Training - Golden Hills Marathon

Today on my trail run I was mulling over the question why do I enter races... I'm super slow, back of the back-of-the-pack.  I can be hard on myself for going too easy on myself... part of me wants to get faster and to run farther... but another part of me is just happy to be out on the trails... and happy that, even if I'm not fast, at least I'm out there... What I enjoy about the races is
a) the goal - Life gets busy and sometimes it's easy to put off a run or keep it short.  When I have a goal in sight it gives me the feeling that I must get out there...
b) the camaraderie - It makes me feel part of a group, part of something bigger than just my own delight.  The others are fitter, faster, more fashionable... but we all are doing something we love to do, and it's the same thing.  I like that.
c) the experience - It's a great excuse to discover a new place or trail...  or destination!
d) bragging rights - It makes me feel like I can claim it.  In training I covered the full Golden Hills Marathon course... but I can't claim a full 26.2 marathon until race day is over.

I don't know why I feel like I need to justify it in the first place.  LOL.

Tapering always plays with the mind!  I fear I may have peaked too early.  So I changed my strategy to try to run more hills and get my mental game up, to not do long, long runs.  My body was definitely feeling a little ragged after peaking... but now I fear that I won't be up for the distance.  Sigh.  This is what happens.  But at least I'm aware of it... and I know I will try my hardest out there.

GHM - Progress Report

So... Here is a progress report on the GHM training;   I have been training on the GHM course and, as I was warned (!), it is very hard!!... At first I did out and back of each section (based on the printed out sections, a few got combined because they were shorter) and then I started to stitch the sections together and do them one way (getting picked up and driven back to my car).  Last Friday was 22.85 miles!!  From Lone Oak in Tilden all the way to the Grass Valley Staging area!   I won't pretend I run the whole thing, I hike most of the uphills, which is probably a good 50%... but I do move forward in whatever manner (run, job, hobble, crawl) I can... I fight with the mind demons that I am a hack and in way over my fitness level... and that I'll be dead last, etc, etc... but believe it or not there are at least 4 people predicted to be slower than me on the entrants list!  So maybe I won't be dead last!... I anticipate, if all goes well, that it will take 7 1/2 hours.  Next Friday I will add the last little bit to cover nearly the full distance and that will give me a better assessment of finish time.  I'm sure on race day I will push in some areas that I take it 'easy' in training.  But the plan... the main goal... is to FINISH.

Here's the craziest part; I wasn't sore the day after any of my long runs!  I'm guessing it's because I am allowing myself to go so slow.  But so what, I feel good!

Crazy, no?!

The Halfway Point

Every time I have crossed the finish line after running 13.1 miles I ask myself - as I am in pain, fatigued, cramping, out of breath, did I mention PAIN - if I really want this to be halfway.  I have not found a way to explain it.  Yes.  I want 26.2.  It's been tricky to find a race that I want to enter.  The marathon 'season' coincides with my professional busy season, so many conflicts.  Recently I came across the race that calls me.  I have a work conflict, but I found a way around it.  I really want to do this race.

It's the Golden Hills Marathon.  It takes place practically in my backyard, the East Bay Hills. It's put on by an ultra race organization, so the marathon is kind of tossed in there.  When I inquired about a cutoff time they said there really isn't one because the last 50 milers come in hours after that last marathoners.  I feel confidant that, without a cutoff time, I can at the very least finish.  I will undoubtedly have to walk the hills.  But I will finish.  I looked at previous times and it looks like the last finishers come in around 9 hours.  I'm hoping for somewhere between 7 and 8.

Early this year I read Born to Run.  When it ended I stumbled upon irunfar.com, and it has been the continuation... in fact, I'm finding it all quite exciting, inspiring and quite nearly addicting.  I consume information about ultra runners...

Through this information I have distilled endurance running down to four factors;

1. Fitness
2. Nutrition (ie; calories consumed during exercise)
3. Hydration
4. Mental Toughness

I can increase my fitness level through training just as I did to run my first half marathon.  It seems impossible at the moment, but keep putting one foot in front of the other - don't overtrain - and I'll get there.  I'm experimenting with what works for calories, trying to find things that do not make my intestines want to purge (if ya know what I mean!).  I carry water.   This may may be my biggest challenge; mental game.  I am learning ... and improving... but I have found my mind to make some very STRONG arguments.  Just walk.  Just stop.  Why do you do this anyway?! You're too out of shape.  ETC.... This is why I am very grateful that I get to train on all segments of the GHM course.  I will know what to expect.

Today I did Section One.. the first 4.3 miles of the course.  Oh my.  Can you say HILL?!... It nearly discouraged me until I remembered an article on a runners blog about her struggles with this very part of the course... granted, she was doing the 50 and so she was doing this hill after 26 miles... but nevermind that.  My fitness level says this was a hard frigging hill!  However, at the top I was rewarded with vistas that made my heart go pitter patter and filled me with a feeling of this is why I do this stuff... 

The next few months are going to be very challenging.  But I am looking forward to it.  In fact, I'm nearly giddy.....