Wednesday, August 12, 2009

2 1/2 weeks until Cascade Crest Classic 100

I haven't really thought much about this race yet since Mt Dis was 3 weeks before it. I originally signed up for Mt Dis intending for it to be a warmup for CCC, but I've realized that 50 is a pretty optimal distance for me, so I didn't quite put in the same training I'd normally do for a 100 and focused on being fast for a hard trail 50. That being said, I think I avoided becoming overtrained this time, so I'm probably going to be in far better shape to run a fast trail 100 miler than I was in my previous 3 100s. So yeah, I'm intending to keep it that way and not get over-trained in the last couple weeks.

I'm planning on a big day on Sunday, probably summitting both Mt Olympus, which boasts a super steep 4000' climb up to 9026', and Mt Nebo, the highest peak in the range, at 11928' with a 3800' climb. The 2 mountains are fairly separated, so I'll run one, drive to the other, and then run that one. Like my other really long climb runs, the goal will just be to run the whole thing without stopping regardless of pace. Oh, and since I've found that hitting the 185-190 heart rate range climbing up a mountain is rather painful, I'll try to keep my heart rate from hitting higher than 185 :).

I'm also finally getting my trailwork done on Saturday by helping out with the Wasatch Front 100 trails for 8 hours... That ought to be a long day. haha...

After this weekend, I'll probably use a strategy similar to what I did before Mt Dis: lots of super hilly runs that tax me but aren't longer than 10 miles and then a good taper for a week or so with almost no running.

3 comments:

  1. Collin, good luck on your 100 coming up.

    I noticed that you did the Stone Cat 50 miler last year. What did you think of it? Rocky? I've heard it's pretty flat.

    And most importantly, does it actually finish at a brewery? I see conflicting/incomplete info on this. I'll probably bring some beer in a cooler just to be sure...And I guess an email to the Race Director couldn't hurt.

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  2. Good luck! I heard Cascade Crest is a great 100! Im sure you will kick butt!

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  3. Hey Turtlehead, sorry about the slow response, didn't see the post there until now. Yeah, I did Stone Cat. It's not particularly hilly, but it's not really a fast course. There are a lot of rocks and roots and it's pretty twisty-turny and when I did it, the course was pretty flooded in a few spots, so you might think that you're going fast and then you look at your watch and find that your pace is a lot slower than you think. I personally ran a solid first 3 laps last year, but basically blew up in the 4th lap, puking and everything, so I went from pacing for a 7:50 3/4 of the way through to an 8:42 when all was said and done. It doesn't finish at a brewery, but they had a couple kegs out in the woods just off the school property where it started and finished. I wouldn't recommend bringing your own beer just cause it starts and finishes on school grounds and you could get in trouble for that... Anyway, I'm probably going to run it again at some point; it's a pretty fun race.

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