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Background VHTRC holds back-to-back events on MLK weekend - the first MMT Training run on Saturday, the second the Waterfall (WTF) 50km on Sunday. I thought attempting both in the same weekend would be a fun challenge that would give me a great start to my 100 training and the opportunity to practice both fueling and running on tired legs. Fueling - my achilles heel Running is a natural strength of mine. Ultras however, have been aptly described as an eating competition with some running thrown in, something my experience has validated. So far every effort longer than 8 hours, even the successful ones, has seen me throw up at least once. ...

Weekly Goals 11 hours 12k vert 70-80mi 20mi long run Feb. 9 8.26mi / 68m 4s / 626ft. Pretty sore from lifting so a really easy day just getting the miles in. Weekly totals: 8.26mi 68m 4s 626ft Feb. 10 Treadmill. 4.50mi / 42m 46s / 2,012ft. First half mile or so at 6mph and then bumped it up to 6.3 for the rest. All at 8.5% incline. Definitely an aerobic session but happy that I am able to hold a faster pace at that grade. 2.06 w/u, 1.62 c/d. 8.12mi / 72m 42s total. ...

Goals 10 hours 60 - 70mi 7 - 10k vert Feb. 2 7.26mi / 387ft / 56m14s. Light, fluffy snow is tougher to run on than sleet. Waited til the afternoon in hopes it would melt so had a little less time. Weekly totals: 7.26mi 387ft 56m 14s Feb. 3 Warm-up to the gym, 4mi / 1790ft on the treadmill, cooldown home. Tried a bit of a workout. Treadmill at 8.5% the whole time. 5min warmup at 6mph then 4x2min at 8mph with 2min rest. Intended to do more like 4-5min for the on but ended up being tougher than I anticipated. 15min at 6mph to finish. ...

Jan. 26 7.55mi / 60m15s / 407ft gain. Thankfully the footing on the sleet was ok but it felt obnoxiously loud, especially during the normally otherwise quiet early morning hours. Aiming for 65 - 75mi this week. Vert will depend on whether I get on the treadmill. Think I’m ok with getting volume back up being the priority. Jan. 27 8.26mi / 62m46s / 461ft / 12deg F. I’ve found that sometimes, if I have been doing something for a while, I seem to internalize it as something I always do even when I may be slacking. More concretely, I try to spend some time on mobility/stretching every evening. Because of this I tend to think of it as part of my routine, even if I go through a period of not practicing it as regularly as I should. I realized yesterday I had not been staying on top of this specific practice and made it a priority last night - foam rolling, lacrosse ball, stretching, some light yoga - the whole 9 yards. Low and behold my legs felt great today. Perhaps recovery wasn’t matching expectations because I wasn’t actually doing the things I knew I should be. ...

Jan. 19 Rest day. As expected, the legs are sore but not terrible. No real difficulty moving around, going up/down stairs, etc. Overall this will be a pretty light week before ramping volume back up. Weekly totals: 0 Jan. 20 Another rest day. Could have run, but decided to give myself some extra rest. By the end of the day I was a bit antsy but think two days off was the right move. ...

Jan. 12 124 days until Massanutten. Tested the new Terignota vest today for the first time. A short 56 minute (7.05mi / 364ft) run to check everything worked before this weekend. Vest came with two bottles (Hydropak but Terignota branded with locking tops) and I ordered a third since the vest will hold three. First impressions: Fit is snug but comfortable. I realized post run that it was possible to adjust the closure loops on the chest - I will be loosening them a bit which should make the fit even better. The adjustment is “hidden” inside the zip pockets which is nice but I didn’t notice at first. The bottles felt a little more difficult to slide into the chest pockets than my Salomon. The Active Skin 4 has been my go-to vest for a while. The storage slot for the third bottle is in the back at the base of the vest. Pretty easy to get the bottle in. Did not test pulling it out. Didn’t even notice it was there while running. There was zero bounce. In the past I had moved away from bottles to a bladder because of the bounce. The downside to that is not being able to tell how much I’ve drank, which isn’t great when trying to measure fueling. The lock tops on the bottles are nice to keep from accidentally spilling while inserting/removing. Once in the front pockets I just left them open. The bottles are also wide-mouth which will make refilling with fuel (powder) easier. Did not try carrying any gels. There does not seem to be as much capacity as my Salomon. For me this won’t be a problem as I like wearing my Naked running belt and keeping most gels there anyway. Jan. 13 7.04mi / 364ft / 56min. Basically the same run as yesterday. Threw in a few strides to see if I could get a little pop in the legs. Right hip is feeling a bit janky - something always seems to act up the week of a big effort/race. Weekend looks like it will be a cold one. ...

Jan. 5 Fifth week of the volume build and legs are feeling solid. Another week of easy pace, decent volume and whatever vert I can find. Easy 8.01 to start. 525ft of gain. Jan. 6 Not living near the mountains isn’t ideal for a mountain ultra so it’s the treadmill for me. 4.01mi warmup (282ft) to the gym then 4.01mi on the dreadmill at 6mph & 8.5% grade which nets 1787’. 2.09mi (174ft) home to get 10 for the day. ...