As briefly mentioned in my last post, the plan was to close out the month of May with as many miles as possible at the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 12-Hour event. It was my first Ultra distance race on a track, and all things considered it was a most enjoyable experience.
I managed to log just over 75 miles and come away with the overall win, but more importantly it was another learning experience and a chance to experiment a bit in a fairly low-key setting.
Notable Takeaways
- Despite performing flawlessly on numerous training runs in the weeks leading up to the event, the Hoka One One Challenger ATR was not a good shoe choice for a 12 hour track race. Coupled with a very hot track surface and poor sock selection – Injinji RUN 2.0 Lightweight No-Shows – my feet were sore within an hour, forcing me to an early pitstop to change into my favorite Injinji TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Mini-Crews. Later in the race I ran for a while in the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1, but changed into the Hoka One One Clifton for the final 6 hours.
- Tailwind Nutrition performed flawlessly once again. Their catchy tagline “All you need, all day. Really.” couldn’t be more accurate, and aside from a couple of Starbucks Doubleshots in the middle of the night, my pre-mixed cooler of Tailwind was all I needed.
- Running around and around a 400m track is not as mind-numbingly boring as you’d think. I actually enjoyed the track format and loved being able to see and interact with the other runners at any given time. Changing direction every 4th hour was an added bonus, and silly as it may sound, gave you something to look forward to.
- Whatever you do, don’t trust the official time clocks, and be sure to question any lap/split times that may look a bit odd. I wore my trusty Garmin 910XT in the race, knowing full well that it would not be accurate over 12 hours of continuous running around a 400m oval, despite having it set to “per-second” data recording. What I didn’t bargain for was getting credit for double laps at random times on the official scoreboard and therefore a heavily inflated running total throughout the night; so inflated in fact, that by the time we were in the final hour I’d already logged over 90 miles and was inching closer and closer to finishing with a ridiculous 100 miles. Ah well, it was good while it lasted. 😉
Despite the unfortunate timing issues, I’d definitely recommend the Dawn to Dusk to Dawn Ultras (which include a 24-Hour, 12-Hour, 100K and 50K event), and all being well, a return trip to Pennsylvania next year can be fitted into the schedule. Thanks to Race Directors Bill Schultz and Josh Irvan for putting on a quality event!
Video of the last few minutes of both the 12 and 24-Hour events. Kind of funny everyone thinks I’m finishing up with over 98 miles….
So, with the mini-race recap out of the way, here’s how the rest of June panned out.
June 1st – June 7th [25 miles]
Despite the legs feeling good after the race, I decided to take advantage of and enjoy 3 days of complete rest. It was good to mentally recharge and catch up on some sleep after the hectic weekend of driving and racing. Friday was a pleasant day for an easy 5 miler, then on Saturday I raced a local 5K which was a good opportunity to catch up with some local runners. The first 2 miles went well, but not surprisingly, the last mile was a bit of a slog. I ended up with a 3rd place/17:02 finish time, but frustratingly the course came up short at about 2.95 miles. Sunday was just an easy 10 miler with a friend to close out a successful recovery week.
June 8th – June 14th [67 miles]
Mixed bag of running with a predominant focus on aerobic base building courtesy of Dr. Phil Maffetone’s 180 Formula. Using Maffetone’s formula, the optimal heart rate to develop my aerobic system comes out at 137 bpm (beats per minute), so the majority of running in the next month or so is going to be at or below this MAF [Maximum Aerobic Function] number.
It’s a fascinating approach which I dabbled with towards the end of 2014 with pretty good results. Maffetone’s Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing is a great book and well worth checking out if you’re curious about his “Slow down to go faster” methods.
June 15th – June 21st [63 miles]
Some more solid miles this week, with approximately 53 of them at or below my MAF number. It’s amazing how less beaten up I feel when I train this way, and I’m already seeing an improvement in my pace at the same 137 or below beats per minute. To be honest, it’s sometimes quite challenging to stick to the zone, especially when the temperatures are up and humidity level high, but patience is key, and I know once the cooler weather kicks in, I’ll literally be flying along at the same effort level.
June 22nd – June 28th [78 miles]
It wasn’t exactly planned, but this was my biggest (in terms of total mileage) training week since early February. The legs are feeling good so I’ve started to incorporate some treadmill running at approximately 6% incline/6 mph, which keeps me at MAF quite nicely. I rounded off the week with an early-start 3 hour effort on the road, with no breakfast and just 100 calories of Tailwind and 10 oz of water to fuel me through the miles. Ended up with almost 23 miles at just under 8:00/mile pace with zero issues and fresh legs at the end.
So, the plan for July is more of the same, and hopefully I’ll see my pace quicken slightly as the weeks tick by. I’ll also need to get creative with the workouts to hopefully build a bit of speed before the local Strider Mile in mid-August – maybe fast downhill repeats, tire-dragging and weighted vest training to mix things up a bit. All in the MAF zone of course…