Monday, September 29, 2008

Week Training Log: 9/22 - 9/28

Another solid week is in the books. I can feel myself rounding into shape on just about every run. My fast runs are getting easier, and my 40 miler this weekend was a full 30 minutes faster than last week's. Sure, the terrain was a little easier than the hills of Rock Creek Park, but still, I kept a metronome-steady 8:30 pace the whole way. This is the pace I'll be trying to hold as long as I can in Texas, so it's nice to know the first 40 miles should go as planned.

I'm super-excited for the upcoming Andiamo 45 miler this weekend. There couldn't possibly be a better time for this race to come up on my training schedule. I'm trying to get as much work in on relatively flat asphalt surfaces to mimic what I'll be running on in Texas, and this course fits that bill perfectly. The course is on an old railroad track that stretches 45.5 miles from the Northern VA country to just south of DC. There are two options for running surface with a paved path and dirt trail running parallel to each other the whole way. Normally I'd opt for the dirt trail on a run like this, but training is training, so it'll be pavement pounding for me the whole time. Since I'm not breaking my training schedule this week for any sort of taper or rest, I won't be setting any course records out there, but I will be looking to keep that same 8:30 pace the whole way. Factor in a few minutes to find my own water along the way (no aid support during the race, but I understand there are water fountains out there), and I should be rolling into the finish in somewhere around 7 hours depending on the weather and if I don't get caught up in too many conversations with some of the VHTRC members along the way!

Week Log:
Monday - 8.5 miles - Hains Point Loop
Tuesday - 8.5 miles - Hains Point Loop
Wednesday - 8.5 miles - Hains Point Loop
Thursday - 8.5 miles - Treadmill Speed Work
Friday - Off Day
Saturday - 8.5 miles - Hains Point Loop
Sunday - 40 miles - Random Route all over DC Trails and Paths

Total: 82.5 Miles

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