2013 - Goal Number One

Believe it or not, time for another post! It's a rainy Saturday, and that seems to be the perfect time to relax and ruminate.
I have set my first "serious" goal for 2013! Look at me, planning ahead!! I am officially registered for the Ice Age Trail 50 miler. This is a 50 mile trail run in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine Forest, near La Grange, WI. I ran the 50K event last May, and apparently that wasn't enough torture. Actually, it wasn't! I need to see how far I can push myself and what I'm made of. Hopefully I won't find out what's inside me!
Looking back at my training from last year, I definitely need to take this more seriously. I had a good time at the 50K and if memory serves, I ran the majority of it. I finished, but not necessarily as strong as I would have liked. But, if nothing else, I learned a lot! And I'm carrying that knowledge, or lack thereof, forward this year to the 50 miler.
I certainly need to run more. Last year was just kind of a jumble of ideas, plans and guesses. Not bragging, but I really feel my overall general fitness got me to the finish. This year, I have a schedule, plan, whatever you want to call it. It's a plan from "Relentless Forward Progress" by Bryon Powell adjusted to fit my crazy shift work schedule. It's three weeks of progressively longer weeks and then a recovery/easy week. I've almost finished my third week and I feel pretty good. I got my 16 miler in yesterday (Friday, December 14) and felt good for the entire distance. Now, that might not seem like much, but add in running it on 11-7 shift, after only 4 hours sleep, a very small breakfast, and only one water bottle and a couple electrolyte tabs. Nothing fancy, nothing fast, but solid miles (in my opinion). I'm trying a new nutrition approach, but I'll save that for another post.

So, that's goal number one for 2013. I am going to put in some honest and dedicated training. My goal for the run is to run strong, enjoy myself and finish feeling like I could run at least a little farther. I'm not calling this a race, because I'm not racing, at least not in my strictest definition of the word. Follow along and see if I can squeeze all this in on my crazy work schedule, without driving friends and family crazy! Trust me, it'll be an interesting journey.

My feet after last year's Ice Age 50K. Hope they fair better in this year's 50 miler!

I'm baaack!!

Damn! I'm back! Did ya miss me?? Did ya know I was gone? I just looked back and realized it's been over a year since I've rambled, ranted and mused here. I'll keep this short and add more in a few days. No really!!
The last year wasn't quite up to my usual lofty standards. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but I've had better, at least in the silent sports area. I guess we all have off years. 
I did have a great Birkie. No PR, but I had fun and felt great. That was my main goal. 
I did my first ultra trail run in May. The Ice Age Trail 50K. Again, nothing spectacular, but I had fun. And I learned a lot. It won't be my last. 
My WORS season was lackluster to say the least. I'm attributing that to not enough quality training. I never put the bike in the trainer all winter, instead focusing on ultra training and the occasional bike commute. Speaking of......
That is probably the thing I am most proud of over the course of the last year. I have managed to put in at least one bike commute every month of 2012. And I will get in one more in December to make it one per month for the year. Some of the early ones were cold, windy and a bit iffy on the icy/snowy back roads, but none were regretted. 
I snuck in a last minute half marathon in October. On minimal run training I had a strong, I think, race. Considering it was my longest run since the ultra in May, I was very pleased! 
Still fine tuning my goals and events for next year. I'll write about them in a few days. 
It's nice to be back!

Sven                                        Finishing the Ice Age Trail 50K