Matt Amato

I've been waiting for the write-up, way to be a total tease by splitting it up. 😆 Then again, I am too lazy to write up any of my races and appreciate how much work it takes; so thanks! I'm definitely thinking about signing up for this race next year. I really love the concept.

Congratulations!

Good luck, you’re going to crush it!

Nice, I'll have to look up both of those races as potential runs at some point.

Mind if I ask what you’re reading? I’m always looking for recommendations.

Gigi, it’s a small world, but I also have a pretty common name. Feel free to DM me if you want to figure out which one it is.

A picture of High Bridge crossing the Appomattox River. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Bridge_(Appomattox_River)

The main draw of this race for me is that I get to run across High Bridge twice. Also hoping to do a little solo tourism on the drive home from central VA back to Philly.

I know first hand how hard this is and I couldn’t agree more about it being a commitment to self-care. I spent decades pouring myself into my career and it took a breaking a toxic (& capitalist) cycle to start pouring that work ethic into myself. Maintenance is the hardest part. Keep being awesome!

Freight Train Ultra Marathon – Virginia Adventures

I couldn’t help myself and signed up for one last ultra before the end of the year. Plus this one includes taking a road trip. Freight Train 100k, I’ll see you on December 6th! #running

It’s fun watching you go through this journey and make some of the same discoveries I have. So much of it is mental. There will always be space between your perceived effort and what you know (via past training) what your body can do. Once you learn to reconcile the two; great things are possible.

Was bummed to wake up and find the storm passing over the Northeast is too strong for me to go running in. I’m normally an all-weather runner but safety and health come first. I did 90 minutes on the treadmill instead; which to me is way more mentally challenging than the 15 outside I had planned.

Congratulations to you both!

A month into StrongLifts and 1 thing I can say for sure is that 5 sets of 5 heavy squats 3 times a week (plus warmups) is a hell of a lot of squats and the most mentally challenging part of training. But I’m already stronger and faster and can’t wait to see how my body adapts over the next 6 months.

Good luck! I’m sure you’ll crush it.

Felt good enough after the 50 miler that I jumped right back into my normal training. Ended up with some tendinitis in my foot and an extra unscheduled off day today. Lesson learned. Hopefully looking forward to being back on the trails tomorrow but will definitely take it easy.

Thanks!

Thanks and right backatcha!

This race capped off 3 ultras in 5 weeks; which was a scary goal I wasn't sure I would pull off. Not only did I finish all 3, but I shaved off almost 3 hours from my 50 miler last November. For the first time, a sub-24 100 miler feels like an achievable goal. 18 months ago I could barely run a mile.

My biggest fear was that the course would be longer than advertised; a common theme of ultras. If it was 51 miles; I might not make sub-10. This fear was compounded when I thought I took a wrong turn around mile 49 (thankfully I didn't). ~10 minutes later and I was crossing the finish line in 9h51m.

Race nutrition
* 12x Carbs Fuel gels 50g
* 4x Caffeinated Carbs Fuel gels 50g + 100mg caffeine
* 1x dixie cup full of candy corn
* A couple of hard pretzels, M&Ms, Oreos, Fig Newtons, and 1/4 dill pickle

~4000 calories total, ~100g carbs/hr. I had to force down that last gel; but glad I took it.

By mile 40, I felt I needed to push or I risked just missing out on sub-10. I usually run a fast 10 every Sunday; so for the rest of the race I mentally mapped the course to my normal Sunday route which allowed me to visualize where I was and how long I had left. It was a big confidence boost.

The plan worked out well. The buffer also allowed me to take one extended (~5 minute?) stop at the halfway point aid station to take off my base layer, gloves, and switch to a sun cap (I had a drop bag). I was in/out of all other aid stations in under a minute. I started fading from mile 30-40.

My approach was to take it 1 mile at a time. I needed a 12 min average to hit my sub-10 goal. I started out planning to run 11:30 miles for as long as I could; knowing that I would fade on the back half and wanting a buffer to help. This took restraint since I tend to start fast.

Once the sun was up, there were lots of folks out in public; which was nice because there were only ~25 runners doing the 50 mile distance and it was nice to see other people. I didn't see a single runner during the second half of the race; not even at aid stations; but I enjoyed the solitude.

Speaking of 5am, it was a cold start, 37F. Thankfully I packed some winter running gear just in case and it was a lifesaver. Even though it was in the 60s by the end of the race, I'm not sure I would have gotten there without my gloves, base layer, and winter beanie at the start.

The course was fast and flat; mainly on the D&R Canal towpath. It was mostly crushed gravel and dirt. The 5am start meant it was dark for the first 2+ hours; but since it was an out-and-back I was able to see the scenic parts I missed on the return. There were nice views and a few small towns.

Selfie of the post author at the start/finish line of the Muleskinner Endurance Races. It is dark and the author is wearing a gray beanie with headlamp. In the background is the start/finish sign, white with black text and FINISH written in red.

An Apple Workouts generated map of the completed run.

On Saturday, I ran the 50 miler in the Muleskinner Endurance Races (They also have 13.1/26.2/50k options). It was the best race of my life and I came in under 10 hours for the first time, setting PRs for marathon and 50K along the way. I would recommend it to others. A brief #running recap thread...

My schedule:

Mon/Wed/Sat: Stronglifts / 5 miles easy
Sun: 10 miles @ 9:00/mile
Tue: 10 miles easy
Thu/Fri: 15 miles @ 10:20/mile

I also do strides during most runs for speed work.

Disclaimer: I'm retired so I don't move much outside of training. I don't plan rest days but I take them when needed.

The donation link doesn’t seem to be working.

I started lifting 3x a week using the StrongLifts 5x5 program. It has squats every workout. I lift on my shorter run days (lift in the morning, 5 miles in the afternoon Mon/Wed/Sat.) 65 miles a week of running overall. I was worried lifting would hurt my running but so far it’s done nothing but help