Just finished up Week 9 of my training block for the 50 mile race in July. I hit about 42 miles this week, right on target with running 6 days this week. I only missed one core strength workout. I just totally spaced on it. It was supposed to happen Friday and I ended up having a lot of work meetings, and it was too late by the time I realized I forgot to do it. I'm feeling pretty good. The back to back long runs on the weekend are definitely getting easier. Saturday, I did half roads and half trails for 11 miles and this morning I did 8 miles on mostly flat terrain (CP loop and the PHS track). Today's run really didn't feel hard at all. My heart rate stayed in control (at MAF). I think it helped that I did the run as a run/walk. I finally figured out how to get my watch to vibrate at the run/walk times so I didn't have to keep looking down. It was so nice to be able to run in shorts both days. Saturday was a little chilly, so I still had to keep a thin layer of gloves on, but only had one long-sleeved layer on top and shorts. It was about 45F. This morning, it was a bit gloomy and rainy, but warmer (51F), so I ended up shedding the gloves while I was at the track. The best part about this weekend's runs is that my right knee never acted up. Never felt it once. My left ankle is still bothering me a little. I think I overdid it yesterday with my son's school scavenger hunt. We ended up walking about 3 miles on top of the 11 miles I ran that morning. Still, it really just bothered me a bit on my walking warm up and part of my first mile of today's run. Walking down the stairs is still annoying because I can feel the ankle.
Overall, I'm feeling like my body is absorbing the training. This was the first week of incorporating hill work. I think I've definitely developed more muscle mass in the last 6 months or so because the hills don't freak me out as much as they used to. Also, I think because my ankle has been bothering me, I've been forced to really lift up my feet while running uphill. This action forces me to use my glutes and hamstrings more to avoid having a bend at the ankle while running hills. This motion is more powerful so that I don't feel like I'm giving in to the hill. I'm still slowing down on the uphills, but I don't feel like I'm dying on the uphills. I still love the downhills, especially on trails. On the trail portion of my run on Saturday, it felt very easy. The uphills were a bit harder, but because I had already warmed up for about 6 miles on roads, the leg turnover was faster and I didn't notice a significant increase in perceived effort on the climbs. My heart rate did spike as soon as I hit the trails, but I think that had to do with being anxious about the possibility of tripping and falling. This happens to me often. There were a few pretty muddy sections, but thankfully, I was able to get through the run without falling.
I think I found my new favorite trail shoe. Altra acted quickly based on all of the negative reviews of the Timp 2.0. They released the Altra Timp 3.0 and it has the same fit as the Timp 1.5 that I loved so much. The shoe is reinforced a bit more than the 1.5, but it still has the flexibility that I loved in the 1.5. Also, it's lighter and has a more narrow base as compared to the Olympus 4.0. The Timp 3.0 is a great hybrid shoe that allows you to run on the road and not feel clunky and they also work well on the trails. The rubber isn't as grippy as the Vibram soles on the Olympus, but I'd rather have a shoe that's lighter and more flexible. I ended up doing a challenge on Strava, which got me a 15% off coupon on Altra's site. Then I used my REI coupon to score another pair, 20% off. I might actually save these 2 pairs for when it gets closer to the race. I still have a few pairs of the 1.5s that I should use for training. They aren't perfect because they are men's size 7 instead of women's size 9, but they still work well.
My new favorite trail shoe
Looking ahead, I have 2 more building weeks before I get a recovery week. In 2 weeks, I get to try another long trail race- this time 20 miles. No matter what, I need to finish this race. The great thing is that there are also 33 mile and 50 mile distances in the same race, so I don't need to worry about them packing up shop and waiting for me to finish. Next week, I get to do another hill workout. Last week, I did my hill workout on Springdale, which is a great hill, but it's not super steep. This week, I think I'll try Washington Rd. I've gotta remember to get both core strength workouts in. On Saturday's run, everything felt good in the later miles, but I started to cramp up in my side- thankfully, it never developed into a full on cramp, but I also felt some weakness in my core. Still, I had a strong last mile, which ended up being my fastest mile. It's always a great feeling when you get to the end of a run and feel like you still have plenty of gas left in the tank. This coming week, I get 2 rest days, but run longer on the days that I'm running, so I should still end up somewhere in the low 40s for mileage. It'll be my first week running double digit long runs back to back on the weekend. Looks like a I have a half marathon on Sat and 10-12 miles on Sunday. No sleeping in.
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