Last Long Run

This weekend I did my last long run before the 50K.  It was probably a bit longer than I would have gone if my training schedule went exactly to plan, but I missed a few long runs due to colds and I wanted to get one more in.  I weighed the pros and cons of doing it two weeks out from the 50K, but settled on the fact that if I backed off a few days after and made sure I recovered well from it, it would be beneficial for fitness and fueling practice.

The local running club, Monadnock Regional Milers, host a winter race series appropriately called the Winter Chillers.  The location varies and this weekend the race took place 14 miles from where I live so I used it as motivation to get out the door and get going early Saturday morning.  The temperature wasn't too bad and although it was really windy, I was pretty well protected from it for most of the run.  Starting around 6:25am, I ran to where registration was being held and then added on about another 20 minutes of running before registering, using the loo, and grabbing some Hammer gel.  From there my brother and I ran another 1.5 miles or so before the 3 mile race, which I didn't race, but continued along at a similar pace.  My brother and I then ran the course again with a bit added on at the end of it.  It worked out great for some motivation, mentally breaking up the long run, being able to fuel at regular intervals, and have company for part of it.  I averaged a little quicker pace than expected, finishing my 3 hour run with 25 miles. 

It was great to get in another long run and feel pretty good doing it.  I practiced taking in fuel at intervals similar to what I'll use in the 50K and it worked well.  I used Hammer HEED about every 3 miles and Hammer gels (I went with the flavor potpourri approach: vanilla, huckleberry, tropical, and raspberry) about every 6 miles.  Everything sat fine in my stomach, while keeping my blood sugar and energy levels stable so I'll stick with this plan come race day.

I took it easy on Sunday to make sure I recover fully.  I'll do a tempo run this week, race the Jones Group 10 miler (Amherst, MA) on Sunday, then onto the 50K on March 6.

Catching a Break...

It was 45 degrees this afternoon...it was AWESOME!  I was the person out in shorts...why?...because I needed to really enjoy the break from the cold.  It's supposed to be a high of 15 degrees tomorrow, so I made sure I capitalized on it.  I'm looking forward to more of these gaps in the cold as we move towards the close of February and into March.

                              Here's to some more shorts weather days!...  

fighting, fighting, resting

The other week I felt some sickness coming on...I laid low for a few days and thought I by-passed it, but it got the best of me this week.  The little, mindless, sneaky buggers out smarted me.  One point for them. 

Consolation Game: I beat the crazies...and didn't go nuts trying to stick to my training schedule.  I did pretty good noticing it was taking a lot of energy to get through the day, so I backed off the running and gave a good effort to get better ASAP.  Hopefully this will totally clear up in the next few days.  I've been pretty lucky this winter and school year in avoiding sickness and if this winter cold is as bad as it gets, I'm getting off easy.  Here's looking forward to some long runs and hard workouts.