50k Training: Week 1

This is unrelated to this post (and taken over a week ago) but it was one of the best sunrises I've ever seen so it's going here.

COME ON.

So I started 50k training this past week! I plan to eventually write a post about the training plan I'm using (which I stole from this girl) but for now you'll have to be content with a training summary because grad school.

Monday: rest

I actually planned to run but then the weekend (which was spent at a cabin and frantically trying to catch up on work after said cabin trip) got to me and I just couldn't. I was pissed at myself ("seriously? You're bailing on the very first day of training?!") until I looked at my schedule and realized Mondays are rest days. I originally planned  to do my longer runs on Thursdays and Fridays until I remembered I have a job I'm paid to actually perform, and occasionally during normal work hours. Consequently I shifted my weekly schedule to a more normal one which gives me Mondays and Fridays off. Training cycle saved!

Tuesday: 5 miles, easy

I did my go-to morning run up Skinner Butte, a super short but super sweet .75-mile ascent with a halfway decent view of Eugene. It was dark nearly the entire time (thanks, fog!) but fortunately I didn't run into any trouble (like almost getting peed on by a homeless person, which did actually happen under similar circumstances last December - but that's a story for another day). Overall, it wasn't a very memorable run.

Fogged-in sunrise.

Wednesday: 6 miles, less easy-ish

I really needed to get to school so I stuck to relatively flat pavement and pushed the pace. These runs are so much easier than trail runs, but way less enjoyable.

Thursday: 5 miles, trail

I really didn't have time to go to Spencer Butte but dammit, I wanted to! I was too early to see the sun rise, which sucked, but I've become quite fond of the Spencer area trails, which I thought were pretty lame when I first discovered them (trees, trees, trees). I was ten minutes late for office hours but hey, teacher's training for a 50k, kids! But really, no one shows up to office hours at 9:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning anyway so it was fine.

Friday: rest

I was thinking of running this day since I was planning to spend Saturday at a nearby hot springs but decided four days in a row, especially following a strenuous trail run, was not advisable.

Saturday: 2 miles

Better than no run, I guess? I wouldn't have run at all but I had to get my car after leaving it at a friend's house the previous night. I was running, like, 14-minute miles. Real speedster over here.

The hot spring (is hot springs always plural? There was only one) was awesome, by the way. Although the "warm springs trail" sign should have tipped us off - this was a very lukewarm spring. A great time was had nonetheless.

Sunday: 10 miles, long run

My plan had me doing 8 miles on Saturday and 4 miles on Sunday so even though my schedule was a bit wack I wanted to make sure I got the mileage in. I don't think I've done 10 miles since my trail half back in November.

I ran the first five miles with a couple of friends on a flat trail before driving to some steeper trails for the last five. The sun was out in full force and I was down to a t-shirt by the end, which was awesome. The run felt reassuringly easy. I wasn't breaking any speed records but I was moving along at a pretty decent clip.

Total: 28 miles

A couple of things:

• I need to be careful about doing my runs too fast. I often feel rushed in the morning which, given that I now have specific mileage targets, forces me to run faster than I should. I'm a pretty firm believer in slow, slow miles so I need to suck it up and wake up earlier.
• I'm going to have to be more flexible about training than I was when I trained for my marathon a couple of years ago. I tend to be pretty OCD about training but with my current professional/personal obligations that's not going to fly. I'll be happy as long as I can get the miles in, in whatever combination.

Have a wonderful start to your week!

One more sunrise picture. Seriously, this morning was ridiculous. I could have sat there for hours.