Aesthete Runner

One week ago I was sitting on my couch watching the Chicago marathon feeling sore but on cloud 9. It is hard to believe after so many weeks of hard training, my first 50 mile race has come and gone. Running 50 miles is pretty life changing, and it is strange to think that while I was doing something major, the rest of the world just kept on turning.

Week 14 was a big week for me, as it marked my longest training run before the Hennepin 50. It was a week that I was both nervous but excited for as it marked a 50k being a training run distance vs a race that I was training for. While the race itself did not go as I expected, I was able to take away a lot from the run and it still is satisfying to complete the distance especially in less than ideal conditions.

It's hard to believe in just 4 weeks at this time, the Hennepin 50 will be over. When I hit the 30 day mark last Thursday, I was both excited and nervous at the same time. But I've had to carefully tuck this away in the back of my mind and keep the focus on where I am at right now, which is finishing Week 13 and looking ahead to my last long training run during Week 14.

I am in still in the "Introductory" phase of training for the Hennepin Hundred- my first 50 mile race, and Week 6 was a bit of a recovery week after the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 race last week. My coach advised me to run easy and gave me some options for additional recovery if needed. Recovery was difficult this week, and it was one of the few races that I have really struggled to come back from.

Week 5 of training for the Hennepin Hundred also coincided with the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 race I run yearly. I haven't missed the race in 5 years, and while each July I always worry about my fitness level, I keep coming back. Not only did I have a solid week of training, but I also had a great race.

Recovery week! It also happens to be the start of the next training phase - the Introductory Phase. My coaches notes are to be patient. My mileage is still low, workouts haven't become too difficult, and it is easy to want to jump ahead and do more. However, just because I know I can do more doesn't mean that I should. To get to the start line healthy and ready, I know I need to trust my coach and plan and get my body ready to where it needs to be.

It's hard to believe it has been a month since the GRT 50k. At times it feels like so long ago, yet other times it makes me sad that it is over. I am thankful I had a wonderful experience, as it gave me the confidence to head towards my next goal - the Hennepin Hundred.

On Saturday I ran the Glacier Ridge Trail 50k in Slippery Rock, PA. This was my 2nd 50k to date, and it was by far the most challenging race I've ever run. It also happened to be one of the most fun and awesome experiences and it is a race I will definitely never forget.

This is it, the final week! Race day is almost here and overall, I am feeling ready. Between checking the weather forecast hourly (alternating between rain and heat) and checking items off my to-do and packing lists, the time has flown by. 

A wonderful recovery week! Thankfully Week 11 was a mileage cut-back week, and while I still had hard effort runs, it felt good to have a reprieve from higher mileage and a long weekend run.

Yesterday I ran the Paleozoic Cambrian Fall Trail 25k, which was my first race post-Chicago marathon and the longest I have run since the race. Initially I was considering the 50k when I was signing up, and while I would definitely consider the 50k in the future, I'm glad I went "easy" on myself and stuck to the 25k.

A few days have passed since the marathon and I finally am able to put words to my experience. And what an experience it was! I finally ran a marathon and wasn't instantly filled with regrets and wishes of what could have been. Did I meet all my goals? Nope. Am I upset about it? Nope. Read on for my full recap.

Two weeks!! I am both excited and relieved to be over with the heaviest portion of training. It feels really great to be in the "taper" phase. There is no doubt that the warmer weather has brought about a lot of struggles in training, but I have my fingers crossed that it will be nice and cool on race day. While my overall mileage hasn't dropped significantly, I did make several adjustments to the plan to accommodate the Ragnar Trail Relay I was participating in.

...and that's a wrap on Week 13, the highest mileage week of Chicago marathon training. There are only three weeks to go, and that means it is finally time to ease into a taper. I can't believe I used to hate tapers.

I can't believe the marathon is a month away! A few weeks ago it felt like there was still a lot of time to train, but suddenly I look at my training schedule and see that it is almost time to taper. Fall is my favorite time of year, and now that the weather has started to cool off and all things pumpkin have popped up, I am ready to run in my favorite season.

I am back from my Vegas vacation and completed another 10 mile race yesterday at the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 event. The "official" training for this week was mixed, as I enjoyed some fantastic hiking in Vegas, while also trying to keep my legs fresh for the race yesterday. I loved that I was able to still stick with the training plan, while choosing to keep my mileage lower.

This past week I finally committed to a training plan. I had a realization during a run where it hit me that no matter what plan I pick, I will run a great marathon. I don't know why I was so indecisive for so long, but I know myself, and know that I once I commit to something, I give it my all. I also know that I am in probably the best shape of my life in terms of running. While I have had some taper and recovery periods after races, I basically haven't stopped running since the last Chicago Marathon. I ran all winter, ran all spring, and thankfully I've stayed injury free and have been able to keep my mileage at just the right spot to avoid burnout, but to sustain my fitness.

I can't believe that it has been 8 days since my 50k! I have recovered pretty quickly considering and feel almost back to my normal self. After 6 days of rest and a wonderful sports massage, I am feeling the itch to get running again. Before I start another training cycle, I really want to reflect on the race in a similar fashion to the Chicago Marathon . I learned a lot from this race, and while there are certainly some hard lessons learned, I also experienced some wonderful moments too.

I did it! I ran my first 50k on Saturday. It has taken a few days for me to reflect on the race. I experienced so many intense feelings within one race that it was very difficult for me to even understand or identify how I feel about that day. I listened to a podcast a few months ago that talked about failure. How we often are afraid to do things where failure is a real possibility. Often times in training, we select plans or goals that are challenging enough that we feel pushed, but where we can finish feeling satisfied that we accomplished what we set out to do. We rarely select races or goals where we could fail, and as a result, we never learn to be better. Failure is not bad. Failure is not the end of the world. When we do fail, we learn how to be better. We learn that it is ok to fail, but then we pick ourselves up and try again. I knew signing up for a 50k raised the real risk of actual failure. I felt this more than any other race I had signed up for. Contrary to my fear of...

After enjoying Austin, Texas the past few days, I think it is safe to say I am officially thawed out and rested after the  F^3 Lake Half Marathon. If you missed my recap, you can read it here .