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View Full Version : 31 mile trail ultra & Ascends!



tjennings
09-15-2006, 07:20 PM
What do these have in common you ask? Well, last Saturday I ran a 31 mile trail race in hilly Punxsutawney PA (and got my photo with movie star / celebrity groundhog Phil)... but on Sunday I was so sore I could barely navigate so I just fired up the home theater and watched movies & listened to hi-rez mc music Sunday and Monday night after work! :p

Here I am with Phil, my wife, and John Griffiths (part of Phil's entourage). :D

http://carolynjennings.com/family-Tom-2006Sep8-Punxy50K-TomAndRitaWithPhil.htm

curtis
09-15-2006, 07:25 PM
That is great Tom....congratulations!

bikeman
09-16-2006, 03:33 AM
If I had run a 31 mile hilly trail race, I'd be immobile till....December? Definitely, congratulations. It's great having a wife that tolerates this type of insanity, yes?

David

tjennings
09-16-2006, 04:37 AM
Thanks guys! My 340's were better than getting a massage afterwards! :D

I kept telling my wife how much fun these races are and how nice ultra runners are... she came along to this one and had a GREAT time, I think she was pleasantly surprised! She got to know some of the other wives and had a lot of fun. But yes, she probably figures running and home theater are two vices that are 'better' than most! ;)

JohnnyCasaba
09-16-2006, 08:14 AM
Congrats Tom! Take out that race, and our weekends were really similar, lol. Is it me, or does Phil look really PO'd.

tjennings
09-16-2006, 10:39 AM
You're right, he DOES look a bit grouchy in that photo! Maybe all of the camera flashes were bugging him, but you'd think he would be used to that on the Hollywood red carpet, movie premieres, etc. :)

Jonnyozero3
09-21-2006, 02:53 PM
Tom - that's awesome. Congratulations, nice to see runners around here. I was going to run Chicago (i know...just 26.2) next month, but as my running buddy got injured, I'm going to wait so we can do our first full together (he's one of my best friends). And yeah, my CBM-170s will keep me company until then :)

tjennings
09-24-2006, 07:10 PM
Thanks Jon - and awesome on being ready for the marathon - I'm sure your buddy appreciates you waiting to run one with him. That Chicago one is huge - 40,000 runners. Which upcoming one are you targeting now, or are plans on hold until he heals?

I ran another 50K trail ultra yesterday in Youngstown OH, but it didn't go very well... developed severe stomach / gas cramps about 3 hours into it that made it VERY painful to run (might have been the Ensure I had at the 2:15 mark at an aid station). So instead of my 7 hour target, it took me 7.5 hours. Despite the pain, it was a great time - the course was just spectacular looking with waterfalls and neat wooden walkways built under huge rock overhangs. I might drive the 90 minutes back there for some fall foliage training runs it was so incredible looking.

Jonnyozero3
09-24-2006, 08:47 PM
Well, "ready"...heh. A few months out we were already figuring out that he wasn't going to be able to do it, so I started to get a little unmotivated. My longest run was only 15mi. I could have pulled it off if I knew I was going to Chicago, but I slowed down since there wasn't a hurry anymore. We don't have a target race now, so I'll just sit tight until he gets his leg issues ironed out.

I have to say, I am getting addicted to this running thing - I don't sleep well if I have a light week and don't run. :p My favorite run was when I went for a 8 miler on a new route, but felt great at my turnaround and kept going - had gone 13.36 when I got back to my truck...at 10pm in the pitch black night. Best run I've ever had. Especially since it was the first time I had ever broken 13.1.

Another 50k? Can I borrow your knees? heh. Mine have a long way to go before they can do that...repetitively. Sorry to hear about the Ensure problems...yeck. And about the foliage - I'm definitely looking forward to some of those fall runs, as you say.

Okay I'm blabbering. Bed time!

tjennings
09-25-2006, 08:40 PM
Thats a nice thing about trail running I like over road running... easier on the knees / joints. Although most of the trail races have at least SOME road racing to them, it is usually a relatively small % of the total. Being mindful of each footfall also really keeps you on your toes so it isn't as boring as road running can be.

But it also has its cons... you can twist an ankle easier, and as fatigue sets in on these ultras, some people stumble and fall which results in some cuts and scrapes. And believe me, some of these trails are along some precarious edges and it would be quite dangerous to fall near them. Some are actually along mountain streams with their slippery rocks and footing. If you look at my 'pics' under myspace.com/erie_tom you'll see I have bike gloves with the padded leather palms on just in case I should fall, and I wear knee high soccer socks to protect the shins from briars, branches, and falls. Luckily I haven't taken too bad of a tumble so far, just once when I slipped going down a very steep hill. But the element of risk / danger is an extra thrill to trail running!

Ok, I'm done blabbering this time! :p

bikeman
09-30-2006, 10:20 AM
OK, Tom. Time to give up the day job and take that training to another level. We're with you. In spirit. :p

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=2608283

David
Who stacked 8 cord of wood this morning and will be eating Ibprophen and drinking IPA the rest of the afternoon to recover.

tjennings
10-01-2006, 06:27 AM
Thats a LOT of wood, David! I think anyone would be sore after that workout! Take the opportunity to listen to your Ascends while recovering like I do! :D

I don't know if my respiratory / cardio system is that strong to ever get that fast as the people in that story! Maybe if I hit the lottery I'll hire a running coach and give it a try - AND get more 340SE's!! ;)
-- Tom --

tjennings
11-26-2006, 08:52 PM
Ok, I took the plunge and signed up for the Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run last week, as soon as registration opened up! NO TURNING BACK NOW! I now have 6.5 months to turn my body into a piece of steel. And that still might not be enough.

bikeman
11-27-2006, 03:44 AM
Ok, I took the plunge and signed up for the Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run last week, as soon as registration opened up! NO TURNING BACK NOW! I now have 6.5 months to turn my body into a piece of steel. And that still might not be enough.
Does insanity run in the family or are you the first? I'm no slouch in the endurance dept. but they'd find my body out on the Mohican Trail for sure if I attempted this one. Post an update once in awhile on how the training is going.

David

curtis
11-27-2006, 07:03 PM
One of my co-workers does these ultra-marathon things.....he is pretty crazy too!

What kind of training routine will you have for the next 6 months?

Jonnyozero3
11-28-2006, 12:22 PM
Holy crap. You have no idea how lazy you just made me feel because I essentially took off the past month from running.

Definitely post some more details on your training and imminent muscular destruction. :p

sensibull
11-28-2006, 01:14 PM
Holy crap. You have no idea how lazy you just made me feel because I essentially took off the past month from running.

Don't feel so bad. I stopped running ten years ago. :)

tjennings
11-28-2006, 09:55 PM
Ok, I'll keep you updated every now and then on how the training is going. I joined my company's wonderful new fitness center this past Monday so I'm taking spin classes (ugh - TOUGH!), ab classes, etc. Need to be in the best shape of my life to even have a prayer of completing it... especially since it is mid-June and hot and humid normally... and I sweat profusely. Heat acclimation training will begin in earnest around February or March... I'll be wearing many layers of clothes on my runs, and cranking up the heater in my basement family room and doing Nordic Track x-country ski machine and hopping on my bike trainer (I don't own a treadmill).