In both training and life, there are moments where it feels like you've hopped onto a hamster wheel and it's going to be a long time before you can hop off. This week marks one of those times. It sounds stressful and may feel stressful at times, but it's also wonderful because I'm finally doing something that I love to do. Yesterday was the start of our CSA season and we had folks coming in to collect their farm shares. I wasn't sure if we would have enough stuff to give out, so I experimented with growing sprouts in jars and gave those out as well. Hopefully, people like them. We also gave out bouquets of flowers that we just had growing around the farm- the flowering parts of kale plants, cat mint flowers and chamomile. The chickens have also been super productive, so we were able to give out eggs as a welcome gift. I'm sure these next weeks will go by in the blink of an eye, and it'll be really fun to document how the shares change as the weeks go on. 24 weeks to go.
This week's share. Lots of greens.
Today's lunch was a joy because almost all of it came from the farm. I made a salad with some lettuce I had as a base, added chickweed, lamb's quarters, kale, mint, cilantro, arugula and sprouts. It feels so good to munch on produce from the farm.
These past few weeks, I've been wondering how much time of my feet as a farmer count towards training. I've been following a 50K training plan (Krissy Moehl's "How to Train for Your First Ultra",) but I'm consistently just shy of the mileage she suggest per week. I've finally gotten to the point where I hit 30 miles for the week and it's feeling like a struggle to get above this number. I'm sure I will get in more miles with the weekend long runs getting longer, but still, I'm not sure I can get more mileage during the week. The challenge is always the same. I prioritize sleep, so the earliest I can wake up is just a smidge before 5 so I can be out the door by 5:30. A few weeks back, I tried doing doubles, but afternoon runs were a real drag. My feet were pretty tired from working all day and also having run that same morning.
It's almost a sure thing that I won't be prepared for this mountain race in August. I know I don't need to get super specific about the training until about 6 weeks out, but lately, I'm feeling a little lazy. It certainly doesn't help that the humidity and heat have returned. Last Saturday's long run and Sunday trail run were tough runs. Saturday actually felt ok, although it was slow because of the heat and humidity. Sunday just felt terrible. These past 3 weeks, I've also gone back to the track. I'm not trying to go super fast, but I am pushing the pace a little past what's comfortable so I'm hoping these workouts improve my overall running economy. I guess I just keep coming back to the same question. I don't know if I'm doing enough mileage to prepare for OCC. I might switch to the SWAP training plan in another week since they have a 12 week training plan. I've been pretty good about doing a strength training session every week and I've also been climbing twice a week.
Overall, I can't complain. I don't have any injuries. Just a sore knee here or there while going up and down the stairs. I also noticed that my ankles were a little weak on recent trail runs, so I need to be more diligent about slant board training. Maybe I just need to actually buy my plane ticket for the trip and that'll get me stoked about the training. I'm definitely excited to be in Chamonix. Now, I just need to get excited about the race. It remains to be seen whether or not I will really be able to run in the afternoons after my work hours change. I had better get used to this heat and humidity soon.
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