Grinding Along - 19 weeks until the hundo
Don’t worry, even though there have been cicadas overtaking Western North Carolina, an intense hail storm last week, and then an earthquake, I’m still alive! If you couple all this with the Hurricane flooding in September and the wildfires we had last month, I think this has been either a sign that the end of times is near or a great excuse as to why I haven’t posted anything lately.
Just kidding, it’s just been really nice out and I’ve been busy running, playing disc golf, hanging out with friends, and entertaining my parents on their visit in to town. Mostly just trying to balance my running with enjoying the beautiful spring weather!
I’m on week 9 out of my 28 week 100 mile training plan. It’s a little wild to think I’m almost a third of the way through it already and that my 100 mile race is creeping up quickly but I surprisingly feel good about my progress. I have unfortunately been a little under each weekly target milage but I have been consistently hitting 20-30 miles for the past seven weeks, which is probably the most sustained effort I’ve ever run in my life.
I know I need to start truly matching the recommended weekly mileage and since week 8 was a “cutback” week, I treated it as an opportunity to reset and really kick it up in week 9. This upcoming week recommends 45 miles and I plan on hitting it. It’s going to be a little bit of a jump up in mileage but I know I need it and I’m looking forward to posting those numbers.
My mindset has really gotten used to the understanding that I will be running five days a week and it’s been easier and easier to put my shoes on and just grind out the numbers. I believe the weather shifting towards warmer and greener scenery has helped but I also think I’ve conditioned myself to understand that my mental state always is improved if I get that run in. I’ve come to expect the shift and actively seek it out each morning. The few days that I do miss a run in the morning result in a pretty apparent grumpiness shift in my attitude and I don’t like it.
Also, side note, the Hellbender 100 was this past weekend! This race is one of the most intense 100 miler races in the Southeast. There’s over 20,000 feet of elevation gain… yeah… seriously. The 100 miler I’m training for, the Yeti 100 Endurance Run, is only about 3,500 ft! I volunteered a few years ago and even though I wasn’t able to help this year, I was following the social media and tracking of the participants. This race is truly a bucket list goal of mine ever since I got to see these runners slog it out through the aid station I was volunteering at back in 2023. It takes a tremendous amount of fortitude, drive, and athletic conditioning to complete this course.
Seeing the finishers and reading their bios was incredibly motivating for me. This is probably uber creepy but I very much related to what this one Hellbender participant, Matthew Searels, said about the sport:
“Trail running scares me sometimes - and that why I do it. It makes me feel alive.”
RAD Greenway Heading from New Belgium Brewing towards French Broad River Park