Steady week.  A little light on the mileage, but I’m trying to be better about listening to my body and backing off when I should.  Especially coming off of the recent 100 miler.  I’ve ended up running harder on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Didn’t really mean for it to work out that way, but it did.  Will be taking it easy this week leading up to the North Fork 50 mile race on Saturday.

Monday
Run – 13.1 / 2:05 / 133avg
Very hot, hilly late afternoon run before going to see the fireworks. This one was tough, but I felt better than I thought I would.

Tuesday
Run – 7 / 1:08 / 122avg
Nice easy run with 121 avg HR. So many times my easy days are a bit tough because I’m wiped out from previous efforts. Not so today. Felt good and relaxed. Enjoyed that sensation.

Wednesday
Run – 10.2 / 1:19 / 157avg
Felt good. First five were cake, then felt it a bit, then the last 2 were work. 16 min faster than the same run last week!  Very hilly and hot.

Thursday
Run – 7.5 / 1:10 / 128avg
Very easy cruise just letting yesterday’s effort soak in. Follwed up with 2 miles barefoot on the grass.

Friday
13 / 1:56 / 154avg
Another hot and hilly run. Stomach was off and the legs were heavy. Cut this one a bit short, felt like I crossed a line somewhere and didn’t want to go too deep.

Saturday
Off
Wasn’t really planning on taking the day off, but just didn’t feel that great.  Could have forced a run, but decided not to for once.

Sunday
6.4 / :59 / 124avg
Easy.

Total

Run – 57.2, 8:43

Pic of the week:

Actually a video clip this week.  I was running along a gravel path when I heard footsteps crunching behind me.  I turned around and it was a deer!  What a trip.  The thing followed me for almost a half-mile.  Freaked me out for a minute, but it just so happened it wanted to get where I was going as well.

I’m hungry.

For the first time in almost a year, I am both literally and figuratively hungry.  I haven’t let myself get hungry for a long time.  I’m liking the feeling.  Every time my stomach rumbles a little bit, it reminds me I’m coming back.  My injuries are all doing pretty well, not perfect, but no excuses now.  Time to get to work and stop using them as a crutch.

Super week. Finally feel like I am really in training mode for the first time all year. Seem to have bounced back from Big Horn pretty well after taking it easy for one week, and have stepped things up a notch. Getting lots of runs in the heat, some climbing, hiking with a pack, time on the bike, a little bit of everything. Have also improved my eating habits 1000%. No more breakfast burritos, ice cream, soda, candy bars. Scale doesn’t show it yet, but I feel things tightening up. Game on.

MONDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		7		Time	:54	Avg HR	157
Locked on to a good cruising pace and held it there. Felt good to get out of jog mode for once.
Activity		Run	Miles		4		Time	:38	Avg HR
Easy jog to return some books to the library.
Activity		Run	Miles		2		Time	:28	Avg HR
Don’t normally count the dog walks, but this one was steady enough to make the grade.
TUESDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		10.1		Time	1:34	Avg HR	161
HOT. Could feel the heat from the asphalt on the bottoms of my feet. Struggled the final miles, but didn’t crack. Ran by feel, ended up slower than I thought. It’s game on now. Went to bed hungry, woke up hungry, drove to work hungry, ran hungry. Time to get lean and mean, no excuses.
WEDNESDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		7		Time	1:06	Avg HR	133
Slow and easy. Tested new Camelbak pack.
Activity		Hike	Miles		12.8		Time	4:00	Avg HR
Last prep hike with the scouts before our 50 miler in July. Lots of climbing with fully loaded packs at Deer Creek Open Space. Had an interesting encounter with a small-ish (2 years old?) bear at dusk. It crossed the trail right in front of our group and I didn’t see it because I was bringing up the rear. While we were standing there talking, it popped back out onto the trail about 30′ away. I threw a couple of rocks near it and yelled, but it could not have cared less. Made me realize that the bear chooses what it wants to do, I’m not going to be able to intimidate one into running. I finally got it to move off the trail a bit before it started climbing a tree and then changed it’s mind. Luckily another rock got it moving downhill, followed by another that got the momentum going and it took off for good.
THURSDAY
Activity		Bike	Miles		27.8		Time	1:29	Avg HR	135
Good ride. My legs were tired, but felt the best they have on the bike in quite a while. Put in a one hour effort and got 21.7 miles in that time with a 144 average heart rate.21.7 / 1:00 / 144avg
FRIDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		10.3		Time	1:29	Avg HR	147
Included 8 mi tempo @ 8:09. Was thinking I’d be a little faster on the trails at the boneyard, but the legs are still a little bit heavy. Treated this as a tempo-lite and got in a solid hour+ at 150 HR.
SATURDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		16.5		Time	3:30	Avg HR	148
Big run at Mount Falcon. Worked in the yard and around the house all morning, then took the kids to the pool in the afternoon and baked in the sun for a few hours. Pretty drained after all that, but headed over to Falcon and did 2 laps starting at the bottom lot up to the upper lot and back. Started at 5pm in the heat of the afternoon and did the whole run on 2 bottles and one pack of shot bloks. Wasn’t fast, but ran a pretty even split between the first lap and the second. Was really wrecked at the end, but told myself that was the whole point. Almost got smoked in a head-on with a goggle-wearing, boxer showing punk screaming through a blind s-curve on his bike while I was headed up the climb. Closest call I’ve had in a very long time, maybe ever. I think my two day old stubble left whisker burn on his cheek as he passed by. I was a rider long before I was a runner, so I totally get that side of things, but when he flew past me again on his second trip down and I realized he was getting shuttled to the top that really chapped my azz.
SUNDAY
Activity		Run	Miles		4		Time	:40	Avg HR	136
TM recovery. Threw in a mile @ 10% to get the blood pumping a little.
TOTALS
Total Time	15:49
Foot Miles	73.3			Foot Time		14:21
Bike Miles	27.8			Bike Time		1:28

Pic of the week:

Seen on Wednesday’s run. I’m determined not to need one at Leadville, unlike last year…

Concentrated on recovery from the 100 miler.  Biggest issue was being tired, everything else felt relatively good.  Easier recovery than any of my previous races this year.  There was so much hiking, I just didn’t get all that beat-up.  I’m hoping to get back to a regular (but light) week this coming week.

Monday OFF

Tuesday OFF.  Walked the dog a couple of miles, jogged for about 5 minutes to test things out.  Felt good.

Wednesday Bike – 17.5 / 1:00 Felt quite good, considering this is the first physical activity after the 100 miler. Easily averaged 21mph on the middle 11 miles.

Thursday Run – 5.3 / :53First run after BH100 on trails at the boneyard. Felt good, just really tired. Cut it a little short.

Friday Run – 7 / 1:00Really good run. Steady cruise that felt good.

Saturday Run – 5.1 / 1:11 Relaxed jog/hike on the upper trails of Mt. Falcon with Malcolm. We were both pretty tired, but happy to be up in the hills.

Sunday OFF.  Resting up for next week.

Total Time – 4:05Bike – 17.5 / 1:00 Run– 17.4 / 3:05

Pic of the week:

Up and away.