So pysched you're getting to run this again after all that happened and rooting for you to have a great race. This sounds like a healthy balance of running the race with a good purpose and headspace along with some goals to challenge yourself. I'm trying to focus on a similar things for a longer distance for me (22 miles) and just enjoy the race for the reasons I love being out on the trail.
On the challenging part, it seems like you know and train for this course well but how do you go about setting pace/time goals for the unknowns of a trail race? My 15+ mile long runs in training have been quite a little from the race I'll be running. Since I love getting adventurous for my runs, these long ones have tended to have some steep climbs and in the range of 3-5k elevation range and 16-18 miles. The race will be gentler by my standards and only have 2300 elevation over 22, so I'm trying to zero in on some kind of stretch goal to have in my head. I don't want to focus too much on holding one pace, but it's good to have something to strive for especially in those final downhill miles if I want to push. Would love to hear your thoughts and good luck!
That's awesome John. Pace is always relative on a trail. You kind of just have to flow with it, and it helps to have experience doing certain routes so you can give yourself a rough baseline. That was you know if a 14-minute mile is slow, fast or just right.
I haven't done a lot of really rugged techy runs the last few years because my races have been on more runnable terrain. You run the race you train for, so if you're looking at less climb and gentler terrain you probably want to make sure you get in some runs with a higher leg turnover and cadence on flatter trail. Hope that helps.
Yeah that helps a ton. Most of my runs are on less technical gravel trails so I’ve done some 2 hr runs that are all runnable, but since I’m lucky to be near breathtakingly beautiful mountains I have a hard time passing up those adventures when I’m working in a weekend long run. That training has definitely gotten me in the right shape for the race, but you’re definitely right that it’s not the same 3-4 hours of true running. On another note I gotta say that your advice and resources for running uphill and power hiking have been essential and helped me conquer some trails I never thought I could “run”. Thanks as always!
Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023Liked by Paul Flannery
Paul, this is exactly what I both want and need to read right now. One, isn't it truly ever about finding our joy? It can be joy masked as miles or as times or as place...at the end of the day all of those things are our joy as runners. And two, you're an inspiring dude. For real.
I'm so psyched that you're getting to run this race this year with such a different mindset. I've run the LA Marathon 9 times and every single time my goal was different. Honor my dad, make my people proud, prove I can still do this, beat my previous PR, whatever they were, the goals were all the same...find that happiness I know is in me. I hope that you find the ultimate this Sunday! I mean, we all know you're a veteran of this one and well prepared. So get after it..."it" being that infectious, face hurting, pride in your heart, no limits to what you can do joy.
This feels like the perfect situation for you to be in a "primary goal is to have fun" type of mindset. You've run the race before, your training for much of the year was for the bigger race, and you seem to be in a really good head space. That's a pretty great situation to be in and I'm happy for you!
I don't know if I found joy today, but something clicked in my run and everything just felt right. I'm at the 20-mile long run in my marathon training. It was planned for tomorrow, but with the tropical storm remnants hitting DC tomorrow, it's gonna be raining all day. Yesterday morning, I called an audible and moved my Friday and Saturday runs to Thursday and Friday.
The weather was gorgeous and this might have been my most disciplined run to date. I felt better coming out of this run than I did coming out of my 17- and 18-mile runs from previous weeks. I tried to slow down a little bit out of the gate and I think it helped me stay a little more steady across the run. And that built some confidence that coupled with gorgeous weather made it a great day. I'm always hoping to have a decent time, but I never really paid attention to my pace on my Garmin, instead just running by feel. I really enjoyed it.
I’m still trying to find my running legs again. This year has been one of the hardest of my life. We moved back to East Tennessee where we are from (up from Orlando, where we were happy) so that we can be closer to parents, have the kids near their grandparents, etc. It was the right choice but it’s been hard, leaving a place we loved.
We have become guardians for a little girl (my daughter’s best friend) who lost both her parents, and that’s been incredible but also stressful. Again-- right choice and I’d make it 10 times out do 10, but it’s tough.
Through all of this, I’ve stopped running, put in weight, and sort of feel like I lost this huge part of my identity. In 2020 just before Covid I was working on a BQ time. Now I’m huffing through 12 minute miles.
When you identify so strongly with something (running) and you don’t have it or aren’t good at it, it feels demoralizing.
I’ve been trying hard to focus more on running for the fun of it. The fitness and pace and all will come with time. But it’s hard.
I’ve gotten some inspiration from your posts because maybe some light trail running would add to the joy? Fall in East Tennessee is an incredible time to be outside. I love pounding the pavement, but maybe some new sights and scenes would spark that fire again.
Either way, I know sometimes you doubt yourself both in course and on here. On the course, you’re a great runner who has inspired me and lots more. And on here, I hope you know your writing is motivational, thoughtful, and provokes me to consider my own situation. You make a difference and I’m grateful for you. Please keep it up!
I live in a city and enjoy the sights and sounds, but having been through East Tennessee, that is some gorgeous country. Feels like a perfect place for any kind of trail running.
So pysched you're getting to run this again after all that happened and rooting for you to have a great race. This sounds like a healthy balance of running the race with a good purpose and headspace along with some goals to challenge yourself. I'm trying to focus on a similar things for a longer distance for me (22 miles) and just enjoy the race for the reasons I love being out on the trail.
On the challenging part, it seems like you know and train for this course well but how do you go about setting pace/time goals for the unknowns of a trail race? My 15+ mile long runs in training have been quite a little from the race I'll be running. Since I love getting adventurous for my runs, these long ones have tended to have some steep climbs and in the range of 3-5k elevation range and 16-18 miles. The race will be gentler by my standards and only have 2300 elevation over 22, so I'm trying to zero in on some kind of stretch goal to have in my head. I don't want to focus too much on holding one pace, but it's good to have something to strive for especially in those final downhill miles if I want to push. Would love to hear your thoughts and good luck!
That's awesome John. Pace is always relative on a trail. You kind of just have to flow with it, and it helps to have experience doing certain routes so you can give yourself a rough baseline. That was you know if a 14-minute mile is slow, fast or just right.
I haven't done a lot of really rugged techy runs the last few years because my races have been on more runnable terrain. You run the race you train for, so if you're looking at less climb and gentler terrain you probably want to make sure you get in some runs with a higher leg turnover and cadence on flatter trail. Hope that helps.
Yeah that helps a ton. Most of my runs are on less technical gravel trails so I’ve done some 2 hr runs that are all runnable, but since I’m lucky to be near breathtakingly beautiful mountains I have a hard time passing up those adventures when I’m working in a weekend long run. That training has definitely gotten me in the right shape for the race, but you’re definitely right that it’s not the same 3-4 hours of true running. On another note I gotta say that your advice and resources for running uphill and power hiking have been essential and helped me conquer some trails I never thought I could “run”. Thanks as always!
Paul, this is exactly what I both want and need to read right now. One, isn't it truly ever about finding our joy? It can be joy masked as miles or as times or as place...at the end of the day all of those things are our joy as runners. And two, you're an inspiring dude. For real.
I'm so psyched that you're getting to run this race this year with such a different mindset. I've run the LA Marathon 9 times and every single time my goal was different. Honor my dad, make my people proud, prove I can still do this, beat my previous PR, whatever they were, the goals were all the same...find that happiness I know is in me. I hope that you find the ultimate this Sunday! I mean, we all know you're a veteran of this one and well prepared. So get after it..."it" being that infectious, face hurting, pride in your heart, no limits to what you can do joy.
Thanks, Tracey
This feels like the perfect situation for you to be in a "primary goal is to have fun" type of mindset. You've run the race before, your training for much of the year was for the bigger race, and you seem to be in a really good head space. That's a pretty great situation to be in and I'm happy for you!
Thanks, David. I'm at peace with whatever happens.
You enjoy the run. We will enjoy reading about it. Seems like a beautiful time to be doing this.
Thanks, Don. Should be a great day.
I don't know if I found joy today, but something clicked in my run and everything just felt right. I'm at the 20-mile long run in my marathon training. It was planned for tomorrow, but with the tropical storm remnants hitting DC tomorrow, it's gonna be raining all day. Yesterday morning, I called an audible and moved my Friday and Saturday runs to Thursday and Friday.
The weather was gorgeous and this might have been my most disciplined run to date. I felt better coming out of this run than I did coming out of my 17- and 18-mile runs from previous weeks. I tried to slow down a little bit out of the gate and I think it helped me stay a little more steady across the run. And that built some confidence that coupled with gorgeous weather made it a great day. I'm always hoping to have a decent time, but I never really paid attention to my pace on my Garmin, instead just running by feel. I really enjoyed it.
Love this, Paul.
I’m still trying to find my running legs again. This year has been one of the hardest of my life. We moved back to East Tennessee where we are from (up from Orlando, where we were happy) so that we can be closer to parents, have the kids near their grandparents, etc. It was the right choice but it’s been hard, leaving a place we loved.
We have become guardians for a little girl (my daughter’s best friend) who lost both her parents, and that’s been incredible but also stressful. Again-- right choice and I’d make it 10 times out do 10, but it’s tough.
Through all of this, I’ve stopped running, put in weight, and sort of feel like I lost this huge part of my identity. In 2020 just before Covid I was working on a BQ time. Now I’m huffing through 12 minute miles.
When you identify so strongly with something (running) and you don’t have it or aren’t good at it, it feels demoralizing.
I’ve been trying hard to focus more on running for the fun of it. The fitness and pace and all will come with time. But it’s hard.
I’ve gotten some inspiration from your posts because maybe some light trail running would add to the joy? Fall in East Tennessee is an incredible time to be outside. I love pounding the pavement, but maybe some new sights and scenes would spark that fire again.
Either way, I know sometimes you doubt yourself both in course and on here. On the course, you’re a great runner who has inspired me and lots more. And on here, I hope you know your writing is motivational, thoughtful, and provokes me to consider my own situation. You make a difference and I’m grateful for you. Please keep it up!
I live in a city and enjoy the sights and sounds, but having been through East Tennessee, that is some gorgeous country. Feels like a perfect place for any kind of trail running.
Thinking of you crushing these goals out there today, Paul!