Cats, Ducks and Turtles (Oh My!)

Only when running will you see the following things within a two-week span:

1.) A cat being chased (and dive-bombed) by two birds
2.) A one-legged duck, hopping out of your path
3.) Three separate turtles in need of mid-street rescuing
4.) A cat romping through its yard…with a snake dangling out of its mouth
5.) A souped-up, bright blue/purple Buick with custom Wolverine-busting-out-of-the-paint job graphics on both the hood and side panels, along with a three tiered horn mounted on the front

Other observations from recent runs:

1.) I hated horseflies when I was a youngster at the local swimming hole. In the years since, they have done nothing to allay that feeling.
2.) Puppies are cute, even when they don’t listen to their shouting masters and run alongside you, yanking on your shoelaces.

And, from the “I could have told you that” file:

1.) Georgia heat/humidity is not what one would consider “ideal” for many-mile runs, no matter the hour you venture out (though it certainly helps to have a bike-with-a-large-basket riding mother that can tag along and tote much-needed fluid replacements from time to time).

Monthly mileage, to date: 140.44 miles, with a week and a half to go.

How I’m feeling:
Body: legs are decently, but not overly, tired
Mind: tired—I’ve got to work on getting to bed (and actually turning off the lights) earlier
Spirit: undaunted, and progressively getting more excited (so much so that, a week ago, it took me over an hour to get to sleep, due to thinking about the race; first time that’s ever happened a month out from an event)

Only 22 days until the big race.

Bethel Hill Preparation = Increased Leg Tiredness

My mileage total for April was 130.88 miles (compared to March’s 156.29 miles), which only makes sense when you figure in the fact that I took eight days off surrounding the Boston Marathon (3 days before and 5 days after). Ten days in to May, and I already stand at 77.35 miles for the month, thus it’s a pretty sure bet that I’ll “easily” surpass my highest-ever monthly mileage total (the aforementioned March tally). Why the apparent quick, steady ramp-up? To ready myself for The Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie, a rural, mid-June (June 12), mid-day (6:00 PM), bare bones 50-mile race (anything over the standard 26.2 miles is considered an ultramarathon) that features five all-paved, hilly repeats of a 6-mile loop and a 4-mile out-and-back (as always, click on the image below to enlarge).



How do you ready yourself for an ultra (especially one that is your first)? Carefully, and by practicing everything. “Everything” constitutes (in no order of importance):

1.) Walking occasionally. This allows your legs to get used to a slower-than-marathon pace, as well as to rest a bit. Perhaps more importantly, this allows you to grab a few, quick bites of something to eat. In a marathon, you can subsist on gels and replacement drink (Gatorade, Heed, etc.), but when you’re out on the course for no less than 6 hours, you need something a little more hearty.
2.) Taking electrolyte replacements. I’ve gone the S! Caps route, though I’ve read that nuun is another great option.
3.) Carrying hand-held bottles, one each of water and the already-discussed replacement drink. These bottles allow you access to a beverage whenever you require it, and are especially important in a race that will likely be quite humid, on a course that offers a single aid station. Hydration is key to keeping your muscles firing on all cylinders. My bottles also offer an added bonus: a handy, zippered pouch on them, which allows me easy access to gels, S! Caps, etc.
4.) Running with a headlamp. It’s going to be dark, there won’t be any streetlights, and I don’t have night vision.
5.) Liberally applying sunscreen. The more the sun gets through to you, the more it saps you of your strength/energy. And on a 3-hour training run, that account for a lot.
6.) Running more miles. In order to succeed in a race, your best bet is to train for what you’re racing. To ready myself for Boston, I made sure I tackled hill repeats from time to time, so that it wouldn’t be a shock to my system when I came upon them during the race. So for Bethel Hill, I’ve replaced my speed workouts with longer, slower mileage—if, after 49.9 miles I find myself sprinting to the tape with another runner, my body’s going to have to rely on muscle memory and sheer determination.

The training has been going really well thus far, despite the uptick in humidity/temperature. I sometimes feel that I’m walking (ok, running) a fine line between training correctly and overuse of already-tired legs, but I’m taking steps (or plan to, anyways) to combat that. These steps include:

1.) Ice baths
2.) Better stretching habits
3.) Better sleep habits
4.) Following my proposed workout schedule as closely as I can, but understanding that my body has the final call