A Regret, Marathon Perception, Just One More.

 

(bra, shorts, trail shoes, road shoes)We carpooled up South Fork and started our run with a 5-mile trail loop called Big Springs. It is a gorgeous loop, and you climb about 1200 ft over the loop, so it gets your legs feeling pretty shot just in time to jump on the roads for speed.

I highly recommend this loop and it is very easy to navigate if any Utahns want to try it out.

I love a long run that requires a shoe change, but the trails were so gorgeous on Saturday that I just wanted to stay up there all day.

It sure does break up the long run to do part on dirt and part on roads. Also, isn’t it crazy how much our mileage perception changes during training… a month or two ago, 18 miles would have scared me and then now it feels like a perfectly normal thing to do on a Saturday morning.

My coach joined us for the workout (these are his ‘easy’ paces), so I couldn’t get away with taking any drink breaks or slowing down ha. The goal was to do 5 x fast mile (6:00 pace)/ float mile (6:45-7:00 pace), and we averaged 5:51/6:44. The first miles are very downhill in the canyon, but the last ones are pretty flat. My coach told me he would pace us for a sub 5:50 on the last one and not look at my watch. It hurt so bad, but I did it.

My biggest regret from the run was eating a cheeseburger the night before the run. I need to remember that cheeseburgers are a post-long run meal for me, not a night before a long run meal for me. My stomach was very off. The 3-mile cool-down was rough for me because I was feeling pretty drained, so I laid on my floor and didn’t even think twice about doing strength training when I got home like I was planning on doing.

I’m getting excited to taper in one week!

Monday: 10.53 @ 8:28 pace

Tuesday: 9.25 miles @ 8:22 pace

Wednesday: 14.06 miles @ 7:13 average.  3 mile w/u, 4 x 2 miles, c/d.  .5 mile recoveries.  Splits—> 5:51, 6:06 (big downhill, uphill); 6:28, 6:32 (both uphill); 5:48, 6:12 (big downhill, uphill); 6:01, 5:44 (downhill both miles).   A workout where you can only think of the current mile you are running because it is too much to think about the ones up ahead.

Thursday: 10.15 miles @ 8:32 pace

Friday: 8 miles @ 8:21 pace

Saturday: 18 miles @ 7:55 average with first 5 miles on trails and then 10 miles of 1-mile fast, 1-mile float (5:51/6:44 averages)

And now, for the rest of the weekend.

Andrew was called into work for a few hours and finished just in time for us to go to three hours of soccer games in the wind and rain.

We went to a late dinner together, and my gnocchi was heavenly.

Beck got hurt from a fall one night while we played night games.

We went for bagels.

And hung out at the Riverwoods for a while.

 We continued the Halloween set-up… Somehow it takes longer and longer each year because we keep finding just one more thing;)

Cars have already started to come to drive by to see them ha. This makes Andrew’s life.

 

Tell me a great part from your weekend!

Who starts tapering for a fall race soon?

Anyone have an ultra up ahead? I want to hear which one!

Does the night before the long-run meal matter for you?

-I need to just stick to pasta or pizza the night before for a happy stomach.