Countdown to Ultra Training (4 weeks to go)

Monday
Did: strength
Got a full hour of strength in today and felt great! My arms felt like noodles afterwards which is always a good sign. 😁

Tuesday
Did: 6.51 mi @ 8:00/mi track ladder
Finally made it back to the track with Matt this morning! I was excited about it last night, but woke up this morning after not sleeping well and was sooooo dreading the hard speed work ahead. As usual, I pushed through and did okay. I opted for a ladder workout (my default speed workout when I can't think of anything better). 400, 800, 1200, 800, 400 with 400 rest in between.
My paces weren't anything stellar... close to 7:00/mi for the longer segments, and got my final 400 under 6:30 pace, but still not where I'd like to be. Of course, wishing I could run faster without actually doing speedwork is certainly not going to get me there. 😅
Also...36 weeks streak for the #10kTuesday... woooot.

Sunrise over the track, and Paris Mtn towers in the distance.

Wednesday
Did: rest
Brain & body needed it. I still walked on the treadmill desk and got my 10k steps in. I've got a streak going since June 29th so now it's "a thing" that I must continue.

Thursday
Did: 5.16 mi @ 9:34/mi
Ran the trails at work - it was HOT. I took a couple of walk breaks and really should have taken water out with me. Gotta remember to pack the water bottle for lunch runs for the next few months.

Friday
Did: short core session
Ran short on time but still wanted to get in something. Did a variety of core exercises - not bad for a quick session.

Saturday
Did: 10.06 mi @ 8:14/mi
Whoa, this was a fast one for me! Ran with the early group and did not anticipate running quite this pace for this distance, but I guess it's a good test of my abilities. We ran the "Best 10" route backwards which apparently includes a lot of hills. I think the worst one was the long, slow, gradual climb on Earle Street at mile ~8ish where I was definitely fading. Basically mile 6.5-8.5 climbs from the lowest point to the highest point in the entire route, and after clocking sub-8s for miles 2-5, I was pooped! Still really happy with this run, though, and glad to get it done all before 8am!

Sunday
Did: ~4 miles hiking at Paris Mountain
Met Robin at Paris Mountain with Luna and Super D. Started out with D on his bike but only made it ~half mile up Sulphur Springs before he decided he wanted to go downhill and go back to the car. So we did that, and made a gear transition.

  

Oh yeah, 30 lbs of preschooler on my back. Hello legs!
He rode for the first ~half mile, hiked about a mile and a half, then rode the rest of the way. This was challenging, but man, definitely a good workout!!

Elevation? What elevation?

Snack break.

Hiking party!

I was really proud of how well D did with hiking (really, we all did well!) and it was fun to do something a little different.


Week-ending thoughts: A good, solid, active week. Got my long run. Missed biking. Always a trade-off.