About time: Jan 10 - Jan 16

This past week marked the highest mileage week since early August of LAST YEAR. Boo-ya Grandma. The patience of starting this build back at 50 miles is finally paying off. The climb followed 50-55-59-64-64-68 and now 71.

SUN
8.5 miles on Rancho trails in PM - really sloppy. Tons of people walking dogs, but thankfully no one decided I was worth the effort for a bite.

MON
11 miles out and back along Truckee River

TUES
10.5 miles along BLC route - takes me under the famous Reno arch. Ran in shorts and a t-shirt. How 'bout them apples, Midwest runners!!!

WED
8 miles on Woodchuck. Trail sloppy, but this kept pace slower which is what the legs needed after the past few days.

THUR
12 miles along Truckee in AM; workout with P.T. in PM. Morning run was awesome!!! Blue sky returned to Northern Nevada, and it was really chilly. The vagrants were very friendly as well. P.T. workout designed to strengthen hips/glutes/quads/hammies. The overall strength gains help with turnover.

FRI
1/4 mile swim in AM; 6 miles + strides = 6.5 total in PM. Run of the week: garnered two car honks/hoots as well as a bum, who upon passing, without missing a beat said, "I've been doing lots of walking and weight training myself." What?! Its like I stopped and said, "I'm running lots of miles to stay healthy, how about you good sir?" He totally caught me off guard - just offered a fist pump and "Keep it up."

SAT
14.5 miles from Mira Loma along Truckee in AM.

WEEK
71 miles (8:15:51)!!! I am absolutely ecstatic to be back at the seventy-mile mark. Positive areas: stretched regularly, incorporated drills for a second week in a row. Areas for improvement: abs, Non-Required Essentials (aka balancing on boccie balls, foot rolling on pvc, foam rolling, eccentrics for achilles, upper body stretches, push-ups).

Thanks to the former college roommate I've begun taking GU on anything twelve miles or longer. As mental as this may be, it seems to improve the last few miles of those medium-long/long runs. And if nothing else, its like having a treat while you run! However, I'm still working on not sputtering and choking during consumption.

Now that the miles are finally back to a higher level, the focus on recovery and diet become that much more important. This past week a few former Cal runners visited for a few days, and it was great fun hanging with them. It also meant I bumped normal sleep hours. Plus the church meetings added a few later nights. The sleep was short a few days, as well as inconsistent with bedtime and rise time. Last night at the grocery store I picked up some red and yellow peppers, as well as kiwi fruit. Cassidy said, "If the furnace is hot enough it will burn anything." I totally agree (and have found that I am once again a REAL consumer), but I still want quality octane.

This also brings up another interesting point: in the name of training I cut off a lot of possible choices which would lead to higher highs and lower lows. As of late I feel very steady, very even keel, very "drama" free. And a lot of this probably has to do with the fact I don't let "drama" (NOT used in the same context as high school teenager....bleck!) situations into life. And at times I greatly miss the normal life. However, I still believe that in the name of this journey it is a requirement. I would like to ask for YOUR thoughts on this issue. Train and be chill? Add a lax factor so as to not be so serious? Full steam ahead after these dreams as it is once in a lifetime?

Prayers of thanksgiving as earlier in the week one of my little brothers fell on a cement floor, bashing his face and chipping a tooth. Unsure of possible facial bone breaks it turned out to be "just" a root canal (and new tooth - hopefully he blings it out) and a bashed nose.


"The world needs extreme examples to shake it out of apathy."

Thanks for reading,
tim