GRT 50k Training Week 7

I am finally through the third week of this training Pre-50k training block, and into a cut-back week again. I couldn't be happier! Week 7 was both a week of some really great runs, but also one not-so-great run. Nevertheless, it was a week of feeling humble and allowing myself to learn.

Here was my week:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 50-70 min easy run
Wednesday: Fartlek workout
Thursday: XT, Sports Massage!
Friday: 75-90 min long run
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 2 to 3 hours, Jasyoga - Post-workout Recovery
Total: 31.65 miles
* McMillian 3hab, Strength, Core programs 2-3 times per week

I had to do a lot of switching around of runs this week. Tuesday was my Oiselle IL Flight night, so I ran a few easy miles earlier in the day and finished up at night. Due to an event on Saturday, I moved my long run to Sunday and did Sunday's run on Friday. This was not an ideal situation, but it was better than skipping a run which is something I might have done in the past. I am staying committed to no excuses, so I made this work the best I could.

The Fartlek run is basically the same as what I did in Week 5, except the interval was 5 minutes instead of 2 minutes, and I completed 4 intervals with a 3 minute recovery interval after each fartlek. The pace was also a little slower at Half Marathon pace instead of 10k race pace. Despite a lot of flooding outside, I was able to get this run in on the road and found some nice steep hills to make it more challenging.

Flooded trail

Runner Highs:

• Long Run #1: My first long run went really well and I felt strong the entire time. I even finished with my last mile as my fastest and felt like I could keep running. This gave me a lot of confidence.
• Mental Strength: Tuesday night's run was in the rain, which was initially hard to get myself out the door, but once I was running with a friend, I felt great. Not only does running the rain up your badass ranking, but it does wonders for your mental strength. 
• Making it Work: I was proud that I got in all the runs for the week, despite having to move a lot around to accommodate life. Thankfully this is not every week and I can give myself some grace for the fact that I did the best I could.

Challenges:

• Long Run #2: My longest run on Sunday did not go well. It was pretty much a sufferfest. While I choose to focus on the positive, which is that I saw the run through and finished regardless of how much I wanted to stop, and I also learned a lot. I learned that proper hydration and nutrition, along with rest can make or break my run. While I already know these things, sometimes I think that I can "get away" with one bad night and in this case, I couldn't. While I had a great time with friends on Saturday, I paid for it dearly during my run. But I reminded myself that I did this to myself and instead of being angry, I can just move on. I will have other runs that will be great and this is just one step in my journey to 50k. 
• Hydration/Nutrition: After that last point, it is clear that I struggled with this, not just for the long run, but the week in general. While I feel like I have the physical part of recovery down well (foam rolling, massage, yoga, etc.), sometimes I am not great about fueling after a long effort and I think this wore me down by the end of the week. 

I am definitely looking forward to Week 8 and my cut-back in mileage. Coming off my highest mileage week yet, I think this is just what I need as I enter the next training block which is the 50k specific phase. I am glad I learned a few things this week that I can bring with me to help give me a strong performance in the next block.