Training - August

Fortunately, my training continues to progress.  I broke from my traditional 2 weeks up/1 week down regimen that I have been using so that I could have a rest week over Labor Day weekend to spend some QT with my wife.

Fairly early into the training for my last 50 I feel into the habit of only running 3 days a week - doing two 6'ers mid-week and then one long day on the weekend.  I made it to the finish with that strategy, but it wasn't pretty.  This time around I am continuing my two mid-week runs of around 6 but am running long on Saturday and then doing around 8-10 on Sunday.  My Saturday volume is creeping up much slower this time but I feel that it is making a big difference and that I will be better prepared come November when I toe the line at JFK.  My volume for this month will end up being about 135 miles, which isn't to bad considering the way the month fell I really had two rest weeks in there.  I plan to work on consistent 40-45 mile weeks in September and max out around 50 miles a week as I peak before my race.  Overall, I suppose my volume is a little low for an ultra but its the best I can do with work and maintaining a life at home and at the end of the day that is what running an ultra is about....doing the best you can do.

Training - the last half of July

My training for the last half of July was fairly uneventful.  I ran 29 miles the week of 7/15 and 30 miles the week of 7/22.  I had planned to log a few more miles the week of 7/22 but it just didn't work out that way.  On my Sunday run (on July 28th) I started to have some foot pain along the outside edge in the danger zone (aka stress fracture zone) so I backed off the pace and finished up my run.  I was due for a crash week.  Every so often I take a crash week rather than a rest week.  The difference - I don't run.  At all.  A full seven days of no running.  I'm usually a little stir crazy by Thursday morning but it seems to make a difference in my ability to continue ramping up my mileage.  Like they say, we are an experiment of one.  And just like that July is over...