Thresholds

I’ve been running since last May. Since that time I’ve been very slowly increasing time and mileage. I’ve tried to stick to the rule of no more than a 10% increase per week. I’ve also allowed time for recovery, being sick, vacations, etc.

For me, it’s been fun to reach new thresholds, and even better when the threshold simply becomes comfortable. First it was a half hour, then it was a 10K, then an hour. The hour mark was significant because when I ran as a kid I rarely ran more than an hour.

Then one hour fifteen. Then 10 miles – double digits. Then 90 minutes. Each time I’d reach a threshold I’d try to run that several times to become more comfortable before moving on. This pattern seemed to be working well. Now it time to move into completely new territory because I’d never run this far before.

The jump from 90 minutes to 2 hours seemed huge with an intermediate of a half-marathon distance in there. This jump took me about three months to do – from about mid-November to mid-February with holidays, being sick for several weeks, and some weeks of bitter cold thrown in there. I was in no rush and am glad I took as much time as I did because now I’ve between 90 and 120 minutes more than a dozen times and it feels comfortable.

Each threshold has been a new opportunity to learn - about pacing, about nutrition and fluid, about where my body starts to hurt, about recovery. Every run is different so every run at any threshold has become a new scenario and wealth of experience to build on.

With a 50k coming in early May I knew my long run should be about three and a half hours. It’s a long way from 2 hours where I’m at now to that mark. Two weekends ago I started the increase. First it was a tough 2:15 run in lots of snow. I was tired after that one, and it felt very doable. Last weekend it was 2:30. With snow still covering many trails I chose a flatter, valley route including a run with some friends. Again 2:30 felt doable and thankfully it was a flat route with a downhill finish, but I really noticed the difference.

This past weekend it was time to step up again to 2:45. Saturday’s run was an Hall Ranch near Lyons which I’d never been to before, and didn’t know it was almost all up or down with very little flat – and really beautiful. I made my 2:45 goal – and with an estimate of about 2500 feet of climbing. That was definitely the hardest run I’d ever done. It was also eye-opening. My pacing was probably too fast for this kind of terrain. I probably need to bring water with me for a run this long. I had some fuel, but probably not enough. After the 2 hour mark I definitely had doubts about what I was doing – maybe I should just stick with 2 hours, maybe I should not run the 50k. At the same time I gained confidence and insight from this run. I could run this far and this hard, my body is capable of running on not much fuel.

Sunday turned out to be another test and learning experience. My plan was an easy 10 in the morning. I ran with my dog Luca in the morning within a big group. Luca was quite excited so our pace started off fairly quick. By mile 5 Luca was tired whereas I was starting to hit my stride. Between an early quick pace and slowing down to wait for Luca, it wasn’t the run I hoped for and it felt scattered. In the afternoon I decided to head out for another run – I thought I’d run Heil Ranch. I’ll start by saying I always forget how hard Heil Ranch is. It’s a lollipop trail – an out-and-back with a loop at the end. I knew going out was 2.5 miles uphill, which meant a downhill on the way back, though I forgot what the middle loop was like. What’s particularly hard about Heil Ranch is the trail surface itself – rocks everywhere. It’s a trail that requires total concentration. It’s not that I forget the rocks, but I forget how challenging it is.

I started off easy enough and at the 2.5 mile mark I was feeling alright, but tired. I decided I’d run a bit more and if I felt okay I’d keep going otherwise I’d turn around. So off I went and I started to feel okay being on rollers instead of a steady uphill. Thankfully mile 4 was halfway because now I knew that was a wrong decision. I wasn’t bonking, but I could feel I had very little reserves left. The next mile was the toughest stretch because it went back uphill and I started to lose concentration with a  few missteps on the rocks. I walked for a bit to recompose myself. I knew I could do this, I just had to pay attention. And I did – I put my full attention back to the trail and off I went. I made it back with no more missteps.

Looking back a second run was not the wisest thing to do and it was another threshold day with a lot of learning. Arguably not eating enough before this run was a mistake and yet I learned both about nutrition and recovery again, as well as knowing that I can keep it together when I need to. I learned I can do long, hard back-to-back runs.

I’m happy with both my weekend runs – and tired from them. It’s time to rest a little and do an assessment of what’s next. How do I reach the three hour threshold? Or do I at all? For now the 50k is still out there with some questions lingering there. I’m often up for challenges and I want my runs to stay fun!