More money in the bank

Plan 60 ..... Actual 55

Not going to beat myself up coming up short on the week's plan. It is early in the training and I know in the next few weeks I will be in full swing. Right now it is about base miles and time on the feet. I am rather pleased that I pulled a two-a-day this week and felt good the next day. The morning run was 6.5 miler closing out the last mile sub 7:00 then later that night ran with the Milkman for another 10 miles.

The hardest part right now is being motivated to go outside. January & February are the coldest months here and on top of that always dark. I really prefer to run in warm-hot conditions vs the cold. After a few miles I do warm up, but the laundry certainly builds up fast!!

Last night I was looking at my CC spikes and was thinking that maybe I could use them for traction on the snowy trails. Only downside is that I would need a thin sock. That doesn't sound like a good idea with the temps still below freezing. So give me a few more weeks then I will break them out.

This week I was looking ahead into February and found a way to take in Canyonlands & Arches National Parks. When I run the Red Hot 55K in mid-Feb I think I can do a short run the day before the race on Friday. Then Sunday post day race run the other park for a mid to long run before heading to Colorado.  Seeing the national parks on foot is exciting and makes me look forward to running. Waking up each day to do training runs sometimes on road is not at all appealing to me. My reward for running is still the beauty I see when I am running the trails. Especially, in new areas of the world.

Some place unknow, but maybe some day I will find myself running there

Week 1 of the Pilgrimage

                   Plan 55 miles; actual 60 miles.
     Started the week with some relaxed runs averaging 9 minute miles; focusing on building base miles and time on my feet. Ran Maybury, CDR, Northville, and some local routes to make up the week.

   
    Saturday, I joined a group for a small race. The Witchy Wolf Winter Run is held in Omer, MI; the smallest city in Michigan. Basically, it is a 25k race on dirt roads, trail sections, and short black top section. The race was interesting to say the least. I was looking for someone at the start to run with, so that it would take my mind off being a race and just a long run. Well I hoped to run with Matt aka "The President," but he settled with a group of 11 and left me a few miles into the race. They ran so fast, they missed the first turn by a mile. This put me with two others in the lead with no one around. As we pushed on, my new running friends Jeff & Bob chatted with me.

    Coming into the relay exchange at 7.5 miles, we were just under an hour. From that point, there was a chase vehicle leading us on the black top road. After a while, it was just Bob and I taking in the diesel fumes as we progressed on the road. Out of nowhere, a relay runner blew by us and the chase vehicle led him on until they stopped at a crossroad. Meantime, Bob said "This feels longer than last year." Turning onto the dirt road, I asked which way and the passenger pointed down the road. A few miles later we are at a dead end with a farm.
    The 3 of us confused, turn back and start running to where we left the chase vehicle. Picking up a few other runners at this point who are now baffled as to why we are running towards them. Suddenly, a fireman shows up explaining we are way off course and sends us down more back roads. In total 3.5/4.0 miles later we join the course and other runners.
   Scrambling to move up the race, I stick with a runner named Shane that I met on the last reroute. Holding a nice even pace, we worked our way pass dozens of other racers. 2 miles from the finish, I see the glow from the President's jacket. I holler as I try to catch up. Siding up I say "Hey Matt!" and he responds "Lets run it in together." not noticing he was with the Green Hornet and Rick Leedy, I thought he meant the 2 of us run it in. So I continued to keep running then noticing that the President stayed behind with them.
  Pushing the last mile, I finished in 2:28:40. Beautiful night of stars, low wind, and just a tiny amount of snow crystals capturing the night. The last few miles, the corners of my eyes start to freeze shut from the snow.
    Post race, we all laughed about getting lost at different spots in the race. Although I got lost around the 9 miles mark, it was fun to be the leader of the race. Surprisingly, when I registered that day, I listed my name as Hellion, The. As they were announcing the winners, low and behold the men's 35-43, 3rd place winner was announced as The Hellion. A brief round of applause and laughter accompanied my acceptance of my award. At that time I had to give them my real name so they could update the results.
   
  35-43 Male

400 Betzold Brent 36 M Bay City MI 2:20:18
382 Maneke Neil 35 M Stanwood MI 2:27:09
423 Hellion The 39 M Dearborn HghtsMI 2:28:25
420 Antoniou Matthew 38 M Lake Orion MI 2:28:57
    
    Week 2 is now underway as the pilgrimage to Massanuten continues...........

The man with a plan

A plan is now in place to get ready for the Massanutten 100. Building my base miles from now until March 31 then putting in speed miles through May 5. Throw in a taper week and I am ready to go.

Fueling the Fire

    
   What does it take to fuel ones body for a 100 mile race..........?


    Well like everyone else I am making plans to manage my weight in 2012. I need to cut back on the sugar intake and increase my protein. I was thinking that maybe I could take another approach and focus on increasing my fruit & grain consumption. Focusing on wine & beer!! What a better way to manage my weight while also managing a healthy fluid rate.  I could even cross train by playing beer pong!! In addition, I could man up and race in Nick Clark's Vertical Beer Mile. I remember in the Twin Peaks 50++ around mile 40 two guys came into the aid station and sat down to drink a few Sierra Nevadas. I have to admit I was a bit jealous.

    All kidding aside. Looking at long term for performance and health reasons. I am going to get a plan together. So fish on my dish will be a regular thing, add some chicken to mix it up, and a lot of eggs for 2012. I will miss you Little Debbie, Swiss Miss, Suzy Q and all you other wonderful snacks that have been fueling me for the last 39 years. Of course, I am sure once in awhile we will meet up for a secret meeting.

    My biggest challenge so far is that I don't feel full throughout the day. I constantly have cravings all day long. So I need to get to the grocery store to stock up on healthy snacks. Almonds, fruit, pita chips, yogurt and some other substance filling healthy options. Some have fats, but I am sure I can run those off while I train for some serious racing over the next couple of months.