Weekly Training Wrap - 6/16 - 6/22

Last week was a somewhat non-typical taper week since I did two Deer Creek runs and ended with more vertical than many "normal" weeks. And, we pushed the pace a bit on Saturday (in wicked humidity) and I struggled, which was certainly not a confidence building run. Nonetheless, it was a good week and I feel as ready as I can be. The big concern with North Fork 50 has always been the heat. The course is not as difficult as many that I have done in the past. And, training runs have proven pretty easy to run a 10-10:15 pace, which is roughly a minute below my best 50 mile pace. However, there hasn't been any real heat so far this summer. We get a day here and a day there and then a bunch of afternoon showers for days on end. So, heat training has been more or less non-existent, despite my best intentions and attempts. As I feared, the closer the race comes, the more it appears that day is going to be hotter than has been typical so far this summer. And, the "feels like" temperature on those trails is pretty high being in a bit of a bowl and relatively little tree cover. Now that the excuses is built in...

I'd still love to think a 9-hour fifty mile time is a possibility. I believe in my heart I have one of those in me. (I mean on a course that is reasonably difficult.) Quad Rock was a big confidence building race. I ran sub-4:30 on that course and felt like I left time on the course. And, I felt good afterward, like I could have turned around and gone 5:00 for another 25 miles. Despite the 5500 feet of vertical gain, I wasn't sore and didn't really need much downtime from training either. That confidence may have just been the good vibes from a good race, but the point is that I felt strong and in control. My fitness and nutrition were as strong as they've been in any race. I think that bodes well for me at North Fork if I can handle the heat.

Lastly, I am experiencing pretty typical pre-race stuff -- racing thoughts, constant ups and downs in confidence, tweaks and aches that I am suddenly aware of, moments of low motivation, etc... I am trying not to think about these things because they typically just disappear once I am on the race course. And, even if any of this anxiety is real, it's too late to do anything about it! The one thing that is always good with anxiety, it means I care and am vested in doing well.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	12	Deer Creek
Tuesday	5	Afternoon Heat Run Functional Strength Training
Wednesday	Off	Rest
Thursday	5	Bluffs in Heat
Friday	Off	Rest
Saturday	13	Deer Creek
Sunday	6	Easy
Total	41	About 6,600 feet of vert