The Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race is in the books. A recovery week is in the books.
It’s time to get to work.
As I type this, I’m fully conscious that exactly 10 weeks from this moment I will be about 35 percent of the way through my second 50-miler and second 50-mile mountain trail race – the Meet Your Maker 50 in Whistler, British Columbia.
Last year’s 50-miler – the Leadville Silver Rush 50 in Colorado – was a resounding success in that I finished within the time limit and loved almost every bit of the race (the last 13, not so much, but the first 37 were incredible).
Also critical to my success – and overall enjoyment of Silver Rush – was the fact that I truly enjoyed every bit of the training process. The up-before-the-sun Saturday mornings, the five-, six-, and seven-hour days on the trail, the mid-week group runs, the strength training, everything was fun. To me, that’s the most important part of this sport anyway, especially when taking on such long distances that require a considerable time investment to prepare.
My hope is that I can replicate as much of that success this time while running a race that I expect to be considerably more difficult.
While Silver Rush took place entirely above 10,000 feet with four climbs above 12,000, Meet Your Maker will only reach a high of about 7,000 feet above sea level. That said, Silver Rush had about 7,400 feet of climbing while Meet Your Maker checks in at 12,200 feet of vertical gain.
Race day is exactly 10 weeks away, which essentially gives me eight weeks of hard training to get ready before taking two weeks to taper. I mapped out a rough training plan on Friday, and I think it should be sufficient.
The plan is pretty loose during the week, allowing me plenty of flexibility to respect whatever my body is telling me so I can focus more on quality and health than on the specific mileage count. The strictest part of the plan is my Saturdays, which just like last year will focus on time on feet rather than a specific mileage total.
WEEKLY AGENDA
Monday/Wednesday – Run (5-8 miles, depending on how the body is feeling)
Tuesday/Thursday – Weights and core work, plus an easy spin on the bike
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Time on feet long run
Sunday – Rest/easy spin
LONG RUN SCHEDULE
June 29 – 15 miles
July 6 – 3-4 hours (Will be flexible with this since I’m running Koach Karl’s Hardest Half on July 4)
July 13 – 5-6 hours
July 20 – 4-5 hours
July 27 – 5-6 hours
August 3 – 7 hours
August 10 – 5-6 hours
August 17 – Pacing for Sherrie at Leadville 100 (20-25 miles)
August 24 – 10 miles
August 31 – None. Rest for race day.
September 1 – 50 miles!
I’m ready to get started. The time will go by quickly.
