Mon - AM: 8 miles (1,500') super easy. To Towers on 38e - Shoreline - Swan Johnson, then up and across via Herrington - Spring Creek - Soderberg. Started my new running reality this morning with a brisk (9 degrees) jog at 6:00am. A lot of my running is going to have to occur before the 9 o'clock hour with the way the family schedule now works. The whole getting out of bed and running thing is not my favorite, but once I get into the routine I'm sure it will be fine and full of rewards that I don't get at noon, like a daily sunrise.
PM: 9.5 miles with Jason from his house to Pineridge, full loop and back. Freakin' cold out with the wind. Felt like we were running low 7s to high 6s, which is a faster than I would have liked for an easy day, but as cold as it was, it felt good to stoke the internal furnace a bit.
Tues - AM: 5.5 miles. 6 x 1k intervals. Met Jane Welzel's group down at City Park for a 6 x 1,000 meter workout around the lake. It was bitterly cold out, so it took a while to get the pistons firing, but got up to pace by the third rep: 3:41 (5:55 pace), 3:31 (5:39), 3:27 (5:33), 3:22 (5:25), 3:21 (5:23), 3:20 (5:21). Mile warm-up/c-d. Not the greatest workout, but given the conditions, I'll take the bonus man points for heading out and getting it done.
PM: 8 miles (1,500') super easy. To Towers on 38e - Shoreline - Swan Johnson, then up and across via Herrington - Spring Creek - Soderberg.
Weds - Noon: 8 miles (1,650') easy. Falls - Spring Creek - Stout - Sawmill - Loggers - Herrington, Spring Creek, Soderberg - home. Still plenty of snow on the ground, but also some patches of dirt. Nice day.
PM: 10 miles+ bike paths. 1:10. Snuck in some miles before the Fort Collins Running Club board meeting. Ran 6:50s to max the miles without overly taxing the system.
Thurs - AM: 10 miles (1,400'). 1:16. Met up with Sarah Hansen, Tim Hebert, Dennis Vanderheiden and John Lonsdale @ 6:00am for an out and back to the 5-mile mark on the hilly Centennial Road section of the Horsetooth Half course. Jogged out with Dennis in 42:20 (8:30) and then upped the tempo coming back to catch Sarah and Tim (34:16 - 6:50). Tailwind out, headwind back. Fun strength workout with the hills. Good little group, so will look to make this a regular addition to my schedule. Oh, and if you're looking for a great half marathon to run in the spring, then I really don't think there's a better option than the Horsetooth Half: Fantastic views of the foothills, a challenging course and perhaps the best after party in NoCo road racing.
PM: 6.5 miles easy with FCTR. Good sized group for this run and every single one of us was over-dressed. Warm out.
Friday - AM: 8.5 miles super easy on the bike paths before meeting with Scott J and Pablo V to talk Sierre-Zinal.
Saturday - AM: 14 miles. 3.5 warm up, 3.1 race, 7.5 c-d.
PM: 3 miles hiking with Alistair. Falls loop.
Sunday - AM: 2 miles easy marking the T&H course in the snow. 30 showed up for today's 4k race despite the snow.
PM: 8 miles (1,650') easy. Falls - Spring Creek - Stout - Sawmill - Loggers - Herrington, Spring Creek, Soderberg - home. I had originally planned 18-20 bike-path miles before the T&H, but when the alarm went off at 4:30 it was immediately silenced and reset for 6:30, meaning I would have to sneak an afternoon run. I ended up being granted a 90-minute window and enjoyed a serene outing in the fresh powder and still-falling snow at Horsetooth, which of course was way more enjoyable than 20 pavement miles at 5:00 in the morning.
Total: 101 miles (7,700')
Will look to go easy in the second half of next week so I can toe the 10-mile line down in Littleton on Saturday with moderately fresh legs. Will still look to get a workout in on Tuesday with Jane's group, and then again on Thursday with the first Towers TT of the new year. The week after that will be the last big week before a planned three-week taper. I didn't quite get done what I wanted to get done this week, so I'll be cramming a bit. My final three workouts will probably look something like: 8-10 x 1 mile @ 5k pace on Tuesday, 2 x 6-8 miles @ marathon pace on Thursday, and then a 22-23 miler on Sunday. If I can get through that week, then I'll feel like I've done what I can, and just have to hope that the taper works its magic.
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Nick,
ReplyDeleteyou meet with Scott J and Pablo V to talk S-Z (Sierre-Zinal)?
What about it? Are you planning to run S-Z before UTMB? S-Z is only 12 days before UTMB and very competitive. What is the reasoning behind that plan; can you still run competitive in S-Z and be recovered for UTMB?
S-Z is an excellent choice!!
Girona.
Yup, S-Z/UTMB is the plan. It would appear that S-Z is pretty light on vertical descent, mostly all climbing, so yes, I am guessing that the race will be a good last hard effort before UTMB, and should have minimal negative impact on UTMB performance. Got to get used to running those brutally steep European mountain trails. Besides, it's a classic and the timing works so well that I couldn't resist.
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeletehave you seen the new min. required packing list for UTM? there is even a min. wheigh standart. What do you think about it, can it change the front pack of runners/hikers?
Girona