Wow, it has been a few weeks since I posted. Amazing how fast time goes by sometimes. I have been running a good bit focusing mostly on medium distance (2 to 3 hours) runs at a quicker pace. On my long runs I have been mixing in much more tempo pace segments to break the monotony and have really enjoyed it. The last few days I have been nursing a sore foot. Not sure what is wrong but I think it stems from stepping on a rock last week. No big deal. I am really excited for the GEER 100K in three weeks. While my training has been a bit unconventional, it will be interesting to see how things go. Hopefully, I can imporve over last years time.
My buddy Mike Mason finished Ultra Trail Tour de Mount Blanc last weekend in 31:19 to grab 106th place out of over 2,000 starters. He said the race is purely epic and extremely rewarding. Mike is writing a report and I will post it to the blog once he completes it.
It never ceases to amaze me how popular ultrarunning has become. You will recall how quickly this year's Massanutten filled - less than 2 hours. The registration for the Umstead 100 opened up today at 12:00 PM (ET) and filled 200 spots in 19 minutes! They reserve 50 or so spots for mail-in entries and do maintain a wait list. But, most folks that weren't at a computer during lunch today are out of luck. I was fortunate enough to get in at 12:09. This brings up the controversial question of what is a fair way of selecting entrants for a race. I argue that first come, first serve is just as fair as a lottery system. I knew I was going to be flying at 30,000 feet when Massanutten entry opened last year so I had someone sign up for me. For Umstead this year, I made sure I was ready to go right when entry opened. An interesting debate but many think lotteries are a fairer way to go. I just don't see the logic behind how "chance" is any fairer than someone making entry a priority and taking the steps necessary to get in.
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3 comments:
Hi Bedford,
Glad to hear you got into Umstead, and I agree 100% with your preference for first come vs. a lottery. My reasoning is if you have to be at the starting line at some specific date/time you ought to be able to figure out how to sign up at a specific date/time also. Good luck at GEER.
- pauld
Thanks Paul. It will interesting running Umstead - I thought I woudl try a non-mountain 100. I hope to run a very solid race and am going to really focus my training towards that goal. It is good to hear from you. Hope all is well.
From running in Umstead a lot (High School, college, and then the Umstead marathon and "62.5 miler" last year, I can tell you it is a bit deceptive in that you can run all the hills, but probably don't want to or else you'll really pay for it later in the race. On the mountain races, the walking decision is pretty much made for you but it takes a bit more will power in a race like Umstead to walk up some of the early hills even when you feel fine to run. Also, there is one downhill that is steep enough to work your quads over if you haven't done some downhill running or leg lifting to get ready for it.
Good luck with your winter training!
- pauld
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