Can you find the Ultra Wookie? Photo courtesy of StarWars.com.
If you give an ultra WOOKIE a COOKIE (wookies prefer chocolate chip), he’ll ask you for some blended almond milk/coconut milk (50/50) to wash down the cookie. Why? Because like me, this wookie named Chewbacca is lactose-intolerant. Think of the blend as the wookie equivalent of an Arnold Palmer. If you give him the almond/coconut milk, then he’ll want a kale smoothie*(secret recipe to be revealed in July). Make sure the kale is organic! No GMOs! And dinosaur kale! Why a kale smoothie? Because Wookies love Vitamin K! Only then will he run for miles & miles (a little cookie with almond milk and a blue(berry) kale smoothie goes a long way)! And let you go run free!
After strong base mileage training (222 day runstreak through Saturday), I’m starting official training for my 50k ultra today. Since I haven’t fininshed an ultra yet, instead of calling myself an ultra rookie (or rookie-in-training), thought it would be more appropriate to call myself an ultra wookie! Chewbacca would be proud! (I think I’ve seen Chewbacca running from stormtroopers in Star Wars movies so I’m not going out on a limb in saying Chewbacca LOVES running!;) Could Chewbacca run a full ultramarathon? That might take some work. Never say never. Maybe we’ll deal with that in Star Wars Episode VIII or perhaps one of the Star Wars spinoff movies.
How am I training? Getting out my training blender, I’m blending: 1) a 15-week schedule from the Market-to-Market 50k training expert; 2) the suggested RunThisYear training schedule and 3) runstreak accommodations allowing for super-easy miler Mondays for recovery. (I should note that I did reach 1,007 miles, the halfway point for RunThisYear a few days early this month so I’m excited about reaching the 2,014 mi turnaround.)
As a neophyte newbie to ultra training, there is some fear, nervousness, and apprehension. However, sometimes we have to do things that scare us to help us grow or we get stuck in the same old patterns, cycles, even ruts. We have to step out of our comfort zone and be fearless. My curiosity about ultras and what that experience is like for the ultra runner is sky-high. That helps with motivation. Also, I know several ultra athletes who are just a phone call, e-mail, short run, or a tweet away (or accessible to me online). If things get rough, I may seek the help of a coach but for now feel fairly comfortable and cautiously optimistic I can manage the training schedule and modify it accordingly if needed.
There is a buildup in the training schedule to a full marathon in September, the month before the ultra. That will be a super-slow training run. Then there is taper to October 11, the day of the Market-to-Market 50K, the only point-to-point ultramarathon in the entire state of Nebraska. Excited? Yes! So, in the words of Emeril Lagasse: “Let’s take it up a notch!” LET’S DO THIS!
Follow
Wow, you are having a great year so far, 1007 miles completed ahead of schedule, 222 days run streak and now 50K training. That’s amazing. Good luck with training!
Thanks Augusto, yes, it’s been a fun running year. Have to find some speed somehow for a 5k next month. Unfinished medal business-silver and bronze age group medals have made me very hungry for gold. It’s hard for turtles to run fast but maybe high cadence, shorter strides, & some speed work is the key. Good luck with your running & workouts too!