Building to Buffalo...

The single-track of Prison Hill

This was a strong building week with a variety of efforts; my first 50-mile week of 2013. Started off with some focused walking practice and a good base run. But the highlight of the week was a smooth Tempo effort out Mexican Ditch during which I averaged a 8:17 pace and a 170 HR for a one-hour interval. The Tempo proved a good challenge and actually felt pretty comfortable right at the edge where the steady effort fights with motivation. I really enjoy the hard workout. I felt no echoes of the Tempo during a smooth shake out in the cool of Friday evening.

That cool evening turned into a blistering north wind as a small group of Carson Runners arrived to get in a long session on Saturday morning. For some crazy reason, Abbey wanted to climb the ridges from Centennial Park toward the high Goni Road near the McClellan Peak summit. I'd hoped to start off easier but the group seemed motivated to test will against wind-chill. So up we went into sideways snow-squalls and the daunting headwind for 2,000 feet in about four miles. Most of the group turned back after the climb, so Abbey and I continued down the descending road eventually heading to the excellent single-track around Deadmans Trailhead and Washoe Lake. The wind had sucked so much energy from us that we took the rolling return to Centennial at an easy pace. I tried to make up some time at the end (toward my 4-hour goal) but the wind was miserable and the car looked welcoming.

By Sunday the wind and my wind-weariness had settled enough to make up a bit of time and wrap the week with a loop through Gold Canyon and Dayton. Felt good to get warmed up again.

Last week I reported on a visit to Ascent Physical Therapy and some focus on strengthening the stabilizing muscles and connectors around the hip and pelvis. Kevin had also provided me with a slight heel-lift to get my legs and pelvis a bit more even. I had worried about changing anything in my running stride beyond strength, endurance, and flexibility, and questioned why any heel-lift would be relevant. When I asked Kevin about this on a follow-up, he simply laughed at me. The insert was for my daily shoes, not my trail shoes! Makes much more sense to me now. Nice. Some new exercises and stretches coming into play.

I hope it's warming up on Antelope Island. We will be there very soon!

Week Summary 2/24/2013

Monday

Hot Springs Walk: 3.0 mi (+83 ft); 13:49 pace

Tuesday

Ditch and Deadtruck OB: 8.3 mi (+823 ft); 10:53 pace
Thursday
Mexican Dam OB (Tempo): 10.4 mi (+197 ft); 8:50 pace
Friday

Chocolate Factory OB: 4.7 mi (+271 ft); 10:05 pace

Saturday
Centennial to Deadmans Loop: 17.1 mi (+3,394 ft); 12:34 pace
Sunday
Gold Dayton Loop: 6.6 mi (+579 ft); 10:33 pace

Weekly Totals: 50.1 mi (+5,346 ft); 9:15:04 on trail