How important is your base?

Holli and I were out of town celebrating our 5th anniversary so this post comes a bit late. I had a great 10 mile run on Thursday, which was nice since I was really feeling bad the previous day. I had some muscle soreness and was really tired so I'd started to wonder if I was ramping up my mileage too quickley. However, since a good night's sleep seems to have taken care of it, I'm not sure this was the problem. More likely it was the rash of push ups and sits ups I'd opted for a couple of days ago.

I've discovered a new blog, Philedippidations. It's largely about running by Steve Runner who does the podcast while running. Cool idea. I've only listened to two episodes, but I recommend checking it out. Go to http://www.steverunner.com/ for more info.

Steve's podcast got me wondering about the importance of having a strong base before starting training for a long distance race. He made a comment that he was working on building his base up to 50 miles before he starts marathon training. I realize that common knowledge lends itself towards this approach; however, to be honest, my base weekly mileage was in the order of 20 miles per week when I started ramping up my long runs in preparation for the race this fall. Furthermore, if you have been paying attention, I rarely run more than three days a week (although I will probably shift to four soon). I'll post a copy of my training plan soon, but I am currently not planning on running more than 20 miles or so in excess of my long run. This isn't a typical training plan.

I think that a great deal can be learned from reading about other people's training plans and particularly those of experts can be useful. That being said, I think that it is important to alter plans according to indvidual needs and goals. My two goals are to complete the ultra safely and to do so without sacrificing a great deal of time at home with my family. Time isn't really an issue. If I feel tired, I go more slowly. If I feel good, I run faster.

Steve, as well as many others, have much faster marathon times then I do and I would certainly not discredit their training plans. However, I think that it is important to keep those plans in the context of the goals of the individuals that generated those plans. Besides, if I had to build to 50 miles before starting this endeavor, I'd still be preparing. :)

I should note that I am fortunate in being able to recover well and have never suffered any serious injuries. I think that being able to bounce back quickly means that I haven't had as much trouble ramping up mileage on a smaller base. At least that's what I hope--nothing hurts yet. 20 miles tomorrow.