Move It Old Man - 25 Weeks of Training for 50 mile Ultra Marathon - Lace Up, Let's Go
Keepin Movin While I Still Can and documenting 25 weeks of training leading to my first 50 mile Ultra marathon before I turn 51.
I signed up…
You gotta start somewhere. My startline was a few days ago when I clicked purchase to join the Trail Mix 50 miler in Staten Island November 14th. My startline is the commitment to train and write about it. The results will be what they will be.
Over the past year, I’ve run two half marathons using a combo platter of training methodologies (MAF, Chi Running, Tempo, 4x4s, with some moving meditation mixed in there). Also in the last year, my body has lost 25 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle so I’m sure food / fuel will be a big part of what I write about as this rolls along.
There was a big difference between the two half marathons that I ran. One was slightly slower and the diet was low / lower carb leading up to the race. I negative split and possibly could’ve gone faster but I kept constraints on speed most of the way. The second one was much faster with a high carb diet. I felt like garbage a lot. Got sick few times during training and also hobbled myself with some over eager speed work. I decided to slow back down.
How do I keep moving without feeling like shit? I found a few low carb / keto athletes on the interwebs most of them doing ultras. What if I chose a distance that fit my slomo-speed.
Hmmmm…Could I do an Ultra?
Assets and Liabilities
Assets
I’m good at being bored with long training.
I’m ok with going slow and not winning.
I’m quite mobile and knees still climb and descend well (knocking wood)
Mentally Flexible
Thanks to yoga background. I’m good at fasting and / or switching the ketones on when needed.
I’ve run many marathons and halfs
Liabilities
I still love going fast and have to restrain it.
I’m losing muscle as I age. Yes I gained 5 lbs but there is no telling how much I’ve lost before the last year.
Mentally Flexible (not always a good thing)
I love beer, toast, martinis, bananas, and Bordeaux, but they are horrible if when you are trying to run on an oxygen and fat buring metabolic / aerobic engine. I’ll have to learn timing of when and when not to incorporate the sweet things in life.
Never completed anything more than a marathon.
Let’s see where this goes and write about it.
This is an act of spilling the pieces out on the table and putting together the puzzle. I have no idea what will work, what shoes, clothes, efforts, food, salt, or how to handle 8 hours in heat or 10 hours in rain.
I’ll dig into my grab bag of workouts, weekly long duration runs, rest / recovery and of course all the feelings and emotions that come with the territory. Hopefully, with a big dose of humor.
What Counts?
Everything. Every Step. Every mile. I am training to be on my my feet for 13 hours or 50 miles ,whichever comes first. If everything counts, I am much more likely to agree get arugula from Mr Kale or a bottle of Tito’s for martinis if it adds to my daily tally.
Who’s Counting?
Apple Watch on Low Power Mode (just like how I run). I used to use Nike Run Club, but the battery drains faster for some reason. I am going for close enough / true enough, so no strava.
What am I watching?
BPM - My MAF Heart Rate is 130. On almost all runs, I will reduce effort when I go above that number. That means I will walk a lot of hills, stairs. In fact a big learning process for me now, is learning to walk faster and run slower.
Miles Daily and Average - Keeping Mileage and Time on my feet high, but also making sure to have low mileage days, with very little time on my feet.
Workout Load - 7 day vs. 28 day load. Generated by the Fitness App on my iphone.
HRV & Sleep - I am tracking how recovery is going with Heart Rate Variabilty. Sleep quality as higher training loads and days like fasting and keto seem to really effect my sleep.
Mood - If Im cranky or taking things too seriously, it’s time to take a break, laugh it off have a beer and live a little.
What’s the plan?
Start Low, Go Slow - Weekly mileage will slowly build, with a deload / shorter mileage week every 3rd week, and every 2 weeks when the mileage starts to peak. Pace is dictated by MAF heart rate.
Big Ole Long Run (Walks Stairs ) - Starting at 3 hours and adding 30 minutes every week except deload weeks). Usually Saturdays.
3-4 Midweek Runs - Variable Runs. Mostly MAF, Stairs and Power Hiking / Walking.
Auxiliary Workouts - Moving in any other way than running. Mobility. Gaga Dance Class. Strength. I also count sauna time as integral.
What does the baseline look like?
Week 25
43.18 Total Miles, 4 Total Workouts
Long Day 3 Hours 10 minutes, 13.54 miles (Mix of running, stair climber, uphill treadmill, and back to running) Staying on Prospect Park trails when possible.
MAF Average 15:04 pace at 129 BPM
Aerobic Drift for the last hour 16:51 at 129 BPM
Sleep and HRV - Meh, not great.
Note: need to learn how to walk faster and more often.
Note: I should do a MAF Test soon so I can see if it procresses or regresses with added distance. I’ve noticed a big drop in speed since switching to keto and low carb.
Thanks for reading.
Let’s go! (With care)
Josh
