For those of you that want to keep tabs on how this weekend's big race unfolds from the comfort of your own home, there should be a live race tracking link posted on the main Rocky Raccoon page (http://tejastrails.com/Rocky.htmlcome) Saturday morning.
If not, here is a reliable Twitter source for all updates ultrarunning-related:
https://twitter.com/#!/iRunFar
The race will be starting at 5:00am MST, and if all goes as planned, I'll be done well before midnight... ASSUMING mother nature even allows me to get down there. Looks like a nasty blizzard is coming through tomorrow and Friday which might impact this. Fingers crossed; I don't want all this training to be for naught!
Brooks
Showing posts with label Rocky Raccoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocky Raccoon. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Healthy Brooks = Happy Brooks
I'm pleased to report that my lungs are still in tip-top shape, despite recently recovering from a head/chest cold, and not having run as much as desired lately. At last week's check-up - which was my first since March - I was surprised to see my important number (FEV1) at 90%... a 1% increase from earlier in the year, and my highest since '09.
The lack of running was due primarily to a weeklong vacation in Costa Rica with Holly. Surpisingly, I had no desire to run while out there, despite the perfect weather. That was the last bit of rest I needed - mentally and physically - because I am now logging miles that I haven't touched since early September. I know I only have 7 weeks to prepare for Rocky Raccoon, but I'm confident in full fitness if I can hold the course I'm on.
This year's race will probably be the most fun out-of-state event I've ever done, just due to the size of the Colorado contingent. From Colorado Springs alone, the following friends will be racing: Marc Pevoteaux (100), Amanda Ewing (50), Sean O'Day (50), Andy Wooten (100), Amy Perez (50), Dan Vega (100), Andy Henshaw (ex-Colorado Springs friend, 50), and yours truly (100). When you include the following crew/pacers - Holly, Lizzie, Eric, Melissa - that ends up being 12 peeps.
I'll try to post a couple more times in the weeks leading up to the race to update everyone on my training progress.
Brooks
The lack of running was due primarily to a weeklong vacation in Costa Rica with Holly. Surpisingly, I had no desire to run while out there, despite the perfect weather. That was the last bit of rest I needed - mentally and physically - because I am now logging miles that I haven't touched since early September. I know I only have 7 weeks to prepare for Rocky Raccoon, but I'm confident in full fitness if I can hold the course I'm on.
This year's race will probably be the most fun out-of-state event I've ever done, just due to the size of the Colorado contingent. From Colorado Springs alone, the following friends will be racing: Marc Pevoteaux (100), Amanda Ewing (50), Sean O'Day (50), Andy Wooten (100), Amy Perez (50), Dan Vega (100), Andy Henshaw (ex-Colorado Springs friend, 50), and yours truly (100). When you include the following crew/pacers - Holly, Lizzie, Eric, Melissa - that ends up being 12 peeps.
I'll try to post a couple more times in the weeks leading up to the race to update everyone on my training progress.
Brooks
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
#60
This just in:
The March issue of Ultrarunning Magazine contains the 2010 Year in Review which recaps the year's top performances in each major distance category (100 mile, 50 mile, 50k) for all of North America.
Out of 4012 total 100 mile finishes last year, yours truly was ranked #60 overall with my Rocky Raccoon time of 17:31.26, and #51 out of the male field. This puts me (time-wise) in the top 2% for the year.
Not too shabby for amateur hour... it ALMOST motivates me to run a flat-land 100 again this year to see if I can improve on that time!
The March issue of Ultrarunning Magazine contains the 2010 Year in Review which recaps the year's top performances in each major distance category (100 mile, 50 mile, 50k) for all of North America.
Out of 4012 total 100 mile finishes last year, yours truly was ranked #60 overall with my Rocky Raccoon time of 17:31.26, and #51 out of the male field. This puts me (time-wise) in the top 2% for the year.
Not too shabby for amateur hour... it ALMOST motivates me to run a flat-land 100 again this year to see if I can improve on that time!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Home Stretch: 17 Days Until Rocky Raccoon!
With just over two weeks until race day, the reality of running my next 100-miler has finally hit me like a ton of bricks! I won't go as far as to say I'm not ready, but I will say I'm not AS ready as I was for Leadville last summer.
Here's how my training has been going:
In the past month, I've had 3 training runs in the 5 hour (+/-) range on extremely difficult terrain. Just last weekend, for example, I ran 26 miles on steep, often icy, trails in Boulder, CO. In one 3 mile stretch I gained 3000ft of elevation en route to the summit of Green Mountain (elevation 8200ft)..., so needless to say the flat terrain of Rocky will be a welcome sight!
I would normally want to do some runs in the 7-8 hour range leading up to a 100 mile ultra, but based on the flatness and softness of this specific race course and the fact that it's at sea level, I feel that the 5-6 hour range runs I've tackled in the mountains will more than suffice! Besides, I think only half of finishing is attributed to your physical conditioning with the rest coming down to your mental fortitude... i.e. mind of matter will get me to the finish line long after my legs are shot.
So here are my goals for Texas:
First and foremost: Just FINISH!! That accomplishment is victory in itself for this distance (plus you get a sweet belt buckle)!
Second: Be smart about my re-fueling and keep my aid station time to a minimum. (At Leadville, over an hour and twenty minutes was spent at aid stations.) This is free time!
Third: Sub-20 hour finish time but, if everything goes as planned, the first 20 mile lap will take me 3 hours, the second will take 3:20, the third: 3:40, the fourth: 4 hours, and the final lap: somewhere between 4:30 and 5 hours.
TARGET FINISH TIME: 18 hours and 45 minutes
The excitement and nerves are officially here and this will be great motivation to finish out one more solid week of training before my taper. This Saturday, I'll be running a local 8 mile race as part of my long run for the day. The plan is to run 8 miles TO the race, run 8 IN the race, and then run 15-20 more afterwards. It will all be on relatively flat terrain and should take no more than 6 hours.
I'll provide an update next week... in the meantime, keep on running, everybody!!
Here's how my training has been going:
In the past month, I've had 3 training runs in the 5 hour (+/-) range on extremely difficult terrain. Just last weekend, for example, I ran 26 miles on steep, often icy, trails in Boulder, CO. In one 3 mile stretch I gained 3000ft of elevation en route to the summit of Green Mountain (elevation 8200ft)..., so needless to say the flat terrain of Rocky will be a welcome sight!
I would normally want to do some runs in the 7-8 hour range leading up to a 100 mile ultra, but based on the flatness and softness of this specific race course and the fact that it's at sea level, I feel that the 5-6 hour range runs I've tackled in the mountains will more than suffice! Besides, I think only half of finishing is attributed to your physical conditioning with the rest coming down to your mental fortitude... i.e. mind of matter will get me to the finish line long after my legs are shot.
So here are my goals for Texas:
First and foremost: Just FINISH!! That accomplishment is victory in itself for this distance (plus you get a sweet belt buckle)!
Second: Be smart about my re-fueling and keep my aid station time to a minimum. (At Leadville, over an hour and twenty minutes was spent at aid stations.) This is free time!
Third: Sub-20 hour finish time but, if everything goes as planned, the first 20 mile lap will take me 3 hours, the second will take 3:20, the third: 3:40, the fourth: 4 hours, and the final lap: somewhere between 4:30 and 5 hours.
TARGET FINISH TIME: 18 hours and 45 minutes
The excitement and nerves are officially here and this will be great motivation to finish out one more solid week of training before my taper. This Saturday, I'll be running a local 8 mile race as part of my long run for the day. The plan is to run 8 miles TO the race, run 8 IN the race, and then run 15-20 more afterwards. It will all be on relatively flat terrain and should take no more than 6 hours.
I'll provide an update next week... in the meantime, keep on running, everybody!!
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