100 Mile Training Plan

Below is the training plan that I hope will get me to the starting line, and prepare me to finish, my first 100 mile race.  It’s a plan that I’ve adapted from the one in Bryon Powell’s excellent book – Relentless Forward Progress.  I have extended his 24 week program to 36 weeks in order to accommodate a 50 Mile Goal Race which occurs at the end of Week 16.

The precepts of the plan are pretty simple. Build mileage steadily with 1 recovery week for every 3 weeks of building.  Back to back long runs on the weekend to practice running on tired legs.  And some sort of mid-week “speed work”.  Nothing too aggressive, just some fartleks, tempo runs or long hill repeats to get your legs turning over at a more rapid than normal rate.

You’ll notice that I don’t have many “zero” days scheduled.  I do this because, for one reason or another, off days generally happen on their own anyway.  But, I do plan on taking my “easy” days very easy and substituting cross training (or gym time) as the body dictates. Eventually, when the weather decides to cooperate, I will be doing most of my longs runs on the trails.  But, for now, I’m on the roads    ... dreaming of dirt.

100 Mile Training Plan:
Wk.	M	T	W	T	F	S	S	Tot.	Comments
1	6	8	6	8	6	20	10	64
2	6	8	10	8	6	16	14	68
3	6	8	6	8	4	6	34	72	6-Hr Race
4	6	8	6	8	6	16	10	60	Recovery
5	6	8	10	8	6	24	12	74
6	6	8	10	8	6	20	18	76
7	6	8	10	8	6	22	18	78
8	6	8	8	8	6	16	10	62	Recovery
9	6	8	10	4	6	32	8	66	50k Race
10	6	8	12	8	6	24	12	76
11	6	8	10	8	6	22	20	80
12	6	8	6	8	6	18	12	64	Recovery
13	6	8	12	8	4	12	20	70	25k Race
14	6	8	6	8	6	12	4	50	Recovery
16	6	0	6	0	4	50	4	70	50m Race
17	4	6	8	6	4	16	6	50	Recovery
18	4	8	6	8	4	18	10	58
19	6	8	6	8	6	20	10	64
20	6	8	6	8	6	16	6	56	Recovery
21	6	8	6	8	6	20	12	66
22	6	8	8	4	6	28	10	70	28m Race
23	6	8	6	8	6	16	10	60	Recovery
24	6	8	8	8	6	20	12	68
25	6	8	8	8	6	24	12	72
26	6	8	6	0	4	50	4	78	50m Race
27	6	8	8	8	6	16	10	62	Recovery
28	6	8	10	8	6	24	12	74
29	6	8	8	8	6	22	20	78
30	6	8	12	8	4	10	32	80	50k Race
31	6	8	10	8	6	16	10	64	Recovery
32	6	8	6	8	6	22	20	76
33	6	8	6	8	6	26	20	80
34	6	8	6	8	4	20	8	60	Taper
35	6	8	6	8	0	12	6	46	Taper
36	6	0	6	0	4	100	4	120	100m Race
								69	weekly avg

The Road Not Taken

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler …”

In stark contrast to my Recent Training sessions with friends, my 2014 Racing Schedule is a decidedly solo endeavor.   While most of my running friends, and training buddies, will be doing both the New England and New Hampshire Grand Prix Race Series, my primary focus for this year will be on longer races. Specifically Ultras!

“… Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear;  Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same…”

In previous seasons, my racing schedule (much like my friends) has mostly revolved around My Running Club’s two major race series – the NEGP and NHGP.  In fact, I’ve run over 30 NHGP races and 40 NEGP races in the 16 years since I began my running career.  So, I am certainly no stranger to these great and well-attended race events.

“…And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day...”

This year, instead of running those big races like I've typically done in the past, I’ve decided to attempt something very different.  Building off of the success I had at the Stonecat 50, and the fun I had during last year’s Summer of 48, I’m going to be spending 2014 seeing just how far I can push myself and testing the limits of what I think I can do.

“… Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back…”

Who knows how this little experiment of mine will turn out?  I do know that I love running and racing on trails.  And I do know that I have a certain knack for running great distances without tiring.  So it seems, at least for now, that my immediate running future lies more in long trail races and than it does in short road races.

“… I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence…”

It does make me sad sometimes to know that I’m missing out on spending time with my friends at the races we used to run together.  Particularly on the 16th of March, when 52 of my teamates will be heading down to New Bedford for the Half Marathon and I’ll be up here doing 3.5 mile laps in the Woods of Andover - for 6 hours.

“… Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by,  And that has made all the difference.”

But, even in those rare moments of sadness, I still feel like I’m doing the right thing by running a less-traveled path and seeing just how far it will take me.   And, I know that my friends will be there in spirit, every kick-ass step of the way!

~ Poem excepts from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.

Crazy Loves Company

As I previously wrote HERE, it’s great to have running friends who are just as nuts as you are. So when you decide to jump aboard the “crazy train”, you can probably get a few of them to come along for the ride!

Such was the case two weeks ago when a group of us did our annual “Pack Attack” -  an 18 mile run out-and-back along the first 9 miles of the Pack Monadnock Road Race.  Over the course of the 9 mile run up to the base of Pack Monadnock Mountain, the back-country roads of Wilton and Temple, NH rise almost 1500 feet!  As a result, the run out is always a challenge, particularly the last 1 mile stretch where the average grade is close to 10%!  The return trip is much easier, but there are still a few sneaky little hills which can really zap your already tired legs.

When I put out the call for people to join me this year, the response was tremendous.  18 miles on snowy, slushy roads?  Sure.  1500 feet of elevation gain and loss?  OK.  2 extra bonus miles to avoid an un-plowed section of road near the reservoir?  No problem, as long as we still get breakfast!  We started doing this run in 2006 and have done it at least once a year ever since. The first year we ran it, we had 4 people.  This year, we had 26 come out and join in the now 20 Miles of Fun!

Running Log

I've been running for 16 years now and, for all but the first two years, I've kept a running log to track each and every one of my workouts.  Occasionally, I'll crack open some of my old logs to compare training notes from year to year.  See what worked, and more importantly, what didn't. It's kind of fun to look back and look at where you were then, compared to where you are now.  Except, of course,  when you come to the stunning realization that despite the fact that you're working harder than ever, your times are getting slower and slower.

Heck, if I knew that in 2008-2009 I was going to be at the apex of my running career I would have planted a flag at the top of that mountain, or something! :)

Anyway, here are some of the high/low lites from the last 16 years - as seen through the pages of my of running logs.  Each year has my approximate miles per week (mpw) for that year, important race results, life happening, log notes in "bold italics" and current race PR's in RED. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane just as much as I did.