Training week 5/26-6/1 - 3 weeks to Mohican

The goal this week was to get in 80+ miles with quality workouts. I managed to get in 103 miles with a track workout on Wednesday, somewhat of a tempo run on Friday and a total of 3 long runs. This was a hell of a hard week. When you have a 2-week-old baby, finding the time and strength to run 100 miles is very, very difficult. There were a few times this week when I actually questioned whether I should--or could--run Mohican this year. We are having the time of our lives with Noah, but there's no question that it's a lot of work, and the late nights take a toll on you. Couple all of that with a 100-mile week and it gets tough, even with the encouragement of my wife, my family and my extended family--the Cleveland Southeast Running Club.

But tough doesn't scare me; it interests me. This week I survived the 100 miles amid limited sleep, and I was definitely feeling it by the end of Sunday, when the wheels were on the verge of coming off. I now just hope I got through the week without injury. I'll find out in the next few days.

Pacer update: I found out early in the week that Wayne V. will not be able to pace me at Mohican. He made West Coast trip plans and didn't realize that his plans conflicted with Mohican. For a time, this left me without a pacer from miles 60-75, when Ted F., who paced me at the Burning River 100, will pick me up and run me in. Although I'm quite sure I could make it to 75 by myself and in good shape, it's important to me to have a pacer the last 40 miles. Fortunately, Ted has agreed to go the last 40 with me. Thank you, Ted!

Later in the week, I learned that Kenny M. from my former home of West Lafayette, Indiana, who ran with me during the last 20 miles of the Burning River 100, plans to crew for me at Mohican and will also run with Ted and me for the last 25 miles. Kenny is a heck of good runner, a tough guy and an excellent pacer. I am very fortunate to have Kenny and Ted as my crew/pacers. I know I can count on these two guys. They came up huge for me at the Burning River 100 and I know, together, we'll do well at Mohican and have fun in the process.

Monday
AM: 14 miles at 7:20-7:30 pace
Felt very good despite the aggressive workout and hard Blossom Time Run the day before. I wanted to run with Mark G. and the guys but couldn't make it in time, so I just put in the miles by myself.
PM: 4.5 miles
Total miles for day: 18.5

Tuesday
AM: 9 miles
PM: 4.3 miles on the treadmill with Noah next to me. He was very good!
Total miles for day: 13.3

Wednesday
AM: 9.3-mile track workout
3x1600s at 5:51, 5:46 and 5:38 with 400 recoveries and striders during my warm-up. I intentionally started conservatively, as I wasn't quite sure what to expect from my body, and got faster with each interval. I don't know if it was my new shoes (Asics 2130s) or if I was just off my game, but I was pounding the track entirely too hard during the last repeat. My gate was completely off. I also zoned out a few times and just wasn't mentally sharp. But, at least I got the track work in.... Next week, when I'm a little fresher, I'll shoot for sub-5:35s and will try to get to the Solon High School track.
PM: 4.7 miles
Total miles for day: 14

Thursday
AM: 8.5 miles
A very tough workout as I was up until 3 a.m. the night before and suffered a groin pull, which fortunately healed up by the next day thanks to ice treatment. Here's what I wrote in my running log after recording my workout: "Very tired physically and emotionally. Having serious thoughts about Mohican in my current state. Pulled up with a right groin pull. Is this even possible?" I decided to take the evening off and, by the next day, had bounced back mentally but was still down physically.
PM: Off
Total miles for day: 8.5

Friday
AM: 9 miles
Felt very heavy on my feet and pretty flat. I wanted this to be a tempo run but I was too drained to do much beyond 7-minute pace. Just tried to hang on for dear life in the name of volume....
PM: 7 miles in Shaker Park with John L.
This run allowed me to reach my goal of 70 miles by the end of Friday and to finish the day on a strong note, after struggling a bit during the morning session. John, who is an accomplished 5K and 10K specialist and frequently wins his age division in races, really pushed the pace, making this almost a tempo run. I am glad he was there because he pushed me to do better than I might have if alone.
Total miles for day: 16

Saturday
AM: 14-mile out-and-back with Ted F. in Bedford Reservation
We started at Shadow Lake (mile 18 aid station at Burning River) and turned around just past the overlook in Bedford Reservation. The weather was very humid and in the 70s. I was drenched when we got back to our cars and not feeling the best.
PM: 4 miles easy
Total miles for day: 18

Sunday
AM: 15 miles in Solon with the Southeast Running Club
I didn't get too much sleep the night before, which might be why the wheels started to come off about 10 miles into the run. I held on and managed to finish strong, going sub-7 the last mile.

Total miles for week: 103.3

My goal next week is to basically get in as many miles as possible before entering my Mohican 100 taper. If I'm able to get in 100+ miles, that would be perfect. If not, oh well, the hay's in the barn, as a friend of mine likes to say. I am at least going to shoot for 70, with 90 being optimal, and then after Sunday begin my taper for the Mohican.