Solid week. I feel like I’ve been able tweak my schedule just right and make beneficial changes due to feel and maximize them through cross-training. I actually only ran 5 of 7 days w/ 1 easy spinning day and 1 hard one.
I personally feel like runners tend to get caught up in feeling they *have* to run everyday. I really don’t feel like that’s true! I’m a strong believer in quality. Of course with ultraunning, quantity is important but finding the balance is key. What’s the point in slogging through a run *just* to get miles in? I don’t see the point in that and how long is that going to last? Not very long. Don’t feel guilty for not running if you’re not into it. Go find something else that will kick your ass and run the next day. You’ll feel better, you’ll be happier and you’ve done something better to help your running.
Oh, and on that note:
Saturday, June 6:
Met Nate Polaske to run Mt. Ord. He’s never done it before being from Oracle and a bit of a drive. It’s a staple for Phoenix ultrarunners training for summer 100’s. We saw a fair amount of runners and even Nick Coury! Pretty fun. We’ve been having weird weather because of the hurricanes so it was cloudy and humid. It was actually pretty chilly at the top but the views were great. I felt particularly strong which was a nice confidence boost. Lori was also able to get some hiking in which made me happy! 2hr, 10min.
Still feeling like I had more left I decided to follow last week’s plan and do an additional interval spinning session in the afternoon. 1 hr, 5min.
So, a total of 3hr, 15min. today of quality workouts. No complaints.
Sunday, June 7:
Felt like going to South Mountain today. Haven’t been there in a long time and really enjoyed it. Explored some trails I’ve been wanting to on the west side of the mountains, which I enjoy a lot more than the east side. Way fewer people and I feel like the trails are harder. I was tired but still able to climb well and wasn’t totally broken. Given all the climbing and the hard spinning yesterday, I’m pleased.
I tried out the Ultimate Direction 14 oz. soft flasks in SJ vest. Lori bought this some time ago and finally decided to give them a try. REALLY happy with this setup. I’ve used the bottles and have run into issues with them, mainly they can really abuse your ribcage/neck. I love how comfortable they are, no sloshing, great nozzle and collapse as you drink from them. The main issue is two 14oz. isn’t enough when it’s really hot out so I hope that the 18oz. version isn’t too big & awkward. Otherwise I’ll buy one or two more 14 ouncers and stash them in the back of the pack so I can switch them out. 2hr, 30min.
Monday, June 8:
Decent road/canal run after a hard weekend. The goal was to get one last quality workout before an easy or rest day. I’m glad I was able to get this done in a respectable fashion. I’ve accepted that a string of 3 good hard quality purposeful workouts is my limit. 1hr, 30min.
Tuesday, June 9:
Learning from last week’s mistake of trying to run after 3 harder days I decided to spin instead. We’ll see if this works! 1 hr, easy spinning.
Wednesday, June 10:
Decided to hit a new trailhead that I’ve know about but never explored – Lost Dog Trailhead. It was on my way to visiting my parents so it was an easy decision. I’ve never been in this part of the McDowell Mountain Preserve before and it was a treat. My breathing felt overly labored on the Sunrise climb but I think it was due to the fact it was uphill, decently technical, high humidity and in the mid 90’s. The Andrews Kinsey trail is one of the best I’ve been on in the preserve. Incredibly well made, it’s like a rolling bike path cut into the side of the mountain. I don’t know who you are Andrew but your trail is pretty great. Besides that my heels/Achilles took a beating from this when it shouldn’t have. So I’m going to continue to experiment with some theories I have, as always. Oh, I saw a bobcat for the first time – pretty cool! 2 hr, 20min.
Thursday, June 11:
Road/Canal run. Bit beat up from the trail yesterday. Part of it were actually pretty technical. I did my “extra” long route today. 1 hr, 40min.
Friday, June 12:
I really couldn’t find any good reason nor did I feel like running on the local trails today. I ran flat yesterday and didn’t feel like I needed that, either. So instead I did an interval spinning session which seemed like the most quality and effective thing I could think of. 1 hr, 5 min. w/ core
Mike Carson Runs 