Friday, October 26, 2012

Planning

I'm going to wait to sign up for the 100 mile race until january. But I've already laid out my plan. I have 22 weeks until race day. I figure on a weekly basis I will have a schedule that looks something like this.

Mon: off
Tues: 75 minutes
Wed: 75 minutes
Thurs: 90 minutes (4 hours somewhere between these three days)
Fri: rest
Saturday: long run
Sunday: long run

Starting next week I will do two three week builds, ffollowed by rest weeks, then 2 easy weeks around christmas, a rest week, a three week build, rest week, 2 weeks build, rest week, three week build, taper, then race. Before christmas I will build to weeks of 11 hours and 12 hours at the end of the three week builds. And after christmas, the builds will peak at 14, 15, and 16 hours. I seem to be able to get a fair bit og climbing in running here, which is nice. Unfortunately no real long sustained climbs or very much technical stuff. I might end up on the treadmill for some runs if it gets too cold in the winter.

2012 Training log with plan to end of year

2013 Training Log with plan

I've decided that even though I think I know what I want to do in terms of races after the 100 miler, I will wait to register until after the race. None of the races I want to do will sell out anyway.

I calculated the average hours per day of running in the plan I made up, and it comes out to 1.4 hours per day. So far this year (if you exclude the time I took off in august) I've averaged 1.3 hours per day of running. So I think this isn't too much of a step up, and very doable. I don't intend to do much speed work at all, perhaps only when certain fast runners show up on weekly local runs and I get excited. Other than that, train and get the body and mind used to the pain I will expect during race day.

Maybe I also need to do some long overnight runs after work on friday as well, get my head around the whole running while hallucinating during a race concept.

I will race Sunday in a local 10 km cross country race. After that it will be 152 days until the 100 mile race. I will not race once in between these two races, I will be singularly focused in my training with this race in mind.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

2013 Race plans

Been thinking about races for next year.

Brief running goals:
- finish a 100 miler
- have fun doing other stuff
- get better results in races so I feel I've reached my athletic potential
- not race too close together; allow recovery between races

Non running related considerations:
- I want to spend less money on races
- now that I'm done school and working, I have less time to travel to a race
- do mostly local races that I can get to by driving after work on friday, race saturday and be home perhaps even saturday night or sunday morning at the latest.

100 miler options.
- considering the Badger Mountain Challenge in Richland, Wa. It's late march, only 8 hours away by drive, cheaper than some other 100 milers
- fat dog 120 mile; only a 3 hour drive (it's in mid summer and I would rather do one early in the year or late in the year)
- lost soul in lethbridge. in september, a little too far away.

Possible race calendar.

- March 29: Badger Mountain Challenge 100 mile race. Richland, Wa
- May 5: Dirty Feet Kal Park 50 km. Vernon, BC
- June 29: Scorched Sole 50 mile. Kelowna, BC
- Sep 1: Walk in the Park 54 km. Kamloops, BC
- Sep 14: Frosty Mountain 50 km. Manning Park, BC

other options

- Aug 17: Fat Dog: 120 mile, 115 km, 50 mile, 50 km. Manning Park
- Sep 8: Dirty Feet Sun Peaks Ultra. Kamloops, BC
- Sep 8: Lost Soul ultra. Lethbridge, AB
- Sep 14: Steve King 100 km. Princeto to Summerland, BC

I think the 5 race calendar seems like a good plan. Easy on the budget, easy on the ambition. Gives me time to train proper for each event, and relax time in between the different races to do random adventures around home. I think this could be a good calendar. I will wait until January to register for the badger mountain race based on work/running considerations at the time. The rest are all races I could do without having to worry about taking time off.