Almost Half Way There:Week 11 of 24 to 50k

Here I am in week 11 of a 24 week plan already. I would say that my training is going well, but to be honest, the heat of the summer has been a struggle in the last couple of weeks. I am still clicking off the workouts, but the effort has been higher than I would want or expect for some of the workouts. Heat has never been my friend, and I consider humidity to be my mortal enemy.

My plan, carefully mapped out by the Ultrarunner extraordinaire, and total stud herself, Stephanie Violett has a very gradual build up of miles and intensity over 24 weeks. It includes distance (easy) paced runs, run workouts (hill repeats, tempo), recovery runs,long runs cross-training days, strength circuit workouts (not optional) and 2 rest days per week.  So far my long runs have not exceeded 2 hours, and to tell you the truth, I am itching to run farther! I have been a bit impatient with this slow, gradual ramp up in mileage, but I know that there is more work in the future, and keeping my eye on the big goal is the most important thing. Crazy as it seems, I am really looking forward to my 3 hour long run in a couple weeks. 
 For any of you who just can't understand why anyone would want to run an Ultramarathon, I think this sums up some of the reasons why I'm doing it: 50 +2 reasons to run an Ultramarathon I especially can relate to #8: “I run ultras because I enjoy the satisfaction that comes from devoting a small part of each day towards making myself better at something.”—Dylan Bowman

Running Happy on the Appalachian Trail

  To give you an idea of what this week looks like in training, here is what is on tap.
Monday: 45 minute run with tempo intervals: 10 min easy paced warm up, then 10 min at tempo (marathon pace), followed by 5 minute recovery pace, then 5 minutes at tempo pace, followed by 5 minutes recovery, then 10 minutes cool down run, with 3 x 30 second short burst of speed
- Strength training circuit for 30 minutes following the run. A sample of exercises included high knee jumps, mountain climbers, kettle bell swings, dumbbell bench presses and glute bridges. All things that will make me stronger to conquer the demands of running long distances on trails. 
Tuesday: Recovery Run 40 minutes- very easy paced, with heart rate staying in the 120-130's range.
Wednesday: Long Hill Repeats: 20 minute warm up run, followed by 4x 5 min hill climbs, 3 min recovery with each to run down hill, then 20 minute cool down 
 - Strength Training (same as Monday)
Thursday: day off
Friday: Long Run 2 hours (on the trail, keeping heart rate and effort easy)
Saturday: Cross Training approx 1 hour ** Full disclosure- while I may do some cross training (easy bike ride, or yoga), I also plan on going for a easy trail run (45-60 minutes). I find that this is good for me mentally and physically the day after my long run, to keep my legs feeling good and loose.
Sunday: day off 
  I find all this to be very doable, with some planning in scheduling. We are in full-summer schedule mode in our household, which means I am at the mercy of the kids varying schedules. I also take into account the weather forecast everyday, avoiding the highest heat of the day, and thunderstorms that tend to blow through at different times of the day.

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 - Question for anyone who has read this far---- Have you/ would you ever consider running an Ultra Marathon distance race (more than 26.2 miles)?