Cradle to Grave 30k Training - 3 Weeks to go

Week Recap:
This was, overall, not a great week though it ended up OK at the end. Being in a class at work where we had exactly ONE hour for lunch meant I did not have the time to get in a workout as usual, so I missed Wednesday through Friday. I did short walks outside during our breaks and during lunch, but it certainly wasn't the workout I'm accustomed to. Oh well, roll with the punches and move on. Maybe the break was a good thing? The long run on Saturday was rough (details below) but I still feel positive about my prospects for race day in less than 2 weeks!

Weekly steps: Aww yess, 100% achievement since starting this challenge!

This makes me happier than it should. 

Monday
Planned: lift + 2mi
Did: lift + 2 mi
Knocked out 2 miles on the treadmill at a decently fast clip (7:50/mi) then got to lifting.
3 sets of 8-10 reps each, super-setted with 100 core reps.
{Core Super-Set: 20x toe-touch with 16lb med ball, 20x heels-to-heaven, 20x mason twist w/ 16lb med ball, 20x pushups, 10x
I forgot to write down what I did on Monday, and now (Tuesday) I can't remember. But it was the usual stuff.

Tuesday
Planned: #10kTuesday
Did: 6.22 mi @ 8:27
Awesome run this morning. Had to get it done early due to being in class, and it was nice and cool with a little bit of misty rain falling. My pace showed it and actually increased through the run! Mile splits were 8:20, 8:32, 8:28, 8:36, 8:13, 8:12, and 8:05 for the final 0.2 - whee!

Wednesday
Planned: bike ride
Did: nothing
In an all-day class at work, and we only get *exactly* an hour for lunch, which means no actual workout time plus being in class I need to use lunch to catch up on actual work because clearly nobody can leave me alone and they all NEED things. I might be a bit frustrated.

Thursday
Planned: hill repeats
Did: nothing.
Yesterday I brought my workout bag to work, just in case I had time for a quick workout. Today I didn't even bother bringing my bag. Frustrated. Also, my work email will.not.open. 😠

Friday
Planned: yoga
Did: nothing.
A short walk at lunch, that's it. Ergh. I've enjoyed the class at work but man, I'm ready to get back onto a normal schedule so I can exercise!

Saturday
Planned: long trail run or short stroller run
Did: 15.05mi trail run
This was a humbling run, but it gave me a good idea of what I can expect from myself in 2 weeks. I headed out to Paris Mountain with the idea of doing 16-17 miles on the trails there. I knew the climb up to the top was about the same amount of climbing as the "big climb" of the race course, so I thought it would be a good test and simulation of the race elevation.

Saturday's Run

Race profile

Not quite an exact match, but not terrible either. I did about 2,900 feet of climbing on Saturday, and the race is only supposedly ~2,400 so at least that is positive. Only bad thing is the race is pretty much ALL at once, whereas my run was a bit spread out. Oh well. Scott helped me look at the actual trails on his trail map, and it looks like a good chunk other than the Big Climb is on forest service (i.e. gravel) roads, so at least it's not hopping over roots and boulders the entire time.

I'll say I learned that pre-run fueling is going to be critical to my success. I did not have nearly enough breakfast before I ran, and I could have probably used some more food along the way (though I always struggle with making myself eat on a run, especially when it's hot).

Sunday
Planned: long trail run or short stroller run
Did: 5.22mi @ 10:31/mi with stroller
This was purely a shakeout run to make sure my legs still worked after yesterday. I deliberately walked nearly all of the uphills and took it slow on the flats/downs. My Achilles, my calves, and my hips are all complaining today, but overall they felt OK during the run. I made sure to stretch really well after the run, and I'm feeling good. Not bad for 20+ miles this weekend!