[Mandy] This was our last weekend of full, hard training before Christopher’s Wakarusa coming up this weekend.  He had planned a combination of a run and ride, and my training plan called for a 15 mile recovery run.  If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m crazy about marathon training!  I love how it trains the mind and I start thinking of 15 miles as a recovery run.  I was looking forward to Saturday’s run to get back to running as I knew it; I felt lately I had been focused too much on pace and hitting a certain time instead of enjoying my run and remembering why I was doing it in the first place! My plan for my 15 miler was to start off extremely easy, settle into it, and just run for the hell of it.  It worked! I found my sweet spot…you know, the point where it feels effortless, liberating, like you’re gliding along the ground, and find yourself grinning for no apparent reason? It’s the way I usually run but had somehow lost it along the way.  The weather was gorgeous and cool, and we ran a portion of the trails that was a bit hillier, which I loved! I had my gels and sustained energy, which kept my energy levels up, and I love having Christopher run alongside me at the beginning and end.  It was a great recovery run before the big one next Saturday: 20 miles!  I’m very much looking forward to this weekend.  Christopher has his Wakarusa Challenge, and I have one my longest runs of my training season to complete.  I can’t wait for our fun-filled weekend!

[Christopher] Well just as Mandy said, this is the last week before my Wakarusa Off-road challenge. It all goes down on Saturday morning in Lawrence Kansas. Am I ready for it? As ready as I’m ever going to be I suppose. I could train harder or brainstorm more about how to prepare, but in reality, this is my first “official” race. I’m not really going to know until I have done it at least once or twice. I believe I have enough of the training to have the basics down, but I won’t really know what I need to do until I am in thrown in the fire. A special thanks to Mandy for helping me through this. Running is not my cup of tea, but with her help, I am able to kick out a few miles here and there. She makes a great training partner!

Saturday was another day great morning at Smithville Lake. I did my usual 2 mile run to start with Mandy and this time I was able to actually enjoy some of the off-road trails. I only got in a little over 9 miles of the trails. I figured that was good enough being that around the 7 mile mark, I wiped out. That’s the fun with mountain biking; you play hard, you are bound to fall once or twice. This time, I just ended up with a few scrapes and I figured I should quit while I’m ahead. I don’t want to miss the race because of a silly mistake. After the mountain bike ride, I finished up the last four mile run with Mandy. I finished it fairly solid, but I still felt a little spent by the end of the last mile. I need to figure out when to take my C4 Extreme and Sustained Energy at the right time so I don’t get gassed to soon. Other than that, I think I am ready to have fun! It will be fun and a learning experience all at the same time. Stay tuned for the results, photos and a video of the big day!

[Mandy]  We’ve grown accustomed to having our Saturday mornings blocked off because of our training for our upcoming events, and this Saturday was no different.  We made our usual trek to Smithville Lake, and this week we were joined by our friends Jeremy and Lanetta.  I had an 18 mile run scheduled, and Christopher was going to continue working on his transition by running the first two miles with me, biking the next 10+, and then finishing up the last 6 miles of my run by running alongside me.  Jeremy and Lanetta also joined us for the first couple miles of our run before heading back home to start their days.  Luckily the weather was nice and cool, even though it was still a bit humid.  We got an early start, but unfortunately our usual trailhead was closed off, throwing a wrench in our plans.  Christopher had hoped to practice his off-roading skills by riding the trails, but now we couldn’t get to them!  We had to quickly adjust and revamp our plans and headed to Crows Creek to start our workout.  I was excited for the 18 I had planned that morning; it had been almost a year since I’ve run that distance, and I was curious to see how my body would handle it. I have to say I’m pretty satisfied with it, although the last couple of miles were rather tough!  I realized I went out and did the first 10 miles a little faster than I should have, and I didn’t have much in the reserves when I needed them.  I was able to hammer out all 18 though, and having Christopher running with me for many of those miles really helped propel me forward.  I also relied on my Sustained Energy drink, my Clif gel, and lots of water!  I took a quick shot of caffeine mid-run, and that helped with the mental clarity.  I was able to finish the run in 2:44:06 (actual running time, not including breaks for fuel), and I was REALLY looking forward to the ice bath afterwards.  I swear by these, and I attribute my quick recovery and lack of injuries to sitting in ice water for about 15 minutes after my long runs.  They hurt, but they are so worth it!  I still have 7 weeks before my big day, and I’m growing more and more excited for Christopher’s race in just a couple weeks.  I’m looking forward to cheering him on as he tackles his own “marathon” of sorts!

[Christopher] There’s not much that I want to say about my training this day, except that it was painful. The first two miles started out OK, but I could tell my legs were a little tired. This week was a busy week for my legs. On Tuesday I had a pretty intense leg workout. Then on Wednesday, I bicycled from work to the gym, then ran 2 miles on the treadmill at the gym. Then on Thursday, I commuted by bicycle to work and then to the gym… A valuable lesson learned this day; I will not work out that hard with my legs the week before the event . As I said, the first 2 miles were OK, and then I jumped on my mountain bike and pedaled pretty hard out 5 miles and then turned back around to catch Mandy before she got back to the Jeep. My legs were burning, but I still felt fairly good. After 14 miles of biking, I rejoined Mandy to get in 6 more miles of running. FAIL. My legs were tired and spent. I barely got in a mile and a half before my shin started burning. Soon after that, my right knee was becoming sore; the same knee that I injured a year ago. I went ahead and finished off a total of 6.5 miles for the day, instead of 8 that I was hoping to get. I didn’t want to push it too much and risk another injury. So beaten, I called it quits for the day. As I said, next time I know better. Training is always a learning process of triall and error.

I only have a couple of weeks left until the Wakarusa Off-Road Challenge, put on by Bonk Hard Racing. On September 10th, 2011, I will be competing in my first organized race on my own. Mandy will still be there with me, but this time cheering from the sidelines! As long as I got my “PIC” with me, I’m good!

The course utilizes the Levee Trail and the River Trails out at Lawrence and below is what is consist of.

Leg 1: Trail Running (2.2 miles)
Racers will start with a 2.2 mile run. The first mile will be on the Levee Trail and the next 1.2 miles will be on the north side of the River Trails. Racers will return to the Race Start / Finish (the main Transition Area) and start mountain biking.
Leg 2: Mountain Biking (17.2 miles)
After the 2 mile trail run, racers will complete a 17 mile mountain biking section of the race. From Race HQ, racers will follow the Levee Trail for a little less than 4 miles to the Mud Creek boat ramp and parking lot. Once there, teams will enter the River Trails and bike the south side of the River Trails back to Race Headquarters. Once back to Race Headquarters, teams will do a complete loop – going clockwise – on the River Trails and return back to Race HQ.
Leg 3: Paddling (4.2 miles)
Racers will have the opportunity to give their legs a rest and test out their paddling skills on the Kansas River! Leg 4: Trail Running (4.1 miles)
The final leg of the Wakarusa Off-Road Challenge is a trail running (or walking!) leg back to the finish from the Mud Creek boat ramp. Racers will run the north side of the River Trails back to the Finish Line.

TOTAL MILES: 27.7 MILES (OF PURE OFF-ROAD FUN)!
Total Miles Running: 6.3
Total Miles Biking: 17.2
Total Miles Paddling: 4.2

Now, I’m definitely not trying to “win” the whole thing, but it would be nice to place somewhere in the middle. I have been doing some moderate training here and there. I don’t run as often as Mandy as my feet tend to be a bit sore for a few days after I do my longer runs. This weekend I am going to try a 2 mile run to start out, and then jump on my mountain bike for a 10 mile trail ride; then I’ll finish it up with a 6 mile run. I figure if I can run 6 miles towards the end, 4 might not seem so bad.

I still need to try and find a plan of attack for this race. Being that this is my first type of “triathlon”, I need to ask around and find out what would be best. If anybody has any tips or input for me, please let me know! Any help is welcome!

Cheers!

Christopher