Ultras

Recovery? Well, I kinda skipped that part after IMAZ and went right to training for my first 50K ultramarathon that I will be running in Point Mugu, CA. on Sunday May 18th.

I am not sure if it is an indication that I didn’t go hard enough in Arizona, but since I had to start training in the middle of a 50K program, I did an 18 miler 6 days after my IronMan. And last week I did 79 miles. But, I feel great and I love running and as long as I am not getting injured I think I’ll be ok. I did a 24 1/2 miler last weekend and ran it at the same pace as my last full marathon and was able to do 10 miles the next day. This has me thinking that a sub 4 hour marathon is right around the corner. Anyway, next Sunday is the 50K and I am very excited. This will be my first ultramarathon and my first trail race. I plan to just enjoy it and try not to break an ankle or something, since I tend to be less than agile. I won’t worry too much about time since this will be another new experience with enough new variables that I will not be sure exactly what to expect.

So, with all of this “just finish” nonsense, I am itching to do a little race against the clock. So, I am considering doing the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon. I did the 5K last year in preparation for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. I have half a mind to just do the Marathon in San Diego on June 1st and see if I can’t break that 4 hour mark. I am keeping close tabs on how I feel and if I feel alright after the 50K I think that is what I will do. The nice thing about running races is they don’t usually sell out and the don’t cost nearly as much to do as triathlons, so you don’t have make make plans a year in advance like you do for an Ironman.

With all of this running, I am sad to say I have only swam once in the past 4 weeks. I have, however done some cycling and at a higher intensity than what I was doing. Now that I know I can do 112 miles on the bike in 95 degree weather, I figure it is time to step it up. I plan to do 1 or 2 more Triathlons this season and I will definitely be going all out so I need to start pushing hard on the bike. I also finally started a yoga class. I have done 2 so far. One being “Hot Yoga”. How ironic that I do an Ironman and am sore for a day and this yoga business has my whole body sore for going on 3 days now. Go figure. I have also been hitting the weights 3 times a week. I have gotten used to eating enough calories to support 15-20 hours of training. I must now find that much training to do or drastically cut calories. I wonder how many calories yoga burns an hour?

Paul