i had my share of technical difficulties this week. plagued by malfunctions and dead batteries i grew agitated and impatient allot during training. even this computer has gotten on my last nerve.
ok it's not a serious issue when you compare it to REAL problems but still i have had to really dig deep not to abandon training and blogging about it all together. i wake up every morning with a stiff back. stretching and light running seems to help but i haven't really pushed myself since last sunday. with a handful full of easy runs and my last long run (26) this week this will be the last really tough week.
4 weeks to go
Showing posts with label training for golden hills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training for golden hills. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Trail Time
despite getting in the miles the sad truth is i'm not spending enough time on trails. plain and simple fact is to prepare for a trail marathon you need to train on trails. all of my long runs have mostly taken place on the road. i'm slow on the road and even slower on the trails. still, there's a notable difference between road miles vs trail miles.
i didn't choose an easy 1st marathon. 26.2 trail miles is going to be tough and if i come in under 6 hours i'd be thrilled....i'd also be dreaming...under 8 hours is more likely...i wonder if there is a cut-off?... lucky for me the dick collins 50 miler is going on at the same time!
sunday i returned Tilden with a plan to head over to Sibley. i decided to give Galloway's run 7 minutes walk 1 minute approach a try. it felt awkward for quite awhile and it took me some time to settle into any kind of pace. sometimes depending on how far i got i would be walking flats and running hills. i wondered if the approach would work on such erratic terrain. i kept this up until Steam Train. (the 1st AS @ 3.6 mi)
upon entering sibley, walk breaks became more frequent and longer, so much that i abandon the whole notion of even trying to run. the hills are tough. the descents are too. this is a pretty technical section. i am not fast on these descents at all. and am reduced to carefully climbing down "steps" of heavy roots spreadout over a bed of sharp rocks jutting out of the ground.
following the tricky decent there's a good stretch of flat single track before you come to a bridge. this is the start of a good long steep hill with a last little climb right at the end before you arrive to the Sibley Volcanic Traihead(the 2nd AS @ 7.7 mi) i arrive in exactly 2 hours. about 30 mins. slower that when i ran more and walked hills only...but i felt considerably fresher. i rested for a good bit before heading back. more walking than running. it took me 2 hours to get back. last time it took 2.5 hrs to get back and i felt awful.
when i got to Lone Oak the first thing i noticed although i was tired i wasn't whooped. walking early and often seems to make a difference. same with fluids. lastime i did this run i was also on the brink of getting really sick. so i felt great this time in comparison.
i plan to do this again on wednesday starting from Lone Oak and ending at Big Bear Station. T will follow me to BBS to drop my car off and then take me to Lone Oak. i should be on the trail by 10 am and get to Big Bear in time to p/u M from camp (i've got till 6pm!)that gives me 7 hours to cover 17 miles.
i didn't choose an easy 1st marathon. 26.2 trail miles is going to be tough and if i come in under 6 hours i'd be thrilled....i'd also be dreaming...under 8 hours is more likely...i wonder if there is a cut-off?... lucky for me the dick collins 50 miler is going on at the same time!
sunday i returned Tilden with a plan to head over to Sibley. i decided to give Galloway's run 7 minutes walk 1 minute approach a try. it felt awkward for quite awhile and it took me some time to settle into any kind of pace. sometimes depending on how far i got i would be walking flats and running hills. i wondered if the approach would work on such erratic terrain. i kept this up until Steam Train. (the 1st AS @ 3.6 mi)
upon entering sibley, walk breaks became more frequent and longer, so much that i abandon the whole notion of even trying to run. the hills are tough. the descents are too. this is a pretty technical section. i am not fast on these descents at all. and am reduced to carefully climbing down "steps" of heavy roots spreadout over a bed of sharp rocks jutting out of the ground.
following the tricky decent there's a good stretch of flat single track before you come to a bridge. this is the start of a good long steep hill with a last little climb right at the end before you arrive to the Sibley Volcanic Traihead(the 2nd AS @ 7.7 mi) i arrive in exactly 2 hours. about 30 mins. slower that when i ran more and walked hills only...but i felt considerably fresher. i rested for a good bit before heading back. more walking than running. it took me 2 hours to get back. last time it took 2.5 hrs to get back and i felt awful.
when i got to Lone Oak the first thing i noticed although i was tired i wasn't whooped. walking early and often seems to make a difference. same with fluids. lastime i did this run i was also on the brink of getting really sick. so i felt great this time in comparison.
i plan to do this again on wednesday starting from Lone Oak and ending at Big Bear Station. T will follow me to BBS to drop my car off and then take me to Lone Oak. i should be on the trail by 10 am and get to Big Bear in time to p/u M from camp (i've got till 6pm!)that gives me 7 hours to cover 17 miles.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sibley or Bust
knowing your strengths and your limits along with a spirit of adventure equals a kick ass training run. from inspiration point in tilden i was determined to find skyline national trail...i've been searching for it ever since i set about learning my marathon course.
with my map i followed seaview until i came to the utility road. last time i followed it for abit and asked a hiker if she knew where skyline was...she wasn't sure and i feared if i continued that i'd not make it back. today i decided not to ask for directions from anyone that wasn't a park employee...i think asking the wrong people for directions does'nt do much for ones confidence. i have plenty of my own uncertainty to overcome why pile on more? the map was dodgy in spots but i'm starting to make sense of the route.
i got as far as last time and kept going and lo and behold skyline was just across the road. this section was pretty much downhill and paralleled grizzly peak....today was the grizzly peak century and every so often i'd see riders climbing UP as i cruised downhill....all the while knowing i'd be climbing myself on the way back.
once i crossed grizzly again and went thru a few gates it got pretty flat and shady. it wasn't long before i found the sibley volcanic trail head, yay...only a little over 2 miles to go. this section was the sweetest with lots of coverage, a bridge and a creek. things were all good...briefly i thought "oh, i'm so gonna rock this course" when all of a sudden my flat shaded trail decided that i needed to start climbing again. as i walked i spotted a couple of older guys running towards the way i just came...they looked fresh so i was hopeful that i as getting close to my destination.
i took me 1.34 from inspiration point to sibley...a little over 6.0. total time 3:14:xx 13.02 miles...i walked alot on the way back but made good time on the downhills. i am a good hiker and i was careful not overexert myself on the uphills and i kept well hydrated. my right ankle brushed up against some stinging nettle and it took a pounding as i tend to lead with it on my sideways descents.
i am sooooooo happy to be gearing up for this race. this route is the perfect combination of beauty and beast. every kind of wildflower, hills, heat, creeks, and quaint bridges....that's how i spent my sunday. no complaints whatsoever!
and oh, i never did run across a park employee but i think i'm starting to get a feel for this course. i think i'll just continue dissecting it section by section.
with my map i followed seaview until i came to the utility road. last time i followed it for abit and asked a hiker if she knew where skyline was...she wasn't sure and i feared if i continued that i'd not make it back. today i decided not to ask for directions from anyone that wasn't a park employee...i think asking the wrong people for directions does'nt do much for ones confidence. i have plenty of my own uncertainty to overcome why pile on more? the map was dodgy in spots but i'm starting to make sense of the route.
i got as far as last time and kept going and lo and behold skyline was just across the road. this section was pretty much downhill and paralleled grizzly peak....today was the grizzly peak century and every so often i'd see riders climbing UP as i cruised downhill....all the while knowing i'd be climbing myself on the way back.
once i crossed grizzly again and went thru a few gates it got pretty flat and shady. it wasn't long before i found the sibley volcanic trail head, yay...only a little over 2 miles to go. this section was the sweetest with lots of coverage, a bridge and a creek. things were all good...briefly i thought "oh, i'm so gonna rock this course" when all of a sudden my flat shaded trail decided that i needed to start climbing again. as i walked i spotted a couple of older guys running towards the way i just came...they looked fresh so i was hopeful that i as getting close to my destination.
i took me 1.34 from inspiration point to sibley...a little over 6.0. total time 3:14:xx 13.02 miles...i walked alot on the way back but made good time on the downhills. i am a good hiker and i was careful not overexert myself on the uphills and i kept well hydrated. my right ankle brushed up against some stinging nettle and it took a pounding as i tend to lead with it on my sideways descents.
i am sooooooo happy to be gearing up for this race. this route is the perfect combination of beauty and beast. every kind of wildflower, hills, heat, creeks, and quaint bridges....that's how i spent my sunday. no complaints whatsoever!
and oh, i never did run across a park employee but i think i'm starting to get a feel for this course. i think i'll just continue dissecting it section by section.
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