Weightlifting - 4
Running Days - 18
Average Miles per Running Day - 10
Vertical Feet Ran - 33,000
Injured - Lost roughly 50 miles running & 8K of climbing
About the middle of November last year, I broke up my Running Schedule for the upcoming 10 months, leading to RRR100, into 3 Phases. The 1st Phase being the building up to the Red Hot Moab 55K. The 2nd Phase being the building up to the SJS50.
As I start up the third phase, I can't help but look back and be pretty happy with how all is going so far. Yeah, there's a few things I would have changed and this annoying little injury that won't go away (not that I'm really giving it a chance to heal either), but overall I'm pretty happy about everything.
The month started out solidly and I was feeling 100%. Mt Falcon v2 on the 1st of the month. 28 plus miles, over 6K of climbing in roughly 5 hours and 3 minutes. I actually would have been faster but the last 6 miles required me to gimp as I pulled a muscle in my right foot. Was the pulled foot muscle related to my shin muscle issue from May? Or was it due to the La Sportiva Helio's I had been wearing over the past month?
I'm sure it was bit of both but I lean heavily towards it being the Helio's fault. A shoe that is comfortable but way to flexible, way to soft, way to unresponsive for me. A shoe that at the end of the day thrashed my feet. The shoe also left my left foot pretty banged up as well. The Helio's are now my gym shoe and I've since moved to wearing the Pearl Izumi N2's (which apparently are a 1/2 to small) along with the always trusting Saucony Peregrine's with great success. Feet and legs feel so much better.
Going into SJS50, I was walking this fine line of resting the foot while, tapering and keeping with a consistent running pattern. How it all worked out it is beyond me. After the race, I took a break running only once on trails a week later and feeling pretty recovered.
Weightlifting sessions aren't as intense as they were earlier in the year, but still a part of my weekly routine. I attribute a lot of my success at SJS50, and running in general, to my weightlifting. My Push-Up Challenge continues on with me averaging 118.5 push ups per day for the month. Knocking down my year to date variance by 555 to (860).
Looking Forward
I've talked about putting my weightlifting on hold for a few months as I focus in on RRR100, but I just can't seem to pry myself from the gym. Especially how beneficial it's been to my running. So I've decided to continue on with hitting the weights. It won't be intense but a weekly visit will remain a part of my routine.
I have to say, after my last race, I took a huge sigh of relief knowing that my next next race is not for another 12 weeks. Unlike last year at the same point where Pb was roughly 8 weeks away.
Last year at this point, I was stressed and freaked out about the 100 miler, about my fitness level, about what training I need to do, about pretty much everything! This time around I'm so relaxed. I get this opportunity to "reboot" the system and start Phase 3 mentally and physically fresh.
I am so excited about what the next few months of training will be bringing. Hopefully lots of good health and time with friends on the trails.
