November 06 - November 12

Weekly Totals ~ Time: 6:32:36 Distance: 50.21 mi. Vertical: 3,379 ft.
Weekly Averages ~ Time: 1:05:36 Distance: 8.37 mi. Vertical: 563 ft.

Just over two weeks after the 50k and I'm already back at a 50 mile week. I've got admit, the distance sneaked up on me; and had it not been for Erin S. wanting to hit her first 60-mile week (congrats, by the way) I may have fallen about 5 miles short. I'm not excessively tired, but toward the end of the week I was running low on motivation. The runs were great, but the desire to get out and do them is wavering.

The lack of desire is a part of training, though. It can be a sign that you're over-training, a sign that you're not recovered, or it could just be a mental stalemate between enjoyment and fatigue. It happens to all of us, and I don't plan on giving in, but I will make a little more effort in the next few weeks to mix my running up. I've been sticking mostly with the flats to work on leg turnover, but I need to do more of what I really enjoy: mountains.

The weather is slowly setting-in, here, in the Pac-Northwest. I've been warned by most everyone here that the winter's aren't fun. I'm going into the season, however, with optimism. I don't enjoy running in the rain, but  I do it. I do enjoy running in snow, ice, and wind. I think there is something raw, something uninhabited, natural, empowering about running in weather that sends most indoors. Maybe it's a power-trip on my part, maybe not. Either way, I'm ready for it. Courtesy this being a late blog post here's a video I put together from a recent run (11/15/11):



Sunday, Novemer 06 ~ Off/Rest Day
Time: n/a
Distance: n/a
Vertical: n/a

Monday, November 07 ~ Home Loop
Time:0:39:19
Distance: 5.04 mi.
Vertical: 273 ft.

Base Run. Set out this morning just to stretch the legs on the asphalt. The increased turn-over will be a focus for the next few months, so I'll be putting in a little more road running. Overall, my heart rate was slightly above normal, my legs felt good. No lingering fatigue, and my mind is ready to get back into the groove.

Tuesday, November 08 ~ Lake Youngs Park
Time: 1:29:49
Distance: 12.31 mi.
Vertical: 1,003 ft.

Up-tempo Run. 2 mile warm-up (8:00 min./mi.), 6 miles tempo (6:51 min./mi.), 3 mile cool-down (7:39 min./mi.). Leg turn-over, leg turn-over, leg turn-over. It felt great to stretch the legs this morning around the Lake Youngs Trail. First time there, and it's a great undulating piece of trail...and really easy to follow. The increased pace felt surprisingly comfortable for not having done any work like this in more than 6 months.

Wednesday, November 09 ~ Home Loop
Time: 0:45:04
Distance: 5.10 mi.
Vertical: 292 ft.

Recovery Run. Felt great in the morning, didn't run. Felt okay in the afternoon, didn't run. Didn't feel well in the evening, did run. AM priorities left me behind schedule and as the day went on fatigue crept in slowly like the chill of an early fall night. However, I laced up and hit the streets around my 'new' recovery loop (add 2 miles from last season's 3 mile course). Felt great mentally. Physically, I was a little behind pace.

Thursday, November 10 ~ Newport Hills Park
Time: 0:36:59
Distance: 4.63 mi.
Vertical: 288 ft.

Recovery Run. Evoskin Thursday is back on schedule. Felt great, glad to have gotten out there and clicked off laps about 2 miles of laps around the soft, turf soccer field. Great night for it, too. 1.35 mile Warm-up and Cool-down (road).

Friday, November 11 ~ The Balanced Athlete
Time: 1:18:57
Distance: 11.11 mi.
Vertical: 448 ft.

Base+ Run. It's 11/11, so at 11:11 AM I ran 11.11 miles. About a mile from the finish I realized I should have run 1:11:11 for the distance, but it was too close to make up the lost time. The weather was windy, rainy, and cold. The increased turn over is starting to feel a little more natural, and much less forced.

Saturday, November12 ~ Lake Youngs Trail
Time: 1:42:28
Distance: 12.02 mi.
Vertical: 1,074 ft.


Base Run. The temps of dropped, the clouds are back, and the mist is steady. Perfect training conditions, seriously. I freakin' love this place. Ran with Erin S., today, and helped her cap off her first 60-mile week. Congrats. Legs felt fresh, and once again, I was late and had to wake-up on the run; which also made for a trail bathroom break. Wet leaves are much better than dry leaves.