Success with Sixty

As I look back on the previous week, I am pleased with what I was able to do. Despite the crazy, busy schedule I kept, and the sore knee and leg that convinced me to take one day off, my plans and predictions came to fruition. I was able to run a total of 60 miles for the week.

Every evening last week contained an activity of some sort leaving no time for running a double or any afternoon cross training. This concerned me somewhat, but there was nothing else for it but to get out of bed early each morning and get after those miles. When I wrote out my plans and predictions for the week, I was not sure if I would be able to do it, but I meant to take one day at a time and try.

Saturday’s 20 miler went very well. I began to struggle around mile 13, but after eating two power gel blast gummies, I felt a lot better and was able to finish the run feeling good. After the previous Saturday’s debacle, it felt really good to feel good.

I started this week with a 10 mile trail run on Sunday, and a day off Monday. My right knee is still hurting, and while it does let me complete my mileage, it complains all day afterward. I would like for this week to be another high mileage week and for the rest of September to be spent hitting the mileage hard. When October arrives, it will soon be time to taper.

This morning I went for an 8 mile run with my mom. She is training to qualify for Boston (at the age of 59, after running a marathon in all 50 states, and 60 marathons before the age of 60). I felt pretty good despite a small bit of knee pain at the beginning and some lower back aches in the middle. I’m trying to stretch out these issues each day at work and in the evenings.

So, since my plans and predictions from last week actually came to be, I’m getting a little braver and making a few more. Here’s my new set of plans and predictions:

Sunday – 10.6 miles of trails with Christy
Monday – day off
Tuesday – 8 miles with Mom in the morning, 3 miles in the afternoon to mark No Boundaries course, run these same miles with runners for Nobo.
Wednesday –20 miles with Kristi with a good deal of climbing in the middle.
Thursday – 6.4 easy paced miles to work out any soreness from the 20 miler and to even out my weekly mileage.
Friday – fit in at least 8 miles before and after the morning No Boundaries training run.
Saturday – I’m planning to do this crazy boot camp thing my mom is doing with some friends and a guy training them all who has agreed to help her qualify for Boston. But at some point I want to round off my mileage (which should be around 56 by then) to 60 or more for the week. Maybe a 5 mile run before or after boot camp.

The training continues…