Training Update: 3/9 - 3/15

Huge week last week, only my second official 80 mile training week. Of course, a 38 mile run on Saturday helps to really push the numbers higher. And, I won't lie, I ran Sunday primarily to push the number to 80. It is a tough balance sometimes, fighting between chasing numbers and recovering properly. I often tell my buddy Chuck not to be afraid to train when it is time, but only when the time is right. That's thing, this is almost the time, but not quite. I am 14 weeks from a race I have been training for the past three years. Soon the trails will be in a good shape and I need to be ready.

In addition, to good volume, I had good structure and a high-quality workout on Thursday. I even managed 3 cross-training sessions.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	9	Easy Lunch Run
Tuesday	10	Fartleks
Wednesday	6	Recovery w/ Strides
Thursday	9	Bluffs Progression
Friday	5	Recovery
Saturday	38	HPRS - Fat Ass - Highline
Sunday	5	Recovery
Total	81	3,800 feet of vert

I am trying to figure out the best way to approach next week given the large spike in volume last week. This period of training is about building volume and continuing to extend my B2Bs. I need to be vigilant that Saturday's effort doesn't have long standing recovery needs, so I won't do anything too hard for a few days. The good news is that the vertical gain has been really modest considering the trails are still full of snow and ice. So the stress level isn't as high as normal for that amount of miles. My knee and the rest of my body are feeling as good as they have in months. I am finding that my appetite has increased pretty dramatically the past few weeks as well, so I need to keep a conscious eye on keeping my calorie intake at the proper level.

The goals for this next week will be to cutback and only a bit of "light quality" (no true quality). Most importantly, I need to be completely honest with myself about how I feel and take a day off if I feel excess fatigue creeping in. Big trail miles lay ahead and there is no use spending up my motivation and energy in March!