April Numbers

As always I feel like I could have done more but with that said it was still a solid month.  I would have liked to hit more miles on the bike and run but I will always say that no matter how much I do.  I know I could jump the total mileage up quite a bit if I spent that 10 hours I spent in the weight room biking or running instead but I am not willing to give that up.  I feel healthier overall and my joints don't hurt like they usually do when training for a 100.  I actually jump out of bed in the mornings verses rolling out of bed all stiff so that is a win.  Did do another 50k this month and my first MTB race which was 50 miles.  Solid 70 hour month, second month in a row over 70 total hours.

(click to enlarge)

May is going to be a big month hour wise I think, I have 2 50Ks, a marathon, and a MTB race planned.  So yes a long race every weekend.  Greenland 50k this Saturday.  Jogging it as a long easy run.   Also taking ideas for a race kit to wear for the MTB races in Leadville.

Going to be a fun month!  Oh yeah- 50 days until the start of Leadman.

April 13th -19th

Solid run focused week.  Would have been closer to 85ish miles if the weather on Thursday and Friday would not have happened.  I skipped a 10 miler that was planned on Friday due to hail during lunch time and skipped the 2nd run on Thursday.  Did get in a solid run on Saturday doing the Rattler 50K down in Colorado Springs.  Just jogged it out with JT enjoying the day and catching up.  I could feel the volume of the week on my legs so this was good solid work. 

This week is supposed to be a bike focused week with my first ever mountain bike race on Saturday down in Castle Rock.  Needless to say I am a little freaked out about it.  Good to get this freaked out feeling out of the way before the start of Leadman I guess.  Not sure outside of the race how many more miles on the bike I will be able to do this week due to work and life commitments happening this week but I will give it my best shot.  I was thinking 200 miles at first but I think that would be a huge stretch, just hope to be over 100-120 with some running and lifting mixed in.

Totals for this week.

Came across this blog post this week and thought it good stuff to keep in mind as we setup our training the last few months heading into race season.

These are the principles that I use to guide me on journey on the Functional Path:
# 1 Have a current accurate road map - Start with a plan, execute it, and evaluate it constantly
# 2 Think big picture - Build and rebuild the complete athlete
# 3 Fundamental movement skills must be mastered before specific sport skills can be acquired and advanced  training undertaken
# 4 Learn to use the ground - Build & rebuild the athlete from the ground up
# 5 Train the core as the center of the action
# 6 Train sport appropriate - You are what you train to be
# 7  Build a work capacity base appropriate for your sport
# 8  Train Linkage - Connect toenails to fingernails
# 9  Think Long-Term - Training is cumulative
# 10 The individual athlete is the focus - Recognize, train and rehab the individual

Photo credit Pikes Peak Sports

My Pull-Up Bar.

Where do you do your pull-ups at?

"Recovery" week... whatever

Not sure this was a real recovery week like it should have been.  Yes the overall mileage from both the bike and run are down but the overall time is only down 2ish hours from last week and the vertical is higher this week.  At least everything this week was at an easy pace with the exceptions of the climbs on Saturday's real mountain bike ride I did at Green Mountain in Lakewood.  Hard to keep the effort low when you are grinding up a steep rocky single track on a bike. 

Overview Hours/Mileage for the week (started tracking mobility/massage work also this week)

Changing the order of my weeks this next 4 week cycle making next week a run focused week since I have another 50K next week down in Colorado Springs, Rattler 50K.  The only goal of the week is to do more run mileage than the last run focused week which was 3 weeks ago in Moab with 60 miles of running and 70 miles of cycling.  This week should be lighter than that on the bike but hopefully heavier on the run.

Mountain biking on Green Mountain in Lakewood

Summit of Green Mountain in Boulder

March 30th- April 5th Training

Solid week of balance training with a lot of it coming on the weekend.   The kiddo was in the hospital half the week with a C-Diff infection and this made the week way more challenging to try and balance "life".  He is slowly recovering but lost about 11% of his 110 pound body weight, getting down to 97 pounds and looks like a starving child from Africa but at least he is eating again now and went back to school for the first time yesterday (Monday) in almost 3 weeks, progress that Ashley and I are very happy about.  Now we just need to keep working on rebuilding his gut flora health and get some muscle and weight back on him slowly.

Anyways, last week's "balance" training.  Most of the vertical was done on the weekend, with a 4K trail run on Saturday (double Mesa trail crossing) and 5K ride on Sunday, with him in the hospital vertical during the week was not possible.  Also started tracking mobility work in the log but not sure I will keep doing that or not.

This week I have marked as a "recovery" week but not really sure what that is going to mean and what I should do.  Getting into the groove of turning out 16-19 hour weeks has been fun and cutting that back to what?  That is what I am trying to figure out.   I have a fear that by cutting it back to far I will get lazy and will struggle getting back into this groove that I am currently in.  Yesterday was not a good start to a "recovery" week.  I had yesterday off work so I hit up a 8.5 mile 3K trail run in the Boulder hills followed directly by a Crossfit workout, that is not a recovery day.  I guess I will play it by ear all week.  In my mind I think going easy the rest of the work week (Tues-Fri) and then get back to a long run and ride over the weekend?  Or so I cut the volume on the weekend also?  First world problems.

Lot of truth in this.

Have a great week!