Burning River, Here I Come

I only put in 22.6 miles last week (Sunday-Saturday, you’ll remember), but am nevertheless pretty pleased with the body of work I put in—some speedwork, some slower miles. It was a good start to my taper, as I also concentrated on getting acclimated to shoes and accessories (hats, shirts, etc.) I’ll be using on Saturday/Sunday. Put in 7.51 Sunday evening, with 3.7 last night and 3 scheduled for today, which will finish up my training—rest, rest, rest (and drive, drive, drive) after that. Of course, in between now and then stands mohawk-cutting, general packing, race packing, dog-readying, laundry, etc. And to think, I’ve already been complaining about my lack of sleep of late….

I guess that means it’s time to spill the proverbial beans (i.e. let you know that I’ll be running Burning River). Situated in/around Cuyahoga Valley National Park (near Cleveland, OH), Burning River is a 100 mile (101.1 mile, to be precise) endurance run (and home to this year’s USA Track & Field Trail Championship, which I will not be participating in—I’ll be running the same mileage as everyone else, but don’t pay the USATF dues which would make me eligible for the prize purse). The run is 75% trails and should be mostly well shaded (thankfully). Race particulars:

Start Time: 5:00 AM EDT on Saturday, 7/31
Time Cutoff: 30 hours (thus 11:00 AM EDT on Sunday, 8/1)
Aid Stations: 24 (3 unmanned water stops, and 21 manned stations)
Number of runners currently signed up: 268
My Bib Number: 216
Where you can track me in near-real time (my splits will be logged at every manned aid station): http://www.chaneyevents.com/webcast.html OR by calling Julia on either my phone or her own

Julia will be crewing for me (assisting me with the gathering of food/water or a change of sock/shoes, slap-in-the-face motivation, etc.), and I was lucky enough to “meet” (on the Burning River message board) Dave, who will be helping to pace me the final 46.6 miles.

Differences between this race (and ultramarathons in general) and just-plain-marathons:

1.) Like a marathon, ultramarathons are completed in one fell swoop—you don’t run 50 miles one day, get a good night’s sleep, then do the same the following day. However, your pace is far slower—my pace during my fastest marathon (2:53:40) was 6:38 per mile, while I would be “tickled pink” to run 12:00 per-mile pace (which would put me crossing the finishing line in just over 20 hours) during a 100 mile ultra. In order to insure you can complete the race (or give yourself a fighting chance, anyways), ultramarathoners run a pace they know won’t be too taxing over a prolonged period of time, and work walking into the race as well—during the uphill sections, perhaps during some of the more technical pieces of the course, or when they simply need a break.

2.) Due to the length of the races, most ultramarathons incorporate varying terrains: singletrack trails (narrow and oftentimes technical—roots and other obstacles on/around the trail), bridle paths (are oftentimes very pitted, through horse use) , bike-and-hike trails (are oftentimes paved and quite wide), roads, etc.

Burning River features all of these.

Because I’m using this race as more of a “is this something I’d be interested in doing more of” run than actual “how fast can I go?” race, I’m just looking to finish (i.e. goal #1: have fun, goal #2: finish). If I determine I would like to continue down the ultramarathon path, then I will train harder/better for the next one. It will help that I’ll have been through one and will know what to expect.

Burning River, here I come—I truly look forward to meeting you. Crazy, I know. This is what happens when you pretend you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in to.

Speedwork: A Mind Game

I’ll admit to being slack in updating my blog recently. But this is a direct consequence of two other things that are abundantly more important: I’ve been running more (thus a major reason for the blog in the first place) and getting my act (and paperwork) together, in order to apply for a position in graduate school (and hopefully receive a Master of Arts in Teaching). Will I let my fear of needles stand in the way of my gaining access to school, which requires a recent record of immunizations? Hmm…. As for running, I put 128.58 miles on my legs in June, a far cry from the 199.3 I put on them in May. This is primarily a result of my tapering for my unsuccessful 50-miler, as well as some general laziness/recovery during the five days I was cruising. But I’m doing much better this month (49.07 miles at current count), and was pleased with how I felt during a 25-mile run (3:41:31; 8:52 pace) I logged on Tuesday. I’ll try and log a run closer to 30 miles/4:15:00-4:30:00 early next week, then begin to taper again shortly thereafter—go for quality workouts, rather than quantity. So, what does “quality” constitute for me? Well, besides working to keep my legs loose and “used to running” (i.e. slowly reducing the miles I run each week), I’ll also be implementing once or twice-weekly speed/track workouts. Why add speed workouts in to ultramarathon training at all, let alone just a few of them at the very end of a training cycle? Because I need to get my head right. Period. For me, a well-run track workout works wonders (alliteration not intended, but gladly accepted); knowing that my legs have still got speed/strength in them (ego boost), that my body can still take the punishment I dole out and keep on chugging right along (positive reinforcement), and that my mind can still be “talked into” letting me complete a rigorous workout (I rule the roost!) is a tremendous advantage for a runner that may (and will likely) be doubting any, if not all, of these throughout an ultramarathon. Just like in training, there are peaks and valleys during a race—we all embrace the peaks, but many of us are so afraid of the valleys that we stop when we encounter them. It’s those of us that can keep running through them, realizing that we’re sure to reach another peak again, that are therein able to see what we’re truly made of. This is why I run. Of course, I’m just hoping I find I’m made of an indelible spirit…rather than “poop,” like my mom keeps telling me.