50 K recovery time??- help needed for race planning.

HISTORY
I am still a neophyte to this whole 'race planning' thing.  I built up to  a 50 Km  Frosty run last yr  (following a demanding Hal Higdon  schedule).  It seemed fairly easy only cuz my husband 'bonked' at 27k so I walked/ran with him for the rest( he had the flu prior). Which meant I felt GREAT after so now I have NO idea how to plan recovery.  I currently do a 3-4 hr trail run every Sunday. I love Sundays- Just Run and Relax... and maybe a bit of rum. Tee hee...

GOAL: Diez Vista 50 K:
No 'big race'. But THIS is the race that got me hooked on trail running.  Some 5 yrs ago I saw Suzanne Evans finish (current CR holder) WOW,  as a Physio I was amazed at her physique and conditioning.  IF  I  see her again, I must thank her for the motivation.  But I MUST do this race.

THE PLAN:??
Dirty duo in March - 4 weeks later- Diez Vista 50 K in April. enough time? - I have no idea.  If I survive this, I plan to do the other 50ks in the BCUTS. |Too much??  Maybe I'm too
old for this type of thing (43).

Any other experiences out there for recovery from a 50 K??  Love to hear.

Heather

Selfishness in Running

THE GUILT TRIP
Having some introspective moments here.   Usually my 12 yr old sleeps thru the whole Sunday long run thing. This Sunday she asks me  to "make it a shorter run so we can have some quality time ". GUILT TRIP! ...killing me!  Even though I have spent tons of 'quality time' with her watching stupid teen movies with her, baking , talking, shopping, etc. and I know she won't get out of bed till 11am ! (when we get back)

Then there is HAITI- omg, these people are in bare bones survival mode. People starving, suffering and  dying.  Here I am counting calories, trying to make 'healthy food choices"  etc, etc, . Not to mention recording and logging my miles/altitude, intensity etc.. It seems so self centered  in comparison to this world around us!!  I feel so selfish!

THANKFULNESS
But at the same time, I have massive amounts of gratitude for what I have in my life.  I am soooo lucky to be able to make these choices. WHAT should I eat, how FAR should I run, WHEN will I spend QUALITY time with my daughter.  I don't think the people of Haiti  wonder about 'quality time'.  The other night I was bored.  Well, BOREDOM IS A LUXURY!!!   Many people in this world would love to be bored- not starving, not scavanging, not diving bombs, but bored.

ACCEPTANCE
In the end I have come to the conclusion that although my running IS selfish. It is something I do for ME. I LOVE it.  There isn't much else I do only for myself.  I work to help heal other people, I volunteer for others, and the rest of my spare time is spent supporting my family (driving, homework, cleaning,cooking,banking,  laundry) .  Running is a GOOD thing.  It keeps me FIT to help others, it keeps me SANE to be there for others and the events I go into are often fundraisers for those in need!

  Maybe it isn't as selfish as I think it is....

Heather

Chai carbopro recipe

I am not a fan of lotsa goop out there. I like real food-potatoes, date bars etc- but over xmas I fell in love with the gingerbread "gu". I went to get some more- but it is only seasonal!!
So, first hand , I really like Carbopro- no aftertaste, no digestive probs - great stuff!
I got creative;

CHAI CARBOPRO

4 oz gel container- fill with water, pour water into small pot (plus a bit more for evaporation)

Add sprinkle of cinnamon/nutmeg,/alspice ( or just a  wine mulling spice mix)

Add ginger- preferably  2 slices of FRESH ginger. If not available, sprinkle of dried.

Simmer, cool,  Add your 2-3 scoops of  'CARBOPRO" (take ginger slices out)

Voila'  I'm sucking back some lovely 'chai tea' festive flavoured carbopro- for only a fraction of the cost of the gu/powerbar gel . Plus- I hear the ginger is apparently great for settling the stomach!

As for sugar, I added a tsp. I was told to use 'agave nectar' to avoid the sugar spike.  I don't think 1 tsp makes a difference to me.

Adding spice to our life!
Heather

Snowshoeing up Seymour Mountain

I can never say this enough; "I love my new ACTIVE group of friends I hooked up with last year".  I still have my old party friends, but its so much more interesting to visit while participating in an adventure!!!

This one was snowshoeing- organized by Marc Bremner.

The uphill was Definately a GREAT workout

It was very 'mystical' at the top

Half way up we stopped to take in the view

The Gang is all here!

Fun run down- Yes, I can run in snowshoes, now I know!

The cool thing about being in shape is that we can go that bit farther... away from the overused, public trails...and up to where it is PRISTINE! LOVE IT!

Till my next adventure,

Heather