You mean everyone doesn't do this?

Solid? Insane is more like it man! If you ever get a chance, I have some questions about building up endurance over the winter and such. I really want to try out a 50miler at some point. I have been plagued by an injury this year, but I'm going to be doing a lot of biking indoors on a wind trainer to maintain fitness.

Insane might be a better way to put it, but I have to justify it in my own head somehow...

I'd be happy to answer any questions I can about building up endurance over the winter; I've gotten in some of my best training during the winter months while slogging out miles on treadmills. A 50-miler is a completely different animal from a marathon, but it is very runnable, and I enjoy the long stuff even more. Best of luck to you regarding the injury. I have been sidelined with injuries before and know how frustrating it can be.

4th place on a 10-miler is great! Congrats!

My friend Bryon has a great website for ultrarunners that may be of interest to you both; here's a post about how to train for your first ultra http://blog.irunfar.com/2007/10/training-for-your-first-ultra.html.

Injuries... yuck! Do you think they're caused by training improperly or wearing the wrong kind of shoes? My doctor thinks they're pretty much random and can happen to anyone, even if you train by the book... some coaches have told me otherwise. I'm leaning towards the randomness answer...

I think that injuries can be caused by all kinds of things. Improper training can hasten overuse injuries or put you in a more vulnerable position to get them; the wrong kinds of shoes can allow abnormally large stresses in your feet, legs, knees, back, etc. Unfortunately, sometimes our bodies just rebel. Maybe we have trained too hard or beyond our current fitness level, and our bodies force us to take a break and recover. So I guess my answer to your question is a little of both. Random injuries do occur, but there are certain precautions we can take to reduce the chance of injuries, like getting proper shoes, running with good form, paying attention to warning signs that our bodies give us regarding how much pounding we're actually giving them. Whatever the case, they happen to all of us, and all we can do is take them in stride (pun very much intended) and learn what we can from them.