Summer Training
I suppose I should put some concrete structure around what I'm hoping to work towards during the summer... but I haven't felt super inspired, to be completely honest. The thematic goal is that I'd like to run XC this fall, and I'd like to be in a position to improve from where I left off 2 years ago. I'm reluctant to set this as the ONLY goal, however, simply in so much as that I need to avoid incurring permanent psychiatric damage (which almost undoubtedly will happen given the pressure to get from here to there in two short months).
That said, I think I will focus on two general ideas for the summer training block:
1. Doing more of the things that I most enjoy about running: Mountain runs, long adventure runs and if fitness at all permits, long threshold tempo runs. I'd like to begin working some of these things that I like to do into the monotony of injury prevention focused training. I think I'm at a point now where I can, if I remember to be smart about it.
2. Doing more of the things that I don't naturally tend to want to do: Making a commitment to striders and technical work, core strengthening, etc. Also, eating less candy, going to bed earlier, and taking down weeks and rest days BEFORE the fatigue accumulates to a point where things start deteriorating.
Sunday 06/29: 1:06:40, Monterrey to RB and back. The scaled back long run after yesterday's adventures. I was expecting my entire system to be thrashed from the mountain run, but I felt pretty good. Legs felt a little bit tired, but I've had worse showings on this route and those were not after a 2 hour uphill the day before... was pleased. Drove down to SD to help Craig pick out a shiny new road bike, and celebrate a calorically dense belated birthday.
Monday 06/30: Off. Shots. Good grief, still feel full from yesterday.
Tuesday 07/01: 43:45, Monterrey to bridge loop. Honestly... still felt a little bit barfy from over-eating on Sunday. I have a notoriously weak digestive system and this was some big time overload. Felt okay other than that. At least the runtimes on this route are working their way back DOWN instead of UP. I'm also really glad that the mountain run hasn't seemed to cripple my foot. *knock on wood*.
Wednesday 07/02: 1:00:33, warm up, 5 x 800m (with 400 jog rest), cool down. Despite the fact that I was supposed to do 6 x 800m, and the South Fields are now technically closed for maintenance, this wasn't a terrible workout... I think I've got to take improvement where I can get it, even if it's not spectacular.
3:15 (97, 98), 3:15 (97, 98), 3:16 (98, 98), 3:15 (98, 97), 3:19 (101, 98) for a modest improvement over the last set of 800's. I think these were calmer and stronger though, like a good pacing workout, I felt like the effort across the laps was distributed a lot more evenly this time. I guess my main challenge is still the endurance, the fifth one was of drastically worse quality than the others, so I decided to skip the sixth one... as I still want these to be "practice running uptempo" intervals, rather than anaerobically stressful intervals. Hopefully the endurance will come with increased training volume (?).
Thursday 07/03: Off, shots. Traveling. A baby was shrieking like a banshee the entire plane ride... felt irate. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to cope with one of my own. Love (bigger) kids... really do not love babies... not sure what to do about that.
Friday 07/04: Hiking. Happy 4th of July!!! Peter and I embarked on my first 14-er. Due to lack of time and preparation, we chose an easy one, Mt. Bierstadt, where you can just drive up most of the way. It was slated for 7 miles, 4.5 hours with 3,000 ft elevation gain (11,000 to 14,000). Piece of cake? That's what I thought... little did I know....
First of all, let me just say that I did NOT feel fantastic coming out of the parking lot at 11,000 ft. Then you kind of get used to that feeling... but the next thing that I realized was that its kinda okay if you're just putzing around, but it takes roughly a 1% grade of climbing before you start feeling like you're past the anaerobic threshold. This hike totally blew me away. I felt pretty much dizzy and delirious less than halfway up. It was really the strangest feeling, halfway between being exhausted and being drunk, I had to continually fight back the irrational desire to say "WHEEEEEEE!!!!", even though I was clearly not at the top yet.
I really did not think I was going to make it, and there was some scary rock scrambling at the top, but all in all it was pretty cool. We saw some awesome little marmots chasing eachother at the summit. The view was interesting because on one side, there were rolling green mountains mottled with clouds and idyllic little lakes and willow bogs, but on the other side, it was all jagged and steep and gray with a deathly looking lake at the bottom that very clearly was filled with cold, cold meltwater. Long way down. Everything felt pretty beat by the end.
Saturday 07/05: 58:51, Wildcat trail to Grand View trail entrance. A quiet recovery jog (well, to be fair, almost all of my Colorado runs are basically recovery jogs due to altitude), which was made a little bit less pleasant by sleeping in and it somehow having gotten to be 90 degrees. Waited until the afternoon clouds rolled in so it was basically windy and hot but at least the sun wasn't beating down on you. Legs not sore but just very very tired. Went slow and was basically pleasant.
Goals: This is kind of a down week, I just want to enjoy the 4th and some hiking with Peter, and to be well rested and recovered to start again next week.
Training this week: 3:49:49, not bad for 4 days. The hike was the X-factor though... did not anticipate that it would be so strenuous... hence, not so rested feeling.
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