How I'm Training These Days
Hey Team!
It’s been a minute or two since I let you all in on my own training regimen and what I’m aiming at this year for my main competitions.
I wouldn’t trust a philosopher who doesn’t live their philosophy for a better life and neither should you. That’s why I want to share this with everyone today.
I’ve trained myself for the past 11 years using creativity, instinct, a bit of science, and a lot of feel for fantastic results and even better, a process that keeps me FIRED up to keep pushing myself hard in training and the arena.
What’s my aim
My initial aim was to run 100 miles two ways this year. I’ve since moved off that goal. The 100 mile trail ultra I wanted to run close to my home sold out much faster than I anticipated and I’m not in the season of life where I can waitlist a race like that.
So I’m turning my gaze to the Prairie on Fire Backyard Ultra as my clear A-Race with an intention of going LONG! It’s a ‘last man standing’ even where we run a 4 1/6 mile loop on the hour every hour until there is only one runner left.
Perhaps I’ll even aim to win that race, as I did last year, but I haven’t decided on that yet (I have a feeling the 13 Tribal Teammates also running this race will push me there before too long).
Last year I ran 21 laps, the winner ran 32.
My business mentor
is training like a savage to hit 100 miles in this race format after turning in an impressive 17 lap performance last year (24 laps = 100 miles) and watching him is firing me up to go HARD.I’m also coaching for the first time solo in a Team Race event for Tribal Training and that leadership role is holding me accountable to excellent performance results.
My initial goal is well over 100 miles. But anything can happen on race day!
What have I been doing?
In order to train for a race like this, I’ve identified mental weakness as the KEY ingredient that failed me last year.
I was physically in good shape but the idea of quitting got big in my head on the night course and I couldn’t shake it out before the sun rose and ended up throwing the towel in after 21 hours of running. I was suffering some kidney pain that I thought at the time was unmanageable (and that may still be true) but I don’t want that to be the limiting factor, instead I want to push harder mentally.
So I need to get more uncomfortable in the training. I have to find ways to breakthrough.
The first thing I’m doing is running more frequently, back to back to back days, so my body internalizes how to keep moving effectively on tired legs, empty stomachs, and drained spirits.
I ran 7 days in a row for the first time in my life while on vacation. The 6th day I pulled off a barefoot beach half marathon while fasted, it was awesome.
I’ve recently found a good place to run hills on the trails and treat my beat up legs to a run the next day!
Why do that?
My body can’t fail if I’m going to run long in this race format. This had a big impact on my mind and was a big reason I ended up quitting.
When it became difficult to trot at an 11min/mile pace I started doing the math in my head and it always came up negative.
By running more frequently I’m training the body to keep moving efficiently when it’s tired. By running in fasted states I’m teaching my body where to find energy when it’s seemingly gone.
If I have more confidence in my legs, I’ll be able to breakthrough the night course and find myself in the sunrise once again.
What’s next?
In order to gain more mental toughness and spiritual willpower I’m going to be running A LOT faster than I have in the past few years.
Fast running to me is a form of psychological terror. It’s the perfect place to aim.
It will give me better running form and make logging the slower paces of this race easier on my body
It will help me smash through some mental uncertainty by just GOING MORE
It will make me a deep believer in my ability to rally once I get down
This looks like a lot of fast mile segments, barefoot sprints on the beaches of Lake Michigan, and all out 4 mile tests on tricky forest footpath trails.
There are other variables at play that will help me be more successful at this race this year, but right now this is how I’m orienting what’s under my direct control; my training.
I recognize this is light on structure and heavy on framework. Good.
That’s how I plan my training, it allows me to flow, to capitalize on opportunities, to keep myself healthy and prepared, while also staying true to a process that’s given me great success for over a decade.
It’s also how I help my coaching clients conceptualize their own training, starting first from feel and the spirit and then allowing the truth of the results to orient the next steps on the way towards progression.
If you’re looking for a different approach to fitness coaching, send me a message using the button below and let’s craft something unique to you that gives you the same desire in your process and openness in how we can execute it together.
I’m excited for the next few months of training, it’s going to be FUN!
Happy Training Friends
Bro, 100 miles is a big goal!!