Back at it...

After having candy and coffee for breakfast, pizza for lunch and movie popcorn for dinner on Friday, I hit my threshold of 20 days of no workouts. After Leadville, I didn't have any formal plans of getting back into a workout routine, I knew it would happen all on its own. I purposely did not commit myself to any events after Leadville, I didn't want to feel 'forced' by my own guilt to run. In the last month of training leading up to Leadville my runs were dragging and it felt like a 'need to do' and 'grit and bear it' vs a 'want to do' and a welcome 'escape from reality.'

I still haven't formally committed to any future events but I would like to finish the year up with a few more longer trail events. For now it's just a wait and see how things fall into place before making any commitments.

As far as my training goes, after Leadville I came to the realization that I need to approach my next training cycle much differently than I did leading up to Leadville. After finishing 51 miles I felt I still had more in me to keep going. So I have the endurance part down, just not the speed, as getting my wristband cut at 51 miles demonstrates. But for now I'm just running to run, no heartrate monitor, no concern for pace, just back to the basics for a few weeks.

And yes I know, I still owe 1/2 of a race report, it's coming...maybe this week.

Week in Review 7/16/12-7/22/12

Recovery and rest...that's what this week was all about. Our flight home wasn't until late Tuesday night, so Liam and I had two days of not being on a schedule or needing to do anything, my kind of living. Monday we went to the hot springs and explored Buena Vista and Tuesday we spent most of our day wandering around Leadville. No runs but did do a descent amount of walking. Once I got home I was exhausted and with work I didn't have much desire to run so I didn't, I did make it to yoga (once). By Saturday, I knew I had to start running again. Wow, was I tired and my legs slow, I hadn't felt sore all week until I started running. Made it a whole 7miles, and it was ummm...let's just say, I was just going through the routine of it to be done with it. Sunday attempted an 8 mile run and my legs and stomach wanted nothing to do with it. I ran 2 and walked 4...blahh. Also, I was paying for some poor choices in my diet...ice cream the night before and decadent french toast for breakfast. Lesson learned.

Miles: 9 (+ a decent amount of walking)

Runs: 2

Yoga: 1

John Muir Trail (6/4/12)

After one day of rest, I took a trip up to the John Muir Trail in Yosemite. Was able to do a flat 10 mile run at 8800 feet.

I came out of the woods and this little one was not 50 feet away from me.

Another little creature I encountered along the way.

There's a storm brewing, hope I can beat it back to the car.

Made it back to the car, before this started to happen.

Check it out, it's snowing.

How many days in a row is it acceptable to not to run, when training for 100miles?

I'm sure the answer is not mine, 10 days. Ever since Sycamore Canyon 50k this is how i feel things have been going:

My intention was to take a few days of active recovery. I hiked out in the mountains Sunday and Monday. Then I was to start running on Tuesday again. Then Tuesday came and went and many other days. Why did I not run for 10 days...I have many excuses, maybe some valid, maybe none valid, all and all looking back at the last 2 weeks it has not been fun. I have not been feeling well. I am tired. My body hurts. All I want to do is sleep. 

After having a headache for 5 days, Monday evening it was so severe I couldn't work, my head was throbbing and I couldn't hold a conversation without wincing, I decided to take myself to urgent care. My headache was making me so nauseous I thought I was going to throw up in the waiting room. 1 liter of IV fluid, a zofran and IV toradol later I was feeling much better. End result: Who knows? Stress? Dehydration?

Finally on Wednesday I knew I had prolonged the inevitable, back to running. It was meek. Back at it on Thursday...I was struggling to finish 8 miles, so much so a 1/2 mile from home, I tripped on a root and dove face first into the dirt. I was covered in filth. I was just sweaty enough to to have this fine dirt stick to my whole right side. I was a little shaken up from the fall, it caught me off guard. My right knee felt a little stiff and my right shoulder hurt from me trying to unsuccessfully catch myself. I was so dirty, I took my clothes off in the shower. A couple of hours later my knee was swollen and I was feeling sick again. Thursday night I was home in bed by 7p and slept until 8am. Luckily for a 4 day weekend and the bad weather in Big Bear (I was  planning on leaving for a camping trip early this morning) I lounged around all morning. Still tired and no energy. But ambitious enough to go to a pilates class, then a run, then a hot yoga class. Well, I made it to the pilates class then to bed for a nap. I again am feeling ill, slightly nauseous, sore and way more tired then I should be.

I'm trying to drink a lot of water and think I'm hydrated enough. I just seem to have some sort of bug that I can't shake. Its starting to get me down, this weekend is a big training weekend and the next is another 50k. For now the plan is to just keep moving forward. Run until my body says "no more" and just hope I can hold onto  the fitness I have already developed. Its hard because I feel slow and feel like my training is making me slower, I should be in the peak of my training and feel like I should be seeing results, and I don't feel as if I am. I need to remind myself patience is key. I have to have confidence in my training. Take cues from my body when I need to rest. 

I'm going to keep struggling up this damn hill, because I know the at the top there will be something more beautiful and rewarding then I expect.

Exploring the PCT

Sunday I decided to do more exploring of the PCT. I had to get a 14miler in and knew that after running 20miles yesterday and this route starting at 5500ft and getting up to 7100ft, would be more of a hike then a run. In the end it was about 50/50, my heart rate wasn't horribly elevated as I had expected it too be so I was able to get a decent amount of running in. But I was much quicker to walk once I got above the 153 bpm range. I would say I held my own until about mile 9 and then things were more difficult. First I got really tired, then the last 4 miles were mainly steep rocky downhill and it was hurting my toes. At one point I stubbed my toe on a rock and almost face planted into a small pine tree/bush, somehow I was able to catch myself and stay on two feet...I was quite amazed by the recovery because I was running downhill and seemed to launch myself several yards ahead. I thought to myself "Wow, I must be getting more agile on my feet because I am not a graceful person." Even though I'm sure I didn't look graceful at the moment.

I was able to get up to 7112 feet of elevation on this run which is the highest this year to date. Didn't seem to struggle much with the elevation, so next stop 8000ft and going. Staying local to Southern California the highest I'm going to get is 10,000ft. I'm hoping that spending the weekends in the mountains running and hiking will help with my elevation training. In June, I will be able to get to 12,000 ft in the training camp. And I will also be running the 50 in Leadville. Then I will spend the whole month of August leading up to Leadville in the Rockies.

Anyways, back to the run. This was by far the most beautiful run I have done so far. Breathtaking views. Big beautiful boulders.Once I got up higher running through the pines reminded me of the woods back home. I thought yesterdays run was serenity, this was that 10x that. There were so many backpackers on the PCT to. Some solo, some in pairs, and others in groups. It had me dreaming on hiking the PCT from Mexico to the Canada one day. I had to laugh at one guys reaction when I ran by him on my way back, "What are you doing?" Like I'm crazy or something ;) If he would asked I would have said I was and loving every moment of it.

I even saw a big (well maybe medium size) snake and didn't even freak out, I even got the courage to run by it once I realized it wasn't a rattler, it slithered by in front of me as I approached it. It looked like a very nice snake. Very proud of myself.

Run/hike stats:

Starting/Lowest Elevation: 5500ft

Highest Elevation: 7112ft

Elevation Gain in 1st 2 miles: something around 1300ft

Total miles: 14 (i did laps around the car to make it exact, since I still had it left in me)

Total Elevation gain: 4150

Calories: 800 (600 in bars of various brands and 200 in coconut water)

Average mile: 18:57min/mile (including stops)

Average Heart Rate: 143

The trailhead is outside Temecula, I took Ceder Springs 2 miles up and east and then headed north on the PCT

Hoping to see some bighorn sheep but no luck

On the way up

What a view!!!!

An example of the rock formations

Pay attention to the next 3 pictures, I redid this one because I'm hidden behind the brush.

Semihidden

Much better. 

Serenity

How cool is this rock.

Week in Review (4/30-5/6)

First off I want to share this poem I found last night when I was unable to sleep:

Challenges of Life

Author: Unknown

Smooth roads never make good drivers 

Smooth seas never make good sailors 

Clear Skies never makes good Pilots. 

Problem and hassle free Life never makes a strong person 

Be Strong enough to accept the challenges of Life 

Don't ask Life, "Why Me? . Instead say "Try Me!"

Very rarely do I have those "Why Me?" moments, I usually look at difficult situations as a way to grow, learn and become a better person. However, I did have several "Why Me?"s this week. Today I'm sad about how life played out on life's terms this time.

On another note, the beginning of the week was pretty much a wash for me. After my oral surgery last Friday, I thought I'd get back to running Tues. The doctor told me a week. I made 5 days. Wed and Thurs were slow and blah runs. Still training by heartrate, so that saved me from pushing too hard too soon. I could tell by Wed and Thurs runs I was barely ready to start running, but 5 days seemed too long to go without running, especially when you're training for 100miles. Then I was back to normal for Sat and Suns longer runs. Did the longest back to back 20miles on Sat, 14miles on Sun, with over 7000ft of elevation gain with the 2 runs combined. I have to say, I felt great, like "SuperRunner". Worked on the hip area of the IT band this morning after yoga before running and no pain today during the run, YIPPEE!!! Need to keep on top of that.

Miles: 45            Runs: 4              Yoga Classes: 2

Fun Day in La Jolla

Saturday Mom, Eric, Elan and I went up to La Jolla, so Eric and Mom could pickup their race registration. It was such a beautiful day we ended up spending the afternoon there. 

1/2 of the Malm Family, the other 1/2 was in Madison,
WI running Crazy Legs, in the rain.

Self Portrait

Enjoying the Sun!!!

This little boy had the death grip on his parents hands,
 he did finally make it out to the water.

Being Silly

Elan and Eric.