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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Big Mileage, No Whammies!

So, I did it :) 

I ran a big mileage week...and, it felt pretty good!  Well, it's big mileage for me, anyway.  I know I'm just hitting the tip of the big mileage iceberg, but you have to start somewhere.

I kept glancing at Week 11 on my training spreadsheet with equal parts apprehension, and giddy excited curiosity.  Week 11 held me by the ankles.  It forecast a 70 mile training week...no races, no group runs, just plain and simple running.  Gettin' 'er done type running.  No matter which side of the bed, so to speak, I woke up on, it was time to run. 

I won't lie.  I'm tired as all getout, but it's a cool kind of tired.  Like, I did something.  I like it anyhow :)

It went pretty well.  I came in just under 40 miles for the week after Friday morning's run, then we headed out to Palos on Saturday morning to do our long run and finish the job.  Geof cranked out his 40 miles and I did a little over 32 miles before calling it a day.  That's the longest long run I've ever done (not including a race) in training for a 100 miler.  And, it was at the end of a big mileage week for me.  It felt pretty good getting that notch drilled into the ol' training belt :)  Everything felt the same as usual, except that I noticed I was exceptionally tired, and my ankles were creakier than normal.  That's about it.  Saturday morning my body felt ready to tackle the task at hand, but mentally I was dangling.

Maybe that's the thing about big training miles; it's more of a mental juggernaut than it is a physical one.  Which is amazingly apropos when it comes to this ultrarunning thing.  But, I'm guessing one can adapt to it pretty well over time.  I, however, am loving my step-back week this week, and grateful for the mental break.  When I saw 50-something miles on tap I was overjoyed.  Downright deliriously thrilled!  Next week is one more big mileage push, so I'm going to revel in my 'baby' miles this week :)

Geof and I got 90 minute deep tissue massages last night to work out some training kinks.  Um, wow.  We left there completely mentally fogged and feeling as though we were literally floating.  My body felt weightless and rubbery.  They could have told us they were selling us into slavery when they were done and we would have been cool with it.  We were THAT relaxed.  "Right on, dude." 

Can an amazing massage be considered a drug?  It should be labeled: Warning: Mind-altering manual techniques will cause happiness and relaxation, and may be addictive.  Proceed at your own risk.  Okay, maybe not, but seriously it was the best massage I have EVER had.  We will both be back.

Speaking of weightless, the winner of the 2011 Chicago Marathon, Moses Mosop, appeared pretty weightless on his way to a CR 2:05:35...

We rode around on our bikes catching the front fasties at as many spots as we could.  It was hard to keep up, even with bikes!  We caught Mosop bustin' his move in the final 800 meters here.  He looked cool as a cucumber.

And now back to our regularly scheduled step-back week, Week 12...

Paige, out.

5 comments:

JS Tremaine said...

Hey Paige, great post. I'm attempting my first 100M July of 2012. I think I have a decent training plan but I would love to know what yours is.

Paige said...

WHTR - Here is what I posted in response to this same question on another recent post...Hope it helps some!

The basics: 16 week schedule, started at something like 35 miles the first week and peak at 70 miles in a week (twice). Three week gradual taper, but that will probably be changed around...three weeks is too long of a taper for me. Three to four week build phases followed by one "step back" week. I started out running 5 days, but have increased it to 6 days per week. Though, in the final weeks, I'll move back to 5 days per week I think.

I've actually stuck to my schedule this time around and it has made a HUGE difference.

I should also add that I went into this training schedule with a pretty solid base already. I am a low mileage runner, but had gotten to where 45-50 mpw was very comfortable. I was doing that more or less for about a year before I started my most recent training cycle.

Oh, I also included one 50 mile race as part of my training, and I may be doing one more 50 miler (next weekend) before the taper. We'll see :)

JS Tremaine said...

Thanks,

I've on track to run over 1000 this year and I have completed a 50K in September.

I'm hoping to do Burning River 100 in July and want to make sure I don't underestimate or under train.

Thanks for the quick response.

HappyTrails said...

WooHoo for no Whammies, or Gremlins, or any other silliness. Good fun, plus got to see the speediest man in Chicago kickin it home - cool!!

Gretchen said...

Yee Haw, Paige! Nice work. I'm pretty much a low mileage runner, too, as far as most ultrarunners are concerned anyway. I'm a believer in quality over quantity, and I find 70-80 mpw to be plenty for peak weeks. I generally cover it in 5 day. Rest days are critical!

Good luck with the rest of your training! Yeah, and watch out for those massages. :)

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