Oh – yes – I get to play on some wonderful trails every day!

Distance: 30 miles
Time: 4:56
Pace: 9:55
Elevation Gain: 3720ft
Drink: 5 bottles, 22oz each. 4x water, 1x GU Roctane Drink. 1 solid drink at water fountain = 120oz
Food: PeanutButter filled pretzels & ClifBar. Chomps, 1/2 pack, and Roctane Gel late = 700 cals (plus some in Roctane drink)
Breakfast: 4 cups of oatmeal, banana slices and strawberries. 16oz of water, 20oz of coffee
Podcasts: This Morning with Gordon Deal, The WSJ What’s News, TED Radio Hour: The Meaning of Work, radio-Wissen (German Podcast), Planet Money, HBR IdeaCast: Be a work/life Friendly Boss
AudioBook: Rise of Superman – Chapter 6 & 7

Observations: gorgeous morning in Marin. Out the door at 8:30am. New gear (shorts and pack) worked well but need to tweak some pack things. Felt great, cool temps until 10 miles in. Should have eaten more early on – and when planning 4+ hr runs, I need to pack foods that address morning and lunch interests, vs. just one type of food (Bars etc.). Felt energy lull around 16, held on to steady feeling until about 20. 20 miles seems to be the current mark of switching from running to ultra running: which means different stride, slower pace, settling in to an all day affair. Important in ultra running as well is the achiness and lower energy is where the training day actually begins. Not physically, but mentally. Stopped at 23 for a moment, bit wrecked. 3-4 min later was ready to go. Important in this sport as well? Being in no hurry. Body definitely hurt more this week from 24-30…those are the ‘new’ miles – the extension as I like to call it.

Goal of workout: gradually building miles on long run. This week minimum goal was 10% more than last week but an eye towards 50k. First 90 min is all up, so effort level and energy drain is there. While goal of 50k in May was achieved, the goal of feeling connected and controlled was not.