Week Ending 3/18

I haven't done a weekly wrap-up in a long, long time. Here goes nothing (keep in mind that this is ALL at 6,000+ feet and much of it between 6,200-6,400 feet):

Monday--easy
AM: 6 miles on the treadmill, averaging 8:00 pace. Legs a little tired from the previous weekend's running.

Tuesday--moderate
AM: 9.45 miles in 1:13 on the Tomahawk loop. FYI, the Tomahawk loop is a moderately challenging dirt-road loop up in the Parker hills.

Wednesday--tempo run
AM: 10.35 miles in 1:13. This was a very solid tempo run. The goal was 6 miles at tempo pace. My splits were were: 1) 8:24 (warm-up), 2) 6:36, 3) 6:12, 4) 6:17, 5) 6:29, 6) 5:55, 7) 6:33, 8) 8:01 (begin cooldown), 9) 7:45, 10) 8:15, 10.35) 2:43.

Thursday--easy
AM: Had a 7:30 AM meeting so all I had time for was 4.3 miles and 35 minutes on the treadmill. Super easy pace. Woke up at 4:30 AM for this one.

Friday--moderate
AM: Argh, once again another 7:30 AM meeting, leaving little time for more than a short run. Ran 5 miles in 36 minutes, running miles 2-4 at about 6:45 pace. Woke up yet again at 4:30 AM for this one.

Saturday--long
AM: 18 miles in in 2:17 the Parker hills, averaging 7:38/mile. 1150'. I ran mile 17 in 6:26. Unfortunately, none of Parker's trail loops are really connected so what I did was run the loops and then the roads in between, trying to stay on dirt the whole time. This was an excellent long run--I felt strong and steady the whole way.

PM: 3.3 miles easy. These may look like junk miles but they weren't. I focused on holding good form with tired legs.

Sunday--semi-long
AM: 11.8 miles in 1:32 in the Parker hills, once again running on the trails and dirt shoulders. Estimating 1000' of climbing (GPS battery was dead due to a PC glitch and I didn't have time to recharge it before my run). I was glad I got in this run in before the high winds came later in the morning. Despite the 21.25-mile effort the previous day, my legs were surprisingly functional and even responsive. I didn't push it and instead just held an even, steady pace. I would have liked to run a bit longer but we had church at 9:30 and so I had limited time to work with.

PM: 3.3 miles easy. Once again focused on holding good form.

Weekly totals:

• 71.4 miles run
• 9 hours, 10 minutes
• 9 total runs (7.93 miles/run)
• Averaged 7:43/mile
• Push-ups and core work

I love the way my core is developing now that I've incorporated a few new exercises.

Year to date mileage:

• 655.2 miles run
• 96 miles biked
• 2.6 miles walked

My cumulative running mileage is down a bit from previous years--a result of starting 2012 with a fairly significant leg injury. But my health is good right now and, despite VERY limited time on Thursday and Friday, this was a solid week, for March anyway. The reduced mileage on Thursday and Friday, though keeping me from an 80-mile week, seemed to translate into strong runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Also, I hate that I didn't get to the foothills/mountains over the weekend. I've been making it a point to get there at least once a week, but this weekend time just wouldn't allow it.

My goal for the coming week is to inch toward 11 hours of training, how ever that may come.

Monday: Cross-train (probably cycle)
Tuesday: Easy run
Wednesday: Tempo run
Thursday: Easy run
Friday: Two runs
Saturday: Long run, maybe on the Highlands Ranch network
Sunday: Longish run with some quality power-hiking in the mountains, preferably the Incline and Barr Trail

Once we get some light in the mornings, I'll be heading to the track for some 800s, 1200s, 1600s and, oh yes, 3200s. This is the first time in more than two years that I've felt motivated to get to the track. Here are a few of my favorite workouts from years past:

• 3x1600 at just slightly better than 5K pace (back East this was at about 5:30 pace). This is my mainstay.
• 2x3200, each at about 11:55. I haven't yet done this workout at elevation.
• 10x800 at about 2:45 pace, also know as Yasso 800s.
• And my favorite: 5x1600 at 5:55 pace. I love this workout but, again, I've never done it at elevation.

I always do 100-meter striders before my track workouts.

Unlike in previous years, I'm not killing myself to do mega mileage in March, with my goal race (Leadville 100) being five months away. Running 70 miles a week right now, with some good quality mixed in, I'm establishing a very strong base and protecting my good health in advance of a progressive ramp up in May, June and July.