One week to go!

I feel great today. I just had a stonking good run this morning and I can't say how great this makes me feel. I did a 10 miler that should have been at a cruising pace, but after the 1st mile warm-up, I just had to up the tempo... and again...and again. My last mile was a 6:30 split (race pace). I felt awesome and I had much more left in the tank!

As some of you know, I've been training for T2T which is on the 31st. It's so close I can taste it. Funny thing is that it's not even an A race for me. I just always wanted to do an ultramarathon. Honestly, I can say that it's actually been easier than training for an Ironman triathlon that's for sure. The amount of time is the same, it's just the ratio of training has shifted, drastically. I normally do about 40-45 mile running weeks as a maximum and concentrate mainly on cycling and swimming at this time of year, but obviously I've had to shift this. The long runs of 4-5 hours don't even feel any worse than being on the bike. Actually, I sometimes prefer these long runs over a long bike. I tend to hit a plateau at about 4 hours and then I feel like I can go further. Having done a maximum in training of 32 miles, the extra 8 required for T2T doesn't seem unreasonable. Anyway, one last long run of 15-20 miles tomorrow and I'm shutting down for the following Saturday. We are go!

Tick Tock!

Ten days to go before the next big event! The Tring to Town race feels more real as I get closer to it. I'm currently on a two-week taper phase, but it is definitely harder than last week. I had a bit of a low week with no long run. I suspect that my rest phase between 30+ mile runs is 10 days and not 7 days. Glad I skipped that last 45 km run. Instead, I've done a series of 10 mile runs and am in the process of a 2 run day today. I got in 14.5 miles for lunch and will hit the roads this evening to round this out to 20 miles. One more longish run on Sunday at 14-15 miles and I'll be on a light week before the event on the 31st. My legs feel like they are going to make it.

Ultras take a bit more planning than Ironman races for some odd reason. However, running is so simple... you just need a pair of shoes. I believe that I will do another one next year.... but which one? Anyone? Comments would be appreciated. I'm thinking of the Western States 100.