Training Week 8/1 - 8/7

As promised, this week was a bit of a mini-taper for the Bradbury Mountain Breaker. (I'd say that it worked.) Combine that with an extra day off due to our trip to Baxter State Park, and the mileage was a bit down this week.

Onto the numbers...

8/1, Sunday: Off. We did get out for a short hike, so I logged about 2.5 miles of strength work with Samantha in the backpack.


OK, I guess it wasn't all work.

8/2, Monday: 5 - 43:37, Nesowadnehunk Tote Road. Just a simple out and back on the main road through Baxter State Park. I felt really flat during this run. Just off. It was a lot more work than it should have been. On top of that, D had done the same run the night before in 40 minutes and change. UGH. I did have some great views, though, of the surrounding mountains and Nesowadnehunk Stream.

8/3, Tuesday: 7 total, White Mountain Milers Inov-8 Summer Series, 5k - 20:17; 2 mile warm up / 2 mile cool down. This was the last week in the series, so I decided to take it seriously once again. Plus, I figured it was another good opportunity for some "forced speedwork." I really wanted to dip under 20:00, but it wasn't meant to be. First mile was 7 seconds faster than last week, 6:14. The second mile was about the same for a 13:25 split, but I paid for those extra seconds in the final mile as could only PR by 3 seconds. Oh well, still a very good effort, and I'll take a 20:00 5k on that type of terrain off of no speedwork.

8/4, Wednesday: 7 - 1:15:50, Cathance River trails. Nope that time for that mileage is not a typo. This was the worst run ever. Not only was I feeling the effects of Tuesday, but it was hot, humid and awful. I felt sluggish from the get go, and it only got worse. Luckily, I was smart enough to bring my 22oz handheld and my Buff. On three separate occasions my hat and my Buff went into the river in an attempt to cool off. It didn't really work. I was cooked. However, I did play it smart. My original plan was to go 9, and I had no qualms about cutting it short. Additionally, I walked a fair amount. I was in survival mode, but, more importantly, I was hoping to not do any further damage by going too hard. Just a bad day, but I weathered the storm. Adding insult to injury: along one of the small ponds a swamp maple had already turned red and shed a number of leaves. This sight was completely incongruous with the heat and how hot I felt. I was really longing for October.

8/5, Thursday: Off

8/6, Friday: 5 - 45:43, Homeplace Loop. I started out feeling really sluggish but felt progressively better with each step. The slightly cooler weather no doubt helped. Saw a deer along the powerlines, bounded right across the trail directly in front of me. I could even smell him he was that close.

8/7, Saturday: 4.5 - 57:56, Bradbury Mountain State Park (One lap of the Breaker to mark the course.) On Friday night, I met Ian and Emma to mark the first half of the course, so on Saturday morning the crew of Ian, Valerie, James and myself had less to handle. James and I marked the Summit Trail, while Ian and Valerie hit the Switchback Trail. We met at the summit, then marked the Terrace Trail. Once back to the parking lot, we each grabbed a handful of flags to mark any leftover spots as we ran a full lap. Even though Valerie was pushing the pace :), we had a pleasant tour of Sunday's race course.

Totals:
Miles: 28.5
Trail: 28.5
Road: 0

Again, a bit of a down week, but that's not a big deal. I'm averaging 35-40 over the last few weeks, which is right where I want to be right now. Another week of all trail miles, and I'm very happy to be avoiding the roads right now. No interest in the roads at all. I don't have any road races planned, so why pound the pavement?

TUNES!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW9MlEFwdNc