Back to Running, Back to Life

Maybe all I needed was a good workout or two, some naps, and a few margaritas, but I feel like myself again. So far this week every day that I wasn't working I ran at least 10 miles, and three days I rode the bike 20 or more miles. All that's left is the weekend and I'm planning on a long run even if all I can do is shuffle. I need to get back to it, it's the end of July!

I was tired, three hour naps have been part of my afternoons all week, plus sleeping through the night. I wanted to go up to Estes Park today but sleep won, I think I'll have to skip it this week, do a long run here, and find a day next week to go back up there. I don't like to go up there on the weekends in the summer because the highway is jammed and everybody and their left nut is on the trail. Not worth it if you want peace and quiet.

The hamstring is feeling better as the week progresses. I'm still afraid to pick up the pace but I have plenty of time. I'm 14 weeks out from the 24 hour race, which allows for a two week taper and 12 weeks of training if I count this week as the beginning. I should end up with roughly 60-70 miles of running and about 100 miles on the bike this week. I'll continue with the bike as long as the weather allows, keep building the running miles, and see how the hamstring does. I can always do Tabata and intervals on the bike if I need to. It's the fitness I need, not the running speed.

Next week Wheaties Boy is doing his first triathlon ever, a half Ironman, and I want to go down to Boulder and catch some of it. Not sure how much I'll get to see but I'd like to at least see part of the ride and run segments. I have been considering doing some swimming this coming winter. I have no desire whatsoever to do triathlons though. I'm a runner.

I have a hard time getting my act together to go to the pool and it's been about 25 years since I've done any real swimming in a pool, so I'm sure I will be the world's worst swimmer. Wheaties Boy claims he was the world's worst swimmer when he started. If he can do a mile open water swim he can't be that bad. My goal would be to go from the world's worst to just bad.

As long as my hamstring continues on this improvement trajectory, I will go ahead and run in Wisconsin next month and get as long of a training run as possible there. For now I need to start getting more long days in to build the strength that pays off in the 24 hour. I also need to get some hill training in consistently.

I don't need to do too many super long runs before October but I need to get something in, 30-40 miles should be plenty. I'll do one in early August and one more in late September. Between those two long runs and the 12 hour run in Wisconsin I should be okay. The consistent 20+ mile days are more important anyway. Recovering from longer runs, especially if they are hard, is what takes away from training.

My strategy in October's race will be something like shuffling as much as possible and keeping the walking to a minimum to get as many forward miles as possible. On that course, with the three hills, there will be enough places to do planned walks, that if I can keep moving at a steady slow shuffle those little hills shouldn't be much of an issue.

We're making progress on the yard, two beds built, three to go, and I planted two more trees in the middle of the grass today, one on each side of the yard. We got some good rain earlier this week and I'm hoping for more. The new apricot and apple trees are growing and we haven't had to water all that much.

It will be next year before we can plant anything in them, but I'm excited to get back to real gardening. I can't believe it's already the end of July. I'm starting to think about next year and this year hasn't even happened yet. I did two things this week to prepare for next year: put in time off requests for the first week in April in case I get into Umstead 100 or American River 50, and for the middle of July so I can go out to work medical at Badwater next summer. There's talk of a 24/48/6 day race on a climate-controlled indoor 400 meter track in Alaska next summer, but I'm not so sure I want to go all the way to Alaska and then run indoors.

I need an adventure.