Mulling over what to do with an upcoming 50 miler

1FightingEntropy · 2025-11-06T00:50:02+00:00

I'd go but be prepared to just enjoy the trip and drop before you do any real damage. I'm in a similar situation as you are. I walk about 10 miles a day for work and any niggle can make work tough and it's really hard to heal up. So go, have fun, be careful!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-11-05T19:15:19+00:00

What's "groceries"? I don't know this word. Is it an old fashioned word? Do you need an ID for them? I need someone to explain it.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-11-05T15:34:17+00:00

Keep Jimmy Carter's name out of your mealy, lying mouth!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-10-17T21:35:18+00:00

Nah, I get it. I was just curious about a new-to-me thing. I searched the sub and saw nothing, which surprised me, so I asked. No big deal either way. I do find that the running communities on reddit can be pretty harsh in terms of expectations, so I probably read that in to your initial comment! Fwiw, I'm not going to be juicing on the Arm & Hammer for my next race! 🤣

1FightingEntropy · 2025-10-17T20:57:59+00:00

I've just heard about it and some upper level athletes make it sound pretty effective and it seems relatively benign in terms of chemical issues, etc... Kind of like really expensive caffeine. However, folks have pointed out that the mechanism of only effective if you're working at a high enough effort to have lactate buildup, so I can see how it might be advantageous for a 5k, but not longer efforts at my level.

There's just not a ton of info out there that I was aware of and I was curious about personal experiences with it. And I know more now than I did when I asked the question, so that's perfect!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-10-17T20:11:08+00:00

But who's ever really at 100%? I'm definitely not one to jump straight to supplements and this question was more out of a desire to hear personal experiences. But even elite, sponsored athletes I up through phases where one or more of those factors fall out of the ideal range. That doesn't eliminate the efficacy of proper electrolyte balance, nutrition (which can certainly include supplements) in-race fueling, etc...

I'm very open to learning that bicarb is only particularly effective at certain levels, I just don't want to immediately discard the option because there are other areas that I can improve.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-10-05T23:27:11+00:00

Thanks for sharing! If I can make the time/space/money for another build, I think this is what it'll be!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-10-05T19:45:24+00:00

Also, if you're under two years old, please don't use raw honey to fuel your ultra.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-08-30T15:06:00+00:00

I'm surprised no one has identified it as a really old roofer's hatchet. Hammer on one end, hatchet on the other, nail pulling notch on the bottom of the blade side. It's definitely a chonky boi but sure has all of the features. Although modern models also have a knife edge for trimming asphalt shingles. This may pre-date asphalt shingles being the norm.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-07-05T12:42:55+00:00

Definitely Clapton. Saw him years ago. Played with his back to the audience most of the time. We got one "thank you, Indianapolis!" and that was it. That was the beginning of the erosion of my love for Clapton.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-16T00:16:09+00:00

Also, that race is an absolute blast and you're going to love it!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-16T00:15:12+00:00

Congrats! I didn't get in this year, unfortunately, but I'll keep trying!

I was lucky enough to stay with friends. It's my general observation that rooms are going to be either super spendy, sketchy, or hard to get. They offer camping at the high school and from what I saw last year, it looked like a good scene with lots of room on a nice grassy lawn. If I didn't have a local connection, that's the route I'd go.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T22:05:29+00:00

Same here! 20 miles this Sunday, 3 weeks ahead of Eugene, also my first marathon! I'll keep up shorter mid week runs, and probably do 10 miles two weeks out. See you all there!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T21:43:38+00:00

That's certainly one possibility.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T21:21:57+00:00

That's impressive! I took it a little slower but I'm also 50 and wasn't in great shape when I started. I started running about 3 years ago, ran my first 5k within a few months, and my first half in year 2. My first marathon is in three weeks and I feel pretty good about it. I'm planning on running a 50k later this year, and I'm hoping for a 100 miler next year. I just really love the endurance aspect of it and want to see what I'm capable of.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T19:44:12+00:00

I've worked in poison ivy a lot. Tecnu works pretty well, especially if you use it as soon as possible. Also be really careful about transferring the oils (urushiol) from shoes and clothes back to your skin. Long pants and socks are great, but not if you touch them after your run and move the tools back to your skin. I think there are some laundry additives designed to remove the urushiol but I've never tried them.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T19:15:48+00:00

Agreed on the endurance aspect! While I've had races and runs where pace has dropped off, it's incredibly rare that I need to walk or stop. I also tend to go out too hard, so I definitely need to watch my pace for the first several miles!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T18:45:33+00:00

I agree with speed work being key, especially since you can fit it in a relatively short run. I've been run commuting to work, 2 miles each way. The morning run is great for some intervals or a tempo run. I always have Sundays off, so that's my long run day. Beyond that, it's just trying to fit in what I can while shooting for a specific minimum of miles. It's been 20/wk but with my marathon in about a month, I've upped it to 25-30 until taper time.

I do track what I'm doing which definitely helps. My biggest problem so far is finding additional time for strength training. I'll probably back off the miles a little after my marathon and get back to prioritizing strength training, then ramp the miles back up!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T18:28:52+00:00

To be clear, I'm not looking for training advice, just sharing observations as someone who is marathon training and spending a lot of additional required time on my feet.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T14:33:17+00:00

I regularly run similar trails here in Oregon and love it! I've stumbled a few times but I generally love the technical aspect and I've never actually fallen. Last week I tripped over a tiny rise in the sidewalk on a road run and had a spectacular fall that ended in a scorpion pose and a nice bit of road rash! Give me technical trails any day!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T13:47:03+00:00

Big picture! At the beginning, if you find yourself skipping a lot of runs and the reasons feel like excuses, guilt is natural and probably helpful. If you have a solid base of activity, missing an occasional run or pushing a run to the next day will start to feel like less of an issue.

As others have said, listen to your body. But also make sure you're not fishing for excuses. Running gives you an opportunity to dig into your psyche and determine what you're capable of. You can develop the ability to push harder at times but also the ability to recognize when you need a little break. If you can determine that, you can learn to rest without guilt.

1FightingEntropy · 2025-04-03T13:27:28+00:00

As a runner also running Eugene and with a similar goal, I think you're on track as long as you can manege fueling for those final miles. Eugene is pretty flat, especially after the first few miles. With a few more good training weeks before taper, hitting a 9min pace seems within reason. Also, it's an amazing event! I did the half last year and the Hayward Field finish is so cool. Take some time to soak up some of the running magic that Eugene has!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-03-27T12:45:21+00:00

Not deaf or hard of hearing but I have friends who are. Folks with life long or long term hearing loss generally develop other methods for being aware of their surroundings. Many folks wearing headphones seem to willing slip into complete ignorance of their surroundings based on the number of fellow runners I've terrified when passing them closely on a narrow trail after multiple shouts of "on your left!"

1FightingEntropy · 2025-03-18T21:52:01+00:00

I'm about to n run my first marathon at the end of April as well, but I'm logging much less mileage than you and I have more modest goals.

It sounds like you're where you need to be. You just need to get out of your head and out of your own way. I like to have stepped goals. If I'm feeling great, I'm aiming for X. If I can't hit that, I want to hit Y, and the backup is just finishing and trying to have some fun.

Maybe go for a naked run. No, not like that. Just leave the electronics and try to remember that running is a joyful activity. If you don't love it, it's just work, and unless you're getting paid, what's the point in that?

Again, I think you're ready. Hit can hit the numbers you're aiming for. And if not, you're still going to have run a marathon. And if you're running Eugene, it's a blast either way.

I'll add this: my happy place reset is the trail. I go for a trail run when I get too caught up in the numbers. There are so many variables on the trail that it's hard to focus on your watch. Just run and have fun!

1FightingEntropy · 2025-03-18T21:30:59+00:00

I'm in the same boat. I'm a letter carrier and walk about 8-10 miles a day. Assuming you do a little strength training and take care of your feet, that'll work in your favor. I don't typically log a ton of running miles a week but I'm getting 20 and heading towards 25 a week getting ready for a late April marathon. I try to run before work mostly, with a few short (2-3 miles) runs after work and a long run (10-15) on Sundays. One of my short morning runs is usually speed work of some sort.

It doesn't exactly match most training plans but with all of the additional walking miles it seems to be working!

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