Strength Training - Prep for a 200

 

My mail lady hates me.  In the last few months, she has had to deliver increasingly heavy boxes, from hand weights to a weighted vest. Actually, the 20# hand weights were marked as "unable to deliver" and I had to pick them up at the post office.  

The main difference that I am incorporating into training for my 200 versus previous 100 milers is the addition of weight training.  I am really enjoying it so far (3+ months into the training cycle).  At my age (53), I understand more now than ever that in order to have longevity in sport, or quality of life in general as I age, weight training is necessary.  

I have my standard weight routine that I have done for years now, but I have decided to switch it up to guarantee I am getting full body workouts, and use Sally McRae's strength app.  So far so good! You can choose the length of your workout - I lose interest after 30 minutes - or you can start a structured program that she has set up.  You don't need to head to the gym to do it either - all can be done at home, with bands and free weights.  I am not a gym person.  I know, if I need to drive to workout, I will likely not workout. It needs to be convenient, and preferably done before my brain completely wakes up for the day.

Check it out if you are interested.  $99 for the year, and you can customize your own plan, led by Sally who I consider to be an expert in strength and conditioning in general, and especially for ultrarunning. Link below.  

As always, happy running! 

Edie

https://my.playbookapp.io/sally-mcrae

Training for the Training - Pre-training?

( Hey there - If you are here for the Loup Garou update, scroll down to the next post. :-) )

Since committing to the Cowboy 200 in September of this year (the race is Sept 2024), I knew that a 200 miler would be a whole different animal.  When I have done 100 milers in the past, I have just run ... a lot, and it worked.  As with anything, the more time you put into being uncomfortable in training, the better your race will go.

One of the reasons I like the idea of the 200 mile distance so much, outside of it being so new and no one really having the distance perfected, is that I don't believe you can just grunt this one out.  With 100's, if you are moderately trained and can endure some discomfort, you should be able to finish.  This is different.

The most I have done in one go before is 130 miles, and boy do I remember those last 20 miles.  They were essentially as fast death march where every step was excruciating.  My feet were so swollen that I finished the last 20 miles in flip flops. 

That memory is exactly why I am approaching Cowboy from a different angle. Yes, I will still need high mileage weeks and long runs. The difference is that I have added in more strength training than I have ever done.  I know that second and third day on the trail will tax ALL of my muscles, so my goal is to try to gain overall strength and fitness to hopefully push that fatigue back as much as possible.  While it is inevitable, I'd like to delay it as long as I can.

So, here is an overview of my training:

Through the end of the year, continue to build a base with 30ish mile weeks and strength training 3 days a week.  At the first of the year, gradually increase my mileage to 50 mile weeks while maintaining strength work. April 13th is when the "official" training cycle begins and the long runs get much longer and 2 a days will kick in.  Just in time for Louisiana summer.

By July, anything resembling a social life will end for a bit while I focus on running, working out and recovering. As an introvert, I don't hate this idea, lol. 

And there we have it. The next 9 months of my life, if spent working hard and staying disciplined, should get me to the finish of my first 200 miler in a decent time. (yes I have a time goal, and no I am not putting it out into the world)

Happy running! 

Edie

All Good Things ...

 

This year's Loup Garou race is going down as the Year of the Smiling Runner.  There were so many happy faces and happy tears at the finish line this year, and we love it!  Each of our runners came to challenge themselves and spend some quality time out on the trail, and each one walked away with something they didn't have before the race - and no, I am not talking about chafing or black toenails - I mean insight. And hopefully a sense of pride in what they were able to accomplish whether they crossed the finish line or not.

The last 7 years of hosting Loup Garou has been a tremendous blessing for myself and our race crew.  We have been a part of many life changing moments, and we are honored to have been a part of every one of them.  And we are tired.  Putting on this race is seriously hard work, and the older we get (race director and volunteers), the harder it gets.  We have decided to continue the race until it's 10th year (2026), then call it a day.  

I feel like it is important to end the race on a high note, and leave people with good memories from it.  We have worked very hard to build our Loup Garou community, and we make every effort to make our race special - from the runner swag and merchandise to the gumbo and aid stations... we want all of our runners to know that if they do the work in training, we will take care of them during the race so that they have the best opportunity to reach their goal. 

This race is special to all of us, and I want to preserve the positive vibe and good memories from the event.  

So, if this is a bucket list item for you, you may want to get to training!  2026 will be here before you know it!  

Registration for 2024 is open in Ultrasignup, and we can't wait to see our running family again next December! 

https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=111472

Happy Running, 

Edie

Seasons...And A Fun Podcast Interview!

 One of the many beautiful things about having a few years behind you is the perspective it gives you. I can look back on my life and see how it is broken into seasons.  Some seasons were all about raising family and trying to make ends meet, while others have been about personal growth and introspection.  The last two years of my life, the season has been mainly focused on work and keeping all of the balls in the air for the nonprofit that I manage on a very short staff. 

Seasons.  What is starting to change, and the season I am slowly evolving into, is intentionality (is that even a word?).  With Covid and its limitations on our fundraising, I was forced, as were many others, into a season of doing more with less at work - less staff, less funding ...

I have spent the last few weeks / couple of months - taking a step back and examining the structure of my life and where it is vs. where I want it to be.  I just turned 53, and I still have a ton of personal goals I want to achieve.  None of these are centered around work.  Yes, I still want to have a fulfilling career, but what that looks like is starting to change.  Now that I am taking the time to really look at it, what I want in my work life is nowhere close to where I am.

Instead of thinking of how to grow my role / income, I am starting to examine how much I really need to live comfortably, and thinking about what I can cut out so that I can reduce my workload and stress.  

How is that for a mind shift?  Lol.  

Anyway - it is a work in progress, but it is active - I am starting to come to some decisions about the next phase of my life. Will I continue to work hard at nonprofit, or will I choose to give that all up and wait tables where I can serve people on a more personal level?  That wouldn't be my only option but it is an option.

I just had a great discussion with Scotty Kummer of Ten Junk Miles fame, and we discussed that and a bunch of other general life stuff with running / race directing talk thrown in.  It was a great visit, and it pretty much covered all of the bases.  Check it out if you have the time or desire:

Click the pic for the link, and as always ...

Happy Running! 

Edie

Work / life balance

 Well, it is a waiting game.  My co-worker and I met with the board president for our nonprofit and outlined how we have been feeling - the last two years have been extremely stressful since we have expanded the number of families we are helping (more than doubled), but have stayed with the same small staff.  We did add a part time person in Baton Rouge a few months back who is AMAZING, but her only role is to manage events there. That is a huge help, but we are still left with all of the managerial, fundraising and family services aspects of the organization with just two of us. (We now cover 19 parishes across south Louisiana and help over 400 families annually.)

So we will see.  We made clear that we need support staff if we are going to be able to continue to fulfill our mission.  I know that our board president listened, she has a heart of gold and is tremendously grateful for how hard we work, but in the end, the decision is up to the board on staffing.  If the decision is made not to hire new staff, or not to hire full time, which we desperately need, I will have no choice but to look for another job.  I love where I am, but the last two years of high stress is taking its toll on my health - especially my training, and my ability to compete in the sport I love - ultra running. 

I need to find a work / life balance that I have not had in a few years now with this job, and if it can't be found here, I will have to look elsewhere.  Either way, 2024 will look drastically different than the last 2 - 3 years has.  I am hopeful, but I am resigned to do what is right for me for a change.  That is the biggest struggle with working for a nonprofit when you believe in its mission.  It is hard to create boundaries, and easy to neglect your own life for the "greater good". 

Fingers crossed.  BUT - I am so excited to have Cowboy 200 to look forward to.  I am enjoying training and trying to figure out the right kind of strength training to prepare me for the event.  I mean, I have a weighted running vest on its way, lol.  Never would have believed it :-).  

In the next week or so, I will share a post summing up my training so far, and what the next phase of training in the New Year will look like.

Happy Running! 

Edie

Next challenge

 Well, it is official.  I am signed up for the Cowboy 200 from Norfolk to Valentine, Nebraska, in September of 2024 and I could not be more exited.  

I has been a tough two years at my job.  High stress and long hours with a very short staff, and it has taken its toll. Many of the races I have signed up for over the last two years I have not been able to complete either because there was no room in my overcrowded schedule to fit the training in, or when it was coming time to travel to the race, I couldn't leave work.  

I said last year that I was going to have a better work/life balance and didn't.  This year it is settled.  We should have approval soon to hire additional staff which should free me up considerably. Or I will have to consider other options, but I am taking my life back one way or another.  I think it is okay to be out of balance for a bit - sometimes it is necessary - but at some point, you have to either slow the train down, or jump off entirely.

So Cowboy 200 it is. I began "pre-training" in September, focusing mainly on building a running base with lots of strength work thrown in.  Through the end of the year, I will stick with a 30 mile per week running average, and creep it up early next year to be around 40 per week once the 20 week training plan for the race kicks in in April.  

The training plan I am following is basically a 100 mile training plan.  I may throw in more days where I either do doubles or some back to back longish runs to simulate the race conditions later in the cycle as well.  

The main difference for this particular training is strength work.  I am focusing on areas that will definitely be fatigued during the 200 - back and shoulders from carrying a pack.  Arms just from regular running arm motion, etc.  Cowboy is pretty flat, so I know that my legs will take a beating just from repetitive motion.  For the Great Mississippi Levee run, doing 130 miles on the levee from BR to NO, the flat was a challenge, especially with feet swelling, which I understand runners have an issue with at this race as well.  

I am trying to expect everything and formulate plans where possible to deal with it.  Otherwise, I will just have to adapt in the moment, which I am usually pretty good at.  

So, that was a ton of words to say that I am super excited about this new challenge!!  Will it be tough?  Yes.  Will it be uncomfortable, likely painful?  Yes.  Will it be an incredible adventure and will there be life lessons learned?  YES!  

More on training as it goes along, meanwhile, happy running! 

Edie

Looking in the wrong places

 For a while, I felt myself getting burnt out on running and racing.  Mainly racing, but running wasn't much fun either.  I tried all the wrong things - I tried signing up for races that at one time or another were remotely interesting to me - that didn't work.  I tried signing up with a coach to keep me accountable when my motivation waned - that also didn't work.  

I am learning more about my relationship with running and what I need to keep me interested, and the answer is me. I need to stay engaged in the process, and doing the same distance over and over again is not the way.  Yes, Comrades was a bucket list item early on in my ultra running, but even that couldn't get me excited.  Yes, it is a big race for many ultra runners, but the more I thought about the actual details - it is a road race, after all; it is in South Africa, which sounds cool, but the more I looked into the logistics of the travel, the less interesting it became.  I have never had a strong draw to vacation in S Africa, so the idea of running there wasn't doing it for me.  

Long Haul looked cool - I like loop courses like that, especially if I may be going solo - just easier to crew for yourself and you are constantly seeing other runners.  But constantly seeing other runners is actually what I try to avoid. I like long stretches in the woods by myself.  It's easier to manage my self talk late in a race when I am not distracted by someone else.

So, I have changed my focus completely, and I'll be damned if it is not working.  I have shifted into focusing on strength.  For the last few months I have been faithful to my strength work and I can feel it working. I was originally just walking an hour three days a week, now I am running three days a week and walking two. I like the walking - no pressure and I can chill and listen to a podcast.

If all goes well, I will be signing up for a new, challenging goal later this year.  I am doing something different this time though.  I am not sharing this except with a select few people, and whomever may follow my blog.  I closed my Strava account (yes, the data was lost, but I would never go back and look at that anyway. Who cares what you ran two years ago?), and I am not enlisting the help of a coach.

I am going back to old times when I ran and raced for myself.  For a while, I was too aware of people watching my progress, and it changed my focus. I am not externally motivated, and when I found myself trying to do things not to let others down, it caused me to hate what I was doing. There was no more joy in it, no matter how many "kudos" I got.  

This next race is for me.  Yes, if during the event, people want to post so others can follow along, I am fine with that, but I don't think I will be sharing this next adventure.  I don't think so, anyway.  Sometimes it's okay to just do something because you want to and not because others are watching.