Week Ending Sept. 16

This was the best week of training I've had possibly all year.  Everything went exactly as I had planned and hoped.  It doesn't hurt that I've been pretty inspired recently.  It's September.  It's cross country season.  It's the leaves changing and the crisp autumn air...there is no better time to run.  When I'm checked-in and inspired, this is almost too easy.  When I'm out enjoying it and having fun, it isn't difficult.  And even the difficult stuff is great.  Why not thrash myself a little?  Embrace and enjoy that pain and fatigue.  It's life affirming.

I'm going to back off a tad this week going into Jelm so I can hopefully have moderately fresh legs for the race.  After that, the plan is another two-week build-up before another easier week heading into Silent Trails.  I'd like to find a race at the end of October/early November.  I'll be out in Portland at the end of October and that weekend there is the Autumn Leaves 50/50.  It would be cool to travel to a race, and this particular one is at sea level on a very fast course.  However, it's the course that bothers me a bit.  It just seems...boring.  Five 10K laps on paved bike paths seems uninspiring to me.  That said, it would be interesting to hop in a 50K like that and see how fast I could do it.  

One more good, longer race before winter settles in would be nice.  I'll have to look around.

Mon. Sept. 10 - 6 miles in :42.  Fenceline loop in the prairie after work.  Easy recovery run.

Tues. Sept. 11 - 11.5 miles in 1:13.  Track workout.  Warm-up from home to the UW track.  Some active stretching with 4x100m build-ups.  The program was 1M, 2x(3x800m), 1M.  I took 4 min rest between the 1M and the first set of 800s, took 30 seconds rest between the 800 reps, and 4 minutes between the two sets of 800s as well as between the 800s and the final mile.  On those rests I jogged a 400.  This workout felt really good.  Splits were: 5:46, 2:48, 2:46, 2:44, 2:41, 2:40, 2:40, 5:40.  Cool down run home.  Again, everything was smooth and controlled.  After all these years, I am finally starting to figure out that there is a difference between running fast and running hard.  You want to run fast.  Running hard will usually get you hurt, burned-out, or both.

Wed. Sept. 12 - 7 miles in :50.  I had a dentist appointment early in the morning in Cheyenne, so I spent the night over there and got up early to run. A cold front with lots of rain rolled in the previous afternoon and was thoroughly socked-in when I rolled out for this one.  It was chilly and I was soaked by the end, but an easy loop around the two parks (Lions and Frontier) in the rain was actually kind of refreshing.  I've always liked running in the rain.  I'm sure if I lived somewhere that it rained more often, I wouldn't be quite as cheery about it.

Thurs. Sept. 13 - 10 miles in 1:19.  I parked at the Yellow Pine campground trail head and ran down Pole Creek to La Puta.  Then I did 2x the climb.  I hit the first ascent in 12:50 and the second one in 12:30.  The 12:30 is the fastest I've climbed in...years.  I feel like I'm getting some climbing legs back under me.

Fri. Sept. 14 - 6.5 miles in :45.  Met Jefe at the UW track for a quick form workout.  2x form drills with 4x200m strides with 200m jogs between.  Efficient 39 seconds per on the strides.  Then I ran home.  Easy.

Sat. Sept. 15 - 15 miles in 1:55.  Jefe and I met at Blair Picnic Area for a Trudge loop.  We started late morning (~11am) as it was getting a little warm out.  I felt really good on the Trudge loop, hammered all the climbs, and came back to Blair in 1:21 to drop off Jefe and refill my water bottle.  Then I went out Cow Trail for about 20 minutes before turning around and coming back.  It feels good to get in a productive long run.

Sun. Sept. 16 - 8 miles in 1:54.  I have to run on the anniversary of the accident, so Elizabeth and I went up to the Snowys and I ran Medicine Bow Peak.  I started at Lewis Lake, then ran the Lakes Trail to Lake Marie, then climbed up the peak from there.  Then I ran down back to Lewis Lake.  

Snowy Range, Mid-September.

I last did this June 10, and was cautious at the time because I had just started running again after my hip injury.  That day, the run took me 2:30, so to come back at the end of the summer and take 36 minutes off my time is pretty good.  I'll take it.

I decided that I was going to let go of the sadness and anger more and focus on what's here and now.  Whatever the reason that may eventually reveal itself to be, I am still here and should be enjoying this life I have.  It's the only one I'll get, so I better take advantage of it.  And what better way to remember and honor those guys and their lives than by living mine better.  Go run, be happy, get shit done, and love those around me.  It's been a year of philosophical shifts for me, and this is a major part.

Totals
Miles: 64 (8:38)
Year to Date: 1224 (143:27)

Gear: Asics Sky Speed (432 miles), Saucony Peregrine 2 (276 miles), Asics SpeedStar 6 (14 miles)