Life Through the Eye of a Runner: Training: Week of July 25 and August 1, 2010

Week of July 25

Total mileage: 60
Races: Tsali Xterra Trail Race 11 mile 1st 1:12.54

Sun - Morning 6m @14.28 on CDTR course with Crystal and Alison Total - 6

Mon - Morning 4m @7.49; Evening 5m @~7.45 Total - 9

Tue - Morning 3m @8.00; Evening 9 1/2m @~7.50 with 4 x 100 strides Total - 12 1/2

Wed - Evening 7 1/2m - Pilot Mtn. 2.25m 18.06 Ouch! Total - 7 1/2

Thu - Evening 6m @7.30-9.00 Total - 6

Fri - Off

Sat - Morning 15m - Tsali Xterra Trail Race 1:12.54 @~6.40 avg.;

Evening 4m - up and down Elk Knob (~1100' in 1.3m) with Ryan Woods Total - 19

Week of August 1

Total mileage: 35
Races: Squaw Valley Mountain Run - 3.6m 4th 31.17

Sun - Off

Mon - Morning 4m @7.58; Evening 5 1/2m @~8.00 with 4 x 100 strides Total - 9 1/2

Tue - Morning 3m @7.52; Evening 8m - 3 1/2m tempo @5.50 avg. Total - 11

Wed - Off

Thu - Off

Fri - Afternoon 7m @~8.30 Lake Montez Trail in Soda Springs, CA Total - 7

Sat - Morning 7 1/2m - Squaw Valley Mountain Run 31.17 ~11% climb Total - 7 1/2

The Pilot Mountain workout on the 28th stunk. The back was still getting progressively tighter as I went up. The first half mile was okay, but started to fall off after that. By the end, I was just slow. The Tsali race went okay, there were not any particularly big climbs and nothing long. I was glad. Abnormal for me to be glad there was no big climbs in a trail race.

Squaw Valley went just as expected basically. I hoped for some sudden change, as us runners often do. I was actually climbing very well the first 1/2 to 3/4 mile, right at the front. Then the little twinge in the low back and it was over. I didn't change effort and nothing felt any different except a small area in the low back. But right away the top two guys started pulling away. Eventually another guy passed as the back continued to tighten up the right side and I continued to lose pace. I was actually able to gain some ground back on a couple of short flat sections. I could also gain a little when the grade would first go up, but then tighten back up after about 30 seconds. I am actually encouraged by those two things. It says my back will loosen pretty quickly once the grade levels out. I'll call it progress. Also, I wasn't too bad through almost 3 miles, but slowed significantly after that. Good that it wasn't a long hill climb. I think the back is coming around. At least that got me 5 races in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup. I do planning on doing the last race in the Cup, Taos Up and Over. Alison needs one more race to get in 5 races. At least Taos is only a 3 mile climb or so, then down steeply. In two more weeks I might be able to do a 3 mile climb and I actually look forward to the descents nowadays. My speed is actually good right now. I'll let you know in two weeks.

Oh yea, I should share the story from Friday's run up to Lake Montez. It was a nice little trail climbing up to a crystal clear, mountain lake. When I got to the lake, there were a couple of guys sitting on the big rock by the lake. One of the guys was completed naked. I'm not afraid of naked people and I wanted to

go up on the rock for the view of the lake. Once I got up there, there was another guy and two naked women there as well. I talked to all of them for about 15-20 minutes waiting for Alison to get up as she was just hiking. None of us acted as anything was abnormal. By the time Alison got there, they were mostly dressed, one woman was still topless, the other still bottomless. They were about to mountain biking back down. I took a short dip in the lake and headed back myself.

Lake Montez