Training Week 6: Trail shape
Another week slips on by. I can’t believe it’s mid-April. Running went well this week; I was so overjoyed by the sunny and warm days, even though Sunday (today) brought snow. I had some normal miles, followed by a tough (for me) track workout on Wednesday. Over the weekend I turned 32 and went on my first run with a friend (at a distance) in what feels like forever. Two runs were with the doggos, which was a nice change. As always, I stuck to backyard trails and Bear Creek.
What else? I listened to Julia Hanlon’s Running On Om podcast with Courtney Dauwalter on one of my runs. I love Julia’s energy and presence and recommend all of her shows!
Overall this week was busy with work; I feel like I’m either sitting at my desk, running, or on my office floor for 20 mins of PT exercises. Or..in the kitchen :) Speaking of, I’m about to make thai carrot soup with socca bread (I’m adding caramelized onions to the bread!). I ate some glorious birthday tacos (shrimp/mushroom) yesterday, and to my surprise enjoyed 1.5 brats mid-week. I have never been fully vegan but I feel like my body has been craving more meat lately. I do love fish but I felt weird after the bratwurst.
Ok, now I’m rambling. Onto the miles:
MONDAY
Strength/PT
TUESDAY
8.75 miles, trail
Notes: What was supposed to be a 7-mile out-and-back turned into a slightly longer loop since the turn-around was on a thin single track trail that was oddly populated. Rather than pass a lot of people and spread germs (disclaimer: I was wearing a buff!) I decided to take an alternative way home. My legs felt fresh from Monday’s rest day so my body didn’t mind going a little longer.
WEDNESDAY
6 miles, speed
Notes: I slept terribly the night before so this track workout was semi-torturous. Rather than tracking my splits (I knew they would be slower than I wanted) I just ran by effort. I sorta made something up: 1xmile, 2x800m, 4x400m, and 5x100 sprints — with a 1-mile WU and CD.
THURSDAY:
7 miles, trail
Notes: The mixture of poor sleep, work stress, and a track workout (my body is still getting used to speed, ha) meant this run felt like a sloggggg. Still, I’m grateful for the pretty creek and soft trails by our house. This run was nothing hard but I felt wiped.
FRIDAY:
4 dog miles, road
PT/yoga
Notes: Friday is typically my rest day but it was beautiful out! And I knew the snow was coming on Sunday. Rather than our typical dog walks, I took Luna and Rosa on separate ~2 mile runs to the track and around the high school. Both dogs were successfully wiped, and I got a few shakeout miles in. Win-win!
SATURDAY:
17.1 miles, trails
Notes: Birthday run! I had a grand plan of running with Sarah (6 feet away #stillfeellikeIneedtosaythis) to the Mt. Morrison TH, hike up with Alfredo (3.5 RT, STEEP AF climb) and then run home. We all met at the TH to find out it closed the night before due to high traffic. Alf had a great idea of running over to Mt. Falcon, so we ran to that trailhead and went about 1 mile up. I for sure want to come back and do all of Falcon, which I think would be about 23 miles RT from the house. Overall I felt good, though my hip started to fire up about two hours in. Grateful to have sunshine and friendship and Alf/Sarah there to help celebrate with long miles! Pic of us below!
SUNDAY:
6.1 dog miles, trail
Yoga/PT
Notes: I didn’t even have running on the plan since I ran Friday and it was snowy (#sad) but my body felt really good after a 60-minute yoga flow so I layered up and took Rosa to the track. (Rosa is way easier to run with on-leash than Luna.) We did a few circles and both felt good (yes, I asked her), so I took her on some trails close to the house. We ended up running for nearly an hour, something I wasn’t planning on. But it was actually quite refreshing. Also…running always helps after having a few bday manhattans. ;)
Total Mileage: 49.6 miles
Total Hours: 7 hours 35 minutes
Total Gain: 2,103 ft
Overall Emotions: As the miles keep coming, I feel tired but strong. But I’m also nervous that I’m not climbing enough, getting on technical trails, and mirroring what Pikes will be like — if the race even happens. Is it possible to be “in shape” but not in “trail shape”? I think so, though it’s weird to think that there’s something more to be done, given I can’t get the mountains like I’d like to.
