Sunday, September 27, 2015

Grindstone 100 this week

Five days until the start of the Grindstone 100 mile trail race in Swoope, VA.  It will be an extremely difficult challenge with tough competition and about 23,000 ft of elevation gain on the out and back course through the Appalachian Mountains. Grindstone 100
I have been able to get in a good block of training before my taper the last few weeks.  It has been a season of ups and downs ...

  • May 30th - Ankle injury in Infinitus 88k, hiked out 5 miles, couldn't stand afterward
  • 8 days off, then started running on swollen ankle, iced nightly
  • July 10th - NPT FKT attempt (97 miles), swollen feet and ankles, could barely crawl
  • 10 days off
  • August 2nd - twisted ankle again descending Mt. Marcy, hiked out 7 miles, thought season was over
  • 10 days off
  • August 13th - started training for Grindstone with ankle brace
I was then able to get in 6 weeks of training where I increased up to 65 miles per week with runs approaching 30 miles.  I targeted trails and elevation gain with my largest week about 10,000 ft.  I did also get in about 15,000 ft during the week of the NPT attempt.
I have now been taking it easy for two weeks and will get in a short run or two this week.  I feel good right now, but we will see how it all translates.  My ankle has had no swelling for at least 3 weeks, but it is still a bit weak and I am really worried about it once I start to fatigue, so I will be wearing a small brace so I don't have to worry about it.  I have trained all of my long runs in this setup, so I am confident that it will not hinder performance.
Tie-up ankle brace with over sock


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I just started ultra running in 2013. I have done a couple Ironman triathlons then I did not train much for about 3 years. On July 27, 2013, after a long bike ride with some friends I got the itch and signed up for the Virgil Crest 50 mile ultra. I was able to place second overall and tie the previous course record. My longest week included a 27 mile run and a weekly total of 50 miles. I am curious what I can do with adequate training ...

I attempt to take advantage of each season and cross train as much as possible to prepare for my upcoming 2014 ultra running races. Below you will find excerpts from my training days and races. You can search the blog for individual race reports or other key words on the bottom right-hand side. I work full-time as a professor at Castleton State College, so I utilize weekends for longer workouts and do what I can during the week.

Let me know if you want to go for a run!