AR 50 Week Two

1/10-1/16

Another week of ultra training in the books! Managed to hit most of my goals for the week, minus a Jillian workout. Upped the mileage a bit from Week One and feeling pretty good!

Monday
5 miles (3 @ tempo), 9:00 avg pace. First tempo run for this training cycle! Was aiming for tempo pace around 8:50, but ended up closer to 8:30s. Whoops! I felt good and my legs felt strong. Tempo splits: 8:33, 8:34, 8:30.

Tuesday
4 miles, 9:32 avg pace + 90 min hot yoga. Squeezed in a quick and easy run before heading to hot yoga with my dad! Felt a little tired during yoga but still managed all the poses. I'm hoping I can maintain this run+yoga day each week!

Wednesday
9 miles, 9:43 avg pace. Another midweek medium-long run. Luckily I didn't have to be at work til noon so I could sleep in a bit before running. Bumped it up by a mile from last week and ran the opposite direction on the bike trail. Beautiful, cool morning, and happy to get the miles in before work!

Thursday
Rest. Had thought about running or doing Jillian, but realized I had run for 5 days straight and needed some rest.

Friday
4 miles, 9:30 avg pace. So proud of myself for this one! Just 4 miles, I know, but it was one of those where I woke up and was tired, changed my mind to sleep instead, even reset my alarm, only to resolve a couple minutes later that I'm training for a 50 miler, damnit, I need to get up! And so I did, and I felt so much better the rest of the day.

Saturday
Rest.

Sunday
9.12 miles, 14:22 avg pace. Another trail run with Diane, this time from the Auburn Overlook to just passed No Hands Bridge and back along the Western States trail. Once again I was limited on time because I had to work all day, but I figured I could get at least a couple hours in on the trails. We met up at the Overlook, the same place as the Resolution Run, and got going. It was crazy foggy and a little chilly but I warmed up quickly. Luckily the trails had dried out a bit since the race a couple weeks ago, but there were still a few really muddy spots that we had to sludge through. A couple miles in we were met with a breathtaking view of the vivid blue American River gushing through the canyon, a layer of mist suspended above. Not long after that we came across another photo-op: a gushing water fall cascading over moss covered rocks!

oh so foggy

mud!

ummm what!? a waterfall mid-run?!

We made it to No Hands Bridge and crossed over the river (with more stunning views) and made it about another before checking the time and needing to turn back. As we headed downhill I pulled my phone out of my pocket to take (yet another) picture and suddenly realized that my car key, which had also been in that pocket, was no longer there. Crap! We back tracked for almost 10 minutes before I decided that I could've lost it anywhere along the trail, so I called my mom to meet me at the Overlook with my spare. Thanks to the detour we were cutting time pretty close. Not only did we have to get back to our cars, but then I still had a 40 minute drive home and I would definitely need a shower. Just past No Hands we ran into a miracle: we came across another runner, who Diane happened to know, and he asked us if we'd lost a key! Hallelujah! He told us he'd left it on a rock back by one of the muddy sections, and so a little more relieved, we kept on truckin'. I didn't realized on the way out how hilly the route was, but on the way back it all came rushing back. Some sections we could do nothing but hike as my hamstrings and calves burned.

 crossing No Hands Bridge
(Foresthill Suspension Bridge in upper left)

 yet another waterfall!

 sun coming out... Foresthill Suspension Bridge in the distance

 elevation gain: 3,412 ft, loss: 3,291 ft
 

A couple miles from the end Diane ran into another runner she knew and stopped to chat, meanwhile I checked my watch and freaked out when I realized I was running waaaay behind. When we finally got moving again I hauled booty back to the cars, only to find that I had one hour to get to work. I hit the roads going well past the speed limit and decided mid-drive that it would save me time to go straight to work if I could get my mom to drop off some clothes. I got to work with about 5 minutes to spare and went straight to the shower. I still ended up being about 15 minutes late, but considering all the circumstances I did pretty well. The rest of the day at work was absolute chaos, so much so that I never got to have lunch : / This, along with the run and hectic start at work made for a very grumpy mood. It's been such a challenge to fit in these long runs on the trail on top of work. I was hoping to get more like 12 miles in, but had to make due with 9ish. Still, it was time on the trails with absolutely beautiful scenery, so I guess I won't complain too much : )

Total: 31.12 miles