Intuitive Training

For the time being I am on my own. No coach or anyone supervising my training for the next few months. I had brought my old coach back on this spring after Fruita, more than anything else to keep me out of trouble the next three months as I ran three more 50 mile races. By keeping me out of trouble I mean making sure that I don't over do it, take recovery weeks and taper as well. Things that I am not so great at enforcing myself.

While I enjoy being coached and having someone else doing the brainwork, at the same time I completely enjoy the freedom of training on my own and devising my own training schedules for each week as I go along.

Fortunately I found out yesterday that the impending strike at Vz will not impact me as much as originally thought so my racing and training for the next two months should not be affected too much. I still can not take any time off but I don't have to work 6x12's a week either. I did request time off for the Bear a couple of months ago and have yet to see if that was approved or not. The race starts on a Friday and it is in Utah so I HAVE to have time off to get there, race and get back. Anyway, it could all be over by then so I am not going to worry about it too much right now.

I've laid out my weekly target mileages for the next several weeks leading up the Bear. Including this week in progress, the mileages look like this.... 70, 70, 80, 80, 100, 80, 40, 10, Race. Right now I seem to be able to handle the 70 mile weeks okay so 80 should be an easy transition. A hundred mile week is just tough period. I plan on over 300 miles for August and it should be easy to get there with this plan.

Back to my original premise though, I have been enjoying the freedom of my runs this week and figuring them out as I go... It is fun to "not know" what course I am going to run some days but instead of just picking, allowing the course to reveal itself to me. For example, I wanted to do two runs on Tuesday and get about 15 miles. I wanted to do two runs. Some trails, some flat. So Tuesday morning, super early I went and did the incline (35:03) then ran up and over Rocky Mt. and then on down Longs Ranch Road and back to Manitou via Ute Pass Trail. It was just a fun run partially ran under the light of my headlamp, and it was so QUIET that early. Add the extra bonus of a nice comfortable cool temp and it was nearly the perfect run.

I'll do a few easy tonight... 20 fast tomorrow morning super early and then I get to have a fun run with my cousin John on Sunday. I will be over my goal mileage for this week. Cool.

I still can't believe it is August...