jturnerx Member

My first marathon was Chicago 2010. I was shooting for 4 hours. Looking back that was a stretch for me to attempt but I gave it my best shot and came in at 4:10. Things I learned: * For a destination race, if possible, have the day before the race be a non-travel day. My day before started with me missing my flight. I…

Orcas Island 50k. No bling, just a really great weekend with good friends and a challenging but rewarding run on a beautiful course. My race report: http://coffeemoney.com/blog/2016/02/orcas-island-50k-race-report/

The typical longest that I've seen for a 100 miler is 50 to 62 miles and for a 50 miler is 31 miles. But those aren't magic numbers, just convenient race distances when you use races as supported training runs. Rob Krar, two time winner of Western States, doesn't do any single long run longer than 35 miles. I usually take…

I find the mental component to be the biggest part of doing a timed event. I've not done one on a track though. A one mile loop was the shortest course I've been on which happened to be a 24hr event. I had a blast actually. A few things I would have done differently - start slower than I think I need to and be a lot more…

I was there pacing a friend doing the 50 mile race.

I'm 52 and (knock on wood) I do not have any daily aches and pains to contend with. Race effort ultras of 50 miles or more with a lot of climbing means my legs ache enough that I can't sleep. Pain meds take the edge off so that I can rest. It's pretty specific situations when I choose to use them. But the day to day stuff…

It depends. When I did my BQ earlier this year I was so focused on what I needed to do that I wasn't paying attention to anyone else around me. When I got my half marathon PR I was definitely picking off shirts one by one. I once shadowed Gordy Ansleigh late in a 50 mile race. He'd passed me and was moving really well…

Nifty. I just turned 52 and my fitness age is 25, a perfect number swap. lol

I've had a few close calls with wild turkeys. You don't realize how big and fast these guys are until one comes charging at you.

This is definitely on my list of races to do. DNFs are never fun but at least you got experience the whole course.

I've done 6, 12, and 24 hour timed events. How you approach them all depends on your goals. You can eat a full lunch and take a two hour nap if you want. Or you can run the entire time to see just how far you can go. I tend to fall in the how-far-can-I-go camp. Walking percentage varies, but I try and incorporate them in…

Zero. I haven't been injured in a long time. Over two years ago I think and maybe it was my calf. Oh wait, last November I did have a spectacular fall at a trail race and gave myself a black eye. Now that takes skill.

I'm totally aware of 1) the inaccuracy of commercial grade gps and 2) my inability to always run the perfect tangent even when I'm trying my best to do so. I just need to remember these two things the next time minutes and seconds matter so much. I'm unlikely to ever produce a BQ time where I'm not concerned about the cut…

I started off in Brooks Adrenalines and Cascadias. They did something to the Cascadias one model year and it went from a shoe I loved to one I hated. I tried a pair of Hokas for the trail and eventually for the road. I tend to experiment more with trail shoes than road shoes and I keep going back to the Hokas. I haven't…

Cooriander, thanks for the link! Something I can stalk neurotically until the fall. LOL

I did the inaugural run of the 50 miler last year. It was a tiny field, only a little over 30 runners. It's gotten huge in one year which is awesome for Matt and his crew but I'm glad I got to run it when hardly anybody knew about it. It's just going to get bigger.

You do know that quote is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, right?

I've heard of them but have never tried their shoes. They had a booth set up at the finish line of a trail race I did in 2011. The only reason I remember them is because it was a really bad winter storm (hail, rain, wind, cold) and a friend had to drag me out of their tent to start the 2nd lap of our marathon because I was…

I generally follow the Pfitzinger & Douglas 70-85 mpw plan mid-week and do my own thing on the weekends. That plan has the long run anywhere from 20 - 25% of the weekly volume. But it can get as high as 35% for me since my weekends can deviate considerably from their plan.

I've hit all the various distances up to the hundred. Six to 24 hour timed events as well. I've paced, crewed, and volunteered. I like both the road and the trail. I have done ultras on both.

The ultra specific books I am aware of are Bryon Powell's Relentless Forward Progress and Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning.

I've done a few ultras, both timed and fix distance events, up to the 24 hour and 100 mile. I did my first 50k about 5 months after my first marathon. I've done almost 30 ultras since. My top three bits of advice for what it's worth: 1. Train on similar terrain as your course if possible. Sandy? Big vert? Technical? Flat?…

He'd probably look at me like I'd grown two heads which is why I only go to doctors who are endurance athletes themselves. To the OP, if a trainer doesn't take your personal goals into account get another trainer.

2,800 miles in 2014. If I told you my 2015 goals I'd have to kill you.

Easy isn't necessarily slow. It's effort. I use a sports watch all the time but don't really look at it for pace. I just like the data after the fact. What feels easy to me can fluctuate dramatically so I don't force the issue and go by perceived effort. I've found this especially important to do as my volume has…

I did the Goofy Challenge in 2011. The Dopey did not exist yet. Assuming your training was appropriate to the task at hand, it's not going to be what happens during the run that will impact how things go but what you do for recovery between stages. Ice baths, proper nutrition, getting sleep, etc. Or you can be on your feet…

I was wondering how your 50 miler went. I was in a race where the weather was so terrible one agency pulled their permit but the other one let us race. Much re-routing ensued. I felt more like a marine mammal than a land dwelling creature after that race. Good for you for sticking it out. I call it character building. lol

Count me in as another person who can run a sub 2 hour half marathon and the bulk of my training falls in the 10:30-11:00, even slower (significantly) than that at times because a third of my week is spent on trails.

For me this applies to 50 milers as well. It was implied in my mind but I didn't convey it that way. I don't do much different between 50k to 50 mile events. Once it goes beyond 50 miles there are other things I take into consideration.

For a 12 hour I typically don't bother changing any of my gear. I also stick to gels supplemented with whatever looks appealing at an aid station table. Gels are just a consistent, known quantity for me and I don't have to think about it. I don't tend to eat much from the aid stations actually. If they have them, steamed…