8 weeks to 50k / 9 weeks to Beast

Weekly Goals: 40 mpw, 10 + 8 long runs

Monday

Did: 4.18 mi @ 8:18/mi 

Kept putting this off and finally shut down the work at 4pm and went out to run in TR before picking up D. That was a good choice. Ran in the sprinkling rain and did a nice loop. Felt good and strong.

Tuesday

Did: 8.15 mi @ 8:09/mi

No track today but got out early to run on the trail and was really happy about getting in 8 miles in the dark rainy morning! Felt stronger as the run went on.

Wednesday

Did: 2.85 mi walk

Didn't have much time today, what a hectic day! Was able to get out in the late afternoon after all the rain stopped and walk for about 45 minutes. Good enough. And kept the 10k steps streak alive for another day!

Thursday

Did: 5.38 mi @ 8:20/mi

WHAT A GORGEOUS MORNING omg. Fall temps have arrived along with some lovely sunshine, so I took the time for a nice run through Green Valley. 

Friday

Did: 2.48 mi @ 8:11/mi 

Had time for just a quick loop in the neighborhood before buckling down to get work done. 

Saturday

Did: 8 mi trail run

Headed up to Dupont with the family for a mid-morning run and ride time. I started off going up Sky Valley Road and down Rocky Ridge, and took a tumble right at the top of the trail... scraped up my knee pretty good, but after I walked a little it felt ok to run. I kept going, and ended up with 8 miles run which felt super great despite the fall. Had a bit of an adventure reconnecting with the family due to a lost cell phone (not mine)... all turned out OK though and we had an enjoyable day in the woods!

Sunday

Did: 9.96 mi @ 9:55/mi avg

Ran on the Swamp Rabbit while D rode his bike - this was our first long-distance adventure with him riding and me running, but he did great!! We went from SRCG to the Zoo, then he stopped and played on the playground for a while and I kept running laps around the playground til it was time to head back. Then he hopped on the bike and we made our way back up to the Cafe and enjoyed lunch. It was a fantastic morning!

Miles for the week = just over 38. Not quite the 40 I was shooting for, but proud of what I got done! 😁

9 weeks to 50k / 10 weeks to Beast

Monday

Did: 4.1 mi @ 8:15/mi

Sometimes the runs when you're not in a great headspace are the ones that end up being good performance-wise. Not to mention the weather felt wonderful, and almost a week off from running meant the legs are fresh and ready to go. Definitely felt amazing today.

I also decided to actually look back at my previous 50k Training plan which I laid out to be 14 weeks, starting with a long run of 10 miles and 30 mpw. I feel like I'm there-ish, but with 9 weeks to go I should be around 40 mpw and a long run of 18 miles. Yikes. Gonna have to step things up real quick.

So there's my goal for this week: 40 miles, 18-mi long run (hopefully on trail)

Tuesday

Did: 8.35 mi @ 8:22/mi avg Track Tuesday

Great morning at the track! Felt pretty good although did not have a good kick for the final 400. I guess that means I pushed pretty well on the rest of the workout.

6x1k (4:19, 4:21, 4:17, 4:20, 4:18, 4:17) + 400 @ 1:30

Wednesday

Did: 20 mins weights + 2 mi walk

A little arms, a little kettlebell, a little kickboxing. Got that done early in the morning before going to the office. Then at lunch had a 2-mile walk around campus which was nice.

Thursday

Did: 3.22 mi @ 8:26/mi 

Got out for a few miles in the afternoon in the midst of a loooooong workday. Good to do a few miles while I had the chance. 

Friday

Did: 4.58 mi @ 8:19/mi

Dropped D off at school and stopped for a little run on the north end of the Swamp Rabbit Trail before the chaos of the day set in. 

Saturday

Did: 16.7 mi @ 9:50/mi 

Long run Saturdayyyyyy. Did not get to run off-road today, but a nice long run on the SRT was excellent. I basically ran and out and back on the trail to get to downtown and then did the RU-7 route from the early downtown group's repertoire. Worked out great, was definitely pooped by the end, but happy to get some long miles under my belt!

Sunday

Did: 3.23 mi run + 6.7 mi bike ride

Got out in the midday to stretch the legs after yesterday's long mileage and to get me to my weekly goal. Then in the afternoon took a kid-speed bike ride to get ice cream. :)

Weekly Miles: 40.2

Long Run: 16.7

Yesssssssssss. 🥳

10 weeks to 50k / 11 weeks to Beast

Monday

Did: 5.2 mi mountain bike ride + RF Day 15

Rode at Lakeside Park for the first time along with the rest of the family and Jason. They were some fun trails and it was great to see how great D rides now!

25 rounds: 1 forward fold walk-out to plank + pushup, 3 air squats, 5 sit-ups

Tuesday

Did: 6.28 mi @ 8:08/mi Track Tuesday

Shortened Track Tuesday but still a solid run! Ran a few 800s at a shockingly consistent pace (just under 3:30) and then pushed it for a 400 and nearly vomited... so that was fun. 😵

Wednesday

Did: 30 mins bodyweight exercises (RF Day 16 & 17)

Do 1 set every 60 seconds for 10 minutes: 6 pushups, 6 up-downs, 6 lunges

Do 4 rounds for 60 seconds each: plank, glute bridges, russian twists, right fire hydrant, left fire hydrant

Thursday

Did: 1.76 mi walk

Taking it easy due to some sniffles/congestion that has been lingering since yesterday. 

Friday

Did: 2 mi walk

Another easy day with a walk at lunch. Packed up the car to go camping for the weekend!

Saturday

Did: 5.66 mi hike

Our Saturday activity for camping was an all-day hike up towards Table Rock. SuperD and I had a great hike and took our time climbing the ~1,500ft elevation gain up to Governor's Rock overlook. What a beautiful day for a hike, and D did so great on this really tough hike!

Big climb!

Sunday

Did: 1 mi walk

Busy day getting home from camping and taking care of stuff, but had time for a short evening walk after dinner.

OK, that was a down week... feeling better and refreshed, time to pick it back up. 

11 weeks to 50k / 12 weeks to Beast

Monday

Did: 2.2 mi run + 20 mins kettlebells/weights

Up early for my first time in the office in uhhh 3+ weeks? Felt great to get the workout done early. A little bit of everything today including Ryan Fisher Day 8

"10 Days of Christmas" style:

1 butt slap burpee

2 V-ups

3 squat jumps

4 starfish sit-ups

5 second handstand hold (I did handstand hops)

6 plyo lunges

7 tricep push-ups

8 mountain climbers

9 reverse sit-ups

10 lateral lunges

Tuesday

Did: 8.27 mi @ 8:18/mi avg Track Tuesday, RF Day 9

Back on the Track! Felt a little sluggish today and wasn't hitting paces I've hit before, but stuck with it and finished out the workout as planned:

2x 1mi (7:07, 7:12)

2x 800m (3:32, 3:33)

2x 400m (1:36, 1:24)

Completed Ryan Fisher Day 9 when I got home... my planking needs some work! I struggled with this one!

50x Russian Twists

Accumulate a 10-min plank hold

Every time you take a break: 15 pushups, 10 pistol squats

Total time to complete: 20:59

Wednesday

Did: RF Day 10 + 2.2 mi walk

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpees

20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 Chair Dips

30-27-24-21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Sit-ups

Start at the 10/20/30 reps and count down the reps of each. 

Total time: 14:52

Then went on a nighttime walk to get in the day's worth of steps. 

Sunset

Thursday

Did: 5.65 mi Altamont run + RF Day 11

Morning run up Altamont with the crew, tough as always but good to be back in that routine. 

Completed the RF Workout when I got home:

25x 5 air squats, 6 jumping lunges, 7 push-ups

16:04 total time

Friday

Did: 3.56 mi @ 9:42/mi avg

Hadn't planned to run but with the touch of coolness in the air I couldn't resist a few miles in the neighborhood!

Saturday

Did: 5.75 mi @ 12:02/mi wog

Had some difficulty getting motivated, gave it an hour, tried road, trails, and just nothing was getting me going. Called it quits after an hour. 

Sunday

Did: RF Day 12 & 13

Day 12: 250 up-downs

Day 13: 100 jumping jacks, 90 second plank, 80 glute bridges, 70 russian twists, 60 second wall sit, 50 sit-ups, 40 lateral lunges, 30 chair dips, 20 mtn climbers, 10 burpees... then back up.

Total time for both ~40 minutes