This week I realized that my next race is a very hilly and tough
50km. Oh no. The plan for this week was to cut out intensity and concentrate on
increased, slow mileage to hopefully allow my legs to recover. It was nice not
worrying about pace or split times for a week. It allowed me to just enjoy the
trails and leave behind all the stress of racing and running hard. I feel it’s
important to have weeks like this to let your mind unwind, relax, and remember
why you love running so much.
Sunday (1/26): 5 miles
An easy 5 miles on the flat, followed with
barefoot drills and strides.
Monday (1/27): 12 miles
Easy twelve miles on the Beast.
Tuesday (1/28): Day off.
Wednesday (1/29): 12 miles
Twelve miles on the Beast through the ice.
The trail was basically iced over about an inch or more thick throughout. It
was very fun but exhausting. These types of runs are more about time spent
running than how fast you can finish.
Thursday (1/30): 7 miles
Easy seven on flat. Still a lot of ice on
the Beast and road to trailhead. Some skips and strides followed with a tough
core workout at home.
Friday (1/31): 6 miles
Training runs in the AM suck!! My form is
terrible and my body hurts. I'm one
runner who needs coffee and food before going out for a run.
Saturday (2/01): 20 miles
Went camping at Chicot State Park on
Friday night. That's why I had to get my mileage done in the morning. I bought
myself a new backpacking tent for my birthday so I was ready to test it out. We
enjoyed some beautiful weather with a light rain that evening. Unfortunately, I
made a terrible mistake and left my birthday cinnamon rolls Maureen made for me
outside in a large Rubbermaid container that I keep cooking supplies in. The
cinnamon rolls themselves were also in a plastic container. Around 11 pm, I
heard a lot of loud noise. Raccoons were getting into all our supplies, opening
the ice chest and everything else. I stuck my head out of the tent and saw that
everything looked in order except for the paper towels on the ground.
Remembering that I had put them away, I got up and checked everything. The lid was
still on the kitchen supplies, but when I opened it, no cinnamon rolls! The
whole container was gone! I found the cinnamon roll container opened in the
nearby ditch. Damn you animals! These animals have had some practice! We shoot
for an early start the next morning but don't hit the trails until ten.
Louisiana is a crazy place; just two days before, I'm running over inches of ice
and sub-freezing temperatures. Today it’s humid and I'm sweating like crazy.
Murphy's Law took over today; it was just one of those days where you have to
roll with the punches and get through it. I caught up with Maureen and Grits as
they drove ahead to a different trailhead to pick up where she left off last
time we came. Grits tried running with me and I nearly killed him with the heat.
After 4 miles, I had to turn around and run him back to Meaux. Finally, he
stayed with me and I was able to get into a groove. At mile 13, I took a sting
from a red wasp on the shin and then things only got worse. Heels were hurting,
toes were getting rubbed raw, so I had to stop and doctor my feet around mile
15. This whole run I felt terrible and could never get into a really good
rhythm. At one point, I had to stop to walk for a minute. The trail was slop
for the first and last 4 miles due to the melting ice from previous days. In
the end, I gutted it out and got through in 2:44 for about 20 miles. It always
could have been worse. Overall, it was a decent week. I think this run was
particularly tough for a few reasons: the accumulated fatigue of the past
weeks, lack of decent sleep this week, trail conditions, and temperature. I am happy
to have completed three consistent weeks of training so far this year. The
accumulated fatigue is taking its toll but making me stronger. I am also very
fortunate to have a girlfriend that loves trails and camping, who is willing to
spend nights in the woods so I can run different places. She also started her own blog to share her love of photography, check it out! A Photo or Few
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