Training Log Archive: STORMIn the 7 days ending Oct 20, 2013:
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Saturday Oct 19, 2013 #
racing 12:43:00 [4]
Wild Duluth 100k in Minnesota. Gorgeous run along the Superior Hiking Trail, stretching 50km out and back from the city of Duluth - most of which follows a ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. Conditions were great - temps ranging from 2 degrees at the start to 9 in the afternoon, with only a little bit of rain/snow in the early morning. Lots of colour still up top, and the terrain ranged from rugged rocky sections to soft flowy trails, with a 10km paved rail trail at the turnaround. 3 drop bags (two of which you saw twice), 6 aid stations (all of which you saw twice), and only a handful of road crossings. Overall, a very decent course.
Given all of this, I had high hopes for a little redemption after UTMB. Held third spot for the first 74km, but my stomach went south at around 60, and the pace dropped to what felt like a crawl. I watched helplessly as four racers passed me over the next 16k, cursing my stupid stomach for being so weak on these longer runs. The only silver lining was that Browner was able to nurse me back to life at the second-last aid station with some TLC and some Pepto-Bismol, such that I was able to finish the final 10k at full race pace. Too little too late unfortunately, but good to know that recovery is actually possible when my body decides it just doesn't want to take in food.
In my race report from Sinister Seven two years ago (my longest run to-date), I had noted that I just don't think my stomach is cut out for longer-distance ultras. Four 100+km races later (or attempts thereof), and it doesn't appear that I have anything to prove otherwise. There were more than a few times during this race where I honestly didn't care if I ever got back to France, as the thought of another 68 kilometres of gut-rot misery seemed about as tortuous as a 24-hour spin-a-thon. I've got the legs, I just need to figure out how to keep them fueled over the long haul!
That all said - final two points for re-applying to UTMB 2014 are secured, and I'm already making notes on what to try differently if I do tackle the 100-miler that I've been eyeing for next March....
Given all of this, I had high hopes for a little redemption after UTMB. Held third spot for the first 74km, but my stomach went south at around 60, and the pace dropped to what felt like a crawl. I watched helplessly as four racers passed me over the next 16k, cursing my stupid stomach for being so weak on these longer runs. The only silver lining was that Browner was able to nurse me back to life at the second-last aid station with some TLC and some Pepto-Bismol, such that I was able to finish the final 10k at full race pace. Too little too late unfortunately, but good to know that recovery is actually possible when my body decides it just doesn't want to take in food.
In my race report from Sinister Seven two years ago (my longest run to-date), I had noted that I just don't think my stomach is cut out for longer-distance ultras. Four 100+km races later (or attempts thereof), and it doesn't appear that I have anything to prove otherwise. There were more than a few times during this race where I honestly didn't care if I ever got back to France, as the thought of another 68 kilometres of gut-rot misery seemed about as tortuous as a 24-hour spin-a-thon. I've got the legs, I just need to figure out how to keep them fueled over the long haul!
That all said - final two points for re-applying to UTMB 2014 are secured, and I'm already making notes on what to try differently if I do tackle the 100-miler that I've been eyeing for next March....
Tuesday Oct 15, 2013 #
running 50:00 [3]
Easy road run