7/15 - 7/21 Summary

This was a good week for me in terms of running and exercising in general. I was able to do a variety of terrain and worked a lot of different muscles, giving me a nice all around workout.

Sunday - Half Marathon + .55 Mile Warm Up
Monday - 4.12 Treadmill
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - 3.85 Trail Running, 1.26 Treadmill
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - 4.22 Treadmill
Saturday - 7.05 Trail Running

The week started with the Jungle Run Half Marathon, so I was able to get in a decent distance at a good time, comparative to the running I should be doing for the Marathon. Pace was good and I wasn't tired or sore from the race, so that is always a good sign. On Monday I went in and did a 3 mile warm up before working out my chest and triceps, and then did a 1.12 mile cool down at a 1.5% grade on the treadmill. This was important because I wanted to see how my legs felt the day after the Half Marathon, which again, as stated above, is a good measure on how conditioned my legs are becoming.

Tuesday was a rest day, but for the purposes of this site a rest day simply means I didn't run. Instead I did a 16 mile bike ride that had a total of about 700 feet elevation, 500 of which came at the last half mile. I love throwing in a bike routine because it still works out my legs but doesn't stress them as much as running. Wednesday rolled around and the fun began. I went out first and ran 3.85 miles of trail running with an elevation gain of around 500 feet, again most of which was in the last mile. Then I went into the gym and worked out my shoulders, with a 1.26 mile gentle cool down.

Finally I come to Friday, which again was a weight training day. I ran 2.11 miles for a warm up, then worked out my biceps and back, and then did a 2.11 mile cool down. So far the week was pretty easy, until I came to Saturday. It started with a 3.85 mile hike with my sister that had a 500 foot elevation gain. Great trail to hike and is in fact the same trail I ran on Wednesday. Then my sister left and I ran the same trail, but then when I got to the top I turned around and did the trail in reverse, giving an elevation ascent of around 800 feet, running for a total of 7.05 miles. This was a killer. I hadn't felt this beat up since I ran the Marathon and Half Marathon last year. My left knee ached and my right calf was pulsing.

All in all, I ran 33.85 miles, the second highest miles per week yet. Great week and I think I learned a valuable lesson, one that I have always known but never actually experienced, which is that trail running is a completely different sport from concrete/pavement/road running. This week things will taper off and I will hopefully get in around 10 miles as I lead into the weekend and my first big run of the year.