Sunday, March 25, 2012

It's like catching a wave... or not...

Had an okay week this week. The tendon in my right leg is still iffy so the jury is still out on that one. Regardless it hung in there for all of yesterday's 30 mile run and didn't give me any issues past feeling a twinge here and there. It just tightens up and gets sore intermittently (just like it did in the 90's) and can be really aggravating.

I am thinking that 30's are the new 20's in mileage I mean. Two weeks with 30+ mile runs and each one has gone rather well all things considered. Actually yesterday's effort even with the elevation gain went a lot more smoothly than I was anticipating. One thing that I do like about 30 milers is that after running a few of them in series, 20 milers aren't that big of a deal!

90 mile week coming up. I hope to start off with an aforementioned 20 miler early Monday morning. I am not sure of the rest of the week but at least one 30 miler next weekend. This is the biggest week going into Desert Rats.

I am completely rethinking my taper process as I look at my success in last years LT100 with basically a four day taper after an 84 mile week prior compared to my standard taper going into Rocky Raccoon and the unholy ass kicking that I got there. There could be something valid there to consider.

Yesterday's run went really well like I said and since it went so well it gave me time to really think about my running the past two months and as much as I hate to constantly lament over it... well, it has all just sucked! Seriously. I haven't had one really good run in ages.

Of course I talked to Melissa about that last night on our way to the hot springs and we started working backwards.... I know the last 12-8 mile runs the weekend before Rocky were not fun at all and were a complete drag... the 20 miler the weekend before that was nothing exciting either. No... we talked and we came up with the theory that my last good run that felt good, that I had fun doing and just "worked" for me was the Fat Ass 50K on Jan 14th. Pretty much everything after that was circling the drain and after RR100 it has been nothing but digging myself out of of the septic tank... Until yesterday.

I explained it to Melissa last night that it is kind of like surfing; the way that I have been feeling the past few weeks. You know when you are out in the water and watching the swells come in and you are timing them and finally one comes by and you kick and paddle like hell to catch up to it and drop into that sweet spot on the wave and ride it in? But you also know how sometimes you kick and paddle and you travel with the wave but on the backside of the swell, on the wrong side of the breaker and no matter what you do you are stuck and you will NOT be catching that wave and riding it in... that is exactly how I have felt for the past several weeks... Just chasing it and not getting to experience that "click" of everything working and falling into the wave. Flailing, fighting, but not quite getting there. I felt a little better last Tuesday morning but that has been about it.

Yesterday was different though and I don't know why. Taking on a 20 miler is not such a big deal but 30 milers I do give some thought and consideration to. And the way I ran it I didn't even have the luxury of being through all of the tough stuff at mile 15 or the halfway point, no... I had another five miles to go and probably three thousand more feet of elevation to climb. But none of this affected me and as a whole I just felt on. Even in the last few miles I was able to run with some speed albeit downhill but when I am tired that could be a challenge even. Yesterday it just seemed that a lot of things finally came together that hadn't for a very long time.

Of course it may have just been the promise that I made to myself for drinks and nachos at The Loop in Manitou when it was all done that spurred me on but I don't think so. I think it was just that for the first time in awhile I felt strong on a run... not necessarily fast but strong and for now I will be happy with that!

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