Dale Nagel’s Badwater Training II

July 6, 2002

Badwater training continued with 62-mile average weeks now becoming 84 miles over the last 10 weeks.  Peak mileage during this time period was a 111-mile week. I followed a hard day/easy day routine, which I’m a big believer in.  The harder days consisted of 3-hrs 30-min – 7-hrs 30-min duration, with 2-4 doubles a week.

A few workout highlights:

Many miles/many sunrises at trail 100.  This has become a very special place for me.

The Mt. Ord 50k course with Scott and Laura Nagy, is cool, foggy, surreal.  A 17 miler the next morning followed by my first sky diving adventure.  Fun to fly!

I’ll do some altitude training (10,000ft) in Colorado Springs while I’m attending my friends, Todd and Laura Burgess’ wedding.

Badwater training weekend consists of the first 70 miles of the course in a two-day stay in Death Valley, California. I will be crewed by my wife, Gay.  A highly recommend weekend.

I have had back-to-back 104 and 111-mile weeks.  This is a first for me and is a real confidence boost!

A cornfield routine I worked up enabled me to add humidity to heat.  A figure 8 course around and through a field near my house proved to be a brutal workout.  Hopefully Badwater won’t be anymore obnoxious than this one.

I did a 40-mile time trial on Sun Valley Parkway in 6:03.  It was not real hot (107degrees) but a definite confidence boost as this was 1 hour faster than my Death Valley time over the same distance a month earlier.  I will be crewed/paced by Laura, Alene Nitsky and Dennis Leck.

I crewed and paced Laura through her first trail 100-miler at Western States.  Access this story on this webpage.

All in all, this is as hard and as long as I’ve ever trained.  I’m in awe of Badwater and yet have gained confidence in the last two months.  Thanks for all the support and good wishes.  Thanks especially to my crew, Laura, Gay, Tom Baker and Margo Morse for taking the time to assist me during my adventure.

Once again I’ll ask all of you to remember the Crisis Nursery, Weld County Partners and the work they do in their respective communities.  Please access this webpage: www.home.earthlink.net/~run4others/badwaterdale.htm

for further donation information.  Also prayer flags will be displayed on the crew van throughout the race. You can e-mail (same page) a request you’d like to have written on one.  We’re doing this on the honor system and request a $10.00 donation be made on behalf of the Crisis Nursery or Weld County Partners.

Personal thanks to Laura, Gay, Ray @ Zing (drinkzing.com), the ultra running community for believing and the spirit that resides in all of us.

Thanks, Dale

…in the desert, you can’t remember your name