Friday morning I was up at 4:30 to get my run in. That evening I went out with some high school friends. We try to get together every 4-6 weeks. Our get togethers usually keep us out to 11 or 12, but once in awhile we’re having a blast and stay out later. After meeting for dinner we happened to go to a bar that had a band I’ve heard goods things about and have wanted to see for awhile - Boogie Wonderland. They were really good and the scenery was awesome too. In addition to all the babes, there were some other interesting characters. My friends and I like to give certain people nicknames so when we reminisce we can simple say “Do you guys remember Aquaman and Great White guy from that time we saw Boogie Wonderland?” Anyway, I didn’t make it home till 1:30 and, as usual, my kids had me up at 6:30.
If this had been a “normal” Saturday, I could have gotten in my long run and then snuck in a nap in the afternoon or gone to bed early. “Unfortunately,” Saturday we celebrated my daughter’s birthday with our families. I swear these kinds of gatherings take more out of me than a 20 mile run. Basically, what turned out to be “I can’t get my long run in” turned into “I’ll take the day off and start my cutback week a day early.”
I ended the week with 78 miles on 8 runs, including a couple of nice strong aerobic run. So I won’t beat myself up too much. I do need to make sure I start to get in some 20+ mile runs though, and I’ll use this as motivation.
With my “low” mileage for the week, I’m not going to take a full calendar week for a cutback week. I’m going to back off for the first few days of the week and then build back up. Backing off included an easy 8 miles on the treadmill today. With the day off, my legs felt great and I dropped the pace to 7:30s toward the end. I was hoping to watch the men’s 50k x-c ski race during this run, but they didn’t air that race until the evening. Not sure if anyone else watched it, but it was awesome. Those guys make it looks so easy. Speaking of x-c skiing, congrats to everyone that raced the Birkie (North America’s largest x-c ski marathon) over the weekend. I’m tempted to do it next year.
Quote of the Day:
“The fact that I am able to settle down and physically and mentally relax is one of my greatest strengths. It is something every athlete should seek.” Rob deCastella
3 comments:
Finally caught up on your entries. Glad I am not the only one already trying to hone in on mental skills for the season.
And also glad you got in some social outings that didn't involve running. They may seem like they keep you from your goals but I truly believe leading a balanced life helps with your running in the end. Not all lifes lessons can be learned during our long runs.
78 is impressive, but not mind-blowing. What is mind-blowing is the fact that this is your low mileage week. You're gonna fly -- with or without "visualisation".
BTW I think there's really something to that 1000 mile quarter idea. FWIW, I ran some really good races coming off a 1k quarter. I've found 12-16 weeks is about the right amount of time for the effects of mileage to really kick in.
Elizabeth, those beers you, Sara and DaisyDuc were drinking looked pretty good too. It's all about keeping a balance.
Miler, let's hope I fly. As Lydiard says about base training; 3 months is good, 4 is better, 5 is still better yet. So 1000 miles in 3 months is a good start.
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