Week 2: Pikes Peak 50M Training
Welp, who even knows if Pikes Peak will happen! The race isn’t until July, so I’m hopeful that the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak will be over.
Let’s jump into it. It was a weird week. That being said, I am immensely grateful I have a job I can do remotely, I’m healthy, a natural introvert, and am only dealing with a handful of inconveniences. I am experiencing some underlying stress from the simple “not knowing” factor — how long will this last? How bad will it get? What will shut down? Who will die? — so I’m doing my best to practice gratitude, take a few steps away from the news (but stay informed), and wash my hands + stay home. Unless, of course, I’m running.
I’m also so lucky that I have trail running. Trails + alone time seems safe and therapeutic. Longer and warmer days couldn’t have come at a better time. While it feels arbitrary and misplaced to write about my training at a time like this, having some semblance of order and routine amongst a lot of unknowns is healing.
MONDAY
Strength work
Notes: This was probably the last time I will be at our rec center for a long while. My PT/strength routine has drastically changed since I went to my PT last week and learned I might have a labral tear. I did a lot of glute and hip strengthening and a handful of miles on the bike.
TUESDAY
AM Ski
PM 5.3 miles, trail with GMR
Notes: Work has been really hectic and we’ve been having a lot of late night calls to align with timezones in Australia and Vietnam. With most of my work calls between 5-9pm, I took the morning off to go skiing! I’m happy I did, considering all the resorts are now closed. To take full advantage of the lucky state I live in, I went to GMR (Golden Mountain Runners) in the evening and brought Rosa for a nice loop at South Table..before coming home and hopping back into work.
WEDNESDAY
6.9 miles (hill repeats)
Notes: I’m sticking to my weekly hill commitment! Only Week 2, but let’s see how long it’ll last. I did three repeats of Green Mountain’s Fire Road; Flynn joined me for two of them! It was definitely tough, but Flynn’s presence and amazing ability to talk while running uphill made the the miles and time go by quite quickly.
THURSDAY:
6 miles, road
FRIDAY:
Online yoga
3.5 miles, road
Notes: Friday is usually my rest day (along with no running on Mondays) but I’m quickly learning I’m a 6-day-a-week runner. That, or I desperately need to learn how to chill the F out. But by Friday I usually need to release a little steam and get my legs moving before heavy miles on the weekend. I also was able to practice yoga from home since our studio is now moving to online-only classes.
SATURDAY:
13 miles, trail
Notes: Ahh, finally back to long runs! This was my longest consecutive run in...many, many months. I definitely felt fatigued, but also so happy to be back at it. I ran a loop of Matthews Winters and Green Mountain with Sarah and Sarah. We tried to get the COVID-19 talk out of the way and just enjoy each other’s company (6 feet away). The run started out gloomy and cold but the sun came out half-way through which was much needed. (See pic below.)
SUNDAY:
7.7 miles, trails
My plan called for 70 minutes so I drove over to Bear Creek to do a very therapeutic and quiet run on pretty much empty trails. While I usually like to bring a dog with me on these recovery days, I needed my hands free and my mind quiet.
Total Mileage: 42.4 miles
Total Hours: 7 hours 28 mins
Total Gain: 6,079 ft
Overall Emotions: As I said before, I feel grateful I am able to get outside. I’m also a little nervous that I’ll get Coronavirus and not be able to run (which, I know, is not even close to what other people fear) so I’m doing my best to stay healthy, keep my immune system in good, clean hands, and stay away from people. We have a stocked freezer, fridge, and pantry, TP and soap, and a lot of love in our household. Our neighborhood started a group text and we’re all extending help to one another, too. Oddly, our power went out this weekend for ~16 hours and we thought all of our freezer/fridge food would spoil…which honestly stressed me out a bit, considering a) I really don’t want to go to a grocery store anytime soon, and b) my hunger levels have increased exponentially since running again. Luckily, power is now back.
Extending good health, smart decisions, and movement to all! <3
