Mary and I just got back from spending almost a month wandering about in France. We had a great time - but looking at my running log, I only did 10 runs in June while traveling. I ran in some interesting places, but there wasn't a lot of intensity or duration. This fall I'm planning on running the Punxsutawney 50K in early September, and then the JFK 50 Mile run in November right before Thanksgiving. How can I be ready?
I've got just 9 weeks left before the Punxsy run. Here is what I plan to do for the two races:
1. Set the bar fairly low for Punxsy - my goal is to finish the event without beating myself up too bad. I'm going to think of it as a good step on the way to the JFK 50
2. Focus on 'duration' over intensity. I want to accumulate as much 'time on feet' as possible, and to get that number up fast I will sacrifice intensity (speed).
3. Get some higher intensity work in each week.
4. Don't get injured. A big increase in workload is risky, I like to think experience will help keep me out of trouble, but you know self-coached runners ...
I think I'll stay on the roads getting ready for Punxsy, running back and forth over Powhatan hill close to home to get ready for those Pennsylvania hills. In September and October I'll get out on the Appalachian Trail as much as I can (maybe once a week?) to get ready for all that rocky footing in the early part of the JFK 50..
I'm certainly well rested now, so, I've got that going for me.
