Building Blocks of a Comeback

When I decided to get my act together back in September, I was not sure what was in store for me.

I wanted to compete again, not just chalk up finishes (which is a great accomplishment in of itself for Ultras)

I knew I had to do 3 things

• Get my diet back in order
• Rebuild my base by the "Maffetone method"
• Run A LOT of miles

I seem to do better if I put on a lot of consistent miles over just about anything else.

So.... fast forward almost 6 months.

• I'm down 22-24 pounds (depending on the day)
• I'm almost completely Paleo (except beer), and have been for this time
• I spent 4 months strictly only running at my "MAF" heart rate (which most people would find dreadfully slow
• I ran more miles over the winter than I think I ever had

For the first time, I put in a training week of over 100 miles.  I almost did it 2x, but decided to listen to my body instead of racking up the miles (I was run down).

Most of my weeks in the last 3 months have been 70+ miles.

Results - My body has been transformed.

Yesterday I ran a 40 miles at Afton State Park and for the first time ever in a really long run I thought at the end "I feel good, I should keep going".  I was alone, and already pushing the time limit on when I should be home.  But feeling solid at 40 sealed the deal

I'm Back

Oh yeah, I'm signed up for the Gnarly Bandit Ultra Series.