- I finalized my training plan for the Kettle Moraine 100 last week and already started putting it into action
- I based my training on the “Relentless Forward Progress” 100-miler blueprint, but adjusted it for the shorter number of weeks and a few of my personal goals
- I’m slightly concerned that maybe I’m not taking enough of a break after Rocky, but whatever, right? I really want to get another 100 on the calendar – and KM100 is singing to me like a siren
I’ll be honest – I’m enjoying a bit of the “post-race afterglow”. You know what I’m talking about – you finish the big race and you feel amazing. So you kick up your (tired and blistered) feet, lean back in your comfy chair, open up your laptop to the race calendar and think “what’s next”?! Having just finished my second 100-miler a couple of weeks ago and feeling pretty good about my race and recovery, I’m super eager to start training for my next hondo.
Unfortunately, I kind of fumbled my race entries this year. After my unsurprising “first entry” Western States lottery fail, I got super busy during the holidays and missed the cut-offs for a lot of the biggies. By the time I finished Rocky and was looking for my next run, I realized that most of the ones I had originally wanted to do next – Wasatch, Leadville for example – were all closed.
Thank goodness there are still plenty of awesome 100s out there that don’t require a year’s worth of foresight and four cups of pure, uncut leprechaun to get in. Kettle is one of those races – a challenging, but forgiving course, decent weather, and top-notch support. And best of all – you can sign up late.
Okay, so new training plan. Objective: another 100-mile finish, this time under 22-hours.
I started with RFP as my base. I like that Powell has a 50-mile/week option, perfect for those of us with a life beyond running. I wanted a couple of days each week without training – check – Mondays and Fridays are off. Since one of my goals was to get faster, I like that RFP has a speed workday assigned. And I prefer to crank out my long runs in one, monumental, Saturday workout and have a nice, short, recovery run on Sunday – none of that back-to-back weirdness.
Of course I had to customize it a little, to make sure it was right for my goals. First, I don’t have 24-weeks, more like 16. But I’m still in pretty good physical condition from my latest training, so I think that’s won’t be too much of an issue.
Second, I designated many days as trail days – especially my long runs. This is very different than my previous training. Sure, it may be easier to wake up, head out the front door and knock out a full day of roadwork without having to drive to the woods. But when I’m deep in the race, I know I’ll be happy I made time for the trail-type specificity. (Besides, trail running is so much better, especially in North Texas).
Third, I’m signing up for actual events one weekend a month – to add variety and to try out any experiments prior to the actual race day. I’m aiming for Grasslands in March, the Brazos Bend 50k in April and then the Hatchie 50 in May. All of those line up nicely with the mileage I have on those weekends – and are an easy drive from Dallas.
Finally, I added some of my “Stay Strong” fundamentals to each week – strength training M, W, F and a deep tissue massage every other Monday. Plus 15-minute basic yoga every morning.
Since it’s been successful so far, I’ll be sticking to the ketogenic diet during this training phase. I’m hoping to get a good idea of what impact a HFLC diet will have over the course of 16-weeks of training and a few ultras.
That’s it – let’s get it started!
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