Reflecting on the Beast, staying healthy, and looking forward to 2015

The Beast

The final standings for the Beast have been released.  It took me 77 hours 47 minutes and 35 seconds to finish it.  It was over 315 miles of racing, and countless more time and miles in training. To recap the 6 races that make up The Beast:

• Holiday Lake 50k
• Terrapin Mountain 50k
• Promise Land 50k
• Grindstone 100 miler
• Mountain Masochist 50 miler
• Hellgate 66.6 mile run

Start of the Mountain Masochist 50 miler (courtesy of Mykkah Photog.)

The biggest irony here is that I didn't even mean to sign up for the Beast initially. I had thought about it, debated signing up for the shorter Lynchburg Ultra Series, or just making the Grindstone 100 miler my only goal for 2014.  Thanks to a few drinks and a persistent runner friend I went ahead and took the plunge last winter by signing up.  I was committed.

The Grindstone 100 Starting Line (courtesy of Mykkah Photog.)

The Beast has been a journey into being a real mountain ultra runner.  I had only done a few Ultra-distance races before 2014, and they were mostly flatter ones, the longest being a 50 miler.  My road marathons help lay the groundwork with fitness and speed, but they aren't comparable to mountainous ultras.  The Beast is a grinder, and when you come out of it you feel ready to tackle even the hardest, steepest, Ultras out there.  It teaches you what you are capable of and how to get yourself to what you aren't sure you can handle yet.

Staying Healthy

Tip-toeing over a stream.

I am really excited about 2015.  For the first time basically ever since I started running I have been putting in consistent miles and showing up for my races as planned.  The big key has been not being injured.  There might be a little luck involved with that, but I attribute it to a few key factors:

• No "red-lining" - While I still get in some speed work and shorter races, I never really go "all out" or push it to an uncomfortable level.  This may be what it takes to PR in shorter races but its bad for longevity.
• Less Pavement - Running on pavement is tough on your body, or at least on mine.  I try not to ever run more than 16 miles on pavement in training.  I'll feel more sore after an 18 mile training run on roads than a 50km run on trails.  Some people can handle high mileage strictly on roads; good for them.  Its a high risk of injury for me  as well as general burn-out and boredom.
• No "hard" marathons - this is kind of a combo of the previous points.  While a road marathon is fine every now and then, running lots of them or trying to PR carries a high risk of injury and the need for significant time off after.
• Shoes - I've figured out what works for me and what doesn't. Hokas seem to be working well.  I'm also losing my belief that you should be fitted for stability shoes to match your pronation level.  I used to run solely in Motion Control shoes and got injured all the time.  I've been running in Hokas which are considered neutral (with Orange Superfeet) for the past year and have felt great.  I have become more of a believer in developing your own personal natural running technique and less in shoes and other off-the-shelf equipment.  Shoes can help, but they are really a stop-gap solution.
• Resting when needed and recovering right - I am finally not doing stupid stuff like running while injured, running back to back road long runs, doing speedwork on consecutive days, and other obvious bonehead moves that I used to do.  Even if im not feeling sore after a goal race I'll take some time off (as in no running for a week), and then a few more weeks to ease back into it at a low mileage level.
• Skipping races or big training runs - I hate skipping races, but if I'm feeling really banged up or burned out I will forego a training run or even a non-goal race.  Sometimes I'll substitute a big cycling ride or I'll just completely rest from physical activity.  Its better to be conservative and get to your true goal races healthy and full of energy.
• Finally used to being a runner - all these factors, all the training runs, races, and recovery periods just add up to your body being adept at running a lot.

Up Next

So while I have a slew of races planned for 2015, included a few goal races, one event stands alone:

The Big Horn 100 miler in Wyoming.

The Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, site of Big Horn 100.  Pictures and a great race write-up from Asymptotic Running!

Here are the rest of my "A" and "B" goal races.

JFK 20k & MLK 5k, Jan 17

Elizabeth Furnace 50k, March 14

Terrapin Mtn 50k, March 21

Bull Run 50 miler, April 11

Big Horn 100 Miler, June 18

Reston Century 100 mile bike ride, Aug 30

The Ring 70 miler, Sept 5

Everything else I'm doing I try to consider more of a training run and therefor tentative if push comes to shove.  You can check the "2015 Races" sidebar for the rest of my planned outings.  I haven't really got anything planned past summer - its way to early to think about what you will want to be doing in Fall anyway.

So here's to another year of miles in the books!