I Ran 146 Miles in April!!!

With the White River 50 Miler to look forward to, I have stepped up my training. I've consistantly run more than 30 miles each week for the last five weeks or so. With something to look forward to, I stay more focussed and run better. By the end of this week I will top 400 miles for the year. That is pretty good for me. I've been feeling pretty good. My right shin still acts up a little bit, but for the most part it behaves itself. 146 mile is pretty good, but it is nothing like Anton over at Riding the Wind. He averages more than 170 per week. But then again I'm a back of the pack guy, he's an elite, usually winning the races he enters.

I think I will start making my easy runs 6 or 7 miles. Right now they are usually five. Just another mile or two each run will help increase my mileage for the week. This week I'll do 45 miles. I'll probably stop building weekly mileage when I get to 50 or 60. Then I'll shorten my weekday runs, and keep lengthening my weekend runs. I have a plan to build to 31 miles three weeks before the White River 50. Then I'll taper down to practically nothing that last week. This is fun. I really enjoy running. I get frustrated sometimes when I have to push one of my kids in the jogging stroller, but it's not too bad. I get over it. It relieves a lot of stress when I run so much. I also love to listen to music and thanks to my beautiful wife, I have a 1G ipod shuffle. I love it. It is so small and compact. It has given me no problems. I get to listen to hours and hours of good music while I'm running. Sometimes I just like it quiet though. On my 19 mile run last week up on Whidbey Island, I had to turn off the music for a bit. It is so beautful and peaceful up there that I just had to turn off the music and listen to the birds and beach and the sounds of nature.

If I don't get up to Washington before July to run the White River 50, then I'll probably make my own course down here and run it. I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I would running around the cascades, but this way I still have something to look forward to if WR50 falls through. I'll find my own support crew to help keep me going. Maybe I can even get people to run portions of it with me. I'm sure my wife and kids will help for at least part of it. I really probably don't even need much help. There are plenty of gas stations and stores along the route I would probably take. I just got a new water bottle too, so I would carry my own water and energy gels and even my cell phone just in case something happens. If I did a run here in Florida in July, I would definetly start it about four or five in the morning so that I could at least start in the cool of the morning. I'd have to be flexible too, if it is forcaste to be really hot, I would push it back another week. Well, all this is speculation. For now, I'll just plan on running the White River 50. Maybe I'll have to take a vacation and drag the family up to Washington if we haven't moved by then.

I'm going to start looking for a marathon to do here in the begining of June. That will be fun. That will go right along with my training plan.