May 19-25: Good Training

After a drop-back week and vacation in Montreal, this past week was a solid training week. Five runs, over 40 miles, and I felt good. Thursday's tempo run went really well and the weekend long run was fine on a tough trail. Even though the paces seem slow, I'm convinced that trail running makes me a stronger runner...whether I race on trails or roads. Trails build strength and protect the body from the repeated punishment of the same foot-strike pattern.  Still need more endurance and some heat acclimatization, but I'm off to a great start to summer training and racing. Run Under the Stars 10-Hour race is only 12 days away! Guess I better be ready soon.

Count:	5 Activities
Distance:	43.34 mi
Max Distance:	15.02 mi
Avg Distance:	8.67 mi
Time:	6:41:31 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	6.5 mph
Avg HR:	138 bpm
Max HR:	170 bpm
Calories:	4,347 C

Week in Review: May 12-18

This was a short week of running, only two runs while on vacation in Montreal. It's a grand city and I encourage anyone to put it on their vacation list! One run from the old port to the top of Mont Royal and the other was up and down the port and Old Montreal district. Good way to see a new city, but I need more runs to prepare for my upcoming 10-hour race! I did get in a LOT of walking all around Montreal. Maybe that's good ultra training? No worries. This was a drop-back and recover week. This coming week will be a good one and I'll be back on track for the Run Under the Stars 10-Hour race in KY on June 7.

Count:	2 Activities
Distance:	9.82 mi
Max Distance:	5.60 mi
Avg Distance:	4.91 mi
Time:	1:35:05 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	6.2 mph
Avg HR:	--
Max HR:	--
Calories:	1,319 C

Week in Review: May 5-11

The first week of my 24-week bet is in the books!  I made it. A minimum of 35 miles with one tempo run. Done. Here are the basic statistics:

Count:	5 Activities
Distance:	36.62 mi
Max Distance:	11.09 mi
Avg Distance:	7.32 mi
Time:	6:11:45 h:m:s
Avg Speed:	5.9 mph
Avg HR:	123 bpm
Max HR:	170 bpm
Calories:	3,197 C

This was a good first week. I plan on using one of my "free passes" for this coming week (since I'm on vacation). I'll still run, but nothing long and nothing fast. Just exploring the sites of Montreal. Perfect time for a step-back week. Less than 4 weeks to my next ultramarathon: Run Under the Stars 10-Hour in Kentucky.

Revised Races for 2014

Now that I have 4 months of 2014 behind me, and am training fairly well, it's time to commit to a racing schedule for the rest of the year. I already completed the Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run and the Illinois Marathon (roads). What else do I have planned? Lots of trail races...

June 7: Run Under the Stars 10-hour (horse track, Paducah, KY)
June 28: Cats & Dogs 5-Hour Trail (Danville, IL)
August 8: Howl at The Moon 8-Hour (road/trail, Danville, IL)
Sept 14: Evergreen Lake 34 Mile Trail (Hudson, IL)
Oct 11: Farmdale 13 Mile Trail (E. Peoria, IL)
Oct 19: St Louis RNR Half-Marathon (road)
Nov 8: McNotAgain 10 Mile Trail (Pekin, IL)
Nov 15: Tunnel Hill 100 Trail (Vienna, IL)

I probably should have some ultra race in July. Maybe Dances With Dirt Devil's Lake in Wisconsin? Or Trail Dog "Luna-Tics Race" (also in WI).

If Tunnel Hill 100 miler goes well, maybe I take the rest of the year off...or sign up for Across the Years 6-Day race at end of December!

Joe vs Chris: The Bet

I currently have a bet with Jeff about him losing weight and me running consistent miles. I talked about that agreement in this blog post on March 16.  It's more of an agreement, than a bet. No money on the line. With spring finally here, and summer close on its heals, it's time to ramp up the training, racing, and betting!

My new arrangement is with Joe, a newer runner at work (started running last year). We both have race goals and know that a little extra motivation may keep us on track. We need consistent miles, a little speed work, and racing goals. So, a new wager was born...and it begins today!

It's a 24-week bet that begins today and ends on October 19 in St Louis. We'll each run the RNR Half-Marathon that Sunday in St Louis. Joe needs to break 1:50, I need 1:35. Good goals for our respective running abilities. That race has a $30 wager. But there's more to the bet. Over the next 24 weeks, we need to make training progress. Each week another $10 is up for stakes. Here's what we need to do:

First 12-week segment (May 5-July 27):

• Joe runs a minimum of 20 miles/week
• Chris runs a minimum of 35 miles/week
• Each of us runs one tempo run/week (3 consecutive miles at 80-85% HRR)

Can earn one extra "free week" if Joe runs 25 miles or Chris runs 40 miles. Free week means they are out of the bet, but other person still needs to reach their goals.

Second 12-week segment (July 28-October 19):

• Joe runs a minimum of 25 miles/week
• Chris runs a minimum of 40 miles/week
• Each of us runs one tempo run/week (3 consecutive miles at 80-85% HRR)

Can earn one extra "free week" if Joe runs 30 miles or Chris runs 50 miles.

Over the full 24 weeks, we each have 6 "free weeks" that we can utilize as a "drop-back" taper week. For that week, only the person using their "free pass" gets the week off--other person still needs to meet their goals. The thinking was that we could push for 3 weeks, then have a lower week to recover. Repeat throughout the bet. Plus, if we have intermediate races, then it would be nice to have a taper week before or after the race. We'll need to be strategic about when to utilize our free weeks (which must be announced on Monday--no waiting until the end of the week when you are already behind).

If one person completes their goals, and the other doesn't, then the loser gives $10 to the winner. If we both succeed, or both fail, nothing is lost that week. If one person gets injured, they can buy themselves out of the remaining portion of the bet for $20. If not injured, then $50 gets you out of the remaining bet.

This bet has an end goal race, weekly mileage and pace goal, and incorporates the idea of step-back weeks. Not bad, eh? All improvement and no injuries. Racing season is here...time to lay your chips on the line! What are your goals?

Clinton Lake vs Road Marathon

Last year, a friend and I hypothesized that two 10-mile loops of the hilly Clinton Lake trail would equal the time it takes to finish a fairly flat road marathon. It seemed right. It felt right. Well, I finally ran a road marathon (Illinois Marathon in 3:47). So how does that 3:47 compare to a recent two loop (20 mile) run on the Clinton Lake trail?  My only recent 20 miler at Clinton Lake was part of the 30-mile race there in March. I did 3:40 for the first two loops (20 miles). So my 20 miles at Clinton was either too fast, or my marathon too slow. Or this predictor doesn't work!  Actually, I'm impressed it's that close. The Clinton race was a RACE, not a training run. If I was training, it would have been just a bit slower. Maybe 3:45. And my road marathon was "raced" very easily. I could have run faster. Maybe 3:40. See the error variance in these measures? I need more data, but it may work.

So, I think the "rule of thumb" that two loops of Clinton Lake equals a road marathon is about right. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! I'll complete several 20 milers at Clinton Lake in the next few months so I'll have a measure of my fitness and a possible predictor of future road marathon times. Nice. Let's get that 20 miler down to 3:30 and I'll be ready for a Boston qualifier.

Another interesting side note: I finished 30 miles at the Clinton Lake ultra in 5:42 and finished 26.2 miles at the Illinois Marathon in 3:47. Both were raced "under control." Wow, an extra 3.8 miles at Clinton Lake took me an extra 1 hour and 55 minutes! That Clinton Lake trail is tough.