Aesthete Runner

Oh Week 11. Where do I begin. I knew this week would be tough, with long back to back runs, but I never expected it to be as hard as it was. I struggled a lot, both physically and mentally and feel a bit raw in the aftermath.

My favorite moment of Death Valley was stumbling upon water in the middle of the desert. It was completely unexpected but so beautiful. We were the only people around besides the wildlife, and it was an incredible moment. I highly recommend the Wildlife Refuge that is on the outskirts of Death Valley. You will not be disappointed if you can find this little gem. 

Continuing the Death Valley journey this week, the next stop is Zabriski point. The photos almost look fake, as the landscape is so surreal and otherworldly. Having recently read more about Death Valley, I was excited to learn that the tall yellow point in the photos is Manly beacon, named after one of the first people to cross Death Valley. 

Week 10 of 50 mile training continued to build on distance and time on feet. After receiving some helpful feedback from my coach last week, I was able to maintain confidence with where I am at in the training cycle, and thankfully my body continued to respond well to the load.

Artists Palatte was another really neat stop in Death Valley. The higher elevation meant that you could see the Badwater Basin from above, and the "painted" rocks were a surprise in the desert landscape. The short trail in a dry river bed was deceivingly dangerous as my husband slid down a rocky section and cut open his hands. 

Welcome to Week 9 of training for the Hennepin Hundred - 50 mile race. This week is just over the half way point of training, and Monday was the exact two month mark until the race. For the second week of the "50 mile specific" phase, I was pretty much thrown into a high mileage week. I haven't run mileage like this since the end of my 50k training, so my previous concerns regarding where I was at in this plan were obliterated.

Another neat spot in Death Valley is the Devil's Golf Course, which as you can see, is appropriately named. There were signs that warned visitors to be careful when trying to walk out on the salt formations, and it was no joke! It would be so easy to fall or twist an ankle, and I had to test several rocks before putting my full weight on them to make sure I wouldn't break through.

Welcome to the first week of the 50 mile specific training phase! Thankfully Week 8 was a recovery week, so not a bad start to the real heart of the training plan. When I first started working with my coach she asked about any vacations or time off that I had planned and was able to incorporate that into my training schedule. This week happened to be my annual camping trip and rather than try to cram long runs into the week, she scheduled me for recovery.