Zone 2 base run with fastpack — 15K, 2.5 hours, staying out of Zone 3 on NJ trails. JFK 50 is now on the calendar.
First long run of the post-winter block. The goal was simple: two to two-and-a-half hours at Zone 2 with a loaded fastpack — around 10 lbs plus poles — on trails that are finally back to normal after the last of the New Jersey snow melted. The discipline test: walk every hill before touching Zone 3.
Result: 15K in just over two and a half hours. Minimal Zone 3 contact. Mission accomplished.
Mid-run, a few season updates worth knowing. The April 50K is out — replaced by Xterra, same weekend, the race that needs a redemption run. A second early-spring 50K is still possible but weather-dependent. Ironman and TMBB remain on the schedule.
The big news: JFK 50 is official. After turning 50 this year and dropping to the 50K at SMR Ultra last year — zone 3 too early, terrain mismatch, peak timing off — a 50-mile finish is non-negotiable for 2026. JFK 50 is the redemption race. This zone 2 base block is chapter one of that arc.
This is what early base building looks like in practice: slower than expected, heavier than comfortable, and exactly where it needs to be aerobically.
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