Cody Goodwin & Olaf Wasternack Vol State Relay Update #1

Race Team members Cody and Olaf are getting prepared for the Vol State 500k relay on April 23rd. Read below how they have coped in the snowy and icy conditions this week, and how they are mentally preparing for their daunting task ahead.

Olaf Wasternack: Yeah, winter rocks. I had some good snow/ ice runs with also a couple on the treadmill for an overall good mileage mix already this week and am excited to finish it with the Dry Creek Marathon. I will toe the line highly motivated and with 60 miles in my legs and am pumped to see what happens. The mud/snow/ice mix will make for an interesting course and tons of fun.

Cody Goodwin: I’m worn out from sliding and tweaking on snow and ice all week. All my runs have either been track work or outside, with a nice run at Percy on Monday. All my stabilizing muscles feel like hammered meat with the occasional shooting twinge reminding me that I should do more lateral movement. We pulled off a 1200m time trial on Thursday, and I still have the taste of iron in my throat. I’ll be heading to do the half-marathon with Olaf this weekend, and looking forward to more sloppy running.

OW: This week was also the last medium volume week, as next week will see an increase in intensity and volume. The majority of the volume increase will come from running twice a week to work, which is a logistical challenge but with the help of my amazing team mates and coworkers Cody and James no problem.

CG: Last week was pretty high mileage, and I’ll try to hold onto that for the next week, with a down week after. It’s nine weeks until the race, and that bit of rest should help me to avoid any injury. I’ll be doubling up to keep it easy on the legs, with a shorter run in the morning and a longer run or workout in the afternoon. We’re doing Jack Daniels’ mile training plan, and are transitioning into phase 3 soon, which will throw in an additional strength workout during the week (making 3 total workouts). I’ll be following this up until the relay.

OW: I have thought about how to deal with the undoubtedly mentally dark places that I will encounter during the relay and have decided that listening to music should help. I am generally not in favor of listening to music during running but after 100 or so miles anything that keeps me going is a good thing. So I dug out my old play list that I used a long time ago when I was cycling for hours on the indoor trainer. It’s in many cases not really good music in terms of lyrics but the beat and rhythm is of the kind that kicks my butt and makes me move. I will pick some headphones at FleetFeet up soon and start getting used to the wearing of earbuds. Here is the playlist:

-          Cherry Poppin’ Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot

-          The Prodigy - Omen

-          Make the Girl Dance - Kill Me (Toxic Avenger Remix)

-          Metallica – Whiplash

-          The Offspring – Demons

-          The Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love

-          Pennywise – Fight Till You Die

-          Rolling Stones – Paint in Black

-          Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills

-          Make the Girl Dance – Wall of Death (Stereo Heroes Remix)

-          Metallica – Leper Messiah

-          The Beasty Boys – Sabotage

-          Iron Maiden – The Trooper

-          Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion

-          Black Sabbath – Paranoid

CG: Olaf might disown me after this, but I’ll likely listen to some books on tape to disengage my mind. I have a tendency to climb inside my thoughts and start sorting things out on long runs. Sometimes, I uncover something that I really don’t want to address. Some hulking reality that I’ve ignored long enough to leave a layer of dust on the surface. It’s constructive to try to dismantle these on occasion, but when I’m feeling worn down and mentally fragile, I’d rather not try to grapple internally. I also want the chance to fully suffer without distractions.