$2,000 bikes my ass.....

             I am in the market to buy a new bike for myself for my upcoming birthday. Seems simple enough, right? NOPE! Unlike running gear, buying a bike is like entering a never-ending maze of shit and more shit! Perhaps I have never tuned-in to bikes and their relative cost at all but when did generally GOOD bikes become worth in the thousands and crappy bikes worth about $400-$500. What happened?! Excuse the language but that is such bullshit. I frequented several forums to get an idea of a good, reliable bike and all I see everywhere is this saying, "You get what you pay for". That is doublespeak alert for people who don't think and just follow along what everyone tells them. Come on! I can buy a solid used car for 2-3 thousand dollars, and although I am not a bike athlete I still want a solid bike. But what I get more and more from these forums is that IF you want a generally good bike you need to pay in the thousands. No wonder running is my sport. I can't afford to be a bicyclist anyway. 
             I will continue to chip away online and get some more reliable information to make my selection but the mounting frustration is no fun to deal with, plus, I am starting to not like bicycle people that much anymore. They come into each forum with so much jargon and snootiness.....and again, they so fully believe THE ONLY way to get a good ride is to hand over thousands of dollars. That will sadly not be me. I will find a way to get a good bike, but I be dishing out any more than $500. Whether one has that kind of money to burn or not, it is still absurd to think a typical working class American is going to afford to dish out $1000+ per family member, if so, than no wonder we have such a credit issue. 
                 Getting ready to go for a 6 mile trail run. Will try to get bikes and these dumb forums out of my head. 

MTB Project -Trail Maps Online

I was at the local bike shop and the man who worked there told me about this site.....MTBproject.com....he was almost giddy telling me about it, claiming it would change my life! no kidding! I am so in love with this free site. It even comes with an app so that it can be accesses while on the trails (see bottom left app). 

While on the app you can see all local trails near you and see yourself on the map. Plus prior users have all uploaded tons of photos and reviews about each trail, also accessible on the app. 

Here is the local trail. The one I ran with Nora yesterday. I ran, she biked. 

Tips to running your first 50K- All there is to know

Click on each info, and you will be directed to the source link:
* Think quality over quantity
* Experienced runners alternate between slow long runs and short runs focused on speed. 
* Take breaks when you need it. "Don't be a slave to the schedule". 
* Take tapering seriously 
* If you can afford it get a coach 
* Race by feel not pace. Because you are running on varied terrain, work more on maintaining an "even perceived effort, also avoid "spiking your heart rate"
* Eat early and often. Forcing gel down your throat may not be fun, but there are huge benefits to getting the right food. 
* Keep it simple....when prepping a drop bag, no need to pack the universe.
* crucial that you've run a marathon or two before taking on a 50K (I did not follow this advice by the way. I ran a 50K before my first marathon)
* schedule a tempo-like run after your long runs. 
* Incorporate running hills and doing hill repeats into your routine 
* A trail 50K may take several hours longer than your marathon 
* Pace varies depending on terrain of each section 
* Be smart walk up hills and run the downs and the flats 
* Find something that works for you to prevent chafing 
* Fueling takes practice, make sure you work on this during your long runs. 
* In an ultra, most people don't run the whole time. 
* Give yourself at least 3 months to train....at least
* sign up soon, that will be a huge motivator on its own 
* Practice running efficiently with as little wasted energy as possible 
* Get lots of sleep 2 night before your ultra
* Start the race slowly....slower than a marathon even
* If passed, let them pass
* Have a mantra 
* remember this quote from Lance Armstrong: "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
* Eat about 100 calories per hour
* Know the course and the terrain - do your research 
* Occasionally train with partners who are a tad faster
* Maintain weekly tempo sessions for speed
* some training schedules vary between hard/easy weeks to offset the affect of maybe ramping up the miles to fast
* soon you will notice you are stronger and recover faster
* the mid-week, semi-long run can be dropped if weeks are too tough.....better to remain uninjured

* Find a training plan and stick to it

* Join an ultra group to make long runs easier to finish. 

* 100 calories an hour on runs 2.5 hours. 200 calories for runs lasting 3+ hours. 

* If you can tun a marathon, then you can do a 50K

Online resources for 50K race training schedule

                            I have been considering doing this 50K that is taking place in Virginia in August. Below are the list of resources I have been looking at to see if this is even possible. I am still on the fence about it and will be deciding in the next few weeks. Right now I am just trying to focus on the half-marathon run I have coming up this Sunday and trying to stay calm. Bring a mom, there are a lot more factors that go into the planning of any race, such as who will have the car, how will my son get to his baseball game without the car? who will watch my youngest? getting the kids ready for me not to be there that morning, etc. I am very excited about the race, yet, until I pass the first mile I will not be totally relaxed. Once the run begins I will be fine and will be able to relax into a rhythm....

                            Below are the links I have been looking at....will come back later and give an update on which ones were most helpful. So far, I am just getting informed about the framework of a training for a 50K and how it might differ from a marathon, there are some very significant differences which I will share later. If you have done a 50K, I would love your feedback on which sites helped you most. Thanks!!! Have a great week. 


1. * http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50k.asp (I prefer this one), contact ultraladies@yahoo.com for more info.
2. * http://running.competitor.com/files/2012/11/46_nat_r1.pdf
3. http://running.competitor.com/2012/11/training/going-longer-how-to-train-for-your-first-50k_61887
4. http://www.nttr.org/html/training_guidelines.htm
5. http://www.scrunners.org/ultrasch.php
6. http://www.marathon-training-program.com/ultra-marathon-training.html
7. http://www.ultrunr.com

Running on the Sun (a running movie)

                     

                          So what is your favorite running movie? I have not watched enough of them to yet feel I have a 'favorite'. I have watched My Run, The Spirit of the Marathon, The Terry Fox story and last night I watched Running on the Sun about ultra-runners running a famous 135 mile race in the desert . Above is the link to the movie on Youtube....Warning, it comes in 9 parts. After each part, Youtube will have a link to the next one on the top left of the screen.