I run for...HFLC

HFLC - high fat, low carb diet

As a runner I've become dependent on carbs. I load up on carbs before a long run or race. Carbs are my energy source during my runs. Carbs aid in my recovery post-run or race. This has been ingrained in me for the last 6 years. My journey to switching over to HFLC, specially a Ketogenic diet, has not been easy and will continue to be difficult.

I have many reasons for why I'm switching to HFLC which is why this time it might actually stick. In the past I've used it intermittently, trying to "carb-cycle" while training. I did not have enough self-control for this. My high carb days turned into REALLY high carb days and then it was that much more difficult to get where I needed to be on low carb days. That being said I did have some short term success with it. Speaking of success on HFLC, my husband has shown me that it's possible. Last year he lost over 90lbs in 6 months. Lastly, I have discovered that HFLC is prevalent in the world of ultra running. I've done a lot of research on this diet with regards to running, wondering how in the heck it's even possible. Well once your body becomes fat adapted, it turns out that you are able to tap into fat energy stores that you wouldn't normally on a high carb diet. This allows you to run for longer!! What a concept!

Disclaimer: I am not going to go into big detail on the specifics of HFLC diets or Ketogenic diets. Rather I will be discussing my  journey into switching over and how it's affecting my running.

So I am day 7 into my Ketogenic diet and still going strong. Yesterday was a true test for me. I had a 22 mile long run planned and I was very nervous about how Keto was going to affect my ability to run that far. From my research and following the diets of a couple of my fave ultrarunners (Timothy Olson & Dean Karnazes), I knew it was possible. I developed a game plan and just trusted the process. Well.....let's just say I'm still in the experimental stages. There are definitely things that worked for me but things that did not work either. The 22 miles were completed (!!!) but not without some struggle.

Low Carb Long Run Fuel

I believe my first mistake was not taking in enough calories or fat prior to my run. I foolishly believed that I could be like superhuman, Dean Karnazes, who likes to run a marathon every day before breakfast, and only drink some coffee with coconut oil before going out to run. However, I will say that I started my run with tons of energy and felt great but the lack of calories/fat definitely came back to haunt me in the later miles. For my nutrition on my run, I planned on using only nuts/nut butters. My hydration included Nuun to supplement electrolytes and I also had SaltStick Fastchews on hand for more electrolytes should I need them. So this was quite a change from my normal long run nutrition plan. Instead of taking in 100-150g of carbs (through GU gels), I would only be taking in about 15g net carbs. But this really didn't concern me much. I had run earlier in the week - 2 intense workouts - and running with fat as my fuel felt great. I bonked earlier than usual but as a long distance runner I know how to push through that. My main concern was going to be electrolytes. I had the Nuun and the SaltStick but I was lacking in the additional electrolytes provided by my GU gels and a carb rich diet.

So I started out for 22 miles with nothing but my coconut oil and coffee. The first 9-10 miles felt wonderful. It was a cool morning for July and I had decided to do a true out and back course, not wanting to overload my brain with too many things I needed to remember on an experimental training run. I ran down one of my favorite country roads and immediately got into "the zone". I paused my music and just let the beauty of nature inspire and motivate me. Sometimes I really hate summer running - the heat, the bugs, the corn, but today was the perfect summer day for running. The smell of honeysuckle was SO fragrant and out past the city limits, there were butterflies everywhere! It felt purely magical. I stopped to snap a few pictures before turning around.

Right after I turned around and hit the halfway mark is when things started to go south for me. I felt strangely sleepy. My skin was cold and clammy. I felt nauseous and dizzy. I was almost out of water so I texted my husband to bring me water. I continued to run while I waited for him and kept telling myself that my symptoms were all in my head and that I could push through this. Then as soon as I stopped to refill my water bottle, I did not feel well at all. I felt like I was going to pass out and had to lay down in the car. This feeling would not subside so I came back home to re-evaluate. What was going on?! Did I need carbs? Did I just need more water? More electrolytes? I tried to just listen to my body. I drank some more water with Nuun and ate some strawberries. Then I laid down because I was STILL feeling light-headed and nauseous anytime I was upright. I was cold too so I went outside and laid in the sun. I'm not sure how long I was there but I ended up taking a short nap. When I woke up I felt much better. Time to go back out!! I filled my bottle with more Nuun, ate a pickle for good measure, packed some almonds in my handheld and went out to run the last 10.5 miles of my run.

The last 10.5 miles went off without a hitch. I got back into "the zone" that I was in earlier, soaking up everything around me. The most surprising thing was how good my legs felt! I've read that HFLC is good for inflammation and that must be true because normally at the end of a 20+ mile run my legs would feel crampy and I'd barely be able to keep them moving but not today! I was actually able to move after my run today too. Normally I'd be posted on the couch all day but surprisingly my legs still had energy left in them. Now a day later I have zero soreness whatsoever. I also noticed during my run that a recurring issue in my left foot is no longer there. Typically 2 miles into my runs (like clockwork) the ball of my left foot would start to hurt and my toes would go numb. Most likely the result of something called Morton's neuroma. This would last for several miles and sometimes force me to walk because it was so painful. I had zero issues with this at all on my 22 mile run. Amazing!

Final takeaways from yesterday's run - 1) Eat more calories/fat prior to my run, especially any runs over 10 miles. 2) Increase salt intake EVERY day and take in more electrolytes during the run. Now that I've analyzed yesterday's run and done some research, I'm fairly certain that I became hyponatremic yesterday. This has happened to me one other time, during my marathon in Savannah, and the symptoms are quite similar. Even though I had electrolytes on hand and was mindful to keep taking them, it just wasn't enough. Being that I was only on day 6 of keto, I probably had lost a significant amount of salt. That combined with the fact that I'm a "salty sweater" (I lose more salt in my sweat than most people) probably led to my issues mid-run. I'm looking forward to making some changes and seeing how I do next run. 3) HFLC has also positively influenced my running and with that I'm hopeful that I'll be like superhuman Dean Karnazes in no time!

I run for...my comeback.

We are halfway through 2017 and yet I feel like I'm just at the beginning of my journey to a comeback. In March, when I wrote last, I had just started running post-surgery, training for a 10K and hoping to finish better than I did the year before. Well I did exactly that! I finished my 10K with a PR!! (1:12:01) It was just the spark I needed to remind myself how far I've come, not just since my surgery, but since my entire running journey began 6 years ago. I am stronger than I think I am. Comeback milestone #1 ✅

In my last blog post in March I was also talking about scouting out my next ultra race. Well I have officially signed up again for the Table Rock Ultra 50K. I could not get this race off my mind. Yes, it will be difficult. No, I didn't finish it last year. BUT, I did run 35K of the race. AND, something I realized....the 35K was an elevation gain of 4,000 feet. The 50K elevation gain is 5,700 feet. SO I already completed much of the climb last year. This was a major confidence booster for me and reminded me once again that anything is possible. Comeback milestone #2 ✅

Now that I'm returning to my inaugural ultra attempt, I will have to change some things. I didn't finish last year for a reason. Sometimes it's really hard to nail down one specific reason why a race goes horribly wrong. However, last year I feel pretty confident that I did not get enough training on the trails. Trail running typically equates to elevation gain so last year, while my distance/endurance was exactly where it needed to be, this year I somehow need to get more elevation gain in on my training runs. One way to do that is to continue doing hill repeats (5 x 600m, 7 x 600m, etc.). I've already started doing this is accordance with my training plan and so far it's gone off without a hitch. The next thing that I've heard helps, when you don't have mountains in your backyard, is to run stairs. I'm writing this already 6 weeks into my ultra training and I have yet to do this but my goal is to attempt it at least 1-2x this month. I have to admit I'm not so thrilled about running stairs. (Is anybody?!) And of course, the last thing to help with the elevation gain is to finally get some real, bonafide experience on the trails. I'm happy to report that this is already occurring.  I have 2 runs under my belt on an easy trail close to home. This weekend I have a trail run scheduled with a moderate level of difficulty and the hope is to eventually get some trail experience on the Table Rock Ultra race course before race day.

Trail run!

I love the trails!

Besides working on my elevation/trail experience, I will also focus on doing more to become a better runner in general. I've started doing a few things but I'm constantly on the lookout for opportunities for growth and development. The first thing I'm doing, which is totally new to my training, is jumping rope. I heard in a podcast that this can be helpful to trail runners because it enhances coordination and helps them be more aware of their foot strike, a skill that's especially needed out on the uneven terrain of the trails. Secondly, I'm putting more effort into cross training. Cross training has always been a part of my training programs in the past but I would typically discount its benefit to me because it's not "running". Well now that I'm actually doing it I can attest to its benefits. From what I've noticed it helps me with strength, endurance, recovery and boredom. It's not subtracting from my running like I thought it would AND I'm enjoying it. I ride my bike, dance, do yoga, walk, swim and would be in favor of trying other things as well. Along with cross training, core workouts have also been a neglected part of my training in the past. This year I've been sticking to it and doing even more than what's required. My training plan incorporates core workouts onto the end of training runs 2x a week. These are typically short 10-15 minute core workouts. In addition to that I'm doing 2-3 longer core workouts as part of my cross training or weekend runs. Core strength will help me become a better runner too through stability, coordination, and endurance.

Another positive step towards my comeback is that I just completed my first 20 mile training run a week ahead of  schedule. Even 6 years into this marathon/ultra training journey, I am still amazed at the ability to push myself beyond what I thought was possible. Even knowing that I've done it before....it still feels like an impossible feat once I get out there. This is the mental part of training that most people don't realize. Running 20 miles and beyond is a constant battle between telling yourself you can't and convincing yourself you can. Then when it's all said and done you really feel like you can do anything. Next up for me is 22 miles. Just 10.5 weeks stand between me and my second attempt at the Table Rock Ultra 50K. This is my mountain, literally and metaphorically, and I will do whatever it takes to conquer it for my final milestone in the year of the comeback.

I run for...healing.

This post is a long time coming...almost 6 months to be exact. If you will think back with me, my last blog post was a recap of the Table Rock Ultra, a race that was disappointing to say the least. It seems as though since then my running journey has been through its ups and downs. After Table Rock I knew that an ultra was still my dream. I trained to run the 50K at Table Rock so the mileage was there. I quickly signed up for my next attempt, the Land Between the Lakes Ultra in March.

Training for the Land Between the Lakes Ultra started off great. I kicked things off in the first week of November with a 10 mile run. The weekend of Thanksgiving I ran a total of 23 miles in 3 days. I was feeling great, ready for the opportunity to redeem myself. Then in December things started to go downhill. I was hit with a sinus infection that had me struggling to get through my workouts. Despite going to the doctor and taking an antibiotic, I was not recovering. (This has been an ongoing issue for me the last 4 winters. I have had sinus infection after sinus infection with no relief until spring hits). My doctor finally recommended that I see an ENT. It was about that time that I quickly realized that running made my sinus inflammation worse. The doctor advised that I take it easy. I followed doctor's orders as much as a stubborn and crazy runner can. I still got in about 10-15 miles on the weekends but the fatigue and pain in my sinuses made it hard for me to keep up with my weekday workouts. Not to mention I had all of this going on with the stress of the holidays upon me.

January 1, 2017 was my last long run in training for my redemption race. 13.1 miles to kick off the new year. A week later I had strep throat. When the antibiotics for that were finished, I still had symptoms and was diagnosed with yet another sinus infection...3rd for the winter. I had my appointment with my ENT and it confirmed what I had feared...I would require surgery to fix my sinus issues. The scan of my sinuses showed that almost my entire left side was swollen shut. That was the pain and the pressure that I was feeling for months! It was somewhat of a relief to have some answers but with this news, my journey to the Land Between the Lakes Ultra was over.

I ran one time between January 1 and March 1 (the date of my surgery). After being down and out for 3 days after this short 1 mile run on the treadmill, I gave up trying to tough it out. I would just have to wait until after my surgery to get back into the swing of things. I walked A LOT and it was so depressing. All I wanted to do was run. The fear of the surgery almost had me wanting to reschedule for later in the year. Then I remembered how much this has been affecting my running and I knew I needed relief sooner rather than later.

Surgery went SO well! Of course it was painful but I only had to take a few days off work and after about 5 days, the difference was remarkable! I could breathe much easier, my smell and my taste improved, and I had no more pain and pressure. In this moment, it was hard for me to pull back on the reins and not jump straight into running. I waited the required amount of days (10!!) before easing into some exercise once more.

Day 11 post surgery - walked 30 minutes.
Day 13 post surgery - FIRST RUN COMPLETE - 2.26 miles on the treadmill
Day 15 post surgery - 2.72 miles OUTSIDE

First outside run!

And today, 18 days post surgery, I completed 3.7 miles outside. I would call that progress! It's so weird for me to be in this place. After every marathon there was definitely time for recovery and healing but it was 3 weeks at the most and I could still do some easy running/jogging. Two months of NO running is completely new for me. Starting from square one is completely new for me. So this year is all about healing and staging a comeback! I need to prove to myself once again how strong I am. I need to recover and heal from the disappointment of failing to complete my 50K last year. I am going to better, stronger, faster.

The first goal on my journey to a comeback is to complete the Illinois Marathon 10K with my mom. Last year we ran this together in the freezing rain and ended up losing each other at the end. It was hours (probably not that long but it felt like it) before we found each other. My goal is simple - to finish with a better time than last year. After this my slate is clean and I will start the scouting process for what races I want to run this year and I will start to plan my training in accordance.

Ready for my comeback!

I run for...the hills.

I aptly named today's blog post after the hills. Hill has a totally new meaning to me after my first 50K attempt. This blog post is coming to you 8 days after one of the most brutal races I've ever ran in my life, the Table Rock Ultra 50K. So here's my full race report with all the nitty gritty details.

My husband and I got to Morganton, NC on Friday afternoon and headed straight to the packet pickup. I have to admit that I was immediately intimidated as we drove into town and could see Table Rock from the road. It was massive. I could not believe that I would be at the summit of that mountain in less than 24 hours. After packet pickup there was no time to waste. I settled into my pre-race routine - meditation, a bottle of Nuun, and carb loading. I went to bed totally at peace and ready to embark on the uncharted territory of my first ultra.

Yikes!

Race day began as per usual. I was surprisingly well rested. The cough and cold I had been nursing the whole week prior to the race had seemingly disappeared. I drank my coffee and ate my oatmeal. Then, I just kept doing the visualizations that I had been practicing in the weeks prior.

Driving out to Steele Creek Park for the start of the race, I was definitely nervous. It was dark and I didn't have a head lamp so I was really hoping the sun would be up soon. I checked in with the race directors and then made my last pit stop to the restroom. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized the long line I saw was for the men's restroom. So I was in and out and had only a few minutes before we began. I packed everything I needed into my handheld water bottle or my flip belt. Then, got some love and encouragement from my husband before heading to the start line.

Me and my amazing husband

I stayed at the back of the pack, making sure I had someone to follow so I didn't get lost. The sun was starting to rise and I no longer had a fear of it being too dark. The race began slow and steady. It was flat at first and we started out racing across a huge pasture. It was like this for maybe the first 2 miles and then we hit the first section of single track trail.

Oh. Em. Gee. Nothing could have prepared me for this. This was not even the hardest part of the race but I knew if this was what was yet to come then I was in for a world of hurt. By the end of this short single track section, my legs were already burning and I had to stop to walk multiple times because there was just no "running" to some of those trail sections.

As predicted the next couple miles were nice rolling hills that were much more my caliber. I was actually able to make up quite a bit of ground on this section and passed a handful of people. One group of young men I caught up to had an injured friend that had twisted his ankle in the first couple of miles. They stuck with him and helped him as much as they could but I found out later he had to drop at the first aid station.

When the first aid station approached, I had no idea how I was doing on time. I felt like I was going at a snail's pace and sure enough I was right. I think it took me a little over an hour to make it 4.2 miles. My next aid station wasn't until 10.2 and the cut-off time was 11am. At the rate I was going I wasn't sure if I'd make it. I just knew those next 6 miles were going to be a true test for me and the thought had already crossed my mind that I might need to drop to the 30K. I had no idea what was in store for me next.

Those next 6 miles were mostly single track trail. Steep inclines, multiple creek crossings, lots of rocks and boulders and tree limbs. I could not only feel my legs burning but now my lungs. That cough and cold I had been nursing all week caught up with me. Every push to run a little faster threw me into a coughing fit. And if it wasn't the coughing, it was my legs screaming for a rest. But I pressed on. I knew every step forward was progress. I tried not to think about the time but it was hard. I was starting to get passed by all the 30K people who had started 30 minutes after me. One lady stopped to walk with me a bit. She asked how I was doing when I clearly wasn't doing well. I told her "I think I bit off more than I can chew". She said, "No! This is just a hike in the woods. We've got all day." This put a huge smile on my face and definitely renewed my confidence. Yes, this was going to be hard but yes, I am going to be able to do this.

Slowly but surely I made it up those steep climbs. They were absolutely brutal. There is no other word for it. However, I was relishing in the atmosphere. The views were spectacular. I'm not sure when I actually made the decision to drop to the 30K but as I got closer to the 10.2 mile turnaround, I knew I had made the right decision. I barely made the cut-off time for the 10.2 aid station at 10:30am. 3 1/2 hours after I had started the race. I can walk 10.2 miles faster than that! At the aid station, I filled my water bottle and got some carbs in me. Then, I asked if I could drop to the 30K. The man radioed down to the race director and he made the changes from there. The 30K was a true out and back course. Now all I had to do was run back the way I came.

I was definitely re-energized at that 10.2 turnaround. Giving myself a new goal to finish the 30K, not risking a DNF with the 50K, made me feel much better about myself. For awhile, I was running and running fast. I passed several people again on the way down the mountain. I had expected to really feel the downhill after running uphill for so long but I was feeling great. I made it down to my first creek crossing and knew there was going to be an uphill again. I saw the tape that was there to mark the course but there was fork in the trail and I couldn't figure out which way to go. I choose left and I was wrong. I went out of my way for about 100 yards before I realized I was ducking out of the way of tree limbs way too much. I turned around and headed back and sure enough, I had missed the second strand of tape off to the right.

I got back on the right trail and continued on. The trail started to get to me again. The sections of trail with the huge rocks and boulders were not runnable at all and some of those steep uphill climbs with rocks and tree limbs littering the pathway were treacherous to go down. I ended up falling pretty hard down one of them and caught the whole thing on camera.

After the last aid station, with 4 miles left to go, my heart was already filled with regret and disappointment. I faced the reality that I was going way too slow. The best I could do was to just keep moving forward. I soaked in the beautiful scenery as much as I could. In the last 2 miles, one of the 50K guys stopped next to me to ask me how I was doing. I was honest. Haha. Nevertheless, we gave each other some encouragement and he bounded up to the finish line. I continued to take my time until making the turn toward the finish and then finished strong.

This was the last two miles. Beautiful!

All that being said, I'm extremely proud of what I accomplished. It really was the hardest run of my life. I was devastatingly unprepared for this ultra but I'm hoping that my experience has brought me that much closer to being prepared for my next one. I won't give up on this dream to be an ultrarunner.

How am I doing now? I've recovered for the most part. Physically, I stopped being sore about 4 days later. Mentally, I still battle those inner demons that tell me I've failed or that I could have done better. I really wanted to go out this past weekend and knock out 31.5 miles just to prove that I could do it but I know my body needed to rest. I felt the urge to run Wednesday-Saturday but I didn't get around to it until tonight. I'm glad I waited. Even after waiting 8 days, my legs still aren't the same. I got in 6.2 miles tonight and it helped mostly to clear the fog in my head and refocus my energy on my next goal.

Every year after my marathons, I sign up for a 5K to keep myself motivated. This year is the UMCH Trick or Trot 5K on October 22nd. I have now switched gears from ultra training to 5K training which means lots of speed workouts. 2 years ago I was able to meet my goal of finishing under 30 minutes. This year I hope to the do the same but getting a PR would be icing on the cake.

After the 5K, you better believe that I'll start training for the next 50K. I've scouted out a couple of race possibilities at the beginning of next year. I will be coming into this next attempt with more determination than ever before. Stay tuned...

Happy running!
Amanda

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...the distance.

As I started to write the title of this blog post, I couldn't help but start singing the Cake song...."He's going the distance. He's going for speed...."

Anyway, today's blog post is about distance because I've come to realize that ultra marathon training really has changed my path on this running journey. I made a list last night of all my 20+ mile runs prior to this year. I needed some inspiration going into my scheduled 26 mile run today. Here they are:

Sept 8, 2012 - 20.7 mile training run
Oct 21, 2012 - 26.2 Rock n Roll St. Louis Marathon
Nov 9, 2013 - 26.2 Rock n Roll Savannah Marathon
Sept 28, 2014 - 20 mile training run
Oct 12, 2014 - 26.2 Chicago Marathon #1
Sept 15, 2015 - 20 mile training run
Oct 11, 2015 - 26.2 Chicago Marathon #2

The first thing that stood out to me is that I never had a 20+ mile run before Savannah!! No wonder that race was so terrible for me. That was the marathon where I ended up passing out at mile 20. I was definitely under-trained. The next is that I really only had one 20+ mile run before my other 3 races and the longest distance was 20.7 miles. Most people will tell you that running longer than 20 miles before a marathon is not really necessary but wow, this was definitely eye opening for me.

Now for this year. I'm gonna talk a lot of numbers here for a minute because I can't believe how far I've come.

Total mileage - Since November 5, 2011 I have logged 2,918 miles. I fully expect to break through 3,000 miles by the end of this month. That's roughly 600-700 miles average each year. And this year's not over yet...

Mileage by month - I started training for my ultra in June. In June I logged 80 miles. In July, I logged 97. In August, I'm already at 102 and I plan on finishing around 115.

And here's a list of all the 20+ mile runs I've done this year:

July 16, 2016 - 20 mile training run
July 30, 2016 - 22 mile training run
Aug 15, 2016 - 24 mile training run
Aug 27, 2016 - 26 mile training run

Just like that, I sign up for an ultra and suddenly I'm logging more miles than I ever imagined. I've run 4 separate 20+ mile runs before race day, as compared to the 7 that I've ran in the last 4 years.

I think it's still too early to officially say where I will go from here. I'm taking this ultra running journey moment by moment and loving every bit of it. However, I highly anticipate that after race day I will have caught the ultra running "bug" and start scouting out my next 50K or possibly even my first 50 miler and 100 miles is not entirely out of the question either. Exciting stuff!

On to today's run...26 miles! It was really weird getting ready for my run last night thinking that I was basically going to be running a marathon today. The formality of my usual pre-marathon routine was dismissed by just a normal night of carb loading and watching tv with my husband. There were no pre-marathon jitters. Nothing to finalize or to schedule or to map out. I was going to get up at 4 am like normal and just go run a marathon. Ha!

Beautiful morning!

Hitting the road at 4:57am

The morning routine was pretty much the same as well. I got on the road just shy of 5am. I can definitely tell we are getting closer to FALL RUNNING!!! (Hallelujah!) I spent the first 5 miles almost completely in the dark before the sun started coming up. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that there was an abundance of cloud cover. This made for a nice and cool morning and I didn't really start feeling the heat until around the halfway mark. At 16 miles I needed some additional water so my wonderfully supportive husband and son came to refill my water bottles. I also got a nice, cold Popsicle. Just what I needed to put a little pep in my step.

This Popsicle might be the best Popsicle I've ever had!

The rest of the miles went by without too much excitement. The heat did end up getting to me on a couple of occasions so I stopped to lay down in the shade and get my heart rate back to normal while I refueled on some Gatorade chews. I think the best part of today's run was around mile 24-25. There was a woman walking about 4 young children around the block. As I was coming up behind them, they moved out of the way and this little girl, probably not even 3 years old, had the biggest smile on her face and started waving and clapping for me. Just the motivation I needed to finish my last mile. Thanks little girl!

So this week was the peak of my training. As of tomorrow I start tapering for race day. Weekly mileage will probably still be around 20-30 miles but now I just have to trust the training. Definitely easier said than done! But in a month it will all be worth and I will be reveling in the aftermath of having run my first ultra. Can't wait!

Happy running!
Amanda

I run for...progress.

I totally flaked on writing my blog post last week like I said I would. So today...here are some thoughts from last week's long run and this week's 24 mile run.

My Running Manifesto

I've gotten into the habit of listening to podcasts on my longs runs. It makes me feel like the time goes by faster. I used to only listen to running related podcasts but I've ventured out of my comfort zone and have discovered there is a lot of great content out there. Some of my running podcast faves - Another Mother Runner, Ultrarunner Podcast.com, and Runner Academy with Matt Johnson. And my newly discovered non-running faves include Revisionist History and Happier.

So last week listening to Happier with Gretchen Rubin sparked an idea; creating a running manifesto. The benefit of having a manifesto, as Rubin said, would be to have clear and concise goals that are easy to remember. During the podcast the host, Gretchen Rubin, encouraged listeners to create their own manifesto about life, love, work, hobbies, etc. That's where I got the idea to create my running manifesto. So without further ado, here is my running manifesto.

1. Run with your heart.
2. Beware of dogs.
3. Be light on your feet.
4. Most importantly, have fun!

Short and sweet. If I were to sum up all of my running advice, it would be this. I found myself thinking of this a lot in the past week during my runs. It becomes sort of like a mantra in that way. I'm very glad that I did this and I think it will stick with me for a long time.

Ultramarathon Training Progress

So I don't think I've really shared much of my progress on my ultramarathon training since I started 10 weeks ago. There are definitely some things that have stood out as being different from the usual marathon training. The first thing is that I am running A LOT more. In the beginning looking at my training schedule, it didn't seem like all that many more miles but it is averaging between 10-15 miles a week more than marathon training. And now that my long runs are over 20 miles, it's more like 20-30 more miles a week. That's pretty significant.

When I first got started, I really thought my nutrition plan would need to change a lot to accommodate the longer miles but that really hasn't been the case. For the most part, I've stuck to my usual gels and sport beans. The only change I've made is during the last miles of my runs when I switch to candy (Starburst minis, Red Vines). The change seems to help my stomach stay full and not get all "sloshy" from too many gels.

Another change in my training has been running form. To be a more efficient runner and therefore, have more energy in the tank for the last remaining miles, I've become relatively good at gliding. At least that's what I call it. It's this process in which you're moving forward but really moving your limbs as little as possible, just letting the natural flow of forward motion move your arms and legs. I don't know if this makes sense at all but thinking about it like this while I run helps me a lot, especially in the uphills and downhills.

So here's where things get exciting...my progress. I have been training for marathons the last 4 years with the goal of really just finishing the race. I have fun at races and I take it easy and I'm not really "racing". Which is a big reason why I have yet to PR for my marathon. My first marathon is still the best at 5:46. During my ultramarathon training, I now have three 20+ mile runs under my belt: 20 miles, 22 miles, and 24 miles. 20 miles was on 7/16 and I averaged 13:50 min/mile. 22 miles was 2 weeks ago on 7/30 and it was kind of a disaster. After almost passing out from heat exhaustion, I had to take a break and go out and run the last 5 miles later. I averaged 14:36 min/mile on that run but I finished! Now today, I ran 24 miles. It was still hot and it was also rainy for the majority of it but I felt great. I averaged 12:59 min/mile. Based on that, if I were running a marathon this year, I would likely PR.  A 12:59 min/mile puts me at finishing a marathon around 5:40. Using this pace in terms of the Table Rock Ultra, it puts me at finishing around 6:43. If I plug that finishing time into race results from 2015 (2016 had to be cut short due to flooding), then I would finish in the top 20 overall and top 4 in the women's division. HOLY MOLY!

I am not so naive to think that I won't go a little slower than 12:59 min/mile on race day. Obviously it is a tough course and I've never ran it before so this will slow me down. However, to think that it's in the realm of possibility that I might get top 20 or top 10, that's super exciting and will definitely push me to go harder on race day and even actually "race" this time.

Last thought about ultramarthon training. Originally I was pretty nervous about not having any trail experience and I really wanted to go out and find some trails to get at least SOME trail experience. But it's week 10 and I have yet to run any trails. The reason for that being that my running routes are pretty awesome and very similar to trails I would imagine. I get a lot of hills on my runs and a lot of uneven terrain. In addition, I've been running hill repeats and these have been very successful in making the hills during my runs not seem so brutal.

Today's 24 mile run

Yes, today's run was a huge confidence booster after my 22 mile disaster of a run two weeks ago. Haha. I can't say that I was very confident going into it though. I went to a bachelorette party yesterday that involved a party bus and the wine trail. I still managed to be smart about my eating and drinking and I went to bed early. I just didn't know how much I would be feeling it this morning. So my alarm goes off at the usual 4am for run preparation. I was not ready at 4am. I hit the snooze and planned to wake at 5am. Well 5am rolls around and we are under a flash flood warning and it's pouring outside. Nope, not getting up at 5am either. So I just let myself sleep and got in 9 hours, waking up at 7am. Still raining outside but my hour by hour forecast tells me it will stop by 9am. I do all my run preparation and then start getting antsy. I don't want to wait until 9am. So I head out around 8am and it's still raining but I really don't care. Right off the bat I could tell it was going to be a good run. My only concern was my calves cramping up on me again like they did 2 weeks ago. Around mile 14-15 I started to get low on water and I could feel the slightest twinge of a cramp in my right calf. So I messaged my ammmmmazing husband and he brought me water to refill my two water bottles plus a Nuun tablet for replenishing my electrolytes. After that I had a surge of energy and the twinge in my right calf went away. I finished strong. In the last 4 miles I increased my pace to 12:15 min/mile. And honestly, I finished with energy still left in the tank. I think I definitely could have ran a marathon today if I tried but I'm a believer in sticking to my training to a T.


Where to go from here

So here's what the next 6 weeks look like for me. In two week's I'll do my longest run at 26 miles and then start to taper. I'm still in search of a 10 mile or 1/2 marathon race to do in week 13. It just so happens that this falls on Labor Day weekend and I've been looking but there's nothing close to where I live so far. That means I will have to simulate the race or else travel somewhere to get the race in. I'll keep ya updated!

11	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run PLUS Core	70 min Hilly run	1:15-1:30 Easy run PLUS Core	Off or Easy Swim or Jog	16 miles	1 hour Medium Effort Run
12	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run PLUS Core	Hill Repeats:  10 x 600m	1:15-1:30 Easy run PLUS Core	Off or Easy Swim or Jog	26 miles	1 hour Medium Effort Run
13	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run PLUS Core	70 min Hilly run	1:15-1:30 Easy run PLUS Core	Off or Easy Swim or Jog	Race: 10 mile or ½ marathon	1 hour Medium Effort Run
14	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run PLUS Core	Hill Repeats:  8 x 600m	1:15-1:30 Easy run PLUS Core	Off or Easy Swim or Jog	30 min Easy Run	Race: 10K
15	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run PLUS Core	Hill Repeats:  5 x 600m	1:15-1:30 Easy run PLUS Core	Off or Easy Swim or Jog	Race: 5K	90 min Run
16	Off or Easy Swim or Ride	45-60 min Easy run	1 hour Easy run	OFF	OFF	30 min Easy Run	50K Race!

Happy running!
Amanda