50K training week 6

5 runs for the week which went as follows:

Sunday: 5 miles easy in the afternoon after work (which is going well - 2 weeks in - so far so good).

Monday: Had the day off work so on tap was a Double Falcon.  Was snowing when I started and for some reason the road up to the parking lot by the football stadium was closed - so I maneuvered my way through the Air Force Academy to the Chapel Overlook Parking lot, which is almost the high point of the loop.  I had never started a run from there before and was expecting a tough finish for each lap because in either direction the finish is always uphill.  So the first lap, in which it snowed on and off and the trail was covered, I went clockwise at a comfortable pace - my goal was just to get the 2 laps in and experience 26 miles.  Just over 2 hours and 7 minutes for lap one - as I made the turn I then turned around and went counter clockwise.  For the next 3 miles it was quite snowy, but then the sun came up and soon the snowy trails melted away and even got a little muddy in places.  Lap 2 was tiring but with about 4 miles to go I found a mini second wind and managed to stay on track - so that my lap time was less than a minute slower than the first lap.  Overall time for the 2 laps, 26 miles and 3100' + elevation gain was a couple ticks over 4:15.  I have run the falcon double lapper twice before and this was my fastest time by over 10 minutes.  I will be doing several more of these training runs for the 50K coming up in 11 weeks.

Tuesday: Rest and recovery day.

Wednesday: My weekly Mt. Herman lap was on much better trails than the week before.  This time there was more snow and less ice, plus I had put the screws back in my shoes so I could get better traction on the icy spots.  It was still slick but much more manageable than last week and I completed my lap in a reasonable 1:52.  I was still a bit weary from the Falcon effort 2 days before.  I think it was good though because this loop is a tough one and to do it in this time 2 days after a 26 mile run was a nice achievement for me.

Thursday: 6 miles easy (9 min pace) on Santa Fe Trail - recovery run.

Friday: Parked at the Woodmen Rd trailhead and went North on the Santa Fe Trail 10 miles - which is almost to Baptist Rd.  Went out at a 9 minute average on a beautiful day to run.  I was feeling sluggish however, so at the turnaround 90 minutes in I tried to pick up the pace and do the return 10 miles at a tempo pace.  Alas - the goal of 7:30 pace went almost immediately out the window.  So I then just held on to 8 minute miles for the next 6 miles.  Then with 4 to go I was spent and just endured through till the end - finishing the last 10 miles at an average of 8:20.  For the 20 miles this meant my pace was 8:40.  This was a sure sign of being weary, a combination of being work weary and running 65 miles for the week.

65 miles: my longest week ever.  A 4+ hour run, an almost 3 hr and an almost 2 hr run included.  Needless to say or write that I think my endurance is building up, admittedly with very little speed - which I am mostly okay with.  On tap is another 65 miler before I take an easy week.