Monday, September 19, 2011

Week Ending Sept. 18

My take-away message from this week is that the majority of my miles need to come in the morning.  I spent the week running on the trails after work and I felt like crap on each and every run.  While some of that stems from two weekends in a row of racing, I believe the majority of the issue is the result of sitting in an office chair for eight hours and then trying to get my body to move.  While most people would prefer to run after work in order to loosen-up after all that chair-sitting, I seem to just feel like crap.  The two morning runs I did this week were more comfortable and more enjoyable than the afternoon miles.

It was also a long week, for the previously posted reason(s).  I also had the pleasure of finally completely severing ties with people who no longer serve any purpose to my life.  While painful, it has happened for a reason, I am much happier and it is time to move on.  On to more important things, like finally writing that pesky thesis, and of course, more miles!

On that note...

Tues. Sept. 13 - 7 miles in 56 min (8 min pace).  My calves were still pretty sore from the race on Saturday.  I went up to the trails after work.  I felt like ten pounds of you-know-what in a five pound bag.  It seemed like I was working harder than I was or should have been.  Not a great run.  Went out Alder-Upper UW, did the Headquarters-Summit Loop, then back in to Tie City.

Wed. Sept. 14 - 8 miles in 61 min (7:33 pace).  I was kind of down this day, thinking about things.  I figured a trail run was in order, y'know, to clear the ol' noggin a bit.  It was an overcast, rainy day in Laramie, and the clouds hung low on the trails at Happy Jack.  I was the only person on the trails that afternoon, and the quiet and stillness of the forest in the fog and mist had a very ethereal feeling to it.  The weather perfectly matched my mood and thoughts.  I felt a little better than the previous day.  A quiet, lonely run.

Fri. Sept. 16 - 9 miles in 73 min (8:06 pace).  Another "eh" afternoon trail run.  I wanted to do the whole Silent Trails loop, but after feeling decent down Pole Creek and up the Bitch, I completely fell apart.  I conceded to the mountain and came in on Summit.  I still got in nine miles, one for each of the eight guys.  That ninth mile, well, that ninth mile was for me.

Sat. Sept. 17 - 9.5 miles in 77 min (8:06 pace).  I ran into my old high school and college teammate Jennifer (a 2004 NCAA XC Nationals qualifier and sub-17 5Ker) Friday and she proposed that since she was in Laramie that perhaps we should hit up a run Saturday morning.  I gladly accepted.  We ran a nice, relaxed loop around town and had a great conversation about life.  It was great to catch-up with her and I thank her very much for the conversation and the run; after a week of feeling down about things, she made me feel a lot better.  I hope I helped her out as well.

Sun. Sept. 18 - 15 miles in 111 min (7:24 pace).  A Sunday morning long run in Cheyenne.  Most of the year I have been doing my long runs on the trails, but I figured since I got most of my miles this week on the trails, as well as having some residual foot issues, maybe a long run on the relatively flat, paved streets of Cheyenne might not be a bad idea.  I coupled my Mustang Ridge loop with a longer loop on the Greenway.  I felt great for about 80 minutes, then I turned west on the Greenway and into a headwind that gradually increased over the last five miles.  I was a little whipped by the end.

Totals:
Week's Miles: 49
Running Time: 6:18
September Miles: 122
Year to Date: 1122

Gear: New Balance Trail 101 (170 miles), Asics Speedstar 5 (118 miles)

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