Cloudland Canyon 50k Training (Week 11 of 18)

Week Beginning thoughts: Hoping the rain doesn't affect run plans for the week. Also getting any kind of miles on Saturday is going to be difficult.

Goals: 45+ mpw, 18mi trail run

Monday
Planned: strength
Did: 55 min strength
Good lift today. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow... increased weight on chest & back, did deadlifts a little differently. I think my suspended calf raises have been helping because I get fewer cramps/tightness when I'm running lately. Hopefully that means I'm doing something right!

Tuesday
Planned: 8+ @ Track #10kTuesday
Did: 9.34 mi @ 8:29/mi avg
Oh yes, another 9+ mile morning and first run in sub-60F temps! Hooray fall running!
Got out early and did 2.7 miles before meeting up with track buddy Angela. Once we got to the track I decided on 2x1000, 2x800, 2x600, 2x400 - only had time for one of the 400s at the end, but everything else was amazingly consistent and decently fast!
2x1000 = 4:26, 4:25
2x800 = 3:23, 3:18
2x600 = 2:28, 2:25
1x400 = 1:29

Wednesday
Planned: lunch trail run
Did: nothing
Ugh... rain and work and meetings...

Thursday
Planned: treadmill tempo
Did: 2x2mi treadmill = 6.03 mi @ 8:01/mi avg
Got this done early to avoid getting overrun with meetings and such. Felt pretty easy again, pushed the pace on the second repeat and only really started feeling the fatigue in the last ~ quarter mile or so.

Friday
Planned: yoga or rest
Did: 5.77 mi @ 8:51/mi avg
Made up Wednesday's run today and it was beautiful outside! Felt easy and free to just run in the cool air and sunshine. So nice!

Saturday
Planned: afternoon Altamont run maybe?
Did: nothing
Rain and being busy = nada.

Sunday
Planned: 18 mi trail run
Did: 18.13 mi / 2,558 ft elevation gain
YES. This was a great run even though it didn't go as planned. My original thoughts were to follow this route minus the 4th loop. I drove up to Dupont and got parked at Corn Mill Shoals by about 9:30 and set out. First loop was the Burnt Mtn loop - trails were pretty quiet but squishy from all the rain Saturday.

Wet trails

Quiet morning

Rocky downhill of Burnt Mtn

First loop went well - some climbing, and some steep rocky downhill. Good practice for technical footwork.

Morning sunlight

I set out for the second loop, which would take me through Reasonover and to Lake Julia... but the first thing I would have to do is cross the shoals. Normally this is a crossing with just a few inches of water running calmly over it.

The shoals

That's the trail on the other side

The rain had made this a deep and swift section... so I had to plan an alternate with most of the forest now inaccessible to me. I took a second loop around Burnt Mtn then headed towards Little River trail, which would take me to Cedar Rock & Big Rock trails.

There was still some water to cross

The trails were a bit flooded in some places

I got a little lost at one point... the trail goes out onto an open rock face and it looks like you're supposed to just go across and enter the woods on the other side... but I got there to a NO TRESPASSING / TRAIL CLOSED sign and thought... crap, now what?? Thank goodness for the MTB Project app that showed me I was actually off the trail I thought I was on... I was supposed to follow the tree line UP the rock face, not across it. Whew. I found my way the rest of the way on the slick rock trail... lots of up up up, and finally reached the top!

Summit #1

I'd decided that I would do two loops of this trail, too, so I didn't stop to take as many photos the first time through. I made the next loop my lunch break and of course felt much better about my navigation.

Just.... ahhhhh!

😍

I could have sat there for hours... but I kept on, and then did the final loop on Longside > Pine Tree > Cascade and had to add just a tiny out-and-back on Twixt. Then I was done and felt AMAZING. Mentally, I could have done it all a second time... physically, though, I was tired. Not totally depleted, but it was time to stop and eat LOTS OF FOOD. There was definitely a Cook Out milkshake obtained immediately after I got home.

Miles: 39.27

Short on the weekly mileage but felt so good about the long trail run, nothing else matters.