My first Ultra training long run and No Name!

Not my pic...

To say I started out my first real long run of my ultra training with a bang is kind of an understatement.  Let me back up a little though...

Training for an Ultra is different, way different than training for a marathon.  In the marathon I was trying to run it as fast as my legs would take me 26.2 miles both eating and drinking while maintaining the pace.  The Ultra is different.  For my 50 miler my entire goal is simple:  FINISH!  Walk breaks, walk run method, stopping to eat pizza or whatever is all part of the plan so therefore my training approach will be different as well.  Instead of logging miles, I'll be focusing primarily on time on my feet including walking, stopping to rest, and donuts and ice cream bre... I mean.  So its a totally different mindset and the training I'll be using relies on sandwiching in two longs runs back to back on Saturday and Sunday with PLENTY of walking.  For example, I hit my 12 mile mark today and had a little bit of a walk left back to the house.  I found myself reaching down for the watch to stop it but then thought twice and decided to let it go.  After all time on feet is time on feet.

The plan for this weekend was two easy two hour "runs" of which I'll be referring to the ridiculously slow things I'll be doing as such from now on.  Easy enough because at the end of my marathon training I was regularly doing 1-2 hours Saturday, with 3-4 Sunday with no walking and at a very specific pace.  One thing I didn't take into account this weekend though was the students vs staff basketball game at my school Thursday (I DO NOT PLAY BASKETBALL), and then the 3 hours of volleyball after so walking yesterday and today has been a little bit of a struggle.  Perfect conditions for testing my endurance even for a measly 2 hours.

But the legs held up nicely and today's run went surprisingly well except the times I'd tried to hop down or up to a curb but egh...  The thing that is going to take the most time getting used to is see 11+ minute miles especially after I've switched to the walk run method (about 25 minutes running +5 minutes of walking).  Today's run: 12.24 miles in a whopping 2 hours and 18 minutes.  The thing was that it felt great (apart from the times I felt like a slug!).  I was up early, saw the sunrise over the beach (and later googled a pic for the blog), ran the whole boardwalk, and really enjoyed myself.  This is how I want this training to be: fun, organic, running just to run, playing volleyball every couple weeks to supplement runs.  Not break neck do it or die (or bust!).  The pace is going to take some time to get used to, especially getting passed by all the other people out running (makes me want to shout at them "Its not fault I'm training for an ULTRA!") but time and patience is what I need.

Not mine either...

An interesting thing I realized today though is I have to revamp the blog.  This makes part 5 of the journey but I got no name and need a new description.  But looking ahead at the long runs to come I think I should have plenty of time to figure all that out.  Especially the killer back to back 4+ hour runs my final week.  Fingers Crossed though!  The glorious "50" bumper sticker paired with the golden "50" bling should definitely make it all worth it though.

And the verdict is: Sub 4 Hours

Now that the adrenaline has worn off, I've had time to decompress, recover, and reflect I'm finally ready to end Part 4 of Escapism with Style (Sub 4 or bust).  At the end of the day I ran a 3:52:03, almost cried at the finish line, and couldn't have been happier with how things played out.  My goal was actually 3:57, dream finishing time of 3:49 so I was crazy happy with how things went.  To say they couldn't have gone any better would be an understatement.  The weather started at a perfect 45 degrees and built up to around the high 60's.  The course though undulating was crazy beautiful and definitely not too hilly showing me why it was a top 10 Boston qualifier.  The crowds cheering us on at every turn was a huge boost and I'm guessing the extra 1/4 of a mile I did on my GPS watch was crossing the road at numerous times to give the people cheering for us high 5's. 

One thing I can't help mentioning is my finishing lap.  For the 26th mile I managed to post an 8:30 minute mile meaning I had a whole lot still left in the tank.  Without a doubt I was still sore and stiff at the end but I was no wheres near bonking, or hitting the dreaded wall.  In fact I was regularly running up to struggling people and trying to pep them up with my enthusiasm.  The only thing I can attribute this to is not my state of health.  I'm sure I didn't train any harder than most people there, but the carbo loading I did in preparation.  That seemed like the real difference between the other marathons I've done, and for anyone approaching a marathon or more I recommend doing some serious homework on how to do it properly.  Most of the time runners think that's just a big pasta dinner the night before the big race, but that's almost the exact opposite (OK maybe not totally the opposite) of what you're supposed to do but more on that at another time.

Another great part of the Albany Georgia Marathon was the runners themselves.  I always tell people curious about the sport that one of the best parts of long distance running is connecting with the people you're running with.  You aren't sprinting, not even close, for well over 3 hours so conversation flows naturally with the shared camaraderie and love for putting one foot in front of the other more than others.  That day I met a ton of great runners with awesome stories, helped a few people pep up for the last miles, met a soldier completing his first marathon running with him for a couple miles at the end, and got the real feeling that everyone there left winners. 

Speaking of winning being a teacher and wearing my bling and my racing shirt to school the next day the number 1 question I got asked was did I win?  My response to them: yes i did.  It wasn't the fact that I came in around the top 40% mark for total people, my age group, and the males, but I did exactly what I came there and trained for almost half a year to do.  This was really a pipe dream at one point as I thought it would never be possible weighing in at around 236 pounds and the truth is it wasn't.  Without a doubt loosing that weight was the best thing I ever did for myself and if anyone out there takes anything away from this blog its this: just go do it.  Not tomorrow, or next week, or a month from now.  Get started today.  That's what makes the sport of running one of the most beautiful sports ever.  It doesn't take any fancy gear, or expensive memberships, or special areas to practice.  You put your shoes on, head outside your door, and put one foot in front of the other.  Its that easy, and it all begins there from first time couch to 5k runners to Olympic athletes.  Its as simple as that.

If today's post sounds a little more somber than usual its really because it is.  The incredible variety of emotions runners go through in the following weeks after completing their big race is almost indescribable to someone whose never been there, which is partly why I have so much difficulty writing after the fact.  You're ecstatic that you made your goal, questioning how things could have gone differently, thinking about the incredible amount of miles you've put in over the last few months, enjoying the much needed down time bored out of your mind at the same time!, but more importantly you're asking yourself one big ugly question...  The part of your life that was filled with training is now an empty ravenous void and you keep coming back to "Whats next?"  Without a doubt this is another chapter in my life closed, but I guess two weeks to celebrate is all I get.  After all I'm kind of cheating today calling this the end of part 4 because while my sub 4 or bust training is complete, my new plan is just beginning.   As of today I'm "officially" (looking into) my new training plan and part 5 of Escapism with Style: An Ultra Marathon.  Now this isn't for sure so if I back out in a couple of weeks I really can't be blamed but a 50 has always been my real dream.  After all I never really thought a sub 4 hours possible so... And sure I'm closer than ever but lets be honest: 50 miles is still 50 miles.  Fingers crossed and thanks to everyone who followed my through Part 4 of Sub 4 hours or bust.  Sub 4 complete...