Monday, March 21, 2011

A day off, 80, and Snakes.

I took last Friday off from running and didn't do a damned thing. I had looked at my schedule/log and realized that I had not taken a day off since Feb 12th, so I think that I was due. Also I had logged 30 miles for the week and planned 50 for over the weekend so again, a breather felt like it was in order.

Oh... the dreaded 30-20, or 20-30 depending how you look at it. Just one of the nasty tools in an ultra runner's training toolbox. This was to be my big workout weekend for March. At first I was thinking a 10-20-20... Fri-Sat-Sun, but work sort of blew that for me and really the day off and two big back to back runs, especially taking into consideration the weather forecast for the weekend, well it just seemed better to load up on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday's run was hard but it went very well. I ran my Barr Trail, Experimental Forest, Longs Ranch Road, Waldo (Clockwise) to the Williams Bail Trail, Up Williams then out and down via Rampart Range Road. It's a 22 mile jaunt and though that last climb out of Williams isn't that big in comparison to the other climbs, by the time I got there I was just dying. Finished this one 4:45 and I am really happy about that.

Saturday night went to the roller derby and had a good time. Ate and drank and tried to rest and mentally prepare myself for Sunday's 28 miler to Palmer Lake.

Got up Sunday morning feeling a little sore from the before but not so bad that I didn't think it would work itself out after a short warm up running. The plan was to leave the house and run up the Santa Fe Trail to Palmer Lake where I'd get ride back home. I've never run the entire distance in one shot before so I figured it would be an experience. There are some nasty, boring, dull stretches that aren't hard physically as they are mentally that I was not looking forward to.

Saw my first snake of the year Sunday morning on the trail. I don't like snakes so he was given a wide berth.

Had to run a little past Palmer lake up 105 (barely into Douglas County) then back to Palmer Lake to come up with the full 28. All in all, the first twenty went great but the last eight, and especially the last four miles were a struggle. I finished those 28 miles in 4:50, so the 50 miles for the weekend took approximately nine hours and thirty five minutes. Not too shabby really.

March is really starting to look like a great training month. I did 80 miles last week and am still feeling great and I have 194 miles for the month. That leaves me with 56 miles to do in 10 days to meet my 250 mile goal for March, of course I plan to pass 250 within the next week or so and surpass my goal.

Registered for the Desert Rats 50 Mile run in Fruita, April 16. That is my next big race. The season is really starting to shape up for me.

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