S2S Training: Week 13 of 14

Week 13 Theme: RACE TAPER / Tune-Up Run

• Tuesday 4 mi easy with strides
• Wednesday 45 min Z2 singletrack
• Saturday Trail half
• Weekly mileage ~21 miles

>> Tune-Up Half Marathon (Oct 17): Treat this as a strictly controlled effort at target 50k pace/effort—do not race it at full half-marathon pace. Use it to dial in your gear, shoes, and starting rhythm one week before the main event.

Monday

short dog walks

Tuesday

6.6 mi @ 8:42/mi

Nice cool morning makes for speedy miles in the dark!

Wednesday

3.5 mi singletrack

45 mins on the trails at SCRA just as prescribed. Kept the effort easy and just enjoyed the miles in the woods with pup! I'm done with mid-80s temps though... come on, it's mid October!

Thursday

30 min work walk

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Sadlers Creek Stumble - Trail Half Marathon - 13.75 mi @ 9:14/mi

Ummmmmm holy crap what a run!! 

This race was SUCH a confidence boost. I felt so strong the whole way, ran WAY faster than planned, managed 3rd overall female, and generally loved this run.

Started out a little unsure how I'd do based on an incredibly poor night of sleep (camping and wind! plus maybe one beer more than I should have had) but thankfully the race didn't start until 8:45 so I had plenty of time to get myself up, get some food and coffee, and prepare for the day.

The pre-race starting line excitement was so fun - giving last minute hugs to other racers and wishing everyone good luck!

The race is a 6.8-mile loop, so the half marathon consists of just two laps. I'd planned to go steady/easy on the first lap and push the second one if I still felt good. Estimated maybe 1:15 per lap with a goal of being around 2:30 or a bit under. 

Did not follow that plan at ALL. The first lap went by way faster than intended... just a few minutes over an hour (1:03 to be exact). Felt strong and decided to cruise through the start/finish and see what the second lap would be. 

Lap #2 was only slightly slower (1:04) for a total of 2:07 and good enough for a third place overall female finish!!

Side note: apparently someone dropped down from one of the longer races into the half marathon category and bumped me off of the podium, but awards had already been given so I got to keep the award/title. 

Regardless, this was such a great day on the trails - perfectly chilly fall weather, amazing trail conditions, and all systems firing just right. A great confidence boost going into next weekend!

Weekly summary

All systems are go - we good!!! ✅✅✅