No WOD today as the 45 holes of golf and couple hard training sessions are flaring up my elbow tendonitis in both forearms. What I did do was a little over a 7 km run in as the start of my running program for the 10 in August and half in October. Due to hike and peak bag scheduling, I doubt the 10 will happen but we will see. One of the best feelings with running is feeling like you can run forever no matter the distance. Tonight was one of those runs. The sun was out and it was warm but not hot. Muscles, joints and mind were all working at 100%. And to top it all off I was in brand new shoes that were being worn for the very first time.
I know when my training shoes are done as I start getting a dull discomfort in my lower back and knees and it is very specific and I know it every time. Then there is the feeling of the spring and cushion of a brand new pair and that was a treat tonight. The 42mins flew by and although I wanted to go on, I knew that for the training schedule and to avoid overtraining I shouldn’t.
Speaking of running for ever I have wrote not long ago about the sport of ultra running and its popularity. There are more and more blogs, websites, training sites and blog pages dedicated to this form of running. Essentially the sport is a cross between trail running and a really long marathon.
A vet of the sport who has one something like 49 ultra marathons decided earlier this year to attempt a new record. I had read about it originally in Backpacker but had forgotten about it. Today while reading, The Adventure Blog, I was reminded of the insane feat Karl Meltzer will attempt.
This upcoming August the 40 year old Meltzer will attempt to break the time of a 47 day record on The Appalachian Trail. The distance; Maine to Georgia 2,174 miles with elevation gain and lose that is 3478.4 KM! That means he will need to maintain an average of 46 miles a day.
The East in August is known for its heat and we all know about the nasty bugs we have. Plus there most Aug’s as of late have some rather nasty humid heat. Top that off with some of the nastiest terrain easily making this not your average hike in the woods. I hope he breaks it as it would be a rather amazing accomplishment. Good luck Speedgoat!
2 comments:
I heart new shoes! In fact, just yesterday I bought a new pair of sneaks at Dick's. I also heart Dick's and sales! :) I have the new Nike+ shoes that will sync to my I-pod. Call me a gizmo nerd, but I'm also training for a half marathon in October! I'm running it in Baltimore with my sis... well she's brave enough to do the full... :)
As for the gentleman you were talking about... holy cow. I can't imagine running that much. He has a serious set... if you know what I mean.
49 ultramarathons! That does not even make sense to me. Sometimes I think I am sick for what I want to do and can't stop doing (like your reports of being able to run forever, followed by more activity and then weights), I guess I have a long way to go before I reach that type of mental and physical fitness... and well not sure I have enough cartilage left in my knees for that type of distance.
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