State of the Run – February 15, 2018

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Sean O’Brien 100k is behind me. Angeles Crest 100 mile is 24 weeks away.  I’m now OFFICIALLY training for AC100 as my next target race!  

So that leaves a lot of hard work ahead of me.  Right now I have 24 weeks of blank canvas to work with, but that time is going to fly by and before I know it I’ll be toeing the line behind the “Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run” race banner.  If you can’t tell, I’m excited.  I’m up to the challenge for making the most of these 24 weeks.  Early mornings.  Mindful eating.  Running workouts.  Strength workouts.  Mountains runs.  High mileage.  Basically everything I’ve been doing, but at a higher level.  And at no time in my life have I had LESS time to put toward such a goal.  The true challenge is going to be getting this done while still prioritizing family and work.

The Plan:

The last three months have gotten me in the best running shape of my life.  Now I’ll be best served building upon that base with a 24 week training block loosely following the training principles of Jason Koop, as he describes in his book Training Essentials for Ultrarunning.  

  • 4 weeks of Running Intervals focusing on improving VO2Max, leading up to the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon on March 18th.  
  • 8 weeks of Tempo Runs focusing on improving longer sustained speed, leading up to a yet to be determined 50 mile race in May.  
  • 9 weeks of Endurance Runs and Steady State Runs focusing on high mileage to train myself both physically and mentally, leading up to Angeles National Forest (previously known as Mt. Disappointment) 60k on July 7.  
  • 3 weeks of race condition specific training, including heat training and taper, leading up to Angeles Crest 100 on August 4.

I followed a 12 week version of the above while preparing for Sean O’Brien, and I began that race much better prepared than any other race I’ve done, though I successfully sabotaged that by feeling TOO good in the first third of the race.

Stats (beginning February 12):

  • Starting weight: 163 pounds
  • Cumulative running miles: 25.5 miles
  • Cumulative cycling miles: 0 miles
  • Cumulative gym hours: 0 hours
  • Longest run: 7.5 miles
  • Mood: Overconfident