Week Ending Feb 13
Mon - 4.5 miles (900') easy. Falls loop.
Tues - 4.5 miles (900') easy. Falls loop.
Weds - Off
Thurs -5.5 miles easy. 4 x 800 @ 6:00 on the mill. Should have stayed well away. What was I thinking? Felt like I really tightened up my hamstrings on this run.
Fri - 4.5 miles easy on the bike paths.
Sat - 4 miles easy in New Orleans with Mock.
Sun - 27 miles. New Orleans Marathon. 2:36.
Total: 50 miles (1,800')
Essentially a rest week with a hard weekend effort.
Week Ending Feb 20
Mon - 4.5 miles (900') super easy. Legs were predictably sore after the marathon, but not too bad. Hiked some of the icier sections of trail, but was able to jog reasonably comfortably.
Tues - 6 miles (900') easy. Valley trails. Pretty big slop factor on the valley trails, which slowed things down nicely. Calves still pretty sore.
Weds - 12 miles (2,800') easy. Horsetooth - Falls - Spring Creek - Stout - Loggers - Mill Creek - Towers - Secret Trail - Westridge - Horsetooth Summit - Audra - Southridge - home. Out with the Montrail crew (Dakota, Ryan and Geoff) for an easy cruise. Legs getting there slowly, but certainly still sore in the calf department. Thankfully, both Ryan and Dakota were getting ready for Red Hot this weekend (Dakota won, Ryan 3rd), so everyone was on board the easy train with me.
Ryan, Geoff, Dakota and Me on Horsetooth Summit.
PM: 7.5 miles easy with the trail running group. Turned my ankle quite painfully in the dark on the moderately technical singletrack on the west side of Pineridge. I really should invest in some new headlight batteries.
Friday - AM: 6 miles (700') easy. Milner Mtn w/long way home. Foot was pretty painful from yesterday. Almost bailed on the run - hope this is nothing too serious.
PM: 2 miles. From Discount Tire on Mason Trail. Turned around after a mile as my foot was hurting way too much. Praying this is not a stress fracture.
Saturday - AM: 10 miles (1,400') easy. To 5 mile on HTH course with Fort Collins Running Club. Probably would have bagged this run had I not been leading it. As it was, I cut a planned 10-15 at AR50 pace from the start of the run. Foot felt better than yesterday which is an excellent sign, but definitely not out of the woods yet.
PM: 2.5 miles (800') with Alistair to Gem Lake in Estes. Foot hurting again.
Sun - 19 miles (4,000') easy. 38e/Shoreline to Sodeberg, then Valley - Arthurs - Overlook - Well Gulch - Timber - Arthurs tag - Arthurs down - Mill Creek - Loggers - Stout - Spring Creek - Falls - home the long way. Foot was still painful at times during this run, but was sufficiently less painful that I'm pretty sure it is no more than a strained tendon (knock on wood). Should be pain free in a couple of days. Anyway, trails were a mix of dry dirt, mud, ice, snow and crunchy frost. Tough conditions with some serious luge runs in a couple of the gulleys and on Mill Creek, but great to be out working some hills on a longer run again.
Total: 77 miles (14,200')
New Orleans was a focus race and I feel like I came up a bit short, which is always disappointing, but as I've already said, it was still a significant PR so I'm happy enough with the result. Was talking to John Lonsdale, owner of Foot of the Rockies, earlier in the week and told him that at least now I feel like I have the ability to run a 2:29 if I can ever find the motivation to prepare for a road marathon again. Toying with the idea of taking another stab late season, but seems a tad unlikely given the mammoth summer I have on tap.
I had planned on getting right back into the training this week after a couple easy days Monday and Tuesday, but my weekend plans were scuppered by a turned ankle from Thursday night. Thankfully, what I had originally feared was a stress fracture appears to be no more than a strain, so I've pretty much given myself the green light. Up early tomorrow morning to take advantage of the Presidents Day holiday with a 30+ mile run, which will build on 19 from today. Going to call that the official kick off for Western States, Hardrock, UTMB training.
Good to see Fort Collins put up four of the top 10 in the men's race in Moab yesterday (Dakota (1), Ryan (3), Sam M (7), Pete S (8)), with Scott S bringing home the master's win too.
