Just got an update from Andrew on the sidelines. Ben was at 34.5 miles. 50k or around 32 miles is the longest he had run before. So he's just starting to enter new territory. It's now raining so the second half of the race is pretty wet. Ben seems in good spirits still and feeling well!
The first half of the course has some pretty big hills, but the second half seems to be more flat overall.
Andrew and Jenelle are cheering on Ben every 2-3 miles and Tom and Pat (Ben's parents) are cheering him on about every mile or so.
Hopefully, I'll get an update posted again just before he finishes and/or just after.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Early Morning Update
Hello, this is Holly (Ben's sister-in-law), reporting from the Run Ben Run Newsdesk here in Minnesota. ;-) Just chatted with him on the phone. He sounds in a great mood!
He's at mile 3 in exactly 30 minutes so he's right on pace for his goal. He reported that it's a little chilly, but no wind or rain or anything yet, so it's a beautiful day so far to run for nine hours!
Thanks for stopping by! Keep checking back as Ben will continue to post photos and I'll be back later this afternoon with more updates.
He's at mile 3 in exactly 30 minutes so he's right on pace for his goal. He reported that it's a little chilly, but no wind or rain or anything yet, so it's a beautiful day so far to run for nine hours!
Thanks for stopping by! Keep checking back as Ben will continue to post photos and I'll be back later this afternoon with more updates.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Race Tracking Here!
A special welcome to all who have reached this page via RunningHungry.org. If you check this blog on race day (Saturday the 23rd), I will be posting occasional updates, and some will have pictures taken BY ME while I am running the race. Exciting, eh? :)
Here is my planned race pace. If I run the first ten miles at 10:00/mile pace and the remaining forty at 11:00/mile pace, I'll finish in nine hours. I'm not going to try and follow this exactly -- in fact, I'll probably be a tiny bit ahead of it, at least in the early going.
Here is my planned race pace. If I run the first ten miles at 10:00/mile pace and the remaining forty at 11:00/mile pace, I'll finish in nine hours. I'm not going to try and follow this exactly -- in fact, I'll probably be a tiny bit ahead of it, at least in the early going.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Cayman Islands Movie!
After ten months of procrastination, I have finally put together a movie from the Cayman Islands Marathon, which was last December. Check it out on the movie blog!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Peak Training Weekend
The biggest difference between my usual marathon training plan and my training for a 50-miler is the running on the weekends.
Marathon plans feature one long run of 12-20 miles and one shorter run of 5-10 miles. I'd usually do the shorter run on Saturday and the long run on Sunday.
My Fall 50 preparation has long runs on BOTH Saturday and Sunday. I have been spending progressively more time running on the weekends, and I finally hit the peak of my training this past weekend. From now on, I will be steadily decreasing the mileage, also known as "tapering", to build strength for the race.
First, here's a quick summary of the past two days of running.
Saturday
I was awake before 5 a.m., hoping to complete my five-hour run in the morning hours. A check of the radar showed some storms approaching, but I hoped they wouldn't be too serious. I was out the door at 5:20 a.m., wearing a headlamp to light the way. It wasn't too cold, so I was fine in a t-shirt and shorts, but I kept my lightweight rain jacket on the porch in case of inclement weather.
With about one mile done, I saw a scary-looking bolt of lightning in the northwestern sky. It was still a ways off, as the thunder didn't follow it for 10-15 seconds, but I made the decision at that point not to risk it. I don't mind the rain, but I'd rather not mess with lightning if I can help it. I made it back home with just over two miles done.
The radar showed some red moving through, and another nasty-looking red spot two counties to the west. I took it easy for a couple of hours, eating a light breakfast and staying loose for my second attempt. The radar showed more rain to the west after the "red", but it didn't look nearly as bad as what had already gone through.
At 7:40, I was out the door again. It was still raining, but only a little bit. I was moving along pretty well. I think the extra wake-up time and the two-mile warm-up helped significantly.
I had my cell phone with me, so I called my friend, Mark, who lives nearby, just in case he was up for running with me for a little while. Though he wasn't able to, he and his oldest son, Caleb, waved from their front window as I ran by.
I was all over the neighborhood, spending time on both the streets surrounding my house and a nearby bike trail. The temperature was in the low-to-mid 60s, so I didn't need my jacket. I never ventured too far from home in case the rain suddenly got worse.
Just over two hours into the run, a steady downpour developed, and I was no longer comfortable without the jacket. I was about a mile from home. I got a bit wet as I returned. Strangely enough, the rain had let up by the time I got back. When I got home, Jenelle opened the front door, handed me my rain jacket, offered me a towel, and gave me some important news: "You just got caught in a yellow spot. There's a red band on the way."
Thanking her for the advice, I put on the rain jacket and continued on my run. There was no sign of lightning until I was half a mile away from home. I did an about-face and started heading back. I should have turned around much sooner, as I was caught in a drenching rain for the last quarter mile. I made it home, opened the big garage door, stopped the timer on my GPS, and began walking laps around the inside perimeter of the garage. The rain continued to come down in buckets as I considered what to do next. The timer was at about 2:34 with 15.65 miles covered, so I was a little over half done.
I left the rain jacket in the garage, and I took one step inside the house, being careful to stay on the floor mat and keep the kitchen floor dry. Jenelle brought up the latest radar image on her laptop. The red band was about done, and then there was a bit of green after that, after which it was clear.
I went back into the garage and waited for the worst of it to be over. It was still drizzling a bit as I put the jacket back on, resumed the timer, and continued on my way. The walking break lasted about eight minutes.
As the miles counted up and the rain came to a stop, fatigue was setting in. I began taking regular walk breaks -- about 20-30 seconds per mile. That, along with Accelerade, Accel Gel, and sport beans, kept me from completely burning out. I managed pretty well, as nearly all of my miles were 10:30 or less.
It was about 12:50 p.m. when I *finally* finished the run. I covered 30 miles in 5:02, not counting the early-morning two-miler or the eight-minute walk break.
A few more thoughts on Saturday's run:
9:22, 9:23, 9:15, 9:35, 10:12,
9:50, 9:55, 9:56, 9:41, 9:56,
10:40, 9:48, 9:49, 10:03, 10:37,
9:29, 9:57, 10:28, 10:09, 10:28,
9:58, 10:14, 10:06, 11:03, 10:26
10:04, 10:22, 10:52, 10:25, 9:39
Sunday
As I rolled out of bed a little before 3 a.m. on Sunday, there was no rain, but the temperatures were ten degrees cooler. I was out the door at 3:15 with the rain jacket on -- not to stay dry, but to stay warm.
Yes, that's correct -- I started running at 3:15 a.m. I don't like to be out there at that hour, but with church commitments starting at 8 a.m., I had to get a pretty early start. I wore a headlamp and a reflective sash to keep myself visible. As with Saturday's run, I stayed close to home, running several loops to rack up the miles.
I could tell from the start that my legs did not have the energy of the previous day. Even though I ate and drank quite a bit on Saturday afternoon and evening, when you only have 14 hours to recover, it's tough to keep the spring in your step. Despite that difficulty, I completed every mile in less than eleven minutes, throwing in walking breaks whenever I needed them.
I don't remember a whole lot of other exciting things about the run. I wasn't overly thrilled to be out there, but I know that the benefits will be realized about 33 days from now when I run the Fall 50.
The final mile, however, was pretty neat. I saw a rainbow in the western sky, and I took a few pictures of it using my cell phone. What does this mean?
Sunday's mile splits:
10:36, 10:18, 10:26, 10:15, 10:25,
10:21, 10:05, 10:23, 10:22, 10:27,
10:50, 10:23, 10:26, 10:28, 9:51,
10:49, 10:20, 10:30, 10:19, 10:40,
10:34, 10:29, 10:25
And that's enough for one post. Let the tapering begin!
Marathon plans feature one long run of 12-20 miles and one shorter run of 5-10 miles. I'd usually do the shorter run on Saturday and the long run on Sunday.
My Fall 50 preparation has long runs on BOTH Saturday and Sunday. I have been spending progressively more time running on the weekends, and I finally hit the peak of my training this past weekend. From now on, I will be steadily decreasing the mileage, also known as "tapering", to build strength for the race.
First, here's a quick summary of the past two days of running.
- I ran 32 miles on Saturday and 23 miles on Sunday.
- From 7:30 a.m. on Saturday until 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, I ran 53 miles, the most I've ever run in any 24-hour period. Those 53 miles took about nine hours, which means that I was outside running for more than 37% of those 24 hours.
- I consumed five 20-ounce bottles of Accelerade, three 20-ounce bottles of water, three servings of Accel Gel, and three servings of Jelly Belly Sport Beans while on the road. This isn't really that much; had it been warmer, I would have consumed a lot more fluids.
- I averaged 10:04/mile on Saturday and 10:26/mile on Sunday. For comparison purposes, my fastest marathon was run at 8:30/mile pace, and my fastest 50K was run at 9:19/mile. At the Fall 50, I hope to average 10:48/mile or better, which means I would finish in nine hours or less.
Saturday
I was awake before 5 a.m., hoping to complete my five-hour run in the morning hours. A check of the radar showed some storms approaching, but I hoped they wouldn't be too serious. I was out the door at 5:20 a.m., wearing a headlamp to light the way. It wasn't too cold, so I was fine in a t-shirt and shorts, but I kept my lightweight rain jacket on the porch in case of inclement weather.
With about one mile done, I saw a scary-looking bolt of lightning in the northwestern sky. It was still a ways off, as the thunder didn't follow it for 10-15 seconds, but I made the decision at that point not to risk it. I don't mind the rain, but I'd rather not mess with lightning if I can help it. I made it back home with just over two miles done.
The radar showed some red moving through, and another nasty-looking red spot two counties to the west. I took it easy for a couple of hours, eating a light breakfast and staying loose for my second attempt. The radar showed more rain to the west after the "red", but it didn't look nearly as bad as what had already gone through.
At 7:40, I was out the door again. It was still raining, but only a little bit. I was moving along pretty well. I think the extra wake-up time and the two-mile warm-up helped significantly.
I had my cell phone with me, so I called my friend, Mark, who lives nearby, just in case he was up for running with me for a little while. Though he wasn't able to, he and his oldest son, Caleb, waved from their front window as I ran by.
I was all over the neighborhood, spending time on both the streets surrounding my house and a nearby bike trail. The temperature was in the low-to-mid 60s, so I didn't need my jacket. I never ventured too far from home in case the rain suddenly got worse.
Just over two hours into the run, a steady downpour developed, and I was no longer comfortable without the jacket. I was about a mile from home. I got a bit wet as I returned. Strangely enough, the rain had let up by the time I got back. When I got home, Jenelle opened the front door, handed me my rain jacket, offered me a towel, and gave me some important news: "You just got caught in a yellow spot. There's a red band on the way."
Thanking her for the advice, I put on the rain jacket and continued on my run. There was no sign of lightning until I was half a mile away from home. I did an about-face and started heading back. I should have turned around much sooner, as I was caught in a drenching rain for the last quarter mile. I made it home, opened the big garage door, stopped the timer on my GPS, and began walking laps around the inside perimeter of the garage. The rain continued to come down in buckets as I considered what to do next. The timer was at about 2:34 with 15.65 miles covered, so I was a little over half done.
I left the rain jacket in the garage, and I took one step inside the house, being careful to stay on the floor mat and keep the kitchen floor dry. Jenelle brought up the latest radar image on her laptop. The red band was about done, and then there was a bit of green after that, after which it was clear.
I went back into the garage and waited for the worst of it to be over. It was still drizzling a bit as I put the jacket back on, resumed the timer, and continued on my way. The walking break lasted about eight minutes.
As the miles counted up and the rain came to a stop, fatigue was setting in. I began taking regular walk breaks -- about 20-30 seconds per mile. That, along with Accelerade, Accel Gel, and sport beans, kept me from completely burning out. I managed pretty well, as nearly all of my miles were 10:30 or less.
It was about 12:50 p.m. when I *finally* finished the run. I covered 30 miles in 5:02, not counting the early-morning two-miler or the eight-minute walk break.
A few more thoughts on Saturday's run:
- This run marked the debut of my new iPod shuffle. It's half as big as my old one, holds twice as many songs, and cost half as much. I also like the "voice over" feature -- a computerized voice announces the title and artist of each track.
- The weather kept others inside. I don't recall seeing any other runners, and I spotted only a few walkers. Sadly, I saw several smokers lighting up and trying their best to stay dry under awnings and whatever shelter they could find. Ugh.
- On a much more positive note, a big thanks to Jenelle, who filled up water bottles and gave me several weather updates to keep me safe. She's the best!
9:22, 9:23, 9:15, 9:35, 10:12,
9:50, 9:55, 9:56, 9:41, 9:56,
10:40, 9:48, 9:49, 10:03, 10:37,
9:29, 9:57, 10:28, 10:09, 10:28,
9:58, 10:14, 10:06, 11:03, 10:26
10:04, 10:22, 10:52, 10:25, 9:39
Sunday
As I rolled out of bed a little before 3 a.m. on Sunday, there was no rain, but the temperatures were ten degrees cooler. I was out the door at 3:15 with the rain jacket on -- not to stay dry, but to stay warm.
Yes, that's correct -- I started running at 3:15 a.m. I don't like to be out there at that hour, but with church commitments starting at 8 a.m., I had to get a pretty early start. I wore a headlamp and a reflective sash to keep myself visible. As with Saturday's run, I stayed close to home, running several loops to rack up the miles.
I could tell from the start that my legs did not have the energy of the previous day. Even though I ate and drank quite a bit on Saturday afternoon and evening, when you only have 14 hours to recover, it's tough to keep the spring in your step. Despite that difficulty, I completed every mile in less than eleven minutes, throwing in walking breaks whenever I needed them.
I don't remember a whole lot of other exciting things about the run. I wasn't overly thrilled to be out there, but I know that the benefits will be realized about 33 days from now when I run the Fall 50.
The final mile, however, was pretty neat. I saw a rainbow in the western sky, and I took a few pictures of it using my cell phone. What does this mean?
Sunday's mile splits:
10:36, 10:18, 10:26, 10:15, 10:25,
10:21, 10:05, 10:23, 10:22, 10:27,
10:50, 10:23, 10:26, 10:28, 9:51,
10:49, 10:20, 10:30, 10:19, 10:40,
10:34, 10:29, 10:25
And that's enough for one post. Let the tapering begin!
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Amazing August
A lack of activity on Ben's Running Blog does not necessarily mean that I have not been running much lately. In fact, quite the opposite!
Last month, I reached another running milestone without realizing it. On a 25-mile training run on August 14, one of many long training runs in preparation for the Fall 50, I reached eight thousand lifetime miles! Yeah! I don't know if I'll ever be training as heavily as I am right now, but there's a change I'll crack five digits before I turn 35.
There was another new record last month. I ran a total of 250 miles last month! My previous record was 214, set in March 2008 when I was gearing up for my first 50K.
This month is off to an interesting start. Though I planned to run 40+ miles over Labor Day weekend, I was sidelined with a fever. However, I was out for six miles this morning, and I'm planning to be out there for some serious miles this coming weekend.
Last month, I reached another running milestone without realizing it. On a 25-mile training run on August 14, one of many long training runs in preparation for the Fall 50, I reached eight thousand lifetime miles! Yeah! I don't know if I'll ever be training as heavily as I am right now, but there's a change I'll crack five digits before I turn 35.
There was another new record last month. I ran a total of 250 miles last month! My previous record was 214, set in March 2008 when I was gearing up for my first 50K.
This month is off to an interesting start. Though I planned to run 40+ miles over Labor Day weekend, I was sidelined with a fever. However, I was out for six miles this morning, and I'm planning to be out there for some serious miles this coming weekend.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Running Hungry!
With less than three months to go before the Fall 50, I have updated runninghungry.org. Make a pledge, join the relay team, or just sign the guestbook. Even a few words of encouragement are very much appreciated!
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