GRT 50k Training Week 3

Week 3 of Glacier Ridge Trail 50k training was a solid week. Even though the weather wanted to make things difficult for me, I feel like I nailed every run and my recovery from my longer or more difficult effort runs was faster than expected. Maybe it was the sports massage I had on Wednesday, but mentally I was in a great space this week.

Here was what week 3 looked like:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 50-65 min easy run
Wednesday: Steady State run: 20 min at steady state pace with 3 min recovery, 4 X 1 min at 5k effort with 75 seconds recovery, warm-up and cool down, Sports Massage!!
Thursday: Rest
Friday: XT
Saturday: 90-120 min long run, Jasyoga - Post-run Hip Reset
Sunday: 50-70 min easy run, Jasyoga - Couch Reset
Total: 25.98
* McMillian 3hab, Strength, Core programs 2-3 times per week

I had another double run on Tuesday, with our IL Oiselle team run and I felt much better this week doing a double run than the previous week. Granted we took our run very slow as the path we ran on was full of snow and some icy sections, but I felt like I had more energy for the second run.

I also ended up running a bit longer than my target on Sunday, but I was having such a great run, even on the muddy trail, that I couldn't help myself. My overall mileage was pretty similar to last week, so I don't think the longer run will make a difference overall. 

So much mud!

Runner Highs:

• Long run: It was the first long run yet where I felt great the entire time. Maybe it was running with a friend, or the weather (or both), but I did not feel drained as I have been towards the end of a long run. I think this gave me the confidence going into Sunday's run to push myself a bit further
• Recovery: The sports massage made a world of difference. It felt great to walk down the stairs and not feel some of the usual stiffness that I get after challenging or long effort runs. I also felt like my recovery between Saturday and Sunday was good, which I attribute to the yoga and foam rolling I did
• Mental Strength: Mentally I felt like I was in a good spot this week. Runs were clicking, I enjoyed running with friends, and I wasn't dreading any run that I had to do

Challenges:

• Habits: My prehab went horribly this week. Even though the targeted body part was quads, and these are always tight on me which cause knee issues, I missed two runs without doing the prehab beforehand
• Weather: While there were some great weather days, we had a really icy day that caused me to run on the treadmill. I really dislike speedwork on the treadmill because I feel like it's "cheating", but it's better than going outside and falling. Nevertheless, this makes training feel boring and I really couldn't wait for my steady state run to be over

Week 4 is a cut-back week, similar to my previous 50k training plan. Every 4th week of the plan is a recovery week, where I can choose to run less mileage, and my long run is shorter. This coincides nicely with a trip I have to Austin, so I can enjoy my vacation and a little bit of rest before the next training block.

Working on my balance