My First 70+ Mile Training Week! 2/17/2014-2/23/2014

The week started off pretty slow and by Thursday I was worried about whether I would get in the volume I wanted for the week.  One thing I've been thinking about over the past month as my training has ramped up, is why am I running this 100 mile race in April?  What's my motivation?  I've done a great job in terms of putting in the miles and logging long runs but I'm not too sure about why I'm doing it?  Nonetheless, I hit 71 miles for the week, a new personal best and my first time logging weekly mileage in 70's!  The volume was noticeable this week and I struggled getting out the door for nearly every run aside from today's long run.  Anyways, this is how last week unfolded:

Monday: 7, 250' 1hr
The weekly Monday night Ultra VT group run was a good time as usual and involved a bunch of "RIGHT!"'s as we swept through downtown Blacksburg.  My legs didn't feel too bad during the run considering the effort at Holiday Lake 50k on Saturday and the strenuous running we did in the snow.  It was a solid start to the week before a bit of a mid-week break.  For some reason I was pretty drained on Monday but the group run got me out the door and helped hold me accountable.

Tuesday: 2.5, 20 min.
I used to have a rule that I wouldn't go out for a run that was less than 4 miles because it wasn't worth my time.  As I've run more over the past couple years, that number has slightly shifted with my average run distance toward the 7-8 mile range.  On Tuesday, I came home exhausted and with zero motivation to run but Michelle decided she wanted to get out for a run so we headed down to the Huckleberry Trail with Gillie for a casual run.  Unfortunately Michelle has been battling some knee issues, which flared up pretty early into our run and consequently cut it short.  Sometimes you have to take it a day at a time and let it happen.

Wednesday: Rest
The day got the better of me and I decided to take a day off for both mental and physical recovery.

Thursday:  12.3, 1300' 2hr
On Thursday, I got home pretty early from class and took Gillie out for a run before I headed out on my run for the day.  Gillie is usually good for 2-3 miles but after that she gets too tired and I worry about her getting hurt.  I read somewhere that when you run with a dog they should always be in front of you and when they're not it's time to call it a day.  Perhaps I'm already an overprotective parent?

After tiring out the pup, I headed out for a run for me and ran down the hill from our apartment toward the valley.  I cut across on a road called Happy Hollow, which is anything but happy and ran on almost an entirely new route!  It was pretty awesome!

After my run, Michelle and I made some amazing bacon, kale, caramelized-onion calzones making the dough from scratch in the KitchenAid mixer.  

Friday: 9.8, 680' 1.5hr

On Friday, I took Gillie out for another quick jog before heading out for my run where I ran into Pawel and Gef on their run and joined them for a mile or so.  Hence the abrupt turn around on Plantation Road on the map two activities below.

Saturday: 19.2, 4650' 3.75hr

Apple Orchard Mountain Summit - 4225'

My alarm went off at 4:15 on Saturday morning and I dragged myself out of bed to head over to campus so that I could grab a ride to Bedford for a training run on the Promise Land course.  Alex (pictured right below) will be running her first ultra at Promise Land, which I did last year, and sent out an email seeing if anyone would be interested in joining her for the training run Saturday morning organized Dr. Horton.  The three of us (Rachel is left in the photo below) made the drive up to Bedford Saturday morning and arrived at Promise Land Youth Camp just before 7.  We found Guy Love parked at the gate, who had camped the night before, and after changing into our running clothes headed up the 2.5 mile climb to aid station 1, where everyone else was beginning their runs for the day.  

The scheduled run allowed runners to see 12 miles of the course but by adding the starting climb we tacked on an additional 5 miles.  We also added a little side trip up to the peak of Apple Orchard Mountain and then hopped on AT to descend from the peak to the Sunset Field aid station on the course to make it 19 miles for the day.  The run was fairly slow because of the considerable amount of snow on the trails, which was kind of a slap in the face after Holiday Lake the previous Saturday.  The snow was just soft enough that your foot would break through right on toe-off so it was faster to walk some sections than it was to run.  After the run, we stopped off at Blue Ridge Bagels for the perfect post run lunch!  The bagels were delicious and the place had so much character!  I would HIGHLY recommend stopping there if you find yourself in Bedford.  Yum!  

Sunday: 20, 1100' 2:40
Despite the tough day on Saturday, I had committed to heading down to Draper to run on the New River Trail with Pawel and Gef on Sunday morning.  Unfortunately Pawel's foot was bothering him but Gef was still up for getting in a run and we made the short drive down 81 to Draper, VA a little after 9:30AM.  Pawel and Gef had planned to run 20 and although I really wanted to get in 20, I also didn't want to be a hinderance to them if I wasn't able to maintain their training pace of 8 min/miles.  I decided to give it a try and was surprised how my legs felt after such a long day just 24 hours prior.  We managed to tick off 12 miles before getting back to the car to refill our bottles and grab some food.  It took a lot of energy to get back out on the trail but we managed to complete all 20 miles in just under two hours and forty minutes or roughly a 7:50 pace!

I was super pumped to have finished this run because it required me to dig deep and push through when my legs were tired.  It was a pretty huge confidence boost to knock out 39 miles over the weekend and hit a new weekly high miles of 71 miles.  Unfortunately my stomach was pretty upset after and the Five Guys burger I had been thinking about, and got me through some of the tough parts of the run, didn't happen.  Sad panda.

Totals for the week:

Distance: 71

Elevation: 8000'

Duration: 11hr

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A Successful Week of Training! 1/20/2014-1/26/2014

As I sit here with my feet up watching the Grammys reflecting on my past week of training, I'm proud of how I managed to step up and put in a decent week of training both in terms of volume and quality.  I've been slightly apprehensive about Umstead 100 because of my lack of training during the month of January including taking the first 8 days of the month off.  However, after this week I'm feeling slightly more confident about tackling the daunting distance of 100 miles.

Monday: 18.3 miles, 4500' 4hr
On Monday, we were treated with unseasonably warm weather and I decided to begin the week with a long run on the Appalachian Trail to mark MLK Day.  I had been thinking about this run for some time and even considered doing it this fall when Michelle and I hiked up to Tinker Cliffs with some friends but it never quite worked out.  McAfee's Knob is one of the most popular hikes in the area and the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail.  Last year, I ran up to McAfee's Knob to watch the sunrise and even made a time-lapse of the sunrise.  I parked at the 311 trailhead and began running a little after 11AM.  My route was along the Appalachian trail the entire way and began with the climb up to McAfee's Knob and then I would continue on to Tinker Cliffs.

McAfee's Knob...the first time of the day.

The climb up to McAfee's Knobs is a pretty decent hike and goes from just under 2000' to around 3200' over 4 miles.  That section took me close to an hour; I stopped and grabbed a few pictures at the top as well as put on a vest.  After reaching McAfee's Knob, you descend off the mountain and follow the AT along the ridge for another 5.2 miles to Tinker Cliffs, eventually climbing another 700 ft to reach the cliffs.

You can trace the ridge I ran along in the photo to the left.  Tinker Cliffs is the peak at the left edge of the photo.

The descent off McAfee's Knob along the Appalachian Trail.

Right before reaching Tinker Cliff's you weave through some massive and awesome rock formations.

I reached Tinker Cliffs about an hour after leaving McAfee's Knob and grabbed a picture before turning around and heading back toward McAfee's Knob.  Because schools were out and class for Virginia Tech hadn't started, there were lots of folks out along the trail heading up to McAfee's Knob.  However, in the two hours I ran between McAfee's Knob and Tinker Cliffs, I only saw one other couple and that was during my return climb back up to McAfee's Knob.  Even more surprising was that I had Tinker Cliffs all to myself although it took me nearly seven years living in Blacksburg before I hiked it for the first time this past fall.  The photo above is looking back to McAfee's Knob, which is the hump in the middle of the photo.

Panoramic view from Tinker Cliffs.

McAfee's Knob for the second time of the day.

The run back wasn't too bad with the exception of dropping one of my Gu packets along the run and I didn't realize it until I reached McAfee's Knob for the second time of the day.  Fortunately, the run back to the parking lot from the knob is mainly downhill.

Post run parking lot photo and Garmin details.

Elevation profile for the day.  The run wound up being 4,499 ft of elevation gain.

I was pretty spent when I got home but Michelle was planning on heading out for a run and I jumped on the opportunity to ride along side her on my bike.  I brought along the GoPro and snagged a bunch of really fun photos!

Tuesday: 6.2, 600' 1hr

Monday's gorgeous weather made Tuesday's several inches of snow seem surreal.  I headed out Tuesday evening to join some of the guys from the Virginia Tech Ultra team at Pandapas for a night run.  I've been waiting all year to go for a trail run in the snow and it didn't disappoint.  Running under headlamp was fun and catching up with the guys and meeting some new folks made the miles fly by!  No photos from the run but the details are below.  Funny story, I forgot my Garmin but wanted to track the mileage and decided to bring my phone along for the run.  My phone was too big for the pocket on my pants so I decided to throw it in my E-case (that I won from a Facebook contests last year) and put it in my pants...well...down my pants.  So...err...I ran a little over 6 miles with my phone in my butt.  Hey, you've gotta do what you have to do!

Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Rest
I took both Wednesday and Thursday off, not necessarily intentionally but it just kinda worked out that way.

Friday: 9, 1400' 1.5hr
I had an orientation for student teaching on Friday morning for Montgomery County Public Schools, which was scheduled to run from 9:30 until around noon.  We were dismissed around 11 and our next meeting was not until 2 so I decided to head out to Pandapas to get in a good run rather than having to squeeze in a run in the evening.  I had a total blast.  On the drive out to Pandapas, I was thinking about running with unexpected or "unaccounted for" time is the best type of run.  It was just one of those runs where I kept saying "I'll just do 6" and then I was feeling good so I said to myself "well maybe I'll just add on some more" and before I knew it I had run for an hour and a half and put myself in a bit of a time crunch to make my 2PM meeting.  I walked in the door at 1:33, showered, changed, and was out the door again by 1:46 grabbing a quick sandwich on the way and made it to my 2PM meeting with a few minutes to spare.  Perfect.

Saturday:  11, 820' 1.5hr

To say that I struggled with motivation Saturday would be a huge understatement.  I simply couldn't get it together to get out the door.  Michelle made me a delicious breakfast including blackberry syrup and waffles from scratch.  Most of the early morning was spent cleaning our apartment and lounging around.  However, at 4PM I finally got out the door and managed to get in 11 miles running around Blacksburg.  It actually marked my first run on pavement of the year and it felt good to get out and run around Blacksburg again but MAN! It. Was. Cold.  

Sunday: 21, 850' 3.25hr

Today, I got out and managed to get in my first "long run" of the year getting in 21 miles in a little over 3 hours.  I headed down the road on 81 to Draper, VA to run along the New River Trail, a 57 mile rails-to-trails "bike path" that runs from Fries to Foster Falls.  I'd like to run the entire thing at some point but today I was out to see a little over 10 miles of it.  I didn't move particularly fast but I was more concerned about duration and getting in quality time.  Along my run there were plenty of cool sights:

At the end of my run, I completed day 2 of the Plank-a-day Challenge.  I've been meaning to do some type of core work and I think this is a good start.  I would like to do more strength training but perhaps I'll look into that after Umstead 100.  

Totals for the week:

Distance: 65 miles

Elevation: ~8200'

Duration: 12hr

I'm very pleased with how the week went and I'm excited to increase my mileage this week.  My goal is to break into the 70's for the first time by running 40 miles during the week and running the Holiday Lake course this Saturday for a training run.

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Where's Waldo Wednesday - 5/16/13-5/30/13

Where's Waldo Wednesday - The point of the week where more is behind than ahead and the weekend, and thus playtime, is the bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Why did I call it Where's Waldo Wednesday?  No particular reason really...other than I like alliteration and it is fun to say.  Try saying it five times fast!

A weekly (more like biweekly) series of what's new around here and other ramblings like things I found interesting on the internet this week or cool runs I did, kind of like a weekly synopsis.  Originally, I was going to do this on Sunday and call it Sunday Synopsis but then I couldn't decide between Sunday Synopsis and Sunday Summary...so I did the only logical thing and decided to write it on Wednesday?

This week's edition is actually less than two weeks so it's somewhat of a double header because I missed last week but there are some fun/important things to include...so you get ~two for the price of one.  Also, that means this post is probably WAY too long for you so you may just want to skip through to options of interest.

The Week's Happenings

After I finished up the spring semester two Tuesdays ago, Michelle and I had some time to hang out before I headed down to the Outer Banks to vacation with my parents and grandparents.

1. Vacation in the Outer Banks!  I'm not sure the last time I vacationed with my parents...maybe the summer of 2010 after I graduated and flew into Richmond from Alabama???  Either way its been far too long.  Although the drive isn't too terribly long mileage wise (273 mi.) it's a solid 7 hour drive without stops and makes for a good day of driving.  I wound up leaving around 1:30PM on Friday and arrived just before 9PM.  I decided to take 460 the entire way, which is a more scenic and relaxed drive than the interstate, and the lower speeds helped me feel better about lugging my kayak across the state and eased the fear of it flying off somewhere along the interstate.  Everyone else had a pretty lousy drive with my parents normal drive (~5 hours) taking closer to 13 after losing a tire on a trailer they were towing and then getting caught behind a hazmat cleanup on 95, the same mess that delayed my grandparents but we all made it SAFELY and were together Friday evening!

Outback LOVE.

We managed to pack a lot into the three days my grandparents were there.  On Saturday morning, I headed off early to meet up with the Outer Banks Running Club for a group run of about 9 miles and then planned to continue on my own.  I found the club via their Facebook page and asked for spots to run while I was down there for a week with a terrific response.  Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for us and I was the only person who showed up aside from Ed the coach for the marathon training group.  However, I did manage to win the raffle for the week (because I was the only one there) which meant I received a pretty sweet tote/gym bag.  The weather cleared later in the afternoon and I hitched a ride with my grandparents/parents who were headed out to a garden show and managed to get in 19 miles including the run back home from where they had dropped me off.  

Saturday evening, we went out to an amazing dinner at Kelly's, which has been in business almost 30 years, and afterward we grabbed a few family photos!

2. Wright Brothers National Memorial  On Sunday, we enjoyed a rather lackadaisical morning and eventually ventured down the road (literally) to the Wright Brothers National Memorial which is part of the National Park Service.  Michelle and I visited the memorial, which sits up on Big Kill Devil Hill, in January but it was neat to see it with my parents and grandparents and in much warmer (not necessarily nicer) weather.  It is incredible to think what Orville and Wilbur accomplished and how much those first four flights changed the way we live today. 

Model of the Wright Brothers' First Flyer.

Love the architecture of this building, which was constructed in 1959 and totally looks the part!

It all looks good facing this direction.  However, the other...

The impending storm which we narrowly escaped!

When Michelle and I visited the memorial in January, we stayed up on the hill and watched the sunset which...for future knowledge closes at 5PM...Oops!  We didn't venture up the hill on this particular visit but the photos below are from Michelle and I walked up the hill in January.

The rest of the afternoon was fairly relaxing, mainly napping and lounging before heading out on an evening run in the Nags Head Ecological Preserve just down the road.  This was a suggestion of a place to run by one of the folks in the Outer Banks Running Club and after researching it a bit I decided I would give it a try.  I was hoping to get in a long run but the humidity AND BUGS were horrible!  I managed 9 miles but they were ugly.  The trails are really, really short and I misread the map initially thinking that I would be able to get in a long run with trail lengths of 2.75 and 3.75 and connecting a few other trails and making loops.  Wrong.  I soon discovered the trail distances were from the trail entrance and that the outer loop wasn't really 3.75 but only an additional mile when including the "gateway" trail which had me doing quarter mile laps around a pond.

I took several photos during my run but they all came out blurry...so you get signs of the entrance!

Interestingly enough, the Nags Head Woods Yuengling 5K, which had its 30th running this year, starts at the parking lot for the ecological preserve and had just taken place the previous Saturday...maybe next year.  Once I figured out I wasn't going to get in the mileage I wanted to inside the preserve, I decided to make a big loop of the road leading to the preserve and the main highway on the Outer Banks, 158.  Although I'm not a huge fan of humidity (but really who is?) the bugs, specifically horseflies, were the real reason to leave the preserve and head toward the highway.  I suppose I should have known better with the standing water.

3. Elizabethan Gardens and Bodie Lighthouse  On Monday morning, we decided to make the trip across the sound to tour the Elizabethan Gardens.  The weather had us worried as the forecast called for scattered showers throughout the day but we decided to brave it and try anyway.  Did we ever luck out!  The weather was beautiful and the gardens were gorgeous.

The entrance to the gardens.

The camera on the iPhone 5 is simply amazing!  I'm now accustomed to bringing a P&S with me but the iPhone is still my primary camera 90% of the time (all of the photos labeled IMG_#&@*).

Their anniversary, of 61 YEARS, just so happened to fall on the week they were at the beach with us.  

We then ventured down to the Bodie Lighthouse (apparently pronounced Body), which Michelle and I visited in January as well but again with much nicer weather this of year, and walked around for awhile but opted not to climb it (although its' 219 stairs are nothing compared to what I did last month at the Duke Energy Tower climb!).

The Bodie Lighthouse underwent a 3 year restoration and was relit on April 18th.

Afterward, we headed home for naps although I opted for a short kayak trip out in the sound.

I only went out for about a half hour but the wind was pretty decent once I got away from the shoreline and out toward the conservation area.  

4.  Sitting and Relaxing!  We managed to see and do a lot in three short days but had yet to make it to the beach.  On Tuesday, we headed to the beach to do nothing...well my parents planned on doing nothing but I decided I would try getting in a short run on the beach.  I had never run barefoot aside from a few games of frisbee on football fields during high school and college but decided to give it a try.  It wasn't until the next that I realized how taxing running on the sand really was, I woke up feeling sore muscles I didn't even know I had.

The rest of the week involved a lot of this...and it was AWESOME!

5.  Riding on the New River Valley Trail!  Unfortunately, like all good things the vacation to the Outer Banks came to an end on Friday and I made the long 7 hour drive home which was rather uneventful.  On Saturday morning (after I got in a quick run), Michelle and I packed up our bikes and headed south to Draper (exit 94 off of I-81) for a date Michelle had planned for us.  We managed to get the bikes out for short ride last week when we went down to South Main Kroger but had yet to go out for a ride longer than 5 miles.  The New River Trail is not a paved path, however it is a rails-to-trails path and is nearly pancake flat!  Michelle opted for her mom's mountain bike while I choose to bring the Tricross-commuter, which has much narrower tires but did fine on the ride.

It was a big weekend for cycling in the New River Valley.  We found out after after arriving when we noticed the aid station set up alongside the trail that the Wilderness Road Ride was going on but the course did not use the trail (thankfully!) and Sunday featured the Mountains of Misery.  We however, were not out for misery but instead a leisurely ride of about 10 miles.  A cold front had come through Friday evening that made riding in jeans and a t-shirt a bit chilly.  

The aid station (red canopy) for Saturday's Wilderness Road Ride and Michelle headed off toward lunch!

Most of the section that we rode was covered like the photo above on the right, only the beginning (left) and bridges were not canopied.

So I have managed to get two of these photos recently. 

One of the many awesome bridges along the trail!

We were too far away when this photo was taken.  Next time, I think I'll set the camera in front of us and have us ride by it instead of it starting out behind us.

Cool bridge across the river!

The scenery off of the trail is gorgeous, it's just hiding behind that tree that got in the way.

For some reason I really like how this shot turned out!

The ride was AWESOME.  We had perfect weather and it was just a fun day but both of us were starting to get a little hangry so we turned around headed back toward the start.  Michelle had planned our ride so that we started in Draper where the Draper Mercantile and Blue Door Cafe is so that we could grab lunch after our ride, brilliant!  The Draper Mercantile building has been around for a long time (>120 years) but the restaurant inside, the Blue Door Cafe, has only been open about a year. 

The Draper Mercantile as you approach from the New River Trail.

The Draper Mercantile also has a bike store in the bottom which I thought was really neat!

The food was delicious and the ambiance even better...and although I we only rode 10 miles I wasn't about to pass up homemade ice cream!

The inside of the restaurant/store was really neat with a stage and small shop with local artists!

The Draper Mercantile building previously served as a post office 

After lunch, I set up the ENO Doublenest Hammock for the first time and we enjoyed laying in the warm sun before calling it a day!

The Tricross commuter townie.

6. Hiking the Cascades!  On Sunday, Michelle, Gillie and I hiked the cascades with her parents.  This is a really moderate hike that is fun to do at any time of year, in fact Michelle and I hiked the cascades when it was 19 degrees out to see the cascades frozen. However, on Sunday it was a gorgeous mid-70's day and absolutely beautiful!

Flowers blooming at the trail entrance.

View on the way up.

Michelle and I at the top, much different than back in January 2010

Gillie saying "Guys!  Hurry up!  I see it!"

Michelle and her parents!

Interesting Internet Findings

Again, I've been slacking on the blog updates but as you can see I've been busy enjoying the outdoors.  Below are some neat things I found around the web.

1. To mark the 60th anniversary of Edmund Hilary, a Russian base jumper made the highest base jump EVER off the north face of Everest! 
2. A friend sent me a link to this AWESOME Kickstarter project for bike wheel LEDs. 
3. And to highlight that the lyric made its' fundraising goal ($50,000!).  So excited it'll continue to be a Blacksburg icon on College Avenue.

It's been an awesome couple weeks and I'm so excited to spend another summer in Blacksburg and look forward to spending lots of time outside.  Tomorrow, I'm attempting GOING TO (it's all mental right?) run The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler!

And with that, I'm off to bed to wake-up at 3AM for the North Face 50 miler!

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