THOMAS PODELL : RUNNING WITHOUT LIMITS
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
3RD PLACE: North Country 50 mile Race
7:38:53...
I absolutely demolished this race! I set my PR in the 50 mile by over 2 hours, and my finishing time has me in the top 150 fastest 50 mile times of the year! All this with 13,000 ft. of elevation gain thrown in... I was in second throughout the entire race, but the duo of starting too fast (I wanted 3:35 for the first 25 miles, but posted 3:15) and falling 9 times, took its toll. I was eventually passed with 12 miles left. Disappointed and tired, I was beginning to fade, when I spotted the fourth and fifth place runners right behind me at mile 42. From that point I rationalized the pain and pushed through it, opening up a 22 minute gap between myself and fourth place in just 8 miles. I had conceded second place, but there was no chance I was going to give up third. During those final 3 miles something miraculous happened. Every twig that snapped, and any movement that rustled the bushes, I believed was fourth place bearing down, breathing fire, ready to run me over! That fear of losing created an entirely new pain threshold. I dropped the hammer and it didn't phase me. Crossing the finish line I still had enough left for another 25 miles. I felt solid. I felt strong. I felt ready for 100 miles!
I absolutely demolished this race! I set my PR in the 50 mile by over 2 hours, and my finishing time has me in the top 150 fastest 50 mile times of the year! All this with 13,000 ft. of elevation gain thrown in... I was in second throughout the entire race, but the duo of starting too fast (I wanted 3:35 for the first 25 miles, but posted 3:15) and falling 9 times, took its toll. I was eventually passed with 12 miles left. Disappointed and tired, I was beginning to fade, when I spotted the fourth and fifth place runners right behind me at mile 42. From that point I rationalized the pain and pushed through it, opening up a 22 minute gap between myself and fourth place in just 8 miles. I had conceded second place, but there was no chance I was going to give up third. During those final 3 miles something miraculous happened. Every twig that snapped, and any movement that rustled the bushes, I believed was fourth place bearing down, breathing fire, ready to run me over! That fear of losing created an entirely new pain threshold. I dropped the hammer and it didn't phase me. Crossing the finish line I still had enough left for another 25 miles. I felt solid. I felt strong. I felt ready for 100 miles!Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Ultra Bio: KARL MELTZER
What can you say, Karl is a Beast, with an ego to match! He is undoubtedly one of the best ultra runners in the country and has dominated the scene for more than 10 years. Karl began running in the Wasatch Mountains in the summer of 1990 and ran his first ultra, the Wasatch 100, six years later. In 1998, he returned to the Wasatch 100 winning his first ultra and setting a new course record. Winning his first ultra at age 30, he set a goal to win 25 more ultras by the time he turned 40. Now Karl, at 40, has nearly doubled that goal having won 49 ultras in 99 starts. Of these, 25 were of the 100 mile distance including 6 wins at the Wasatch 100 and 4 Hardrock 100 wins (considered by many to be the world's most difficult 100 mile trail race).
Karl typically trains 60-80 miles a week. All miles are done on mountainous terrain and he incorporates tempo running into his trail running. He says that he bases most of his training runs on how he feels rather than following a particular training plan. He just simply likes to run.
Along with making his living as a professional ultrarunner, Karl provides ultrarunning coaching services (www.karlmeltzer.com), runs an ultrarunning training camp through the University of Utah, and serves as the race director for the Speedgoat 50K. The Speedgoat 50K is held at Snowbird, UT in July, and the course designed by Meltzer, is considered one of the toughest with over 10,000 feet of gain.
Karl typically trains 60-80 miles a week. All miles are done on mountainous terrain and he incorporates tempo running into his trail running. He says that he bases most of his training runs on how he feels rather than following a particular training plan. He just simply likes to run.
Along with making his living as a professional ultrarunner, Karl provides ultrarunning coaching services (www.karlmeltzer.com), runs an ultrarunning training camp through the University of Utah, and serves as the race director for the Speedgoat 50K. The Speedgoat 50K is held at Snowbird, UT in July, and the course designed by Meltzer, is considered one of the toughest with over 10,000 feet of gain.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
My Weekly Mileage 125mi.
I really upped the mileage this week and my body responded very well to the added stress. I felt extremely strong, especially on Saturday. My goal was to figure out my pace for my next 50 mile race coming up in two weeks. I've decided on an 8:30 pace for the first 25 miles, and from there feel my way through. During my run on Saturday, the first 22 miles I ran at 8:29 pace, and the last 12 I ran at 8:17... I had a lot of energy when I was finished, and was able to run a solid 14 miles the next day. I feel that my training has me ready to PR at this race. I'm looking at coming in around 7:30;00 for the race, which shaves off 2 hours from my previous 50 mile record.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
En Fuego! No More AC 100
Unfortunately the 2009 AC 100 has been canceled due to the devastating forest fires in the San Gabriel Mtns. I was extremely disappointed having spent the last 9 months training for the event. But, I allowed myself only 2 hours of pity before I looked for a new race. What do you know, I found one, the Javelina Jundred. Under a full moon on Halloween, 10/31/09, I can finally exorcise my demons in a 100 mile race. Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out! The third times the charm.
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