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Sunday, January 12, 2014

Just Ducky

Hey there ho there!  Hope all is well in your corner of the world on this 50 degree day.....I give up on the weather.  At least it was warm enough to go running...which is really all I measure the weather by anyways :-)  That's right - as of this week, I'm back on the saddle and it's time to train!!  I've hinted at some new stuff and talked about this race before, but I finally bit the bullet and registered for my first ultra marathon in May 10.  What's an ultra?  For those of you that aren't crazy runners, it's anything longer than 26.2 (I know, duh, right?)  Most ultra marathons are 50k, 50 miles, or 100k or 100 miles, but it can be anything.  One of the craziest is the Badwater Ultra, which is 135 miles through the desert.  Yikes. 
No worries - Badwater isn't in my plans in 2014.  (I know- I never rule out anything long term!)  This year, I decided to pop my ultra cherry with a race that has intrigued me for years - Mind the Ducks.  It's not a distance race, it's a timed race.  So you see how far you can run in 12 hours.  The catch?  It's a one mile loop.  Wowza.  Before you have me committed, let me 'splain.  I would love to do Leadville or the Can Lakes Ultras and I probably will someday. Before I do, though, I'd like to see if I actually like running for that damn long.  So this race feels pretty safe.  It's only ever a mile to a potty or an aid station, and you can set up your own tent along the course (so YES if anyone wants to come laugh at me cheer me on for part of this race, you are so welcome to, I'll need it!).  So what about the ducks??  Well, they used to hold the race at Seneca Park zoo in Rochester, which had alot of ducks along the path.  Last year they relocated the race to a suburb called Webster (my hometown), and there's still quite a few ducks to be seen.  Plus you gotta have a hook.  I've been pulled into the race page and it seems like the other 149 people are as nutters as me, so it will Be a good day.
So how does one train for this?  Well, a Friend sent me a plan that worked for him, and that's good enough for me.  It has 5 runs a week, but I will probably do 3-4 in the beginning, with back to back runs on the weekend, which it seems is the big trick - to run 10-12 miles on Saturday then 15 or more on Sunday on tired legs.  I refuse to let this one interrupt family time, so I expect some 4am treadmill sessions and I know it will only make me stronger.  I will be documenting my weekly training, and feel free to shoot me an email with any questions, advice, or mental institution papers.
Week 1 :  3 runs

Run 1 - 6 miles (51:12) - Treadmill Polar freeze run.
Run 2 - 3 miles (24:12)
Run 3:  7.15 miles (1 hour timed run)

These are all treadmill runs, and let me say I have no concept about how well I will run/walk this sucka, but these runs are nowhere near race pace - moreso I need to get this in before the baby wakes up/needs to eat pace :-)  I have a distance goal in mind, but it hovers more about the 5 mile an hour or so mark :-)

Join me via the 'nets as I embark on the crazy of 2014!

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