Week 1 of 24: Training for Run Amok 50 miler

I am still up in the air about what to do.  I really took it easy during my winging it weeks and was planning on building my base back up in June and adapting to heat and humidity prior to starting on my plan the first week in July.  Then I found a free 50 mile plan on one of my favorite ultra blogs, Relentless Forward Commotion, and I really, really liked certain parts of it. The problem?  It was a 24 week plan meaning I needed to start 6 weeks earlier than I had planned on starting, and also I needed to start out with some pretty high mileage compared to what I was currently doing.  The reason I loved this plan over the one I had previously found?  Cut back weeks.  The old plan I had found just did a gentle build throughout the 18 weeks with a couple of short cut back weeks.  The new plan had three weeks of build and then one cut back week throughout.  I did like the lower mileage overall of the first plan, as I know my body can't handle the higher end of mileage that most people can, so how to decide??? I shot a message to one of my best ultra running friends to run by my concerns and comments and she helped me think through it.  In the end we decided with some small modifications, the 50 mile plan from RFC blog was the better of the two for me.  The nice cut back weeks and the big taper at the end won us both over.  My plan as of now is to do easy runs on Tuesday and Thursday, some version of speed on Wednesday, and then run long long on Saturday and for time per the plan suggestion on Sunday.  Welcome to week 1 a few weeks early!!!!

Monday:  Memorial day.  The cross fit box was doing the Murph and I really wanted to do it, but instead I headed to work to do end of month financials and contact leads.  Sigh.  I also HAD to get the yard mowed before the next round of storms.  My hubby had hurt his back, so he couldn't help which meant I had to sub in and push some very wet, very tall grass.   The mower kept dying over and over, and I was sweating buckets thanks to the humidity.  I also had to get some yard work done as in the gutters and curbs around our house had accumulated a lot of debris/dirt/leaf litter thanks to all of the rain we have been getting and needed to be cleaned out. I guess I got my weight training after all!

And of course even though it isn't technically hot out yet (more humid than anything) the swimming trunks and  sprinklers had to come out.  

Tuesday:  Day 1 of 24 weeks.  EEEEKKKKK!!!!!  Easy 6.  I had gotten very use to getting up at 6:30 am, coffee and breakfast, and then running post dropping Andrew off around 8:30ish.  Unfortunately, the heat and humidity and the fact that the runs are going to get much longer dictated that we start much much earlier in the day.  I was already getting up at 4 am for Cross fit, so why not.  I tried getting up at 5 am and getting out of the door by 5:15ish, but as the summer progresses, this is not going to be early enough.   Hello two cup of coffee mornings!!!!  I took Stella out for 5 easy miles, and then stopped and took a potty break and switched out Stella for Boom for his mile.  I was dripping sweat at the end thanks to 90% humidity, but my run/walk method (I hope) will help ease me into this summer!

Wednesday:  Speed work day.  The plan alternates between hills and speed on Wednesdays and I like that plus, speed isn't defined, it's whatever you would like to do.  Well, right now I am liking strides. so strides it is!  I warmed up for a mile and then tried to do two 30 second strides in each 4 minute run period.  Of course it was so humid a fine rain was falling, so I felt like I was drowning and I had to stay on pavement thanks to the flood of rain we got yesterday making my normal gravel routes impassable.  I tried to pick a moderately hilly route around town.  My tummy was NOT happy and I really need to think if I should try and get up earlier, eat and drink coffee, and then run or what. I haven't been having any tummy issues this fall/winter doing this, but of course that would mean getting up at 4 am to eat and let everything figure itself out before going out around 5-5:30.  My body doesn't seem to freak out as much about getting up at 5 am every morning, but 4 am turns me into an eternal zombie.  

Baseball game number 4.  We have started having regular two a week practices to try and get these boys ready for the game.  There is so much to learn going from t ball to baseball, and there is only so much time.  Add in all of the rain we have had and missed practices due to it.  We ended up loosing 11-0 and having to call the game in the 4th inning, BUT we got 4 defensive outs, which means the boys are getting it and that is a WIN in my book!

Thursday:  Easy 6.  My plan was to return to getting up at 4 am so I could eat and flush out the system.  I have never been one to hit the snooze button but today, I did.  I finally drug myself out of bed by 4:30 and shoved some coffee and food down to see if I could get my system going and cleaned out.  While my stomach felt more settled, I couldn't get anything to move if you know what I mean and I was meeting up with one of my BRFs for some mileage.  She knows me and my wonky stomach but still, I haven't pooped in a ditch in a long time and i would like to keep it that way.  I got 5 done with Stella, made a pit stop, and then finished up with Boom.  Kind of nice that my last mile is my fastest thanks to boom boom.

I also got the gym over lunch.  My job at KSU needed me, so I had to head in and get some stuff done.  Instead of heading back later and missing some of batting practice, i ran over post lunch and got in for a little time of open gym.  I did some dead lifts that coach Erin had given me.  I had to do some pretty quick recoveries to get done before open gym was over.  

Batting practice was good, kiddos still aren't hitting off of the machine very well, but they are getting better thanks to the soft toss/hit stick drills.  I can't wait till Andrew goes to KSU baseball camp to see if they can help him with his swing.  He is always swinging over the ball, but his soft toss is on point.  I don't want him to hate baseball because he can't hit a 40 mph pitch coming off of a machine, when in kid pitch the ball is NOT coming off of the kid pitching that fast.  

Nelson's landing 

Friday:  REST!  I needed it after 3 straight days of running.  I wasn't sore, but my body was definitely feeling it!  I had to work at both KSU and at my hubby's shop, so lots of running back and forth.  Then we headed out to a baseball game in a town we had never been to.  Long story short, we were down 2 kiddos and had to redo the line up a few times, but we got there early so I had time.  The other team also did some things not in the rule book that they claimed were legal that i am pretty sure were not.  I left the game with a bad taste in my mouth for that team and the coaches that are teaching their kids it is okay to interpret the rules anyway you like.  While I think we would have lost no matter what since we still can't hit the ball, the cheating did give them an advantage our kids did not get.  

Saturday:  Long run day!  On the plan I was following, I had a range of 10-12 miles.  After a late night at baseball and then not getting up early enough, I picked the 10.  I felt fine till the end and then it hit me how hot it was.  Stella and I have not acclimated very much if not at all, so I felt pretty crappy for a while afterwards even though both of us were hydrating like a boss.  Once I kind of stabilized and felt better, I decided to further my heat acclimation by mowing our yard front and back before eating a nice lunch and resting.  We had a night race coming up and I needed a nap, so I slept on the concrete on a blanket while Tony worked on the car.  Yes, I was so tired that concrete sounded like fun.

We had our first night race and boy was it fun!  Andrew had some different racers in his class and some really young kids starting their first time, which always presents some challenges.  Our goal as always was to try and try he did!  We were back to the 2 heat race then main format, and that isn't usually his favorite.  He prefers qualifying by himself and then heat and main.  The first heat race he finished either 3 or 4th, we couldn't tell.  The scoring pole takes a while to update and we think he passed a couple of people right at the end.  The second heat race he won first place!!!!!  He suddenly is passing and having fun and we LOVE it!  

The only problem with two good heat races is that you are at the back with the feature.  BUT since he was in the passing mood and seemed to get better the more laps he ran, I was excited to see what he could do.  Going into the feature, he had some challenges.  His ear piece was screwing up and he could hear nothing but horrible static, he was super hot and sweaty in all of his gear, and he was tired as it was after 10 pm.  He went out and handled those challenges like a pro though even hitting the wall once and having some bumping and bashing.  He ended up finishing third and I couldn't be more proud!  From last to next to last to third!  We are moving up!

Sunday:  Easy 1 hour.  My plan called for a time instead of a distance.  Dependent on a lot of factors, I can get 4.5-5 miles in, in one hour.  I woke up feeling super exhausted so instead of getting up early, I slept till 7 and then just took it easy getting work, blogging, and emailing done.  We had told Andrew since he did so well at the race we would go see Aladdin as a treat and we were delighted it was in the big fancy theater that you can have lunch in.  Post lunch we had baseball practice and post practice I headed out in 80 degree weather to do my run.  The good news was it wasn't humid and there was a nice little breeze blowing.  The bad news was I have little to no heat acclimation and I had to resort to pouring water over my head several times to cool off.  Stella and I got 4.72 miles in even with walk breaks and I will take it.  As I sit here and type this, I am drinking a beer and thinking about an early bed time!

I am pleasantly pleased at how my body responded to it's first 5 run a week, week.  I am tired for sure but that is all the late nights, not the running.  I am looking forward to maybe not as late of nights this coming week and much the same running wise plus some hills.  Have a great week!