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Weekly Workout Recap and More Free Color Run Race Entries!

Last week I ran two different races, which was a first for me. I read about people who build up for races for eighteen weeks and while I admire their determination - I just want to run more races. It's fun. It's exciting. It beats sitting home and watching reruns, you know? Here's last week's recap:

Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: Ran 7 Miles
Wednesday: 30 Minutes of Spin, Upper Body and Abs for 40 minutes
Thursday: Ran 4 Miles (Including a 2 mile race!)
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Ran 2.5 Miles
Sunday: Ran Half Marathon in Atlanta!

Total Running Mileage = 26.6 Miles. I can totally pretend I ran a marathon now, right?

Since the half on Sunday I haven't done anything remotely physical. I'm at that stage where my calendar is completely free and clear. Sadly, the Colorado Ragnar Relay that I was signed up for changed their dates so our team couldn't make it work. So I have no races planned and I feel a little lost. I know I can just, you know, run. I get that. But I feel more motivated if I have some kind of a goal. I've given it some thought and here are the things I would love to achieve over the next year:

-Run another marathon (with adequate training). I would love to run the same one as I did last year, Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. It will sell out soon so I definitely need to make a final decision in the coming weeks.

-Get faster. There's no doubt that since last November (my first marathon) I have gotten slower. I have had a couple of minor injuries and digestive troubles but I know that's not entirely to blame. I need to get comfortable pushing myself, running hills and GOING OUTSIDE TO RUN. The treadmill is just too comfortable for me.

-Consider maybe, possibly, (I swear I'm not crazy) running an ultra. Stop shaking your head. I'm serious. Here's the thing - I'm not good at pushing myself with speed. But I love being on my feet. When I finish a long run, I enjoy walking around for a few miles afterwards. And sometimes after a while I'm even ready to start running again. I would be interested in finding some kind of ultra where I could push my limits. Also a bonus would be a lenient course cut-off because I know I won't be able to finish a 50k in 5 or 6 hours.



Since I want everyone and their mom to get to run more races - here's two more free race entries to the Color Run. This week the entries are good for the July 1st encore race in Kansas City. Here's how to win:

Leave a comment for each entry. Nothing is mandatory, but each will increase your odds of winning.
+1: Like the Color Run on Facebook
+1: Like the Gourmet Runner on Facebook
+1: Blog, Tweet or post of Facebook about this giveaway

I will pick the winners for this giveaway on March 26th and midnight and reveal the winners the following day! EDITED TO ADD: I will extend the deadline by 48 hours because there was some confusion on Facebook on entry.

What are your long-term fitness goals?
I would like to be able to run an ultra at some point. Preferably alone, as strange as that might sound. I enjoy being on my own and having the option to run/walk whenever I want to. 

Any advice for me? Feel free to include advice like "getting faster and ultra training are never going to happen at the same time" because I'm kind of afraid that's true. 
I'm definitely worried that I can only have one or the other. If that's true - I pick distance. I'm much more comfortable with longer workouts than harder workouts.

Comments

  1. Do a timed ultra on a short course! No pressure, but still counts as an ultra! I highly recommend it.

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  2. I just want to run another marathon this year! Keeping my fingers crossed for NYC! I definitely see an ultra in your future. You can totally do it!! Why don't you work on your speed and on pushing yourself first, run another marathon, see how that goes and then go from there? I would definitely run a few longer races before you jump into an ultra but I know it's totally doable for you!

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  3. Haha, but that means you should try a 50K.

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    Replies
    1. I only ran one marathon before I ran 2 50Ks. There are no marathon number requirements for it. 26.2 is a miserable distance. I'd much rather run 5 or 6 extra miles if that means I get to hang out with ultra runners in the woods all day.

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  4. Awww I'm super bummed your Ragnar plans fell through! What a big pooper.

    Right now my fitness goal is just to get healthy again and then I want to focus on getting a new 1/2 marathon PR!

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  5. My fitness goals are: run!

    You could not pay me to run an ultra, but more power to you if you do it!

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  6. goal: marathon. I think about it all the time.

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  7. Oh I wish I could make it....Kansas City would be doable for me, but I won't be around those dates - boo!

    I'm the same - it's hard for me to get/stay motivated if I don't have a race on the books. I have actually just started considering an ultra...but I'm not at the stage where I would even go public with it yet (this doesn't count!). Do you read Runner's Rambles? I just started and she's training for an ultra right now and it's coming up really soon. Reading about her training is crazy! But I think you articulated a good distinction between running a marathon and an ultra and it makes a lot of sense.

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  8. I've gotten faster just by running more miles in training for my next 50K. Speedwork isn't in my vocabulary, I run all my miles slow but can surprise myself at races (I'm still slow overall though, won't be winning anything!!).

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  9. I love running both road marathons and trail 50Ks for the reason you illustrated. And by running two separate distances, there's no pressure to compare the finishing times. :) And most trail races have very lenient time cutoffs, the hilly ones out here have a cutoff of 9 hrs.

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  10. Oh and if you train on hills for a 50K, it will make you faster. Fitness breeds speed.

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  11. I say it depends, if you want to get "faster" at doing ultras that can happen, but if you want to get faster at shorter distances it may be a little trickier... Not that it can't be done. But when I'm training for an IM it's hard to fit in the really long miles along with a lot of speedwork so usually I have to concentrate on one or the other...

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  12. i am totally with you on this. constantly training for a race has made me realize that i HATE racing. and i hate training to race. i don't want to go fast. i don't want to push myself. i just want to go. i just want to enjoy the run i'm on because it's awesome, not have each run be preparation for one big run in the distant future.

    why do i always ramble so much on your blog?

    but, yeah, the short version is: i wanna do an ultra too. slowly. why the hell not?

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  13. I thought training for an ultra and getting faster weren't going to happen at the same time either, but then I dropped over 20 minutes off my marathon PR while training for a 50 mile race, so apparently it was possible. That one time. Go for it! Being out in the woods all day without all that pressure of being fast is awesome. I really think the only thing anyone needs to be able to run an ultra is a love of running, so you're good!

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  14. Oh and I go crazy without a race on the schedule too. Those people who can "just run" are more motivated than me haha.

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  15. I love love love ultra training! I could run out in the woods all day. My speed has definitely suffered while training for the 50 miler, but I am learning to accept that and remember what my current goals are. I say go for it!

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  16. i feel like we are the exact same!!! i just get so tired of trying to get faster. i dont really love it and i dont think my body loves it...but i do love running. slowly. for a long time. its my dream to do AT LEAST a 50k. there is one this weekend that i had wanted to do...obviously im not. dumb knee. but i looked it up and there are some in MN so its ON. maybe we need to travel somewhere and do one together!?!

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  17. I do think that speed and distance are conflicting goals BUT that is my brain's response. But I do think I have enough ultra experience to chime in on that one.

    I am a bit of a, no I am completely a natural runner. In that I run because I love it. period. I run really long distances because I have been running a really long time. There is something to be said for the progression of running events in one's life. At my age I feel as though I took the opportunites to focus on growing my running through speed and distance while I was younger. Now I am nearly completely focused on going longer and challenging myself with technical courses.
    So if you think you want speed now is the time to develop that. Your body can take what speed dishes out while you are young. But if you feel that speed doesn't really entice you then progressing up through some distances could be what you are after. Think about using longer and longer races to reach your goal distance (for the year). Don't attempt to go too long too fast. That will rob you of truly experiencing what ultra running is about. Real ultra runners do not respect runners who don't embrace the ultra/trail runner mentality. I'm just being honest. They don't. I know them. They admit it. It's a culture. Something that is in nearly every ultra trail runner I have come to know. It's special. I think it's something you might really love!

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  18. I don't think you are crazy, as a 50k is a good jump to ultra, only a few more miles from the marathon - so with adequate training, you could even use your fall marathon as a (gasp) training run? I was pretty bummed about the CO Ragnar too :( as with personal stuff going on, I just can't make Seattle work!

    I need some more races now as well...hello web surfing over to active.com :)

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  19. I don't think you are crazy at all! I haven't even run my first marathon yet and I've already started looking into a 50 miler for next year because I'm kind of like you... Speed may not be my best bet (I'm certainly never going to "win" any races), but I love just running to run. My longer runs always feel easier than my shorter ones because my legs fall into a rhythm and I just go.

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  20. Long term fitness goal.... run until the day I die. I've decided that pushing myself to the breaking point isn't really fun anymore because, well, being broken all of the time really bites.

    If you do an Ultra, I will be cheering for you so loud that you can hear me all the way from UT.

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  21. I want a sub 4 marathon! Like really bad... I didn't until Sunday, but now that I know I can do it, I wish I would have this time around, ya know. I would also like to train properly for a marathon and really push myself. I feel like I always wimp out and kinda end up doing the bare minimum.

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  22. I'd like to run a marathon but really I want to be in good shape cardiovascularly and I'd like to be stronger. Weight training often gets thrown to the way side for me.

    Good for you shooting for an ultra! I'm sure you can do it!

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  23. Wow! Amazing goals. I am sure you could do it.

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  24. HEY GIRL -
    Such a fun place to be . . . what to do next? Love the freeing feeling that presents. May I suggest something super crazy? It's okay to blow me off - but . . . how about doing the HUFF 50K ultra trail race on 12/29 in Northern Indiana. here are the pros: absolutely beautiful state park that features a low tech trail, VERY CHEAP race and hotel and food - it's rural IN, but it's close to FW and only 2.5 hours from Indy so you could do fun bigger city stuff on your way home, the race was well coordinated and the participants were all very very nice! The cons: it's on 12/29 and although this winter wasn't cold, it could be kind of cold and possibly snowy.
    Just a suggestion . . .

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  25. great goals that i'm positive you'll crush!!! this color run thing sounds SO fun but none around here, i don't think...argh!!! poor texas!

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  26. I totally think you could do an Ultra.

    My long term goals? Running a half, running a 30K (my version of an ultra ;-)), and losing these last 10-15 pounds that are permanently attached to me in all kinds of nondesirable places!

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  27. Wow, an ultra! I was thinking that may be next on my radar as well, but then again, I want to try to get faster for my next marathon! So much to do, so little time! So I guess my answer is faster, rather than longer.

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  28. That'd be so cool to say you did an ultra! I just signed up for the Twin Cities marathon in MN, Oct 7 if you're looking to travel for a marathon :)

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  29. Fitness goals - I don't think I really have any although I would love to find a rowing team so I could get back in a boat once and a while an row.

    Sure, you could do an ultra marathon!

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  30. You should totally run an ultra...I like the idea of doing an ultra, just plodding along at a comfortable pace until I feel like my feet are going to fall off.

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