The postponements begin as Boston 2021 is put off until at least the fall since Boston will not let such large events happen until what they call Phase 4 of reopening which includes the development of treatments and vaccines
While I would call how I eat LCHF (Lower Carb Higher Fat) it might be better to refer to the fat portion as "Right Fat" - Dr. Maffetone explains this as it is not necessarily high but as I put Higher in relationship to most people's view of intake and thus right for you
Local, to Kentucky, Races and Events
(If you have a race in the area, including surrounding states, let me know and I will post about it)
Running groups are a great way to get to know people but also a great way to help you progress and get out and run. If you are in the Elizabethtown KY area check out the Running Soles Group and if you are closer to Campbellsville check out the Campbellsville Running Club. Have another local running group in KY let me know and I will list it.
I had really wanted to plan out these past 4 weeks and the 2 weeks to come but that just did not happen – as I often say – Life Happens. I do plan to go back and fill out my schedule with what I would have liked to do so I have a baseline for the next training cycle. With my goal running race coming up in 2 weeks, a 5K on Nov 7th, the next two weeks will focus on tapering which will mainly focus on being fresh. As I will mention below I may do a century on Zwift this coming Saturday if my schedule allows and while that sounds a little strange for tapering for a 5K for me if I do not ride too hard it does work well.
As I start to look forward to next year where right now I have 3 rides planned, if they will all happen I am unsure. These rides are two postponed events – 100 Mile Solvang Century in March and 140 Mile Steamboat Springs Gravel Race in August – and one race that should take place but have not entered yet as entry has not opened – The 45 Gravel Race in May. I do not have any running races scheduled yet as I need to see what will work with my work schedule but would like to at least get in a Marathon/50K and a 5K or two. I have not decided if I will try and get into the Dirty Kanza 200 again this year as may put it off till next year as figure this year will be hard to get in as most will have deferred from last year (my entry for 2020 was not deferable) – a problem for many events coming up in 2021. The basic plan is to finish off with the 5K in two weeks then finish off the year with some good rides and runs then take a break the end of December/beginning of January where I have some travel to do. I hoping things begin to clear up some by the end of the year so as to be able to make some sort of plan. Right now the two main events, again, will be The 45 Gravel Race in May here in Kentucky and the 140 mile Steamboat Springs Gravel Race in Colorado. Sadly due to the cancelation and deferral of the Steamboat Springs race I will not be able to do the Kentucky Gravel Championships this year as it will be the same weekend as Steamboat. Hope to add in a few more events but again need to see how 2021 develops so as to formulate a good plan. Pretty sure this is the same issue many people have if they do not have a longer list of deferred races already. Overview of Last Two Weeks Runs and Rides:
Ty heading out from Blue Heron for last 50K
For the first week of this two week overview I basically took it easy to get ready to help pace my friend in the No Business 100. So on Monday and Wednesday I ran easy. As far as riding I did my usual easy Monday ride but then did the first race of the Zwift Racing League on Tuesday Evening and it was hard. As I am a mid-pack Cat B and this group is all B’s I am in many ways pack fodder. The one good part was I for once got out fast and stayed with the group till the first good climb where I slowly came off. As the race was 50K and I got dropped at about 10 miles or so I rode the rest of the way out of the top 30 placings – hey but did finish so did pick up a point for my team. As with most Zwift riding once you are dropped it is basically over as due to how the draft works it is almost impossible to catch back on to a large group and I did not. I finished, as expected, mid-pack. I then rode the BMTR mid-week ride the next morning and while tired still hung on and got in a good ride without sacrificing being ready for Saturday’s trail run.
Saturday I paced my good friend, Ty Martin, for miles 69 thru about 87 of his first 100 miler at the No Business 100 and this is not an easy 100 to do for your first 100 miler. I saw Ty come through to do a short loop from the Blue Heron aid station then after that headed out just as the sun rose. While we headed out in a different direction than the Yamacraw 50K comes in we did in the end come out on the Yamacraw course for a small part of it. The hard part with this course is it is very much up and down and with all the leaves there are lots of hidden traps with tree roots and rocks. I had not run longer than a 14 mile road run so being on my feet for longer than 2 hours was a little bit of an unknown. That said I was pretty confident with my training as it was very much like I did for the R2R2R a year ago where I did most of my long days out on the bike and less on my feet. The run went well and while my right foot was sore it was not too bad and felt fine the next day. Thus not only did I come out of this unscathed the best part was Ty finished the race – a big congrats to him for a great run on a difficult course. Pacing is an interesting endeavor as I had to be careful to make sure I was running a pace Ty wanted and not what felt good to me. Actually, for most of the run I let Ty lead so my pacing more of that of being one to accompany him and keep him motivated and moving forward. Did make me want to try a 100 miler one day but need to make sure my foot is good and ready so need to plan a 50K and 50 miler first. See below for a view of the run that also has pictures in it.
For the second week I had a busy one with company coming and needing to squeeze in what runs and rides I was going to do. Thus I got in a good paced but relaxed 50+ miler on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday afternoon it was raining but still about 65F so went for. 10.25 miler and ran a good pace as I averaged 8:04 with miles 3-10 under 8:00/mile and my HR mostly averaged under 134 for all the miles so a good run. I also did a relaxed run Tuesday afternoon before my drive to pick up family. I had planned to do the BMTR Mid-Week Wednesday ride but as had to pick up family at the airport at 11PM and then 2 hour drive home I just could not get up that early for the ride and also as I am dealing with a sinus cold felt better to sleep. I thus did an afternoon easy run on Wednesday and got back to riding on Thursday with another good paced but relaxed ride, over three different rides in the morning. Finished up the week riding with an easy 1.5 hours on Friday afternoon and finished the week with a nice hike with the family at Mammoth Caves.
All in all a good week with some hard efforts and a good amount of MAF paced HR rides and runs. Even on many of the easy rides I did intersperse some sprints just to get in the speed/power work. Due to all that has been going on and now dealing sinus issues I sort have been training by how I feel and seems to be going OK and feel I still shod be able to run a good 5K – should the race still be on Nov 7th
Weekly Totals Oct 12 – 18 - Running Miles – 32.6 Miles - Running Time – 6:47:16 Hours - Riding Miles – 141.4 Miles - Riding Time – 5:49:39 Hours - Total Miles – 174.0 Miles - Total Time – 12:36:55 Hours
Weekly Totals Oct 18 – Oct 25: - Running Miles – 28.7 Miles - Running Time – 4:41:40 Hours - Riding Miles – 209.2 Miles - Riding Time – 8:37:14 Hours - Total Miles – 235.4 Miles - Total Time – 13:18:54 Hours
Diet Notes: All my morning Runs/Rides are done fasted except for a cup of coffee with some SFuels Life and Heavy Cream and afternoon workouts are done about 4+ hours after lunch. Nothing really to share this week as most rides were done with no extra fueling. For the 18 miles of trail during pacing I took my Orange Mud 2L pack with SFuels Train but did not drink as much as planned but felt great and tool in very few calories over the 5 hours on the trail. I did take a few things at the aid stations I would not take if racing but as was just cruising did have part of a quesadilla and a couple pancakes but that was about it.
The Week Ahead: With my 5k in 2 weeks I will be doing some sort of taper that will include 2 races on Tuesdays and depending on schedule may do a 100 miler on Zwift this coming Saturday, one week from race day, but want to see how my sinuses are doing. From there will rest up the week of the race to make sure the legs are fresh. For me the whole tapering things is hard to get right as I have tried doing very little and that does not work for shorter races but have not really done one since I added in more riding so will see how that goes. I think the Zwift race the Tuesday before the 5K on Saturday leaves enough time to rest up. We shall see – and just hoping the race takes place as never know what rules will be put in place at the last minute.
“I also contribute my longevity to smart training.
I don’t overdo my mileage, some would say
I don’t train enough to run 100s.”
Karl Meltzer
Interview with Karl Meltzer that above quote came from. By the way Karl Meltzer won the 2020 No Business 100 that was run this weekend - see below for results
Not a report but paced my friend Ty Martin, who I interviewed some time ago here, at the No Business 100 this past weekend form mile 69 - 88, or so, and was great weather - the race was won by Karl Meltzer - here are the results
Kilian ran a 10K this weekend that also included Jakob Ingebrigsten - the result was that Ingebrigsten ran and Kilian ran a 29:59 and Ingebgisten ran 35:05 as he paced his brother early on then looks to have just cruised in to finish
Why do not runner's knees fail more often - as one who has run for 47 years I can attest that I have some foot issues but only once had knee issues and it was due to a knee cap tracking issue - incidentally solved by taking up riding, but really no other issues, except maybe some swelling back in the day on my first 100 mile week of a new season but it went down and all was well.
Article on Tommy Hughes who is the over 60 1/2 marathon world record holder and on how alcohol nearly killed him
Local, to Kentucky, Races and Events
(If you have a race in the area, including surrounding states, let me know and I will post about it)
Running groups are a great way to get to know people but also a great way to help you progress and get out and run. If you are in the Elizabethtown KY area check out the Running Soles Group and if you are closer to Campbellsville check out the Campbellsville Running Club. Have another local running group in KY let me know and I will list it.
Even though this past two weeks were not planned out – as I had planned to do – things seem to be coming together. Being the Integration phase of the Lydiard pyramid I should be probably doing some shorter stuff, and faster, to get ready for my 5k. That said the Century this past week worked like a long run and I think was very beneficial and I did not seem to come out of it too tired. Also, with the 20 miles pacing work this coming week that will be this weeks long workout but being sub-maximal in effort will be helpful.
As I will share below the harder run this past Monday, after my trip back from So. Cal for work, shows things are going well as it was at a good pace with little to no speed work having been done. That said I do still need to work in more strides and some shorter hard efforts to just get the legs ready to go at a faster pace for the 5K in November. While I will still do a long, or longish, run or ride each week I want to make sure they are done with sufficient rest and at an effort that still facilitates not over doing it.
At least for me, the more I mix riding and running at various effort levels the more I find I am benefiting greatly. While I still need to figure out how to integrate things like intervals and sprints across both disciplines so as to benefit both the overall benefit has been really good as so far no injuries. I can tell the more I run I am pushing the limit on my ankle but right now seem to be at the best place for it which is about 30-35 miles a week. Riding though, as has historically been the case for me, can usually be pretty high without an issue. But as I have shared before I do need to work on making sure to see both disciplines as a whole as often I find myself thinking of miles/hours running and riding as separate things but the total is what is key.
I am really looking forward to next year and am hoping this craziness with subside so we can get back to normal – not a new normal – but back to normal. To a season one can plan for and then work to execute that plan and aim for goals and objectives and have reasonable chance to see them come to fruition – or at least have the opportunity to see if the plan was a good one.
As with this report I think I am going to keep at posting bi-weekly for a while unless something comes up as seems best.
Overview of Last Two Weeks Runs and Rides:
Start of this weeks 7 miler
As my training this last two weeks included the time I traveled back to home in KY from work in So. Cal the travel week was a short one training wise. As usual on my last week of work things were hectic and did not have time to ride but that worked out OK as it gives me a built in rest. As far as running I was still able to get in some good runs even though the week got quite hot and the air quality got a little worse due to fire flareups. While I was not able to get the desired quicker runs in it was good to still get in about 26 miles for the week.
As far as this last week it started off well on Monday. In the morning I rode one of my usual Monday easy rides with the Monday Morning DIRT group. This is a good ride as it is a lower W/kg ride and as the goal is to stay with the leader it help to control things, well at least for me as still many ride off into the sunset. Truth is it was fun to get back on Zwift and get in a good ride. That afternoon my plan was for a 5-7 mile run with no real plan of pace as was not sure how I would feel. Well I guess I felt pretty good. From my house I only have three directions to go and the route I went is the one that starts up a good mile climb and went up it pretty comfortably and under 10 minutes, even with a stop to snap a picture of the fall leaves. As I was feeling good I was still not planning on a harder run but worked to stay comfortable and see how I felt. The next mile was in 8:15 and was still basically uphill but not steep. From there I decided to just work the pace up over the next miles and see how it felt. Thus I ran miles 3-6 in: 7:34, 7:14, 6:55 and 6:44 which while my HR was for going up still felt good and still felt I was holding back some. My last mile was in 6:15 but it is a downhill mile on the same hill I start up. As the last mile is steep I could have gone even faster but did not want to pound the pavement that much. Ended the run with an overall pace of 7:30 and that is with a close to 10 minute first mile and with having ridden 40 miles in the morning – so it was a good workout. This workout in a way, if a little long, does fit into the integration phase of the Lydiard pyramid in that it was a good pacing run at a close, but not quite, race pace. It has been a while since I tying together a few sub 7:00 miles.
I would add that for the Century this past week, 20th one of 2020, the plan was also not to necessarily restrict calories but to see how I did just eating as required. I am pretty sure my crossover point is above 140 so if I am below that I usually need very few carbs. As you can see below in the diet section that was the case on this ride and I finished feeling really good. My legs were a little tired and over the last section I thought there were more hills so did reserve some so may have been able to go a little harder but what I take form this is that this was very much a fat burning ride even at 19.5 mph. This is good to know as it says things are pretty much where they need to be metabolically so as to use the fuel I need for a given effort. These long rides, and runs for that matter, can pretty much be done on onboard fuels and only need to add in exogenous calories later in the ride – well not too late into the ride as then it is too late I will probably write on this more for the next training overview.
As for the rest of the week I ran three more times but they were easy and relaxed runs. Even ran early the day after the Monday hard run and it felt pretty good, even if a little cold at 39F. I also rode one more mid-week ride that included a 40+ mile warmup then the BMTR Mid-Week ride. Had planned to just stick with the group as this ride is a little faster paced ride but was feeling good so when I saw a few dropped off the group I thought I would help out. Might have been a good thought but they were a little far back and I learned the hard way how much the draft means in Zwift. Once I was back to the person I was going to help we were about 1:00 minute behind the pack and I started to ride hard and was even at 4.0 W/kg for a while – keep in mind the basic pace of the group is to be around 3.0 or so, but while help them at 1:00 for a little while gradually just started losing time and then just gave up before I blew up on a ride that was not supposed to be that hard. Thus caught a few more people dropped off the main pack and we rode the rest of the way – well most of the way – together for a good ride.
This past Saturday was the postponed from the spring Redbud Century, see ride below, in the London Kentucky area. Up till about a week or so ago the weather was looking to be just right as high 50’s to start and at most low 70’s later in the day, then came a hurricane – I think Delta – that affected weather up as far as us. I had been trying to get a good group to ride so we could get a good pace line going as was done last year but as the weather looked to be worse, understandably, those that were not yet registered decided not to come ride in the rain. As I had registered and was out in London I figured I would just get wet and wet I got. That said while it rained most all the day it was never all that hard a rain and the temps were in the 65F range so not bad. The one thing I had planned to do was make sure to go downhill, as there are some speedy ones, easy to be safe but when I got to the first one I went a little slower than planned as being the fall there were wet leaves all over the place – not good on descents. That all said I felt good and simply rode to keep my HR in the 130 or lower range and see how it went. Other than a few climbs that are steep I accomplished my goal and averaged 19.5 mph for the ride and with a couple stops added in was at about 19mph and that was solo. While last year was faster I was happier with this ride as was a better effort and shoed that training is going well.
After this past few weeks and looking back it seems training is going well and the one key I will need to be aware of is to make sure I get rested before my 5k the first part of November. I still have a long run planned for this coming week and will still do another long ride before the race but that is all part of my plan.
All my morning runs/Rides are done fasted except for a cup of coffee with some SFuels Life and Heavy Cream and afternoon workouts are done about 4+ hours after lunch. See below for Saturdays ride fueling:
Saturday’s Ride Fueling
Pre-Ride Fueling:
- Coffee with Coconut Oil and Butter, Collagen, Heavy Cream, Chocolate Primal Fuel (1 Scoop) & 1 Scoop SFuels-Life
- Totals for Pre and During Ride: 1007.7 Calories – 51.4 gr Carbs
The Week Ahead:
The main thing for the week ahead is the first race in the Zwift Racing League and pacing a friend in his first 100 miler at the No Business 100 on Saturday. The race will be hard as in Zwift racing they go out much harder than in real racing and to be even competitive at all you need to follow along. I will have to see how this goes as need to figure out the correct warmup for me as need a few miles in my legs to get them going so will do a bit 20 before hand with a. few sprints.
As far as the pacing at the 100 miler it will be on some pretty nice trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest. I have not run the entire section I am pacing on but may have done part of it on the Yamacraw 50K but not sure. I am thinking I am ready for this as training has been much like I did for the R2R2R at the Grand Canyon. Just have to watch my foot placement but I have to say my ankle is about the best it has felt in many many months.
The rest of the week will be easy rides and no hard runs but with the Zwift race on Tuesday and the Pacing Saturday will be a full week.
If you do not know Gene here is a short video on him
Local, to Kentucky, Races and Events
(If you have a race in the area, including surrounding states, let me know and I will post about it)
Running groups are a great way to get to know people but also a great way to help you progress and get out and run. If you are in the Elizabethtown KY area check out the Running Soles Group and if you are closer to Campbellsville check out the Campbellsville Running Club. Have another local running group in KY let me know and I will list it.
The Lake Cumberland 1/2 Marathon (Somerset, KY) has gone virtual and thus you have from August 1st till Sept 12th to complete the distance
The 45(ish) mile Breaks Ultra will take place Sept 12th DATE CHANGED TO NOV 8th - as of now the race has permission to take place
If you want to check out a great trail but do not want to do an ultra try the Rugged Red Half Marathon in the Red River Gorge, KY on Sept 26, 2020 - Register here - No registration yet - decision to be made after July 15th. - NOTE, as of 6/30/20 this race has been canceled and made a virtual race
