A couple of semi-noteworthy training updates:
Finished the Mac50k feeling surprisingly good. I was kind of scared and anticipated some late onset fatigue/soreness but it never really manifested as the days went by following the race. I still took things generally easy and kept workouts fairly short/low mileage.
Been doing quite a lot of hill repeats and strides--which is new to me--in preparation for the next 50k, or a summer's shorter races that will follow. In general all of my running has been a bit quicker and a bit more flat.
Regarding that 50k: I am looking forward to the quality time in Smith Rock but really kind of looking forward to some races that are less than a couple hours long. It will be a really nice send off to long stuff until we meet again in the Fall.
A couple of recent workouts that stand out include:
Titus van Rijn (http://tvr1hour.wordpress.com/). This was a one hr. challenge on the track a quarter mile from my house done all alone at 5:30 in the morning. I was making up for missing this with the gang the Monday before the Mac. I made a beer bet to all for going over 9.5 miles. Dan-O did and I paid up. Pam came up just short but raised the stakes for me and Don G to 10 miles. Dan posted some quick math and gave me the 1:29 lap split that I tried to consistently hit at or right beneathe (no fast laps). Anyway, there was a bit of wind here and there and a heavy mist. The Garmin had me at 10.43 miles but I stopped somewhere right around 10.25 miles. It was tough mentally to go around and around at a 5:50 pace 41+ times but once I got in a groove I felt like I could have held this through another 3 miles or so. That'd be a respectable 1/2 marathon time (1:16) for a mediocre dude like me. Maybe something to shoot for if I ever sign up for something that flat.
Run Around the Lake Course. This is a 30k loop around Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho that happens to be a race course. I don't know if I did the exact course but the loop that starts and ends at the top of the stairs at Legacy Park near Hotel McCall was precisely 18.7 on the Garmin which tends to run short on all but the track--so good enough. I did make one variation that probably added a minute or so when I went to North Beach to pass by Kattie and the dog. I wasn't gunning it by any means but a few good pushes here and there in the last 8 miles or so made this a good workout. I finished in 2:12. This training time would have been good enough for a 3rd or 4th place finish in the race. While I know I could drop several minutes off that with just a little more effort, a little more acclimation time (it's a mile high) and a gameday mindset. I am just as sure that I would not have been remotely close to 1st place who went around in 1:42. This workout was a nice gauge to see where things are right now and see how fast that flattish 50k this fall will have to be run.
Got a couple nice trail outings in while in ID but in general they were lackluster affairs compared to those of last September. While the last week of May is a beautiful time to visit the higher country it was honestly too early to fully reap the benefits of the best trails.
Dream on, dream on, dream on.
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