I've taken the plunge and signed up for my first race in three years. A "short" trip around Mount St. Helens
Back to Racing
I haven't signed up for a trail race in over three years. In that time I've relocated to Oregon and it is now time to find a new set of trail races to keep me running and motivated to train. I've been eyeing the Volcanic 50K, likely due mainly to the fact that on a clear day I get a nice visual of Mount St. Helens, but also because I find the mountain beautiful and fascinating.
I took a day trip up to the mountain last summer for my birthday and fell even more in love with the idea of running the race. It is awe inspiring to look at the mountain and realize that not that long ago it had an intact peak. Some of the areas on the north side of the mountain, in the direction of the blast, can easily be mistaken for an alien planet.
To get an full experience of what the mountain has to offer I made the commitment last week and registered for the race in August. Now I'm on the hook to get back into racing shape. To be fair calling myself a racer is a stretch. I am a solid midpacker and have no thoughts of being within sight of the winners. Properly I should say I need to get back into being able to finish the race shape 😀
About the Race
https://gobeyondracing.com/races/volcanic-50/course/The race has about 7,400 feet of elevation gain and loss and circumnavigates the entire mountain. It is a tough course that the race organizers describe as feeling closer to a 50 mile race due to the varying terrain and elevation.
When I was out on the mountain last July it was hot and the blast fields offer little in the way of shade protection. However this is the northwest and the weather could easily be cold, windy and rainy, during the same day. Probably why one of the race rules is a requirement to carry a light jacket.
This is a remote race, probably one of the most remote races I have entered. It is so remote that there are only four aid stations, and the water at each is hiked in before the race by volunteers.
How I'm Going to Get There
I'm looking to get into good enough shape that I can comfortably run and finish the race and enjoy a day on the trails. Not being very sure of the terrain I am assuming that my finish time will be in the eight to nine hour range but it could take as long as ten hours. My last 50 mile race, admittedly run six years ago, I finished in just under nine hours. Eight hours over the 32 miles is an average 15 minute per mile pace. If my finish time is closer to nine hours I'm looking at closer to 17 minute miles.
I need to train for time on my feet as I will be out on the course for eight to ten hours. How does one train to run that long and still work and spend time with family? Well, long story short you don't run a full eight hour run in training. In fact my longest run will be five hours during my training cycle. Training is to build the endurance to be on my feet that long for one day.
At a very macro level a typical week looks like the below. I will increase the duration for three weeks at a time and the fourth week I keep the same intensity but decrease the duration as a week of active recovery. The total training schedule I've created is 17 weeks, with the last three being a taper to make sure I hit the start line healthy and strong.
| Day | Typical Workout Plan |
|---|---|
| Monday | Off Day |
| Tuesday | Easy Run 60—90 minutes |
| Wednesday | Speed |
| Thursday | Easy Run 60 minutes |
| Friday | Core Workout and Easy 30 minute run |
| Saturday | Long slow day |
| Sunday | Slow recovery day |
😴 I take Monday off to recover, plus I like sleeping in to start off my work week. I'm a morning person so I do my running in the early AM.
🏃 Tuesday is an easy run of 60 minutes, building up to an hour and a half as the training progresses.
⚡ Wednesday is the day I try and get my legs moving a bit faster. For the first half of the training block I will incorporate shorter intervals run on the track. As the training reaches week seven I will turn these runs into longer progression runs, up to 11 miles, in which I progressively run the later miles faster than the first. The goal is to teach my muscles to run well when tired.
🏃 Thursday is an easier 60 minute run to shake the rust off from the previous day of speed.
🧘♂️ Friday I focus on doing some core work, light yoga and an easy 30 minute jog.
⛰️ Saturday is the long slow day where I get used to pounding out the miles. Starting the first week I head out for three hours and I progress up to a long run of five hours. There is no particular mileage goal for the day, just get used to being on my feet for hours at a time. Typically I hit five to six miles per hour on these runs.
☕ Sunday is another slow recovery run from 60-90 minutes. I mix in a couple of Sundays with a two hour run to get the feel for running on tired legs after a long run the day before. This is also the day my son likes to run with me so it ends up being a mix of running and walking and a trip to Starbucks or the market for a cinnamon roll.
Starting Base
I've been running ultra races for over ten years so I'm not starting from scratch. The past two years have been lighter on the training than the previous few years, but I have still kept up 20-30 miles a week, for the most part, so I have a decent base to start. I'm looking forward to getting back to a structured training schedule and my plan is to share a post at the end of each week with my progress and thoughts.
SELF PROMOTION ZONE
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Thanks for reading!