My Javelina Jundred training ended on a really good note. Before
I forget, let me just say that the Coury brothers (who operate Aravaipa
Running, which owns and puts on Javelina) seem to have this race dialed. The pre-race
communications have been stellar. I’m really excited about the whole experience,
though, as with any 100, I’m dealing with pre-race jitters.
Before the three-week taper kicked in, I had a couple of back-to-back
85-mile weeks and finished fourth overall at the Xterra Trail Marathon at
Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs without really expending too
much effort. Granted, Xterra was a small race with a tiny field but I’ll take
fourth any day of the week—especially when the three runners ahead of me were
all 30 or younger. It was a hot day and all that was available on the course,
which had over 3,400 feet of climbing, was sports drink and water. It was
nonetheless great training, and I finished the race with plenty in the tank.
Except for sore shins from the rocky trail, I woke up the next day feeling 100%.
Going into Javelina, I’m feeling good except for a slightly
tweaked back that I’m hoping will get to 100% within the next few days. Not sure
what I did to tweak it—it’s not bad, just more aggravating than anything. That said,
I have no reason to feel anything but optimistic about Javelina. I'm very aerobically fit; the vast majority of my training has been aerobic. Yesterday
(Sunday), just for fun, I went all out on a .75-mile trail loop with a few
small hills near my house and the speedometer hit about 4:50 pace for a short
time (I did the loop in 5:30something pace). So, the wheels are moving well. Of
course, I won’t be running Javelina at 5:30 pace. It'll all be aerobic. Goals are:
1) Finish – always the penultimate goal in a 100; nothing is more important, especially when qualification for the 2016 Western States 100 is on the line
2) Sub 20 hours
3) Every man/woman for himself/herself
1) Finish – always the penultimate goal in a 100; nothing is more important, especially when qualification for the 2016 Western States 100 is on the line
2) Sub 20 hours
3) Every man/woman for himself/herself
I’m really glad I took up weight training after my failure
at Bighorn. I
feel better and I’ve noticed that my speed has improved. It occurred to me that
after a 100 when I’m always sore from head to toe, it’s because running for
that long requires energy from just about every muscle in the body. Around age
40, you start to lose muscle—that’s when resistance training becomes really
important. So whether it’s a full-body workout in the gym, core work, or
pushups, I’m hitting the resistance training on a consistent basis and it’s
paying off in how I feel (my wife has also been at it with resistance training
and she swears by its effects, too). I think it’ll all pay off at Javelina, but
who really knows?
I think with Javelina, like with Leadville, there’s more
than meets the eye. Although the two courses are very different, both of them
bring potentially crushing elements that don’t show up on paper or in course
profiles. With Javelina, you have heat and a course that people see as “flat,”
which then goads them into going out too fast. Over the weekend, I saw this post on the Javelina Facebook page and I think the author really nailed it. In
a nutshell: Go out at a conservative pace, respect the distance from the get-go, and stay hydrated and cool, especially during the heat of the day.
One of the things I like most about Javelina is its
simplicity. You run a bunch of loops and there are two areas where you can have “don’t-drop”
bags. While there is a notable change in the temperature after sunset, it’s not
so dramatic that you have to pack a ton of stuff to stay warm (like at Leadville). Basically, it
comes down to a change of shoes, a few pairs of extra socks, some layers, some
simple first-aid supplies, and a few headlamps. Based on what I’ve read in
pre-race communications, it sounds like the race will have a ton of great stuff
on the course.
On a related note, I really think ultrarunning is more than
ripe for a strong voice coming at the "sport's" challenges from an objective (as possible) standpoint. With demand far outstripping supply in terms of number of
racers and number of slots in the more notable events, we continue to operate
within an old and broken system. It seems life now revolves around lotteries. Who out there is talking about real solutions with independence from advertisers
and others with financial interests who could influence what's said/not said? It seems many of the sites covering
ultrarunning are doing so from a “fan boy/fan girl” perspective (Have I been I a fanboy? Yes. But I might be becoming more objective...). Where’s the
objective analysis and where are the disruptive ideas? I remember a few years ago a
website popped up and it had some “controversial” content that got
everyone in a tizzy. I didn’t agree with some of what the writers said (I remember a post about Geoff Roes that crossed some lines) but I think
now is the time for a site that could be constructive, impartial, idea-driven and analytical (without crossing any lines). I say that with
some measure of hypocrisy because I’m a fan, too. :-)