"Endurance? You've only got to get out there and do it.
Face up to it: Man was meant to run."
Percy Cerutty
My Training Overview #47 and a look at why a base is important and why now is a great time to build a firm foundation for the future
In case you missed it here is my Interview with Zach Bitter and remember Zach is going for the 100 Mile Treadmill WR this weekend on Saturday (5/16) - you can find the links to the Live Feed as well as sing up to run with Zach on Zoom HERE
The Yokohama Marathon scheduled for November 1st has been canceled leading me to further believe Boston will be canceled, at least the mass start portion, as the race is about the same participation wise
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.
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
And here is Hicham El Guerrouj's current world record - how about the guy in second who also broke the current record at the time
Here is Alan Webb's American Mile Record
Knockoff Nutrition - Race Hacks - Funny
In One Day: Ivan Zinn's Western States Run
Always a good one - Emil Zatopek's Triple Gods in Helsinki in 1952
The Hunt: Inside the Portland 5000
The Why: Running 100 Miles
Again - Zach Bitter will be attempting to break the 100 Mile Treadmill WR on May 16, 2020. You can watch live and even join in - click the picture below to get more info:
Training Thoughts:
As I finished the first 6 sessions of my Lydiard Coaching Certificate Class I am reminded of the importance of a good base, a firm foundation. Pretty much all we do needs to have a well built foundation or it will inevitably fail and allow all else to collapse. One of the 5 principles, but the key to the success of all the rest, is the building of an aerobic base. Working to create a foundation where you can add in hills and speed and fine tuning such that your goals are achievable and maybe just as important – sustainable. After all a plan that leads you to a peak that will only end up in injury or burnout is not a good plan. I say that but if your goals are to do one run at your best then go back to the couch then maybe you can get away with little to no base, not sure, but pretty sure that is not most people’s mindset.
The Lydiard pyramid, shown in the graphic, shows a training cycle and the timing can be adjusted based on the date of your goal race/s but what is not seen is that one base builds on the next. The great part about endurance sports is that they build on each other so the great base you build now during all this craziness will work to maybe shorten you base building timing for the second goal race you may have. Of course over time you will need to firm up the foundation and you cannot simply live off maybe one great 3-6 month base building time as we have had. As an example you may have a base building phase of say 10-12 weeks, or more, working to towards a goal then do the next 4 Lydiard phases I spoke of last week, and seen in the pyramid, to lead to your goal race/s and then take a week or two rest but then you can start again but this time maybe only do a 7 week base and then the other phases. Again this cannot go on forever as you will need to go back to a longer base eventually.
I share all of this since we are in a time with very little racing – other than virtual racing – and is thus a great time to work on building an awesome base. Let me add that with riding if you use Zwift you do need to be careful as there are a lot of official races there and then there are the “rides” that turn into races and if you are not diligent you will end up in trouble with your base building. When building a base you can do hard rides and runs and if you do any races use them simply as indicators of where you are and not really to be races, as your goal race/s is. But you do need to be careful not to do too much and realize the goal of this time is a good base. Arthur Lydiard said “You cannot train hard and race well at the same time” and you just need to realize this when you set up your base building plan.
While many simply want to jump into the hills and intervals I am one that enjoys the base building as I simply like to train – but some think I am strange. As I am working on my integration of riding and running and trying still to figure out the best mix for the base building I am finding doing a good number of miles riding with a couple longer runs is working well. It is allowing my foot to get better each week but also the longer runs add the right amount of stress to my legs to keep them ready for the pounding of a marathon or Ultra. Is my mix, which currently is about 250 miles riding and 25 running, good for everyone – probably not. I have to remind people that I have 47+ years of running and 40+ of riding so I have a pretty good base to work with and thus what I am doing is not done starting from scratch. That said the principle is that I can get in the endurance work along with working my legs and cardio but not get the pounding on my Posterior Tibial Tendon. Once I get closer to Boston I will do more on the speed end to get my legs ready for the faster pace but for the base training I think this is working great. To add to this my riding also seems to be progressing and have not really done any speed work other than what takes place when increases in pace happen in the races and harder rides I have done.
The take away I hope you get from this is that you need to use this time not to fret about the races you may, or may not, have missed but instead see the positive in being able to build a base you may have never done before. Take the time to sit back and see what you can do to make sure you are building a base and not breaking yourself down. Then, and I will look at this in another post, look for you first possible goal race and see where about14 weeks is, back from your goal race, so you can count back to see where you need to move from the base building to the final 4 phases of the Lydiard pyramid. I think you will find that fine tuning your fitness on the foundation of a well laid base will lead to success in reaching your goals if you fine tune and complete the pyramid. Again more to follow on this.
Overview of Weeks Runs and Rides:
When I rode and ran this week was sort of driven by weather which is why my long run was Monday rather than my initially planned Tuesday and then as it was to rain Friday I did a ride and run on Thursday to also give me an extra rest day for the week.
I ran a half-marathon on Monday and ran relaxed but still under 8:20 a mile so was a good run. Foot felt pretty good and as I have noticed more and more what soreness there is pass pretty quickly and does not linger when I am not running. Then on Thursday I ran a 10+ miler and it also was at a comfortable pace and with little soreness. Both runs were done fasted and while starting off feeling a little hungry that feeling subsided pretty quickly.
Riding this week was pretty good with Tuesday’s ride being easy and then rode the usual BMTR tempo ride on Wednesday. On Thursday I ran early and wanting to avoid the rain on Friday, and take an extra days rest, I also rode on Thursday afternoon. Thursday I did a warmup then rode the 23 mile Zwift Tour for All Stage 1 Ride. It was on the flat desert course so with no climbs was fast. I missed the front group so stayed with the second group and finished well. While technically this was not a race, I later found the race was 10 minutes later, as with even regular rides in Zwift it ended up being fast. After a rest day Friday I went into the Saturday 100 Mile BMTR Fundo a little tired and apprehensive of how I it would go. I went out sorta quick but realized it was faster than I wanted with many miles to go so I settled in knowing the group just behind would catch up and make a good group. That was how things settled in for the rest of the ride with not a lot of hills but one 4+ minute stint done 5 times. On the last time up I lost the front of the group I was with but combined with the group in front slowing some and along with some others picking it up we all regrouped and I ended up doing OK in the final sprint. After finishing the 100 I did an extra 10+ for a total of 110.6 miles.
The ride Saturday was my longest on Zwift and also my fastest. The 100 miles was done in 3:56:39 and with the total of 110.66 done in 4:19:37 (Avg of 25.6mph) which I was very pleased with especially since my previous best time was just around 3:59 with a lot less elevation, around 800ft, and this ride was faster with close to 3000ft for the 100. Also got my best avg watts for this length ride at 254 and w/kg at 3.15 which was also good for me. For my 10th Century of the year, 8th on Zwift, it was a great ride. Felt good after the ride and did not feel tired till the next day but truth is all in all a great week as with 24 miles running I got very close to covering 300 miles this week. Now to go another week or two with some good miles to work on a great base. Bottom line is base is key and since all my early season racing is gone makes for a good time to make a great base as discussed at the start of this post.
Weekly Totals:
Running Miles –24 Miles
Running Time – 3:18 Hours
Riding Miles – 270 Miles
Riding Time – 11:38 Hours
Total Miles – 294 Miles
Total Time – 14:47 Hours
Diet Notes:
As with most weeks all rides, except Saturday’s, and runs were done fasted. For me that means nothing to eat since the night before except had a cup of coffee with some heavy cream. For Saturday’s ride you can see below for my pre-ride nutrition and ride nutrition.
For the ride my intake was about the same as usual which I was happy with considering this ride was fairly fast. The only Gel I took in was one Maurten 100 gel with 3 hours knowing had a couple climbs to come and the finish and figured we would only have one hour to go. Felt pretty good during ride as biggest issue was mental as a little tired and finished well feeling good during extra 10 miles and could have done more if needed to. Check out below for long 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 – Total (659.3/15)
- 1 Vespa
- ½ Cup of Oatmeal and Raisins
- 1 Altred (Beetroot Extract)
- Also use the AMPHuman PR Lotion - Total: 810.9 Cals & 48.6 gr Carbs
Ride Fueling;
- 1.5ea of 24oz bottle with 2 scoops of SFuels Train each
- 2ea of 24oz bottles with 1 package each of SFuels Race+
- 1 Altred at 2 hours
- 2 S!Caps at 2 hours
- 2 Vespa (1 at 2 hours)
- F-Bomb Nut Butter
- 1 Maurten Gel 100
- Totals: Calories 848 – Carbs - 65 g
The Week Ahead:
This coming week will be very much like this past one but I will not do as long ride as I have done the last two weeks with Saturday’s ride to be around 60 miles and easy. Looking to do about 60 miles for each day of riding for a total of 240. In that will probably have one longer quick tempo ride during Wednesday’s BMTR Mid-Week ride and then also may do one stage of the Tour for All but all else to be easy rides. Saturdays ride is planned to be done indoors as part of the 100 Mile Treadmill WR by Zach Bitter as there is a way to ride or run along with Zach as he goes for the record. The goal of the
For running I may do three runs of 8-10 each and not do as long a run as I have done the last few weeks to get a total of around 25+ miles for the week. To do this I will probably ride & run one of the days so I still take one rest day, Sunday, with no riding or running. Still working to rest up my foot while still getting enough stress to be able to run Boston in September should it take place – I have my doubts it will. But want to be ready of I do but even more than that want to make sure all is well to pace my friend Ty Martin as he goes for his first 100 miler in the hard NoBusiness 100 in October. Bottom line is to continue to build a good base to work off of and that seems to be going well.
"The beauty of running is it is the culmination of lots of what I call micro-stresses. Patiently making small improvements makes this sport sustainable." Zach Bitter
Toni Reavis looks at the Boston Marathon that has been postponed till Sept 14 but that is up in the air due to the number of runners and spectators involved - here are two posts from Toni - Post 1 & Post 2
Before asking for a refund for a canceled race read this - while some larger races may be able to handle refunds and such smaller races often have sent most of the entry fees up front
Masters News
How to run a 2:27 marathon at Age 59 - maybe point 13, probably should be point 1, is You Have Run a 2:13:59 in the Past
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.
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
I've shown this one before but it is good - Run Forever: Nicky Spinks & The Double Bob Graham
Gun to Tape - a look at the Kenyans preparing for London 2012 and includes David Rudisha's WR 800
Life in a Day
How NOT to do the Cape Wrath Ultra
2018 Cape Wrath Ultra Highights
Dathan Ritzenhein's 5K American Record in 2009
As a reminder Zach Bitter will be attempting to break the 100 Mile Treadmill WR on May 16, 2020. You can watch live and even join in - click the picture below to get more info:
Many thanks to Zach Bitter for allowing me to do this interview and sharing something about himself
with us. Also, make sure to check out Zach's 100 Mile Treadmill WR attempt May 16th - you can access the live stream link and also have an opportunity to sign up to join Zach HERE - can also check out the link in the graphic after the interview.
Enjoy the interview
Tell us a little about yourself not necessarily related to running: age, where born, education, area you live in, etc….. I am 34 years old. I was born in New Ulm Minnesota, but at the age of 1-year my family moved to Grand Island Nebraska. At age 8 my family moved to Wisconsin, where I went to high school and college. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. I studied History, Broadfield Social Studies with teaching certification. I also competed in three years of cross country and 2-years of indoor and outdoor track and field for Stevens Point. Upon graduating, I received my special education teaching license, before going on to teach a combination of middle and high school regular and special education classes. I stepped away from teaching in 2015 in order to focus more time and energy on training and racing, be more involved in the running/endurance community, and move out west. I spent 3-years in Sacramento, CA before getting married and moving to Phoenix in 2018 where my wife Nicole and I live today.
What do you do for work along with running? Along with training and racing, I also coach endurance athletes of all abilities and distances. I co-host a podcast called Human Performance Outliers, and help with marketing initiatives with two of my main sponsors: SFuels and Altra Footwear.
How did you start running and what prompted you to do so? I first recognized distance running as a sport in middle school when my PE class did the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. It was clear, that my strength was more in line with the one mile run than any of the power/explosive measures. That led me to focus more on the longer options on Track and Field Days in middle school and ultimately cross country and track and field in high school and college.
How long have you been running? My first endurance race was in sixth grade, so 12 years old. I began to take it more seriously as a year-round endeavor the summer before my senior year in high school. I spent most of my college running really learning what it meant to peak for different distances, what certain workouts do best, and beginning to understand basic endurance methodology.
Did you participate in any other sports over the years? In grade and middle school, I played all sorts of sports. Mostly basketball, football, baseball, and soccer. I was a big fan of bike riding at an early age, although never in a competitive nature.
Did you run in grade school, High School or College? If so where? - Grade School: St. John’s Lutheran Elementary - High School: Manitowoc Lutheran High School - College: University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
So we get an idea of where you have been with running can you share your PR’s for: 5K, 10K marathon and any other distance: - 5K – 15:28 - 10K – 32:00 - Marathon – 2:31:29 - 50K – 3:03:10 - 50 Miles – 5:12:36 - 100K – 6:39:09 - 100 Miles – 11:19:13
What is your most memorable race or races and share a little about at least one of them?
100 Mile WR
My most memorable race was in August of 2019 at Six Days In The Dome, where I broke both the 100 mile and 12-Hour World Records. I did my first short loop ultra in 2013, where I broke the 100-mile American Record and 12-Hour World Record. After that event, I decided I wanted to structure a lot of my training around chasing the 100-mile world record. It took almost six years, but I was able to do it the Dome by taking nearly 10 minutes off the previous World Record.
Do you have a favorite workout you do? My favorite system to train in would be lactic threshold. Typically, I will do them in long intervals of 10-12 minutes followed by a 2-3-minute recover jog, or in singe efforts between 15-30 minutes in duration.
What does a regular week of training look like? It really depends on the time of year and where I am in a training schedule. I usually average between 5000-5500 miles per year, so right around 100 miles per week. I will peak for big races hitting upwards to 150 miles per week but am not afraid to shut it down completely for a week plus post goal race to get my body and mind motivated to train again. I will usually begin a training plan by spending a few weeks targeting aerobic threshold. From there I begin starting with workout that are least specific to race intensity, which for me is short VO2max intervals. I prefer 3 minutes on 3 minutes off. I continue to move closer to race intensity by building volume at lactic threshold. My final phase is spending as much volume as I can handle at goal race intensity. Since I am usually targeting 100 miles, this usually means a bit slower than aerobic threshold intensity.
How about a favorite route you like to run? My go to routes are pretty boring and sometimes on a 400 meter track. I do not really mind this as I really enjoy removing a lot of the barriers and just run. With that said, there is a route just over an hour from my house that contains a 7.5-mile climb of about 5000 feet of gain, followed by 7.5 miles and 5000 feet of descent. When training for a trail race, I will sometimes hit this out and back twice for a total of 30-miles and 10,000 feet of climbing.
What is your favorite distance to run and race? 100 miles is my favorite. It brings in a very unique set of variables and although gaining in popularity still contains a lot of unknowns.
What shoes do you run in and what do you like about them? I exclusively run in Altra Footwear. They have three unique features: a foot shaped toe box to help maintain proper toe splay and push off, balanced cushion which keeps the forefoot level with the heel, and they build two separate lasts (mold a shoe is built around) for each model to better accommodate a variety of foot shapes. I love the Escalante Racer for the roads and the Superior for the trails.
How long have you been fat adapted and what prompted you to start down what is not the most popular path? I began in the Fall of 2011. I wasn’t thrilled with pounding tons of food during long events, so turning to a steadier supply of endogenous fat stores made sense to me for long events that I target. I also began having a hard time sleeping and maintaining steady energy levels while on a high carb diet, so I was curious to see what a HFLC approach had to offer. It worked great for me, so I have spent the past 8.5 years using fat as my primary fuel source.
How do you eat before a race? I go quite low carb for a few days the week leading into a race. A day or two before I will flex my carbs up a bit to around 20 percent of my intake. Race morning, I keep the carbs low.
During races do you use carbs and if so how do you decide when and how much to use? Once the race starts, I will target roughly 40 grams of carbs per hour, which now is coming from SFuels Race +
I find that approximately 40 grams allows me to get through the full day with out having to deal with digestive issues. It seems to be enough to defend my liver and muscle glycogen to a high enough degree that I can run strong in the later stages of a race.
What led you to join up with SFuels? Their philosophy matches perfectly with my nutritional approach. Knowing guys like Dr. Dan Plews and Dave Scott, who I have a lot of respect for, were onboard was helpful in trusting it was a solid company. Ultimately, I prefer working with brands who want to work with me in bigger ways than just supporting my training and racing. SFuels wants to work with me on developing great educational content, which fits nicely with my previous profession of teaching.
How do you see SFuels fitting into your fueling plans for training and racing? I use SFuels Life Bars as a snack and pre-race or big workout. I will often make a low carb smoothie using their Life and Train product. On race day, and for big workouts, I use Race+. For target races I will aim for two packs per hour.
It is my understanding that you will be doing videos on the SFuels Live site – what will they consist of? Yes, I will be helping with the SFuels Live videos housed on their YouTube channel: SFuels Live. I will be talking about my training approach and fueling/nutrition strategy throughout the year.
Do you have any long-range plans?
I plan on continuing to target ultra-distance races with a primary focus on 100 miles. In the coming years I want to put in a solid push for a world class 24-hour event. Off the race course, I will be doing a run from San Francisco to NYC next year in efforts to raise awareness for a charity called, Fight For The Forgotten.
With all the craziness in the world and the cancelation of races when do you expect to be able to race again, realizing none of know what will happen down the road? That is the million-dollar question in the running world. My guess is smaller events will open in the second half of the year, but it is probably unlikely big international events will pop up again in 2020.
With the cancelation of races how has it changed your training? Not as much as one would maybe expect. Basically, I have spent more time in maintenance and less peaking, tapering, and recovering from races. It has been fun to really dial in a long training block. I had a race heavy year in 2019, so it isn’t all bad to step off the course a bit this year.
How have you been training for the 100-mile treadmill record? I have been doing the same things as I normally do for the most part but have spent more volume on the treadmill than normal.
Do you find running on the treadmill harder, easier or no different? It is different for sure. I like it once you get past the monotony of being in the same place. It is nice for speedier workouts, since you can just pick the pace and set it.
Do you do anything to take you mind off of the monotony as I use Zwift when riding? I usually rotate a few different things so I don’t feel like I am doing the same thing for too long. So far, I have used documentaries, podcasts, and music to pass the time.
How do envision your fueling for the 100 Miles? I like to keep it mostly liquid if I can help it. So likely a couple packs of SFuel Race+ every hour mixed with between 8-16 oz of water. Race+ has a fairly solid concentrate of electrolytes relative to most sports fuels, so I likely won’t need to take as many electrolyte caps as normal, but if I notice I am sweating a bit more than normal I’ll likely have a few electrolyte tabs along the way. I usually have something savory more whole food around just incase pallet fatigue sets in. Historically, this has been something like potatoes dipped in salt and oil or bacon rice balls with salt.
Anything you want to add with regards to the record attempt?
Should be fun! I like trying things I have not done before. I have not run past 30-miles on a treadmill before, so it will be exciting to dive into some unfamiliarity. I love that we are bringing in some incredible hosts and guest speakers to bring some entertainment to anyone following along.
Is there anywhere you would like to visit to run? If I had to pick one, it would probably be the Swiss Alps. It seems like a place I should have checked off the bucket list by now, but for some reason have not.
Knowing you have done a lot of races on people’s bucket lists do you have any bucket list races? I would probably pick the Leadville 100. It has a unique combination of steep but runnable trail at high altitude, which I think would be a pretty unique race experience.
What do you struggle with most with regards to running? Probably picking 2-3 races per year to peak for. I don’t mind going to races with the intent to hold back a bit, but there is nothing like putting in a big training cycle and seeing what it will produce.
Have you had any injury issues and how did you deal with them? In college, I had some lower leg issues, but since ultra-marathon running, I have had very few hiccups. I fractured my right sacral ala early in 2017 that sidelined me for about 7-weeks, but that is the only injury that really cost me a race since I started ultras.
If you had one, well maybe two or three, things to say those that are running to encourage them what would it be? I always encourage people new to the sport or looking to progress in the sport to be patient. It can be easy to look at a friend or someone online and want to replicate exactly what they are doing. The beauty of running is it is the culmination of lots of what I call micro-stresses. Patiently making small improvements makes this sport sustainable.
Do you have a website or other social media site you would like to share? My website is zachbitter.com I am most active on Instagram @zachbitter and Twitter @zbitter I have begun to put more content up on my YouTube channel recently as well, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZachBitterUltra
Any closing comments? Thanks for the opportunity to come on the blog!
Zach Bitter will be attempting to break the 100 Mile Treadmill WR on May 16, 2020. You can watch live and even join in - click the picture below to get more info:
Training Thoughts:
This week I signed up to take the Lydiard Level 1 & 2 Coaches Certification Courses . Not sure if coaching is in the future, it has been a thought of mine for some time, but with the current work situation it is always good to have options and Lorraine Moller – yes that Lorraine Moller – helped me so I couple work things out to take the course. Even if I do not end up coaching I think the course will be helpful as while I have in general followed the Lydiard Approach it is good to get the info straight from the source. The Lydiard Method is not simply for running as the principles can be applied to just about any endurance sport. Many have taken an aspect that Lydiard taught and run with it but his ideas were more of a grid for a plan than an an actual detailed plan that was for all as you take the principles and develop a more individualized approach based on the person.
Those principles are as follows and this is just a general overview as I understand them but for sure will know more after the classes:
General Conditioning First – This is the “aerobic” or “base” phase where the foundation is laid and while the runs are to be relaxed and can be at varied paces - again but relaxed. Of course more takes place here but the point is the solid base is set for what is to follow
Response Regulated Training/Adaption – This deals with adjusting ones training based on how one responds to the training stimulus – “Train don’t strain.” This can be done via feel, which is the next point, or ones HRM but again this principle requires that one be open to changing effort and distance based on how one is progressing.
Feeling Based Training – While seemingly similar to the last point this one asks that the athlete work to be able to intuitively adjust as necessary such that HRM and such are not as necessary. The athlete is to develop in such a way as to know his/her body so as to get the most out of it and avoid overtraining.
Sequential Development/The Lydiard Pyramid – This one is interesting as it looks at the aspects of training sequentially and by this, for example, instead of doing hills, fartlek and intervals all in the same week you do them in particular phases of your training. Thus you are working on each part of the build blocks that work to a peak one at a time.
Peaking – Lastly is the top of the pyramid built on a well prepared base is the peak and this is the idea that you sharpen for whatever your goal is. How many peaks one can have in a year may be debatable but it is difficult to be at ones peak all the time so the idea, again, is to work back from a goal event and plan for a peak or a number of them.
Think about those 5 principles and how they can apply to your training as I think they are all equally important to help create a successful training plan. I will be elaborating more on them in the future after I take the class and will actually be doing a review of the class as well once I am done. Bottom line is the Lydiard Approach is a set of principles and while specifics can be applied to each one they may be different for each person and event but the ideas cross over them all. As sort of mentioned above I want to not only work to see how I can apply these principles to running and riding but also how I can apply them for each discipline concurrently. I can easily see how if one only ran or only rode how to use the principles is pretty straight forward but how to use them when one runs and rides, even throw in swimming, to create a successful multi-faceted plan. If you are like me you tend to look at each sport individually but if you do both and compete in both the goal is to see how they each work for the good of the other. More to follow on this.
Overview of Weeks Runs and Rides:
This was my biggest riding mileage week (269.9) in a very, very long time that also ended my best month (901.4) and with a 30 day totals (986.6) for riding as well- after Saturdays long ride which was on May 2nd. This on top of my longest running week in a while (21.3) on just two runs made this a good week and ending this week with a good long ride made for some good training.
Riding wise I started the week with a fairly flat Zwift ride of 67 miles and then on Wednesday, after a short warm-up, did the usual BMTR Mid-Week ride at a good tempo pace for a daily total of 45.4 miles and then followed up with an easy Zwift ride of 47 miles on Thursday. No real hard rides for the week even though the Mid-Week ride was quick and had some hills but I had set a limit I was to stay at so some rode away from me as I did not want to go over 300 watts on the climbs. I ended the week with a 110 mile ride with 5574ft of elevation. After a good week of riding, and running I was a little tired at the start of the ride. Weather started at about 54F on Saturday but ended up in the mid 80’s with a good amount of wind. The ride was a little slower than the last time I did the ride about a month ago, going 18.5mph as compared to 19 last time but with the wind and heat not too bad a ride. It was one of those winds that seemed to be swirly and always be a headwind but did get a few sections of tailwind but in general he wind did play some mind games. Saturday's ride had me finishing the week, and starting the month ,with my 9th century - 7 on Zwift and two outdoors.
This week I ran my current 2 runs a week but started with a half-marathon on Tuesday. Plan was to not push it but run relaxed and for the most part that was how the run went. Then came my meeting with an angry dog, what is it with dogs lately, that did not just come out to bark and see what is up but the second he saw me made a beeline for me and did not stop till it got its teeth into me shoe. Fortunately he just got the edge of the sole of my shoe and no skin but got enough to take me down and that did take off some skin. I had pepper spray and as it was windy I did not get the dog with the first try but as it got my foot I think I did get some on him as he left to rub it out. I got up and while sore finished off the run at a good pace but was pretty sore when done. At least this was the other side from what got hurt last week on my bike when a dog came out. Not a good 8 days for dogs but at least on the long ride this week while there were a few dogs they were not an issue even though I have to admit on rides and runs I am anxious about dogs lately. Finished the week with an 8 miler at a relaxed pace to up my running mileage some from the past week. The best part was that while I could feel some soreness in my foot for the most part it felt pretty good and best of all where in the past a run, especially a longer one, would leave a lingering pain this was not so this week.
Again, this was a good week of riding and running that in essence is base building but due to not having any races is more of a maintenance week. I did feel a little tired by the end of the week but expected with the mileage I got in. The basic plan is to finish of May with some good mileage and then take a very easy week the first week in June then start my training for the Kentucky Gravel Championships (63 miles) and Steamboat Springs Gravel Race (140 miles) at the beginning of August and the Boston - if it happens – in September.
Weekly Totals:
- Running Miles – 21.3 Miles
- Running Time - 3:00 Hours
- Riding Miles – 269.9 Miles
- Riding Time - 12:57 Hours
- Total Miles – 291.2 Miles
- Total Time – 15:57 Hours
April Totals:
- Running Miles – 71.8 Miles
- Running Time – 10:13:34 Hours
- Riding Miles – 901.4 Miles
- Riding Time – 42:07:02 Hours
- Total Miles – 973.2 Miles
- Total Time – 52:20:36 Hours
Diet Notes:
All but two workouts this week were done fasted and one of those was still low on carbs. Both runs were done fasted as were my Monday and Thursday rides. For my ride Wednesday, which was going to be a little faster, I went in fasted but did have one bottle of SFuels Train to drink as knew would be riding for a little over 2 hours and even with a fan it gets pretty warm. SFuels Train is low carb with the calories coming from fat and has electrolytes so works well. Felt pretty good on all the fasted workouts even if at some point felt hungry but not in a way that was detrimental to the workout.
Below you can see my pre-ride, and ride, fueling for my long run Saturday. As I was a little tired from a long week and the wind was going pretty good I did take in a few extra carbs on this ride. I tried the Untapped waffle and while it tasted good and nice to have a little different texture to take in it was pretty dry, especially for a hot day, and needed some extra water. It is also pretty crumbly so not sure it would be good take on the move as I ate it at a stop to refill my water. I still think the Maurten gels are a good source of concentrated carbs as just easy to take in. AsI have stated before I do not take the gels constantly and rely on the SFuels Race+ but use them strategically and that is usually on a hard section or just if having a bad spell. All that said this was still a fat adapted ride as you can see the total calories and total carbs were low for a long ride but truth is while I did have a bad spell – mostly mentally from the wind – I finished strong and could have done some extra miles if I wanted to but being out for 6 hours was the goal for the day and did that.
Need to still work on fueling for even longer rides as I do notice that all liquid calories gets me sort of bloated after a while – especially on a hot day where I drink more. The goal on a longer ride is to make sure I do not get too depleted as once depleted it is hard to catch up and for a 140-200 mile ride that is not a good thing. Not sure I can imagine just sucking down liquid non-stop for 200 miles so that is going to be something I will be working on for Steamboat Springs as it is 140 miles at altitude so will be along ride with all the climbs and at 7000ft or more for most of it.
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 – Total (659.3/15)
- 1 Vespa
- ½ Cup of Oatmeal and Raisins
- 1 Altred (Beetroot Extract)
- Also use the AMPHuman PR Lotion
- Total: 810.9 Cals & 48.6 gr Carbs
The Week Ahead:
For the next week I plan on about the same riding and running mileage but will not be doing the longer ride on Saturday so will spread about the miles more and probably get in a couple two a days on the bike. Not sure if I will be doing any races this week but will probably do the usual mid-week BMTR ride as it is at a good pace but not all out so fits the plan for now. As far as a second ride in the day I am hoping to get in a gravel ride or two this week but sort of depends on the weather. I still have time to get in some gravel for KGC and Steamboat but as, if all goes well, I will be in CA for work for all of July I need to get in some gravel before then.
For running I will look for about 23 miles and probably do it in 2 longer runs and one shorter one that will probably be done on a riding day. If feeing good may do only two runs but will see how my foot feels. Goal right now is to get my legs and foot ready for longer runs but also make sure it is getting better and it is.
Zach Bitter will be attempting to break the 100 Mile Treadmill WR on May 16, 2020.
There will be a live 12 hour YouTube Live Stream with some great Hosts (All times PST):
Est Start 7AM - Ian Corless
9AM - Jamil Coury
11AM - Dean Karnazes & Dave Scott
1PM - Justin Wren
3PM - Eric Shranz
5PM - Nicole Bitter
And along with these great hosts there will be a number of guests;
Courtney Dawualter
Sally Mcrae
Ian Sharman
Dr. Dan Plews
And More
Also, not only can you watch the live stream you can also register to take part in the event via running or riding.
Link to live video and link to register to run or ride with Zach here. There are only 250 spots open to run/ride with Zach so get signed up now. Again, use this link Zach Bitter 100 Mile Treadmill Virtual WR Attempt
Lastly, stay tuned as I have done an interview with Zach and hope to have it up soon.
Usually you have to hope the Trail Running Film Festival comes to a town near you but this year it is virtual and you do not have to watch it live when it airs on May 1st - a number of films for $10
Sure hope they are better at handing out aid than the Gov't is - there is a lot to look at and this should not be used to bail out sponsors responsibilities.
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.
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
