Training Programs for Goal Ultra Race Events

Big buckle at Leadville 100 mile.  Want one?

Descending Grant Swamp Pass - Hardrock 100 2012  Photo: Evan Honeyfield

Training is more than just getting in the miles.  In fact, aimlessly running lots of junk miles might get you injured at worse and just moderately fit at best.  Ultrarunning and other endurance events require quality training with a blend of a solid aerobic base and specific work focused on your goal event.

I'm developing custom personal training programs for the following events:

Way Too Cool 50k
American River 50 mile
Bull Run Run 50 mile
Ice Age 50 mile
Miwok 100k
Western States 100 mile
San Diego 100 mile
Silver Rush 50 mile
Hardrock 100 mile
Leadville 100 mile
Leadman Series
Bear 100 mile
Dick Collins Firetrails 50 mile
Quad Dipsea
North Face 50 miler
Golden Gate Dirty Thirty
Collegiate Peaks 50 mile
Antelope Island events
Mountain Bike endurance events too
(if you have a goal event not listed and want a custom training program, contact me)

Sample plan - Clear, easy to read.  Effective.

3rd place overall at San Diego 100 mile.  Could be you!

Though the programs aren't personal coaching with unlimited contact, they're training schedules tailored specifically to each individual based on experience, ability, available time, goals, and the athlete's location.

We'll start with a detailed questionnaire and a couple phone conversations, then I'll put the schedule together leading right up to your goal event start time, including the taper and race strategy and plan.  You'll know what to do every day to prepare you for the race.

I've run all but two of these and know all of them intimately, the aid stations, terrain, elevation, organization, typical weather conditions, common pitfalls, etc.  If you want to finish your big event and even run it well, then an experienced plan that is followed is the key to success.

Pricing varies based on the event and it's reasonable (like less than $1.70 a day, for a custom daily plan!).  You drop a lot of money on events with entry fees, travel, accommodations, gear, and, of course, personal time invested.  Why not give yourself the best possible chance of accomplishing your goal?

Contact me at tim[at]footfeathers.com or via Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Footfeathers

Jogging it in to the finish in 2012 with one of my athletes, James Ha, in his first marathon and longest run to that date ever.  He went on to complete the North Face 50k seven weeks later!

Woe Is Me

Three months of solid training is vortexing down the drain.  I broke some ribs last weekend (and messed up my thumb royally) at the Temecula race.  In lap 3 at 22 miles my front tire started to wash out in some sand, I tried to correct it and the wheel crabbed under, driving me straight to the ground where I sort of landed on my handle bars with my ribs and rammed my hand into the ground bending my thumb completely backwards.

Of course, being the idiot that I am, I got up and road another 6 hours and finished with 81 miles in 9 laps, barely holding the bars with my left hand and screaming in agony from my jumbled ribs bouncing around on the descents and technical sections.  My buddy, Tan, drove us clear back all night to the Bay Area and I had to pack and move back to CO the next day.  Been a fun f-kng few days.

I can ride but it hurts to breathe, which I'm doing a lot of (more like gasping) with my bed situated at 8,600 ft elevation.  Mentally, I'm out of it and about ready to give up the season.  I keep telling myself what I tell all my athletes I coach who get an injury or sickness, It's not the end of the world, or season, for that matter.  Ride it out and ease back into it and everything will fall into place quickly enough.  Tough to handle when I'm the one actually having to listen to myself.  All I know is that broken ribs are the worse broken bones I've ever had and I've had a lot.  Pity party ended but I'm still eating the cake and drinking the leftover beer.

Here's a video I took from the pre race lap ride the day before.  Enchanting.  Best viewed at youtube in HD setting.

1st Race of 2013... On Wheels.

I speak in massive superlatives.  Sunday was the best hill clinic EVER!  Well, it was the largest, at least, with 41 participants.  I'll need to start getting permits if the clinics grow any more.  We had a great time in the Headlands learning the finer points of climbing and descending and making friends with gravity.  Thank you to all the participants.  I personally had a super time meeting and talking with all of you.

Everything is crashing in this week.  Tomorrow at 6am I head down with Tanford to San Diego for the 12 Hours of Temecula MTB race.  And the minute I get back I have to load my car and move back to Colorado for a bit (found a sweet little cabin at 8,600 feet elevation to live and train until Leadman - Rocky III style). My training on the bike has been solid for 12 weeks now and, so, there are no excuses.  Top goal is 120 miles.  "General" goal is at least 100 miles.  Base goal is not breaking my neck and just riding consistently all day.  I got out today and nailed a 2 min PR on a 16 mile course with 2,700 feet of climb and felt like I wanted to go another couple hours, so I'm at least in the right frame of mind for a 12 hour trail ride.

I'm mostly interested to see the difference between riding these endurance races now (after running so many ultra races - some lasting WAY over 24 hours) compared to when I last raced a mt bike seven years ago.  Mostly, I see the advantage of understanding dead time (like aid stations, sitting around between laps, etc.).  To mitigate this, I'm planning on doing two laps at a time, minimum, without stoping for food, etc. Each lap is nearly 10 miles and probably 50-60 mins for me, so it shouldn't be difficult to carry 600 calories and enough water for two laps at a time.

As fascinating as all this is, I mostly just want to set myself up for a badass shot at Leadman and this is the first major test.

Have a great rest of your week.  Run (and bike) strong!

Footfeathers and The Edurables Partnership

I'm very proud to announce the partnership of Footfeathers Coaching with Jim Vernon and The Endurables to bring individually customized training programs to the Bay Area.  The merger enables us to offer programs that are tailored to each individual while providing organized group runs with unique and training-specific courses on some of the most beautiful trails the Bay Area has to offer.

We are offering a special introductory program price for the Miwok 100k.  For just $295 (that's a $100 savings off the regular price!!!), you'll receive a detailed questionnaire with follow up phone conversations, then we'll write the personalized schedule leading right up to your goal event start time, including the taper.  You'll know what to do every day to prepare you for the race.  The schedule will be based on your family schedule, work, ability, training availability, and goals.

This isn't your average generic 16 week program that never seems to fit your schedule or needs; this is a program handwritten to match your needs and prepare you completely for your event.  Each week you'll also have an organized group long run with the famous Jim Vernon custom maps provided, a weekly running tip to focus on, and a group leader whom you may utilize to clarify your training workouts and assess your progress.

These races are important.  You invest a lot of money, time, and physical effort in them.  Why not give yourself the best tools available to reach your goals and meet a bunch of new trail running friends in the process?

All the information is at:  http://theendurables.com/miwok-100-training/

We look forward to working with you and seeing your progress!

Fun at the Running Clinic and Lay Down Some Base

"Ok, class, please turn to page 342 and we'll continue with the Fundamental Phase."

Photographer Margaret and me (I look stoned - and the shirt probably doesn't help the look)

Yesterday, Footfeathers Industries (O. M. GAWD) facilitated another sell-out running clinic.  Thanks to the Sports Basement's generosity and hospitality in providing the great accommodations for the Training for Ultra Distance Racing clinic (I thought about naming it the Training for Ultra Racing Distances but that would spell T.U.RD.).  The 90 minute clinic creeped up to nearly 3 HOURS with the Q and A and socializing afterwards.  We covered a lot of information, ate some good treats (thanks in part to Margaret and Claude for the fresh focaccia), and gave out a good amount of running gear.  Photos at the bottom of this post, thanks to Margaret Gagnon.

Next Sunday, January 13 is the popular Hill Running Clinic and will be the last one here in the Bay Area for a while, so don't miss it.  I've already reached my self imposed capacity of participants but will probably let a few more register if they're nice to me.

Leadman training:  Base work on the bike is done.  10 weeks of building my mt. biking base and ready to get in some real work.  I broke three PRs on various courses this week while holding back at relatively easy perceived efforts (that's my sign that I'm done with base work).  15,000 ft of climb on the bike this week.  A lot?  Not really.  But, for the Bay Area, it means that every ride is a "summit" ride with several trips to my go to summit of Mt. Tam and one to the top of Mt. Diablo, which tops out at 3,849 ft; dismissive at first glance, yet when you start at 120 ft, the climb holds its own with many in Colorado.  Numbers, numbers, numbers.  None of it really matters unless the results give it meaning.

Mt Diablo

Mt Tam

Now the fun begins.  In 17 days I'll be heading back to Colorado and living at 8,600 ft and easing into training at high altitude with real work ahead.  I've already dropped the few pounds I wanted to trim two months ago without really thinking about it.

The 12 hours of Temecula MTB race is in two weeks.  It'll be great to get down to some warmer weather and hang out with Tanford and Matt.  Hopefully, he won't get me too drunk the night before the race.

Riveted to every word. 

Making stuff up as I go along.

"Smash your face with a roofing hammer to simulate mile 80 of a 100 miler."

You'd have to be there to understand.

Trouble makers in the back row.

Christopher, Jessi, and Josslyn are like, "Who's the homeless guy with us?"

Hecklers.

Gratuitous laughter.

My buddies, James, Emily, Claude, and Margaret.

"There's the door if you want to escape this boredom."

Thanks for bringing that witchcraft crap, Ken.