Saturday, September 22, 2012

Goal: OD 100 Cross Country Run

I have honed in my focus and I am going to be running the OD 100 next summer. It is in June so it's a hot and humid race. I have to qualify so I have to run a 50 miler in the time limit set prior to registering, so that will be my short term goal and focus. Right now I am just trying to build my fitness and volume of training. I will talk a bit about the structure of my training in a moment. I have copied the elevation profile and the list of the significant hills in the course. I will be training these most likely on the treadmill over the winter and spring as I can control the grade and distance and I don't know of any hills other than the Wiss. and those hills are not long enough. Maybe I'll look around but the treadmill is my plan at this point. Here is the list of the hills and there grade, as well as an elevation profile:
ClimbStartEndLengthStart ElevEnd ElevAvg Grade
Cat 24.20 mi6.88 mi2.67 mi715 ft1,743 ft7.3%
Cat 39.64 mi11.26 mi1.63 mi1,178 ft1,740 ft6.5%
Cat 517.87 mi18.88 mi1.01 mi946 ft1,116 ft3.2%
Cat 528.64 mi29.29 mi0.64 mi1,052 ft1,129 ft2.3%
Cat 331.66 mi33.71 mi2.05 mi1,211 ft1,746 ft5.0%
Cat 235.69 mi39.95 mi4.27 mi1,357 ft2,530 ft5.2%
Cat 247.41 mi52.79 mi5.39 mi1,279 ft2,244 ft3.4%
Cat 355.79 mi57.45 mi1.66 mi1,827 ft2,337 ft5.8%
Cat 570.01 mi70.87 mi0.86 mi1,116 ft1,270 ft3.4%
Cat 273.78 mi75.54 mi1.76 mi819 ft1,711 ft9.6%
Cat 278.89 mi82.01 mi3.12 mi607 ft1,576 ft5.9%
Cat 387.54 mi90.87 mi3.33 mi943 ft1,744 ft4.5%

It looks like the significant climbs are the first and second, and 5-7, with the final 10-12 being shorter but steep. 11 and 12 are both 3 miles.

   To train for this, I'm going to shoot for running a 50. If I can do that without walking, I should be good to go for the OD at a slower pace. To run the 50, I will follow a marathon program but with longer long runs. I am using a pace based formula with a loosely structure plan where I do a few key workouts per week with recovery runs in between and 1 day off for total rest. Right now it's 1 hill day (though I may switch this with some speed work just to make the rest of the running feel easier), 1 tempo day, and the long run. I've been following this for 3-4 weeks, and I'm starting to feel the effects. I feel good, and my recovery runs are keeping my hr real low, which indicates growth in my aerobic transport system. My pace on my recovery runs wants to go fast too, and I have to reign it in a little, which is another good sign. My knees are a bit achy due to doing too much too soon (look at my log. In one month I went from 0-35 miles per week; not recommended, though I do have a good base of fitness). 0, 25, 30, 35, 32 (back off week). Tomorrow I will shoot for a 12 or 13 mile long run, maybe foolishly, we'll see. I'll check in tomorrow to see how I feel. I need to beef up my road shoes I think as my nueromas are hurting. Looking for a good road shoe. I'm a bit worried too as to whether my trail shoes have enough cushioning as I think 40% of the OD takes place on fire roads. My man Dean runs in one kind of shoe, regardless of terrain, which I might adopt too. I'm enjoying the loose structure of my training and the simple approach of pace based training as it keeps me from obsessing about hr etc... Seeing the quick adaptations in my body i realize I have wasted lots of training and racing  time over the last 5 years having bought into Van Aaken and Maffetone low hr training. It takes too long and is unnecessary. It's a good, albeit very conservative approach to building fitness but I do not have the patience, especially as there are quicker, just as safe, effective means to the same end. All that is to say I want to get a pair of shoes, and stop thinking about them, and just run, wherever my feet take me, road or trail. The 50K and 50 miler will be good tests as to the sufficiency of my current shoes, unless I change before them. We'll see. I have my eyes on a pair of Saucony's but can't find any good reviews on them. I forget the name. I haven't chosen the 50K or 50 miler yet but am looking to the spring, maybe more than one 50 as I need to do one early enough to be able to register for OD, which means I'll have to do a couple to keep my fitness up. Maybe after the official one I'll do a treadmill 50 with the hills in there !!!! That's seems a bit ambitious (read crazy). We'll see. So there is the general plan. Now the trick is to maintain my focus without becoming obsessed, and being consistent. I think my plan is a good one, and I'm stoked to do my first 100. I am getting too old to do well, so I am really focused and honed in on getting as fit as possible to run as much as possible to really give a good effort. Just to finish is not good enough, though I know this is always the first timers goal. I have enough knowledge to know what to do, and heart. It will come down to being mentally disciplined, consistent in my training, and heart. Let the fun begin!

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