I guess it had to happen sometime... signing up for 100 miles and not feeling nervous just isn't right. Well, I am now. After a very fun weekend up north with a great group of trail runners I know one thing for sure... I got work to do!
Having run the Moose Mountain marathon in 2005 and 2006 I am familiar with the final section of the trail. But I had heard several times that the earlier sections of the course were much tougher. So I was delighted to have the opportuinty to join Julie, John and others for their annual 'beta' run. We started out at the 50 mile mark and had planned to run 40. I managed to take a few detours and then missed the finishing point... eventually turned around when I realized my mistake and was very pleased to see Tom and Nancy drive into the parking lot just after I got back there. Thank you guys!!
So I think I ended up with about 48 miles. It was tough. Especially the first 15 miles or so. Not that much climbing but very technical. The trail is full of rocks and roots and slippery boardwalks. And I'll be doing that section in the dark. Can't wait. Better still I am told the first 50 miles has rougher sections with much more climbing.
Definitely need to stack up the miles over the next 6 weeks. While at the same time stay healthy. Hoping to make another trip up north in August to check out part of the earlier sections. Need to start running on tired legs. And more hills. And maybe another night run. And somewhere in between need to do more biking. IM Arizona won't be long coming around after Sawtooth...
No, I would not recommend my race calendar to anyone. I am having a great year and would not change any race I've run so far. But I think I'd like to focus more on trails and not do an IM next year. Then again the cross-training is excellent and I am convinced that using the bike for endurance training has helped keep me injury free. I guess I could IM train without actually doing a race... maybe just race a few 70.3's as I really enjoy that distance. Well, I have until July 28th to decide (entry for Lake Placid 2009) so I guess I'll make up my mind somewhere along the trail at Voyageur :)
Ended up being a big week in terms of mileage: 74.5 miles. I think ~56 was my previous highest. I count Mon-Sun so if I were to add on Afton that would be >100 mark. In 8 days. Now, let's try that in 1.5 days...
10pm P.S. Finished the weekend off with just under 30 miles on the bike. Lovely evening for it - or at least it was on the way back. We rode into a little wind on the way out! Felt good to spin the legs. Happy to report no major fatigue after yesterday. Though both feet are a little sore. I have an odd bruise on my left foot just below my middle toes. I had some soreness during the run when stepping heavy on my forefoot. And my small and next to small toes on my right foot are painful when I step on them a certain way. I am guessing the result of overuse last week and nothing too serious. I am hoping to fit in a few easy miles tomorrow evening so I'll see how that feels.
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