through fatigue and increasing my pace. So I will be following a Hal Higdon program again this year. This is roughly the program I will follow from June-October:

Mondays - cross training (I stick to cycling, weights, yoga or walking.)
Tuesdays and Thursdays - maintenance runs (3-5 miles)
Wednesdays - mid-distance runs (5-10 miles)
Fridays - rest day or light walking
Saturdays - mid-distance runs (5-10 miles)
Sundays - long runs (gradually increasing mileage to 20 miles)

In the beginning, I will be averaging between 20-25 miles a week and at the end, before tapering, I will be averaging 40-50 miles a week. Last year I was flexible with some of the runs. I would skip a Tuesday or Thursday run some weeks. These are my long days at work so it's difficult to work these runs into my schedule. I might also switch a long run to a Saturday and eliminate the mid-distance run altogether or make it up on Sunday. However, this is the genius behind the training program. By having a mid-distance run on Saturday followed by a long run the next day, you prime your body (and mind) to work through muscle fatigue. Last year, I also got really into my cross training (cycling in particular) so I might cut back some of my mid-week mileage in favor of extra cross training. This year, I will probably do the same but I am also going to focus some on speedwork. Speedwork worked well for me in 5K training (sub-30 club!!!) so I would like to see if it makes a difference for me during the marathon. I've gotta get a PR this year! The speedwork will consist mostly of hill sprints, tempo runs, and intervals. These will likely take place on Wednesdays or Saturdays and be randomly dispersed into the training schedule.

Also in prep for the marathon - my hotel room is already booked and paid for (yippee!!) and it's RIGHT NEXT TO the start/finish line. I cannot tell you how miserable it was to walk to our hotel after the marathon last year. Secondly, fundraising for the American Cancer Society starts NOW. Last year, I waited 2 months before the date to start fundraising. It was crazy hectic trying to do that with that short amount of time. We did it! I raised $1000 last year but just in the nick of time. So that being said, I need your donations!! Do me a favor. If you donated money last year, aim to double the amount this year! You can match last year's donation this month and then sometime between June-September you can match it again and BOOM! you've just doubled it. Of course, doubling it right from the start would work too. Then share, share, share. Tell everyone you know about the great work that the American Cancer Society does and direct them to my fundraising page (Donate here!) to make a donation.

If I have 20 people donate just $10 a month between May-October I will meet my goal. I know that it's hard to make such a commitment but it is so worth it. It is worth it to know that we are working towards something bigger than ourselves to eradicate cancer and create more birthdays worldwide. Cancer sucks! And I know you agree. Even just a small one-time donation of $10, $5, or even $1 can make a huge difference. Please consider joining me in donating to this worthy cause and thank you in advance.

Happy running!
Amanda