Runs have become more of a family affair since getting ourselves a double jogging stroller.
15k Training Continues
Guest blogger and mother of two, Traci, returns to talk about how training is going for her first trail race, the 15k option of the IRONBULL Ultra Trail!
Increasing the Distance
When I last wrote about my training plan I was logging 4-5 miles on my longer runs and about 3 miles the rest of the time. Since then I have increased it to a point where my long runs are 6-8 miles and my shorter runs are between 3-4 miles. As an added bonus, we invested in a double jogging stroller so my husband has been joining me on some of my runs and he’ll be attempting his first trail race at the IRONBULL Ultra Trail too!
Since most training I’ve been doing still has to work around family schedules, most training occurs on paved roads and paved paths around my house. I knew that I had to find a way to increase my trail experience soon otherwise the race on October 2nd was going to be a big shock!
Posing for a photo on top of Rib Mountain during one of our recent trail running dates.
Trail Time!
Back in June, schedules finally aligned and I was able to go attend my first Ultra Trail Training Run led by Ultra Trail Race Director, Mellissa Gilbert. We met at the bottom of a ski hill at Granite Peak and after traversing up that ski hill I am really glad I won’t be racing on the ski hill! (Good luck to you runners who are braver than me and are doing the 50k withall that vertical climbing!) Those trails were much more intense and trickier to navigate than the roads and private trails I had been running on.
We’ve been able to secure some baby sitting and have been making a point to go to Rib Mountain State Park and run, or hike the rockier areas, some of those trails to familiarize ourselves with that terrain and be ready to tackle it on at the Ultra Trail on October 2. Since the routes are posted online, we knew which trails to focus on.
One of the days we had scheduled a sitter, it was cold and rainy, but we still went for our planned run, since it may be cold and rainy on race day. This is a big change from my old running mentality, which meant I only ran on ‘perfect’ weather days. Even though it wasn’t my ideal running weather, I’m glad we completed our run and it really wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be! The tree cover at Rib Mountain helped so we didn’t get as wet as we probably would have otherwise.
The rocky terrain is more difficult to manuever through than the paved roads I’m used to.
Race Day Ready!
At this point, I’m as ready as I can be since the race is less than a week away! I feel confident that I’ll be able to complete the race, hopefully with minimal falls! I took a few tumbles on my training runs, but nothing beyond a skinned knee and palm as far as injuries go. I know I won’t be the fastest, but that isn’t my goal, my goal is to have fun and complete the race! This will be the longest race I’ve ever competed in. It’s been a great bonus that during this process I’ve been able to renew my love of running and find a new hobby that I can share with my family!
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