Time to Read: ~2 minWeek 11 of 16 all done! My Tuesday run was a great 7-mile random route, which I really like. Just head out the front door and see where my legs take me. Wednesday's 9-mile hilly run was also good, but I ran during the dinner hour (always a tough proposition for me) and while Xander was at track. I finished but felt kind of “off”, which was a harbinger of Thursday’s 9 mile run: I had felt AWFUL the entire day and debated whether or not to run. I know I can skip a workout and should do so without regret, but my Type A tendencies to completely fulfill my plan won out and I ended up lacing up. Friday erased whatever bad feelings I had about Wednesday and Thursday, paving the way for an AWESOME Animal Athletics Mountain Goat Hill Running Clinic at Buttermilk Falls State Park.
Amy and I both went to the Animal Athletics clinic, which was a terrific way to spend a Friday evening. There was a good amount of non-running work with warming up, doing some footwork drills and instruction, and then we did a total of 3.5 miles of uphill, downhill and circuit running, practicing our new skills all the way. This trail running clinic was SO good, and it was amazing to get advice and tips from some amazing trail runners: Krissy Moehl (2 time Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc champion), Yassine Diboun and Willie McBride (both ultra runners and founders/owners of Animal Athletics).
Saturday’s long run was shorter than normal since it is a fallback week, just 16 miles. It's amazing what can change in a month. Four weeks ago, I did this same workout in 2:29, and Saturday I ran it almost a minute per mile faster! From the house to Taughannock, rim/base/rim 2x, and back to the house. It was beneficial to have had hill training on Friday, as whenever I encountered a hill (up or down) I focused on what I learned. Pretending Yassine was right behind me spurring me on helped, too! I closed out my week Sunday afternoon with a 7.15 medium-effort in the sun, thinking mostly about how a number of athletes I knew were gutting it out at Buttermilk/Treman for the Cayuga Trails 50 Mile race. Amy, the kids and I volunteered most of the morning at the Old Mill aid station. If these runners could go 50 miles in the heat, I could certainly run a few miles around my house.
Next week is the biggest week yet! 26 for the long run, which will be the longest of this training plan. BRING IT ON!