Reverse Goofy Challenge Weekend

Goofy Challenge has the half marathon Saturday and full marathon on Sunday. This weekend, I ran just over 19 miles on Saturday and 13.75 miles today. Not a lot for an ultrarunner, but plenty for someone like me who is a triathlete first.

My run training has been going pretty well, and I've been getting the hours in that I had hoped for. This week, I wanted to shoot for 8 hours of running, including back to back long runs of 3 and 2 hours. I've never done that before, even in the past when training for Goofy Challenge, but I figured what the hell, all I can do is try.

Part of me thought I should do the shorter run Saturday because I know for sure I could run the day after a 2-hour run--I do that all the time in training. But running 3 hours the next day? I though it was more important that I got the 3 hour run in for sure, and then if I needed to cut back the 2 hour run, so be it.

On Friday morning, something in my furnace went kaput. It sounded like a motor about to die, so I had to shut off the heat until I could get a repair man in on Saturday. I went to the Y and swam 5,000 yards (including 2800 yards of hard intervals) in the morning, bundled up a little extra, worked, got in a 1-hour run on the treadmill mid-day, got a massage, worked some more, took a really hot shower and got to bed early, thinking I may as well get running as early as possible since my house would be cold.

Saturday morning I awoke to about 32 degrees outside and about 60 inside, but who cares, I am just going outside to run in colder temperatures! I'd slept in, but managed to get on the trail at Waterfall Glen just after 8:30. My goal was to get in 18 miles, but 17 would have been fine. I would do the run 5'/walk 1' plan as I'd done during last week's 18-miler. I had defizzed Coke with me in some bottles I'd received as a gift from a friend in Wisconsin that is in the Headhunters triathlon club. I needed to try running with a bigger bottle like I will do in the 50-miler.

I wore my good fleece-lined Pearl Izumi tights, a regular bra top, one of my long-sleeved technical Goofy shirts, my IMLP 2007 finisher windbreaker, my PI sushi hat and a pair of light gloves. Initially, I thought I'd run 9 miles, refuel and then head out for another 9 miles, but about 3 miles in I though I could go 12 miles on what I had with me, and then I'd only need to do 6 more which would be easier mentally.

I saw a lot of runners in there, and many of them were wearing shorts. All I could think is either I am a wimp or they are running short and fast. I was quite comfortable in all my outerwear, and never felt overheated. I kept to my run/walk plan except that if I was headed downhill and it was time to walk, fuck that, I just ran. No sense EVER in walking downhill!

When I was about 3 1/4 miles from finishing my first loop, a guy ran by me and waved, and I looked at his running stride and recognized him from the Y and called out his name! I thought it was so funny that I knew who he was by his stride, even though he was just as bundled up as me (which made me think we were the smart ones). Mike and I ran a few steps together, but then I told him to go on ahead since I needed to take my walking break and really wanted to stick to it. I am sure I will see him a lot this winter at the Y. He's really fast, has BQ'ed a few times, and is a really nice man, and it seems that whenever we talk, we are all smiles and laughs. It was nice to run into him!

Either I was tired from my accumulated training load or because of the cold or whatever, but I did the first 12+ miles at just over 9:35/mile, but I was happy because I was still well under 10mpm pace. I stretched a little bit, grabbed another bottle of Coke and headed out.

Mentally, I always want to slow down when I go out for another loop. I was OK with that plan yesterday, since I knew I had to run today as well. Since I'd gone about 12.6 miles on the first loop, now I had it in my head to get in 19 miles--may as well go for a nice, round number! When I got to mile 3, I was running even 10's, so I just ran 2 more minutes out which would give me 6.4 miles, so I should get my 19 in.

Even though I'd slowed down a bit on the second loop, I actually felt pretty strong and I am pretty sure I was smiling a lot. I was thinking about the training I was doing, that this has been the most concentrated running I've ever done, and that I'm feeling pretty good doing it! I was amazed that the run didn't suck at all, and that I really wasn't running that slowly for this distance for me. I was even starting to think I might be able to finish the 50-miler, but I had to recover from this run and get out on Sunday.

When I got home, there was a snafu with the furnace repair guy. My doorbell wasn't working since I'd killed the circuit breaker for the furnace that also controls the doorbell. But the guy didn't knock, either, and my car was in the driveway! So I had to call the place and let them know I was here, and the guy got here about 2 hours later than planned and had everything fixed pretty quickly. It was the blower motor which had died. I should get a whole new furnace, but at least now I have some time to think about it (and find the money!).

I stretched, and was pretty much glued to the computer watching Ironman Hawaii the rest of the day, but I could only managed to stay awake to watch Crowie win it. I was exhausted, and ended up sleeping almost 11 hours. I guess almost a marathon will do that to me!

When I got up today, I felt really well rested, and about the only sore thing was my calves for a few minutes. After I was awake for about an hour, though, I started to feel like I'd done something major the day before. But I didn't feel bad, and figured what else am I going to do except run? And I only needed to do 2 hours, so I figured I could get in 12 miles.

It was cold again this morning, even colder than yesterday, and I took my time, reading part of the newspaper, and doing some housecleaning. I figured today I would drink Coke before I started and then just use Gatorade, which will enable me to sleep well tonight.

Today I wore my other pair of thermal tights, a bra top, another Goofy technical shirt, a pink Nike running jacket, a Lake Placid beanie and gloves. I decided I'd head to Greene Valle and run the flat loop which is about 7 miles, and then run up and down the hill 2 or 3 times, depending on how I felt.

The flat part went well, and I held a 9:26 pace doing the run/walk thing, and I felt just fine, not cold, not hot. Once again, I saw a few runners in shorts and thought no way I'd be doing that.

Next, I drank some more Gatorade and headed out for my first hill repeat. I really wondered how this would feel, and surprised myself making it up the first time in 10:06. I was sort of shocked, especially since I'd let myself walk about a minute and change somewhere in there, but I figured, hey, all good, and then ran down in 8:08. Great! I assessed myself, took another swig of Gatorade and headed up the second time. I made it up in 9:55 and down in 7:57, so faster than the first time! I was enjoying the hell out of this, I don't know why--probably just because I was feeling so good considering I'd run 19 yesterday. The third time, I made it up in 9:54 and down in 7:52, and I know I was smiling the entire way down because it felt so good. I finished today feeling like I could have run more, but that's good, right?

So I ran about 33 miles this weekend (6 shy of Goofy, oh well), and did the longer run first, and ran well the second day, so that makes me feel really good. I got in 53 miles of running this week, and now I get to taper for a few weeks. I need to check around for some training plans to see what I should really do next weekend. I was going to just do a 2-hour run, but now I think I should do a 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. We will see! Whichever I choose, I know it will feel easy!

I actually feel pretty good right now, and the proof will be whether I can run tomorrow. Well, I'm pretty sure I can, but I might push it off until Tuesday. I do look forward to swimming in the morning since it will help flush some of this out of my legs.

I commented to someone on Facebook that I was starting to think I might be getting the hang of this ultra thing. I sort of wish I had another 4 or 5 weeks of mostly run focus, but this period I am sure will serve to toughen me up for the coming months. And oh, by the way, Goofy Challenge will seem fairly easy! How fun to go into an event having done most or all of the full distance in training! But I guess that is sort of my MO, huh? Although I've only done close to Ultraman over 4 days instead of 3. But it's stuff like this that convinces your brain that you can do it. And I know that once my head is on board, my body usually obliges.

So to Lee and some others who tell me periodically to do something I've never done before, well, I am doing that all over the place! Some days, like today, I really wonder just what all I can do. And that is a wonderful feeling!