First a really quick training update. Last week didn't go quite as planned. I was traveling for work one day and then got food poisoning on Thursday night. I was doing a treadmill workout running 5:50 miles and realized something was horribly wrong. Luckily I avoided throwing up on the treadmill, though that would have made for an excellent story. I ended up hitting 50 miles for the week, so it could be worse.
This week went much better and was the start of real training again after 5 easy weeks following the Philly Marathon.
1) Vermont 100 - hands down my favorite race for many reasons. First, Vermont will always have a special place in my heart for the sense of accomplishment I felt with finishing my first 100. It was a tremendous feeling crossing the finish line close to midnight knowing that I had just prevailed in running 100 miles across rugged, mountain terrain. It's a beautiful course with tons of great scenery and amazing volunteers. It was also a lot of fun to have Jen and my parents there. They were an awesome crew, and it was great to run with my Dad part of the way while I was still feeling strong.
2) Diablo Marathon - this was a GORGEOUS course. By far the most scenic race I've done. It's definitely a tough marathon, with 8K feet of elevation gain over the marathon (14% average grade), but I felt good the whole way and really enjoyed the course. This was a race that I didn't want to have end because I was having so much fun and enjoying the scenery so much.
3) JFK 50 - like Vermont, this will always be a memorable race since it was my first 50. It was also unbelievable to be in an ultramarathon with 1,400 other people. Who knew there were so many other crazy people out there!
4) Philadelphia Marathon - I like the Philly marathon for a variety of reasons. First, the race is a really nice size. It's fun to do bigger races, but Philly is nice because it isn't TOO big (18K). When you start having over 30K people, races can be a bit more of a hassle (parking, buses to the start, corrals, etc.). Second, it's a really nice course. The first time I ran Philly, I was surprised at how much of the course goes through parks and cool historic areas. Third, our college friend Roz lives in Philly. It's great to visit with her and staying with her makes the marathon very convenient. Oh yeah, it was also nice to set a PR here .... twice.
5) Flemington Turkey Trot - I've gotta give this race a shoutout. It's been a semi-tradition for me and Steve for 6 or 7 years. Most every Thanksgiving we drag ourselves over and run this race with varying degrees of seriousness. One year I did this just a few days after the JFK 50. This is one of my favorite races mostly for the memories. Steve's motivation for running (thinking running behind cute girls), starting in the very back and seeing how many people we can pass, Steve getting beaten by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the year my dad showed up and posted and age graded time that beat mine, etc. May the semi-tradition continue!
So these are some of my favorite races. What are your favorites?
This week went much better and was the start of real training again after 5 easy weeks following the Philly Marathon.
- Saturday - 10 mile trail run, stairmaster, lifting
- Sunday - 22 mile trail run
- Monday - 6 miles easy
- Tuesday - 10 miles easy, lifting and core work
- Wednesday - 7 miles w/ 4.5 @ 6:30
- Thursday - 8 miles easy
- Friday - 7 miles easy
- Total - 70 miles
I'm also trying to focus more on cross-training and lifting, so I try to include that in my training updates.
So now for my 5 favorite races that I've run. Woohooo!!!1) Vermont 100 - hands down my favorite race for many reasons. First, Vermont will always have a special place in my heart for the sense of accomplishment I felt with finishing my first 100. It was a tremendous feeling crossing the finish line close to midnight knowing that I had just prevailed in running 100 miles across rugged, mountain terrain. It's a beautiful course with tons of great scenery and amazing volunteers. It was also a lot of fun to have Jen and my parents there. They were an awesome crew, and it was great to run with my Dad part of the way while I was still feeling strong.
2) Diablo Marathon - this was a GORGEOUS course. By far the most scenic race I've done. It's definitely a tough marathon, with 8K feet of elevation gain over the marathon (14% average grade), but I felt good the whole way and really enjoyed the course. This was a race that I didn't want to have end because I was having so much fun and enjoying the scenery so much.
3) JFK 50 - like Vermont, this will always be a memorable race since it was my first 50. It was also unbelievable to be in an ultramarathon with 1,400 other people. Who knew there were so many other crazy people out there!
4) Philadelphia Marathon - I like the Philly marathon for a variety of reasons. First, the race is a really nice size. It's fun to do bigger races, but Philly is nice because it isn't TOO big (18K). When you start having over 30K people, races can be a bit more of a hassle (parking, buses to the start, corrals, etc.). Second, it's a really nice course. The first time I ran Philly, I was surprised at how much of the course goes through parks and cool historic areas. Third, our college friend Roz lives in Philly. It's great to visit with her and staying with her makes the marathon very convenient. Oh yeah, it was also nice to set a PR here .... twice.
5) Flemington Turkey Trot - I've gotta give this race a shoutout. It's been a semi-tradition for me and Steve for 6 or 7 years. Most every Thanksgiving we drag ourselves over and run this race with varying degrees of seriousness. One year I did this just a few days after the JFK 50. This is one of my favorite races mostly for the memories. Steve's motivation for running (thinking running behind cute girls), starting in the very back and seeing how many people we can pass, Steve getting beaten by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the year my dad showed up and posted and age graded time that beat mine, etc. May the semi-tradition continue!
So these are some of my favorite races. What are your favorites?
Comments
Are you in FL? Give me a call Fo'!
A little food poisoning never stopped a serious fratlete. Dome the treadmill!
(weird that you, Koushik and I all got it in the last two months-bad mayo?)