I'm going to try to start providing training week recaps only a weekly basis--not that it'll interest you or anyone else. The weekly recap is a great way to hold myself accountable. I have always believed that putting yourself out there is a great accountability tool. I just hope I have time to keep these weekly updates coming....
Several years ago, when I was a halfway decent runner, I posted weekly updates (here's an example). That was back when I was running lots of miles and actually feeling good about my race results. It's also when I had a lot more time to train. These days, time is limited, which requires constant creativity in terms of finding opportunities to run. Sometimes I'm motivated to capitalize on this opportunities; sometimes I'm not.
With my goal being the Bighorn 100, all weekly recaps will include in the title how many weeks out the big race sits. With last week being a "ski week," the mileage was a bit down. Here goes:
Monday
AM: 4.2 miles easy (about 9:00 pace)
PM: 0 miles
Coming off of a 70-mile week and 35 miles over Saturday and Sunday, so this was a super easy effort. On Mondays, I usually hop on the treadmill for a few easy miles and that's it. As my Bighorn training progresses, I'll need to boost my Monday mileage to hit my week goals, but Mondays will always be super easy efforts.
Total miles for day: 4.2
Tuesday
AM: 6.5 miles with Nick (about 9:00 pace)
PM: 0 miles
Got out of the house later than usual due to drawstring issues with my shorts. Yeah, I know, lame excuse. The drawstring on my new North Face shorts is pretty thin and tangles easily. Anyway, while Nick is a great training partner, it's becoming clear to me that I'm going to need to limit his running as I increase my mileage, because he simply doesn't like to move that fast, especially on the hills (unless a rabbit is in sight).
Total miles for day: 6.5
Wednesday
AM: 8.8 miles solo at steady-state pace
PM: 0 miles
Was nice to get out and run a decent distance for mid-week. Still not feeling great--pace is slow and legs are kind of unresponsive. Much of this run was at 7:10 pace--just couldn't seem to get below 7's.
Total miles for day: 8.8
Thursday
AM: 7.1 miles with Nick in about an hour (easy pace)
PM: 0 miles
Legs feeling better than in previous days but still not there.
Total miles for day: 7.1
Friday
AM: 7.7 miles--first three with Nick, last 4.7 solo
PM: 4 miles kind of fast on a local trail loop
Really enjoying this beautiful weather. Hit the local trails as much as possible today.
Total miles for day:11.7
Saturday
AM: Skied all day
PM: Quick 4.3-miler with Nick after getting back from skiing
Total miles for day: 4.3
Sunday
AM: 14.3 miles easy in Parker
PM: 0 miles
Total miles for day: 14.3
Total miles for week: 56.7
Not a high-mileage week at all. Coming off a few weeks of 70+, and given that we skied on Saturday, I decided to dial it back and rest a bit. The goal next week is 75 miles, including a night run of at least 3 hours. I'll continue to be on an alternating schedule--mileage down on ski weeks, mileage up on non-ski weeks. By April 1, I'll be in full swing. I have every intention of hitting triple digits with my weekly mileage in May. Not every runner needs volume; I do--lots of trial and error has proven that to be true.
I haven't yet started running "real trails" in my Bighorn build-up; for now, the goals are to get super aerobically fit, rack up decent mileage and be ready to put in some quality miles on the trails in the weeks ahead. My plan is one quality workout per week--be it hill repeats, tempo runs or intervals.
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