This Week in Training: Get Up There

I just sat in meditation for 20 minutes and I've got a big mug of hot ginger tea & a few stories to tell. I'm all sorts of happy.

There are just about 15 weeks between me and my first trail ultra. Had someone asked me two weeks ago if I was ready, I would have, appropriately, said no. If you asked me today, yesterday, even an hour after my long run last Saturday? I would shout, sing,  high fuckin' kick the answer: yes yes yes! Well, then. Can you tell it was a phenomenal training week? Indeed.

Monday, January 7
Rest Day
On rest days I often do body weight strength training if I don't get to yoga. I know I talk about doing that pyramid, you know: 20 arms, 20 core, 19 arms, 19 core, and on down. I haven't gotten tired of it yet, and judging from how non-stressed my abs and back feel even after running hills with a pack on, it's worth it. Plus it's nice to hear, "Hey, dude, your arms!" once in awhile. OK, once. Whatever.


Tuesday, January 8
Trails
Focus: Hills, steady effort
Miles: 5
Pace: 11:16
I felt like crap going into this run. Even though I was going up a favorite neighborhood trail, I was completely unmotivated--pity party attitude, complaining up the first hill, I need new shoes, running is stoopid, wah wah wah. Seeing as it was only 5 miles, I figured I'd just have a craptastic run and be very happily done with it very soon. Oddly enough, as I rounded an oak tree to turn back for the last half home, I felt--and I mean, physically felt--the endorphins kick in. As sure as Carson kicking me in utero when I was pregnant, my run kicked me from inside, pretty much reminding me how lucky I am to have my feet strong and steady on this dirt in these hills at this sunset in this life on this planet. It was a big feeling, and it set entire my week up.

Wednesday, January 9
Road
Focus: Easy, flat
Miles: 5.42
Pace: 9:18
I've found that if you run on pavement only once a week or so, it either feels hard and unforgiving, or it feels really, really fast. Even though the pace is meh, this run felt fun and fast. With Hypatia next to me, great afternoon weather, and a lot to chat about, this quicky flew by.

Thursday, January 10
Road/Trail
Focus: Intervals
Miles: 6.18

Pace: 8:32
It was so cold when Hypatia and I met in the very dark of pre-dawn. It was cold and I was nervous, as I almost always am before speed work. I love running. I love going far. But I don't love going fast; being in pain or discomfort screws with my head. OK, so the workout was warm up 1 mile, 2 miles @ 10K pace, rest for 4 minutes, and do it again; cool down 1 mile. In the foggy, 36 degree morning, we churned out wunderbar negative splits on each of those four tempo miles: 8:10, 8:05, 7:41, 7:38. Right as we finished the last few steps of our cool down, it started raining. I could not stop smiling all day.

Friday, January 11
Rest/Yoga
I was getting dressed to go to yoga and I sat down to fill out two things for our accountant. The next thing I know, it's an hour later and I'm still sitting there in the dark kitchen in my underwear. Missed class, got ahead on taxes.

Saturday, January 12
Trails
Focus: Long mountain run
Miles: 18.05
Elevation: 3,602'
Pace: 11:48
This was quite possibly my life-altering run of the training cycle. I might not even be able to fully put it into writing without sounding like a superlative-drunk schmuck. We left at dawn, driving to Point Mugu on the Pacific Coast Highway to tackle the legendary Ray Miller trail. When we arrived, it was very cold, very windy; we bundled up in layers, divvied up our snacks, put on our hydration packs, and took off. We saw and did everything: rocky canyon, sweet single track in cactus and scrub, rounding a corner to see endless miles of the Pacific Ocean, sliding down a slippery hill in winds that could pick the both of us up, traversing a meadow, trudging up a wide, hot fire road, eating steamed potatoes with salt at the 9 mile mark, arranging it so that our last 5 miles would be sailing downhill, and even after 18 mountain miles, smiling and sprinting the last .50,  on a mountain, on the ocean, on a sunny, cold day. That's just kinda giving it up right there. I am quite honestly the luckiest person ever.

Sunday, January 13

I have no clue what I'm doing but I know I'm happy.

Road/Trail
Focus: Easy recovery
Miles: 4
Pace: 8:45
No real soreness from the day before other than my feet still being a little dogged out; I aimed to go reeeallly slow, as in 10:00 slow, but my body had other ideas. I had a nice trot around the neighborhood, listening to music and thinking, still, about the day before.

Which I'm still doing today. And probably tomorrow. And I hope I'll take it to my race in April, and pull all those incredible feelings out of my hat when I'm in a dark and helpless place. I'll just say "Ray Miller" to myself, and, you know. Light.