5 days!!! 5 days until my 3rd attempt at the 100 mile distance, and hopefully my 2nd buckle. I've (again) been terrible at blogging. Blame a combination of being very busy at work (yay!), dealing with regular horse injuries (boo!), and a new puppy (yay!). So enjoy a bullet point post to catch you up before the 100 mile adventure kicks off at the end of this week!
- Oscar - starting with the not-quite-running-related news. Oscar is a Pedigree Mutt from the Ukiah Animal Shelter. He's a little bit running related since he will be my future training partner. He's 4 months old, completely adorable, and already a solid member of the family.
- Sonoma Ultra - The 50k which became a half marathon when I decided to bail at mile 9. I still got a decently long training run in, but I realised I was looking at a 10 hour(!!!) 50k. Who knew there were trails like that in Santa Rosa? Scena Performance put on a great event, and I look forward to running with them again in the future.
- Sock Decisions - Of course some minor crisis occurs before a big race. I decided I couldn't possibly settle on a sock selection. I love my compression socks, but they take SO LONG to take off/put on that it's just not practical during a race. I definitely feel the benefits using compression post-event, but not so much during. I wear them more for leg protection against brush more than the possible benefits they provide. Which led to a whole bunch of sock experiments, until I finally realised that the Darn Tough Coolmax socks I wear as my 2nd layer sock could just be doubled up. After a 13 mile test, it's what I'm going with for Rio.
- Shoes - I'm back in Altra, at least for the time being. I really love the Carsons, but they don't (yet?) offer a cushioned enough shoe for me to run the longer distances. The Olympus is my ultra friend, and it seems the problem with blow outs may be resolved. I only heard of it on trail shoes, but maybe because I mainly know trail runners. There will be more road running in my spring training as I shoot for my first triathlon, and Carson only makes trail shoes. The delightfully soft soles will shred too quickly, but I will be wearing them for my trail runs.
- Auburn/Tahoe - With my Dad in town, and having done most of the Fort Bragg activities, we set off for a night training run with Mel on the Rio course, a hike on part of the loop I'm not familiar with, and some hiking in Tahoe - the first few miles of the Western States course, and a 7 hour hike, both at elevation. Fun adventures.
- Oakland Hills - The original plan for my Dad's visit was to run his first marathon, but fitting that in with Rio so close just wasn't an option. We instead opted for this Inside Trail event. A 1/2 marathon seemed like a great event to celebrate my birthday. We went painfully slow, trying to avoid a raised heart rate, not get injured, and a last minute fueling test and experiment with a new jacket (Patagonia Houdini - short version - love it!)
- Fuel - I've been experimenting for a while, with both solid foods and "traditional" running fuels. I've settled on Huma gels, Honey Stinger gels, and Gu Stroopwafels, along with some real food and soda.
Full reviews will come after the post-race report. I'm planning on taking the rest of November off from training to allow for full recovery. The current plan is (assuming I don't get lucky in the Western States lottery) to switch focus a bit and gear towards the Napa Triathlon, either olympic distance or half-iron, depending on how much I can improve my swim technique. In the meantime, let's go run 100 miles!!!!
