Heather's 50K Enduro Training Diary: 6 Weeks In

Heather Glass is a Climb Up the World participant who will tackle The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K in Madison, WI on September 18th. As Heather prepares for her event, she'll be sharing her experiences leading up to the event.

Time rolls by. Here I am, already six weeks into my training! Again, I commend all folks participating in any Climb Up event. Keep training, planning, and fundraising!

So far, my training is going very well considering the aggressive plan I am following. Throughout the week, the running is easy--three back-to-back days of 4-8 mile runs (so far anyways). Then the weekends are back-to-back long runs. This past weekend, I managed a 14 mile, quite technical trail run and an 8 miler the next day. My longest run I will ever have completed is this weekend--a 16 miler followed by 10 on Sunday. We will see how that goes!

While I run, it is fun to fall into a dreamy-like state where I envision what my 50K race will be like. Even more so, what the finish line will be like! To top it all off, knowing that my race is part of a huge event and cause brings me more drive and determination than I already have. $140 of my $500 fundraising goal has been reached. This week's project includes sending out fundraising letters and connecting with the different gear and running stores here in Des Moines, IA. I do no know of many ultramarathoners in this area, so it is always fun to hear individual's reaction to my race and cause! Wish me luck.

To note---a very ambitious man himself will be present at my race. His name is Dean Karnazes. Many people know him as the man who ran 50 marathons in 50 days. Karnazes has also ran for children's charities, including his own charity, Karno Kids. I am excited to meet him!!!

More to come...until then, rock on and climb high.

--Heather

Heather will continue to keep us updated on her progress. If you'd like to contribute to her effort, you may make a donation on her behalf here: http://www.firstgiving.com/heatherglass