I had a quick breakfast - granola with milk, a glass of tomato juice and a cup of coffee - standard for me. I already had my running clothes and Camelbak laid out from the night before, so only had to suit up and drive to the trailhead of my hilly route in Weingarten.

It was just getting light out as I ran my flat warm-up kilometer before heading up the first hill. My training plan called for 34 km (21 mi.), and with a hilly marathon coming up in April, I decided that I needed to run at least part of the long run over the rolling hills around Weingarten.

As I headed up the first hill I was surprised by how much snow remained, just 6 miles away in my town the snow was already gone. I slipped a bit as I made my way up the steeper part of the climb, but it was still runnable. I was more concerned with the ache in my back and the cramp-like feeling in my right leg. Sometime over the last couple weeks I had pinched a nerve or something in the back and I have been waking to a sore back, and when I walk to the train station mornings the cramp-like feeling surfaces. Usually by the time I get to work I don't notice it any longer, so haven't given it much thought. But this morning it had my attention.

I made it to the top of the hill and as I made my way over the plateau my leg and back felt better, and soon I was in my groove and didn't even think about it again. The first 10K flew by and I made my way down the next valley and started up the hillside lined with the vineyards that give Weingarten (wine garden) its name. I chose a slightly different route and soon was chugging up a steep slope that I didn't know existed, good training!

At the top I reached another plateau that I was familiar with and headed over some short rolling hills towards the town of Obergrombach, eventually connecting to the made bicycle trail that lead to the next town, Johlingen. The rolling hills continued as I headed over the plateau, my direction of travel had reversed and now I ran against an icy wind on a snow covered asphalt bike bath between open fields. It was not especially cold outside (0°C/32°F), but the stiff wind chilled me to the bone. I passed another runner on this lonely trail who looked like she would have been happier running on a beach about this time. Eventually I made it to the edge of the plateau and followed the winding bike path down into Johlingen, relieved to be out of the wind.

With about 10K to go I connected to the 80 km race course, which I run every June. Normally I run past cheering crowds as we make our way through Johlingen, but today I was headed in the opposite direction and I was alone. Soon I was headed uphill again, this time on a treacherous snow-covered farm path. It was slow going, especially as I left the cover of the town and ran between the fields. I found myself running against the wind again, dodging patches of ice, all the while heading uphill. About halfway up Ted Nugent's Stranglehold kicked in on my IShuffle, I dug in and let it carry me over the top.

With less than 4 miles of level or downhill trail to go I relaxed and tried to enjoy the rest of the run. I arrived back at my car and looped around the parking area a couple times until my Garmin showed 34 kilometers. With contentment I stretched a bit and munched on a PB & Honey sandwich, life is good!

My pace was a bit slower than I would have liked, 6:56/km (11.09/mi.), but okay considering the snow-covered trails. The pace is in the ballpark of my 100K pace, so entirely acceptable.

By the time I got home I was pretty cold from the sweaty clothes, so took a warm bath and had a hot lunch. I relaxed for an hour and was soon piddling around doing some chores around the house...I remember the days when a shorter run would reduce me to the couch the rest of the day. I guess my training is going pretty well, I guess I'll find out for sure when I run my first race of the season.

I made my way out over familiar trails towards the local research center, over the county highway to my running club trail to the north, then east over the bridge spanning the railroad toward the neighboring town of Spoeck. With 5K to go my pace slowly started to dwindle, but I put my face to the wind and ran steadfast over the open fieldway's back to the house. I ended up with an average pace of 6:19/km (10:05/mi.) for the 32 km (20 mi.) run, not earth-moving, but respectable for this old goat.

On Saturday morning my wife and I were up early so we could make the 2 ½ hour drive to her aunt before the German traffic flooded the Autobahns. I was a bit alarmed when I opened the front door to retrieve our daily newspaper, there were several inches of new snow blanketing the roads and landscape - I mentally added clearing the sidewalks to my list of to-do's before we left.

The roads were in terrible shape as set out shortly after 7:00 a.m., I guess the town didn't take the weather report from the day before seriously. The several inches of snow remained unplowed and there was no sign of a sander. I had to keep the speed down as we slid our way over the county highways to the Autobahn.

The 3-lane Autobahn (A5) towards Frankfurt was only partially cleared, but luckily there was very little traffic, not normal for any day. Autobahn 6 towards Nuremberg was not much better, especially over the mountain passes around Heilbronn. It was first in Bavaria that the road conditions improved, I guess they are used to having snow in the winter and know how to keep the roads clear. In any case we arrived safely in Fürth in just over 3 hours, remarkable considering the road conditions.

We spent Saturday visiting my wife's aunt in the hospital and tiding up her apartment where we were staying. We enjoyed a quiet meal in a small restaurant down the street and made plans for the next day. My wife had an appointment with the doctor and social worker on Monday, so had to stay an extra day. I had to work on Monday so decided to head home early Sunday morning to beat the traffic. The roads were clear the next morning and I made good time on the Autobahn. Later I met RB and we made our way over our normal Sunday loop. I spent the rest of the day catching up on some cleaning and other tasks around the house.

On Monday after work I met my wife at the train station and spent some time catching up on her aunt's condition. Her aunt went into a nursing home on Tuesday and is doing fine in the moment. The doctor's are reluctant to give any figures on her life expectancy, but the cancer is spreading and they doubt she will make it through the year.

I went on three runs so far this week, ranging from 8-11 miles, Saturday I want to go on another 20 mile (32 km) run, but this time on my hilly route. On Sunday afternoon I will probably do another loop with RB if it doesn't snow again. I hope I can get in a total of around 55 miles this week, this will leave me prepared for my first race of the year in a week or two. I'll have to see how the week folds out.

I have been able to continue with my training, but have had to twist and bend the schedule to fit in housework, shopping, and other things that allow my wife more time to take care of her aunt's requirements.

I had intended on running a 30 km (18.5 mi.) run and a 26 km (16 mi.) run last weekend, but a storm with hurricane strength winds blew across Germany threatening these plans. I ended up running 28 km (17.4 mi.) on Friday night in the dark before the storm picked up, and running 24 km (15 mi.) during a lull in the storm on Saturday. I also snuck in a windy 14 km (8.7 mi.) run on Sunday before the next round of tree-breaking winds kicked in.

A 13 km (8 mi.) run with Birgit on Tuesday revealed some of the damage that the storm did to our area, trees were down and debris was everywhere, we had to watch our step to avoid stumbling over the residue. Last night I stopped at the pool and got in a quick 1000 meters before heading home, tonight I'm running with RB and maybe our friend Uli.

I have my first marathon option coming up very shortly, either the Bienwald (Bee Forest) Marathon on March 14th, or the Eschollbrucken 50K on March 21st. At this point in time I'm not sure if I will make either event, it depends on my wife's aunt's condition. In the meantime I will keep training, the 100K main event is on the horizon (June 11).

On Saturday I met Birgit, part of the dynamic duo that is running the 100K race with me in June, for a long run. We knocked out almost two hours before joining up with our running club for the rest. Andreas, the other half of the dynamic duo and who is also Birgit's husband, joined us for a couple kilometers before running on ahead. We were running a bit faster than the mid-pack group, but decided to keep our pace rather than slow down for them. We ended up running 28 km (17.5 mi.) at an average pace of 6:09/km (9:54/mi.), well under the pace required to complete our 100K event.

On Sunday RB joined me on the first part of my run, the first 15 km (9 mi.) quickly melted away as we chatted our way through the forest. It was only with the utmost regret that I had to leave her at her doorstep and finish the last 9 km (5 mi.) alone, a good running partner is worth their weight in gold! In any case I finished my 24 km/15 mi. run at a faster than planned pace, around 6:15/km (10:05/mi.)

I can tell that my training is working, my legs felt good on Monday, despite the back-to-back long runs on the weekend. I guess the fact the snow is gone may also play a role, it is a lot easier to run when you don't have to slip and slide along the way. Last night I ran a 13 km (8 mi.) run with Birgit and felt like I could have easily run a second loop, but decided to save my legs for my run with RB tonight.

I am thinking about running my first training marathon in March rather than April, I think my training is far enough along that I can manage one. I have two possibilities, either the Bienwald (Bee Forest) Marathon on March 14th, or the Eschollbruecken 50K on March 21st. Both are flat courses and within an hour's drive. The 50K consists of ten 5K loops, so is the less desirable of the two, but the I have run the Bienwald Marathon several times and find it rather boring, mainly due to long straight stretches that never seem to end. I have a couple weeks to think about it in any case, I would love to do both, but I don't need to get on my wife's nerves so early in the season ;-)

As I greeted Birgit she said that Gerd had contacted her and wouldn't be coming, so we headed out on our own, running the running club trail in the reverse direction. The trail was covered with snow, so the running was demanding, we both noticed it in the legs by the time we returned to the trailhead. We joined members of our running club who we assembling for our group run, but after a couple minutes decided it was too cold to stand around any longer and took off on our next loop. We were joined by our friend Uli who energized us with new conversation. After about 5 km Birgit decided to cut her run a bit short and turned back toward the trailhead, Uli and I continued on around the loop.

The last few miles were increasingly harder, running in 4-6 inches of fresh snow is quite demanding, my legs were quite tired by the time we finished the run, despite a slower pace. I stayed a few minutes to chat with friends, but quickly grew cold in the wet clothes, so headed home for a hot shower and food.

On Sunday after church I again headed out on the snow covered trails for a run. I had 24 km (15 mi.) on my schedule, but my legs were tired from the long run the day before and the trails were slippery. After slipping and sliding for 16 km (10 mi.) I decided I had enough and called it quits for the day.

Last week was a particularly hard week, not because of higher mileage, rather due to a poor training decision, namely running a longer training run at a pace that I was not used to. This together with the slippery trail conditions have left my legs in poor shape, I still have not recovered completely!

This week will be more slipping and sliding as the snow has remained, despite a slight increase in temperature. I need to pay particular attention to my pace and be careful to allow enough recovery time, even to the point of dropping a run or two if required.

I guess after three super years of running and racing the body is trying to tell me that it might be time to slow down, especially after passing the half-century old mark last year. We'll see what happens, in any case I still have lots of time to train for my 100K in June, I just have to train smart.

When I woke up Thursday my leg was still really sore, I actually hobbled around a bit until my muscles warmed up. By the time I got home from work my leg felt better, so I decided to go ahead and meet friends for a run around the local research center. It had snowed all day, so I knew the pace would be slow. The first few minutes my leg was stiff and running a bit awkward, but once I warmed I was fine. I ran the rest of the 6.6 km loop feeling better with each step, but decided not to run the second loop, no sense overdoing it.

Today my leg muscles are a bit sore, but much better. Tonight I will take an extra rest day and hopefully by morning I can continue with my training.

My main training goal for 2010 is the 100K race in Biel, Switzerland on June 11th. As part of my preparation I have decided to run at least the following races:

The Escholllbrucken 50K on March 21st (a flat course consisting of 5 km loops)
The German Wine Street Marathon on April 18 (a hilly road marathon)
The Westerwald Forest 50K on May 13 (a very hilly 50K run over fields and forests)

This past week I ran four times:

Wednesday: 17 km (10.5 mi) @ 6:12/km (9:59/mi) average pace
Thursday: 13 km (8 mi) @ 6:30/km (10:28/mi) average pace
Saturday: 26 km (16 mi) @ 5:51/km (9:25/mi) average pace
Sunday: 22 km (14 mi) @ 6:51/km (11:00/mi) average pace

On Saturday morning I ran the first half of my long run with a friend from my running club, we ran a bit faster than I generally run my flat long runs this time of year and I decided to keep up the pace for the second half. The last few kilometers I actually speeded up somewhat, which surprised me on the one side, but also left my legs in less than good shape for Sunday.

Saturday night we got home late from a friend's birthday, so I had a hard time dragging myself out the door on Sunday afternoon for my second long run. I also had to fight the desire to skip my hilly workout and settle for another run around my flat town. Luckily I remembered the upcoming hilly running events in the near future and drove to Weingarten to run my hilly route.

My legs were a bit stiff as I warmed up with a flat kilometer before heading up the first hill, but I knew that once I started climbing this would pass. I kept the pace down, but stayed with my plan, running the most challenging hills that I could find without pause. The route that I picked basically had me heading up the hill, turning right, heading back down the next path, repeat. I literally circled my way around the hilltop until I ran out of trails. From here I headed into the next valley and headed up the next hilltop. By this time my pace was dwindling so after a long climb to the top I circled back to my original hill range and made my way up and over the plateau back to my car. I ended up with 22 km (~14 mi.) with approx. 1150 meters of elevation gain and 1175 meters elevation loss.

The weekend double long run left my legs tired and a bit stiff, to me a sign that the training is providing the necessary effort. My legs were still a bit tired on Monday, but no aches, pain or discomfort. I took a training day off, as planned, and today will only do cross-training (swimming). This week will be a repeat of last week's training; the only difference will be a 2 km (1.2 mi.) increase for my long runs.

Let me first outline my training that I have used the last couple years.

My principal race the last four years has been in June and consisted of a mildly hilly 50 Mile (80 km) or 100 km race (or both). I also try to run a fast marathon at the end of August.

I have a base building period, usually from January to March where I build from around 35 miles a week (4 runs/week) to 65-70 miles (5 runs/week). During this time I usually use sandwich training, whereas I run X miles on Saturday and X-minus-3 miles on Sunday - these runs are "sandwiched" between two rest days on Friday and Monday. This year I have also added two swim nights, usually Tuesday and Thursday.

From April to the end of May I run at least on hilly long run a week and start cycling.

In June I taper, race, and recover. This year I will be doing more swimming and cycling in preparation for my first sprint tri on July 11.

During July and August I run an average of about 45-50 miles a week (including one long hill run) and try to bike as often as I can, usually 3-4 times a week. This seems to work in preparing me for a fast marathon.

In September I start cutting back on the mileage. From October to mid-November I rest, reducing mileage to 15-30 miles a week. Mid-November to December I gradually build up for January's training.

So back to your question, here is a list of thoughts I have on why I can endure such high mileage:

• I follow the 10% rule, I try not to increase my total mileage or long run by more than 10% a week.
• I run my long run distance for two weeks before increasing it, for example 16 miles for two weeks, then 18 miles. I think this allows the body to adapt more easily to the increased mileage.
• I don't do any speed training while training for my June ultra race(s).
• I vary my pace based on how I feel on a given day. Since I am training for a 100K race where my average pace is 11:25/mile, even a 9:30/mile pace is speed training ;-)
• I warm-up with military style callisthenics (jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, etc.) before a run and stretch afterward. I also run the first mile at a warm-up pace.
• For long runs beyond two hours I eat and drink like I would during a marathon.
• I watch my diet, take a daily vitamin, use calcium/magnesium tablets (reduce cramps) and try to get adequate sleep (hard to do).
• I vary my running surface as often as possible: trail, asphalt, hills, gravel/dirt.
• I don't race every race, last year I ran 7 marathons and 3 ultras last year, but only 3 at a competitive pace.
• I make sure that I have one rest day a week where I really rest.

The most important consideration for me is the PACE. Speed training is really hard on my 50 year old legs, since I have replaced speed training with hill training I have no trouble maintaining high mileage, and my race times have improved significantly.

Will this work for you? If you speed train and have significant injuries you might want to try cutting the speed training back and start running hills. It has been my experience that running a long run at a reduced pace (1-2 min./mile) on a demanding hilly trail is at least as good as running a flat long run at marathon pace - and I recovery more quickly.

After work I headed out anyway, the streets heading out of town were even worse than I expected, and the logging trail leading into the woodline not much better. I switched to single-trails through the forest, which were still covered with snow and could at least run on these.

Last Thursday it snowed again, blanketing the icy streets and trails with a new layer of tread that made running much easier. I met friends Bernd, Uli and Birgit at the local research center and we ran two 6.6 km loops around the lighted compound. For the most part the ice and snow covered asphalt service road was runnable, albeit at a reduced pace.

It warmed up again on Saturday morning and as I drove to my running club trailhead to meet friends in the afternoon I hoped the trails would be free. My hopes were dashed as I slid into the parking lot with my car, you could barely walk across the frozen surface. As I waited for Birgit and Gerd I went for a test run, the trails were really icy, it was only possible to run on the edge where a bit of snow remained.

We headed out slowly on our first 11 km (8.7 mi.) loop, it was treacherous, but we kept the pace down and hugged the snow on the side of the trails. Somehow we made it through the loop without any major mishaps, Gerd took a plunge while navigating one corner, but only damaged his pride. Upon returning to the trailhead Gerd headed home and Birgit and I joined the smaller-than-normal group of runners from our club for a second loop.

The faster runners soon left us behind, as we did the slower group behind us. We gingerly made our way over the forest trails again, slowly feeling the effects of our slipping and sliding around, the quads paid a price this day. As we neared the end of the second round I mentioned to Brigit that I still needed a couple miles, so I headed out for another short loop. I found a single path that was in slightly better condition and was able to speed up a bit, but as I made my way back to the trailhead everyone was gone - except for Birgit and our club leader Gisela who had waited to make sure I come back safely.

I ended up meeting my goal of 26 km (16 mi.) on Saturday, only at a bit slower pace than I would have liked - but okay considering the trail conditions. On Sunday I woke to more snow, I was curious if I would be able to complete my planned 22 km (14 mi.) run after church. I cleared the sidewalk in front of the house, showered and walked over to church (almost across the street). As I came out of church it was still snowing, I decided it was too dangerous to drive to Weingarten and run my hilly route. I suited up and headed into the woods on the other side of town.

The logging trail through the forest was covered with 4-6 inches of fresh snow, but on top of a layer of ice. I took the single trails that I ran last Wednesday, they were still untouched by walkers, sleds and cross-country skis. It was snowing heavily, the snow clinging to my eyelids and clothes, it reminded me of my youth growing up in upstate New York. I let these memories carry me over the miles, as I plodded my way through the fresh snow past the local research center. I circled over to my running club trails, but stayed on a parallel single-track trail through the woods - it was easier to run. The snow ceased after an hour or so, and eventually the sun found its way out from behind the clouds.

As I headed over the open field paths towards home the sun was shining brightly, only the wind reminded me to hurry along the way. I arrived with tired legs back at the house and cooled down by sweeping the remaining snow from the sidewalk. Time for a warm shower and some hot food, have a great week!

On Saturday I met Gerd at our running club trailhead about an hour and a half early so we could run a loop before our scheduled running club run. It was just above freezing temperature outside and was icy in spots, but overall good to run, we managed around 14 km (8.7 mi.) and made it back to the trailhead a couple minutes before the group took off. Gerd went home and I started out with Conny and a small group, but dropped back and ran with Uli, RB and another friend after a kilometer or two, because Conny and crew were running a bit faster than I wanted. I had a good time running and chatting away with my friends, the miles melted away. I ended up with just under 26 km (16 mi.), about a mile further than planned.

On Sunday noon I drove to Weingarten with the intent of running at least 20 km (12.5 mi.) on my hilly route. My legs were a bit tired from the day before, but this feeling faded as I warmed up with a relatively flat kilometer. After my short warmup I headed up the first hill, whereas it didn't take long on the steep climb to remember that it has been a very long time since I had done any hill training.

I adjusted my pace and kept running, eventually making it to the top after 7-8 minutes. I turned and ran down another path that brought me almost to the bottom of the hill on the 80 km (50 mi.) course that I run every June. I started back up the hill running for a couple minutes before turning onto a path that is one of the steepest that I have found so far, on a bad day I usually end up walking the latter part, but on this day I was still fresh and made it to the top with still some resemblance of running. Out of breath, I headed back down the mountain on still another path.

I continued this up and down training a couple more times, then headed out over the rolling hills, eventually heading down through a valley toward the next group of hills. This second group of hills borders the town of Weingarten and is where the town has established their vineyards that produce the fruit that the town is named after (Weingarten = wine garden). I soon found myself running along a path with rows and rows of grapevines and, as the vineyards are located on the hillsides, was soon climbing again.

I tried a couple new paths that I had noticed last year when I trained in this area, and soon was running a winding single track path down into Weingarten. I arrived at the edge of town an followed a bike path for a few minutes until I found a new path leading back into the woods. The trail was slick from the mud and snow, but I clawed my way up the hillside, eventually returning to a single track path that led me back up to the vineyards. As I arrived at the top I did a quick calculation and figured it was time to turn back and head to the car. Thirty minutes and several hills later I was back to the trailhead, tired, hungry and 22 km (14 mi.) richer. My Garmin tells me that my run consisted of 1050 meters of elevation gain and 1067 of elevation loss, not bad for a start!

I hope the weather holds and I can head for the hills next weekend. Have a nice week!

I arrived at the pool a little early so I could warm up before Uli arrived. The pool was full, which didn't help my nerves, which were doing backflips due to my lack of confidence in my swimming ability. After a couple hundred meters I spotted Uli's red swimming cap and joined her. Bernd was with her, he wanted to train with the Triathlon club that met Friday nights.

Uli warmed up with a lap as I talked to Bernd, then Bernd turned me over to my new swim instructor. Uli swam a lane with me, then got out of the pool and watched me as I swam the crawl back to the other side. To my surprise she said my technique was much better than she had expected. She mentioned that my main weak points seem to be that I don't lift my elbows out of the water enough and I need to learn to glide forward.

From there Uli got down to business, we did lap after lap of various drills, with only a short pause after each to explain the next one. Most of the drills I recognized from my swim class, and I managed to once again prove how uncoordinated I am in the water. Luckily Uli understands the difficulties of a beginner and has a great sense of humor - she kept me smiling as she dogged me out.

After about 45 minutes Uli noticed that I was suffering, and I admitted that I needed a break. She left me to unwind with some easy laps and she knocked out 700-800 meters of her own training. Afterward she suggested we do a couple fast laps, I knew there was no way this was going to happen. She took off in the lead and I tried to hang with her, after 25 meters I could barely lift my arms any longer, so slowed down. I met her at the end of the 50 meter lane and I said I probably need to swim the breast stroke back. As she took off I decided to at least try to crawl as far as I could, after about 25 meters I noticed Bernd was watching me from the sidelines, no stopping now, I tried to bring my form in grips and managed to make it to the end of the pool still crawling.

At this point Bernd took over and suggested we go to the smaller pool in the back and work on some specific training. He showed me several different drills that I could use to improve various points in my swimming technique.

Finally after almost two hours at the pool I headed for the showers, I was exhausted, this was the hardest swim workout ever! As I showered I thought about all that Bernd and Uli had said, it was clear that I have a lot of work ahead of me. But they both said that I should have no problem completing my sprint Triathlon in July, I only need to keep up the training. As I walked to the car my muscles ached, I was hungry, tired - but my heart glowed, I can't wait to head to the pool again!

I warmed up with a set of jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, back-extension and dips then headed upstairs in my shed to my "fitness room" (basically an unheated attic). I haven't done any Crossfit since last year, so decided to start slowly with some circuit training. I went through 2 rounds of the following exercises:

5 min. cycling on stationary bike
10 x bench press
10 x kettlebell swings
50 strokes rowing
10 x jerk
10 x dead lift

I used really low weight with the lifting, it has been almost a half year since I have been doing any lifting so need to build up gradually.

The workout warmed up my muscles well, without working stressing them too much, in other words ideal for a "recovery" day. The important thing is that I have started, now I only need to work up to the normal Crossfit routines. Tonight I'm meeting friends for a run, on Wednesday after work I want to do laps at the pool.

"Obvious to me for quite some time, but increasingly so as the problem continues to worsen-- blogging about ultrarunning is inherently difficult.

If I have time to blog, then I have time to run. Because of my schedule and a general lack of time to run as much as I'd like, if I have time to run, I need to take advantage of it. For those who don't run ultras, training runs usually take hours, and many ultrarunners get addicted to racing..."

From my perspective I've never met an ultrarunner that is NOT addicted to racing, but I guess there must be a few out there ;-)

In any case I will try to get back to somewhat of a blogging routine, after all the main purpose that I started blogging was to document my training for my own reference...