jturnerx Member

I was having a conversation today with one of my training partners about what race she's done so far where things went right. She told me it was a 50k we'd done earlier this year. There is a really tough hill that comes around the marathon point (it's a topic of much conversation and consternation) where she just put her…

I practice a lot more caution about trying something new if it's something I'm eating or drinking. Or new shoes. If the shorts give you a mental edge, go for it. A 15k is short enough that if there is a chafing issue you can suck it up and lesson learned.

NYC Marathon, a rare road race for me. North Face 50 Mile in December. Probably another 50k in there somewhere.

It does not matter one little bit. Everybody has different schedules and commitments. Get it done when you can get it done.

Absolutely mental toughness can be developed. All the things you do in training are part of developing it. Waking up at stupid o'clock when everyone will still be sleeping for hours. Long runs by yourself. Putting your running shoes on when you are just not feeling it. Going out when the weather is horrible. Not avoiding…

I have neither the will nor the discipline to put myself in the sort of pain cave that a properly raced 5k would require of me. The closest I ever got was a two mile time trial and I hated every stinking minute of it. Good luck and major props to you!

Yes, because we all know that the only difference between a marathon and a 50k is 5 miles. An extra minute per mile ought to do it. Who wants to quibble over 5,000 - 7,000 feet of elevation gain (typical in my neck of the woods)?

ROTFL Although I think it would be safe to say that DK is an outlier and that for most of us living in the middle of the bell curve we have to put in the ... wait for it ... hard work. Shocking I know.

Not necessarily but it sure helps. It all depends on the people you choose. I've run ultras - 100k is my max so far. I plan on doing my first hundo in 2014. I've had pacers and crew. I've also been on the other side of the fence and paced, crewed and been a volunteer at ultras. All these things have helped me figure out…

I would too but it should be C25k to a trail 50k ... although I've yet to see a trail marathon actually be 26.2 miles. Sometimes they are 20, sometimes they are 25. I had two years, 3 road marathons and a trail marathon under my belt before I did my first 50k. I don't get the rush either but to each their own. I'm going to…

I think a big part of it is the psychological boost knowing you'll see someone who knows you really well and is there for you 100%. Not just a friendly face because there's plenty of those in the volunteers and other runners. Your crew are just as deeply invested (hopefully) in your success as you are. Ideally they have…

I did two 50k's, a marathon and a 50 miler in two months. That's a race every two weeks. I PR'd one 50k and the 50 miler. I didn't die. I stayed healthy and uninjured. It was amazing actually. As in all things your mileage (hahaha) will vary. Some people's bodies break down training for a 5k. My 50 year old body, it would…

All runs are real. But you get a few runs that truly epically suck as well as a few where it seems like the planets align and it's perfect. The majority fall in-between and aren't memorable to any degree. The worst run for me started with getting stung by a bee in the neck about a mile or two in. Luckily I'm not allergic…

I've run a trail 50k where I felt like I was running in an oven. Ice is your friend. Put ice in a bandana, roll it up and keep it around your neck. If you wear a running cap put a baggie with ice underneath. If you carry a water bottle put ice in it and it will provide a cooling effect.

What does perfect mean to you? You have to define that for yourself first.

Keira Henninger is the RD for Griffith Park and while I don't have any direct experience with her races she has a reputation for putting on great races on tough courses. I know a guy who's done Hardrock and nearly DNF'd one of her 50k's.

I'd have to run a 5:20 min/mile pace to hit ~1000 calories in an hour. Not gonna happen. On the other hand, I strapped my GPS watch to a chair and it did about a quarter of a mile in an hour. Can I count that in my calorie burn since I was sitting in the chair? ;)

Distance and if it's on trail pretty much dictates my racing selection. I'm a trail runner so that is a huge deciding factor. I won't sign up for a road race unless there is a really good reason. I hate the crowds and I'm not someone who needs cheering people to run long. I actually find it draining. Almost all the races I…

I bash stupid people.

Chocolate milk.

I only say that to myself during a race along with, at times, a choice number of expletives. That rarely happens during a training run. If it did I'd find another form of exercise.

So I did that 12 hour again. I am coming off a 100k that I did five weeks ago which turned out to be one of the hardest things I've ever done in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable. Anyway, this 12 hour came rolling around this past weekend, the same one I did last year. I decided to sign up 3 days beforehand. I…

Yes, I did read that comment about Ann Trason. My jaw dropped to the floor when I read that. lol I qualified to enter the WS lottery so I am putting my name in the hat in December. My chances of getting in aren't great as a first timer and I have historically terrible luck with lotteries. I can only hope.

So awesome that the OP pulled photos off their Twitter feed. I recognize many of them. iRunFar's coverage along with the runner stats updates from ultralive.net kept me glued to my iPhone. Yes, amazing job. I actually had a few friends on the course tweeting for iRunFar. I was at Foresthill AS and saw the elite men and…

A 1k loop might do my head in. lol The 5k loop I was on was long enough so that at least you had some different views. One thing I did notice that was pretty cool was though the scenery didn't change much the light did, from morning to afternoon to evening, and it made things look subtly different. I was also more in tune…

I have friends right now doing the Pigtails Challenge in Washington. There are 100, 150 and 200 mile events for that one. There's a running joke with that one. Those that do the hundo say they did the half, which is quite funny. I don't consider any of those folks crazy. Across the Years is a timed run. Most timed runs are…

I've been doing ultras for a couple of years now. I've done eight 50ks and four 50 milers and I'm hoping to finish my first 100k next weekend. I don't really view ultras as extreme. Base jumping is extreme. An ultra is just running. As to why, I don't have a simple sound bite to give. I've had the most amazing, profound…

What you call crazy is my normal training schedule. I did 2 trail 50ks, a road marathon and a 50 mile trail race in that order in the span of 8 weeks, each with two weeks in-between. One 50k was a training run, one 50k was a B goal race that I was aiming to PR at but if I didn’t it wasn’t going to be tragedy (I got the…

Just take out the hydration bladder. If you need to carry more stuff look up fastpacking backpacks and you may find something that works for you there.

I don’t see many roadies using hydration packs but once you hit the trails they are everywhere. I use a Nathan HPL 008 when I go out on my long unsupported trail runs. I can’t stand to have anything around my waist either. On the rare occassions when I do go on a long run on the road I don't use the Nathan. I know where…