It's barely over a month until I toe the starting line at the Iron Horse 100k in Florahome, and I'm feeling pretty stoked about it. In a lot of ways, this event has been the culmination of many things. For some time now, I've obviously wanted to compete in a 100k event. I'm also eager to get down to central Florida in the winter time to enjoy some warm racing temperatures. But...
If I am completely honest about it, this race is about one thing and one thing only, and that's redemption. There still isn't a day that goes by without me re-living the catastrophic turn of events that was my "2011 North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler" last October along the Pine Mountain Trail. I would be lying if I said I've put it behind me. I haven't. I haven't even tried. I honestly don't want to put it behind me because I don't ever want to forget what it feels like to just give up in a race, no matter the suffering. In four weeks, I'll have my chance to redeem my courage, my will, and yes, my pride.
On the training side of things, everything has progressed well to this point. I've been logging between 45 and 55 miles per week for months now, and I'm still training 6 days per week. I've had injuries this season (praise God) and I've brought my weight back down to pre-Christmas level. These next 2 weeks will see my mileage peak somewhere around 60 miles and then I'll begin to pull back into a "pseudo-taper" of maybe 2 weeks or so. While I will reduce my training intensity, I'll likely continue to run around 40 miles per week up until the weekend before the race.
At this point, I'm planning on taking the last 5 days off from running entirely. (I know, we'll see how well I hold to that one..) I want to give myself every chance to arrive at the race fresh and rested. This race is a 100k, not a 100 miler, so I'm not worried about it, honestly. I do respect the fact that this is over 62 miles of racing, and I'm going to enforce a smart pacing plan for race day. If I'm disciplined on that day, I hope to be able to cross the finish line in something less than 16 hours. Time will tell, but I think that goal is in reach.
In my next post, I'll share the volume of "ultra stuff" and gear I'm planning on taking with me.
You are going to do great. It sounds like your plan has come together, the training is done and now you just need to get mentally prepared and let those legs rest and recover. I'm rooting for you for sure!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a solid plan and you are executing it well. Keep it up!
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