Training Log Archive: mariaamaya

Elevation gain 7645'
Elevation drop 7636'
= +9'

I was really looking forward to this race. I've had great feelings about it. I bought a new camelbak (Nathan - women specific) and it was perfect.

My food was the only thing that was off. I ate, just not what I brought and not enough towards the end. I was famished at the end of the race and I knew that I shouldn't feel that way.

Anyway, I tried to go slow at the beginning, I tried to just relax, A LOT of people passed me, but I'm getting used to that. It's okay, because I'm very confident that I will pass them later on. After a couple steep hills, I realized that this course was going to be very different from that brutally steep Yakima River Nothing but Uphills and Downhills Death Trail Race last month.

So, still steep uphills and downhills but not as steep and not as many.

Okay, I've been practicing my downhills and I figured this is as best a time to keep on practicing. I practiced on the Yakima River Trail and I did it again today. I'm getting much better!! About two hours in, and I pushed super hard on the downhills. By push, I mean, I just let gravity take me down instead of the usual pull and halt and attempt to keep myself from moving forward. What a difference, I started flying down those hills and getting much more comfortable. This is huge for me. I took your advice and let my head the way, feet under body, small steps and I was gone. My legs felt a little trashed and I was a little worried that I had pushed these couple downhills too fast. Too late now, I just kept going, I knew I had a long way to go but there was no going back.

I even got a great compliment about what a great downhill runner I was! Wow! Me... of all people. I used to be such a scaredy cat about the downhills, now I got a compliment.

Now I'm about 3 - 4 hours in and I thought, I might as well keep pushing the downhills. I was eating at the aid stations and eating a little of what I had brought, water was good, S-caps were doing their job, no problems. Next thing you know I was moving forward and feeling great. This is where I started passing those people that had flown past me at the beginning. I just wanted to have the energy to keep the pace and possibly speed up.

I passed this old man (70 years old) on a downhill and as I'm flying down the hill, he yells, "you have got to be kidding me!" I yelled "only the downhills," as I flew past him. I thought, I gotta keep up a decent pace, or I'll be the idiot that trashes her legs and then can't finish. :)

I kept moving forward, obviously at the end I was done, pretty tired and the end seemed to take forward to come. I wish I could have sped up more but that was it, I was done, just keep moving forward.

So, I really think the course was short by about 4-5 miles. I heard chatter at an aid station that it was short, Steve heard the same chatter at another aid station. I'm pretty confident, which is totally fine, 45 miles or 50 miles is not a big difference.

I finished 7 out of 41 women and 24 out of 106 runners total! I felt really good. I did taper... by accident, based on my crazy schedule but I also had some hard crossfit workouts this week, I feel like they helped give me more energy.

Anyway, the downhills were the biggest difference from any other race. I just never knew that letting yourself go down like that on a downhill could trash your legs, so I know now how to gauge as I strategize.

Awesome run and great motivator!!

Really wanted to run today too!!! Even more disappointing.

I volunteered today, was on my feet all day. However, I don't feel too bad. Excited about tomorrow's race. A little cool, hopefully it'll warm up more tomorrow.

Really wanted to run today.... very disappointing...

Drove out to Winthrop today for race - lots to do!

Runs were planned so differently this week but things didn't quite work out.

We had beautiful sunny days where I really wanted to get the outdoor runs 2 & 3 in, but had major schedule changes!

I ended up doing this goofy simple 60 min run today and then another "cross fit" class, because I brought a friend/co-worker.

I've had great energy this week, I feel like good workouts beget good energy which begets more good workouts!

Crossfit workout

7 min BURPEES! (4 min break)
7 min AMRAP (4 min break)
--- 10 Dumbbell snatches
--- 10 push ups
--- 10 sit ups
(4 min break)

4 min BURPEES (2 min break)
4 min AMRAP (2 min break)
--- 8 DB Snatches
--- 8 push ups
--- 8 sit ups

2 min BURPEES (1 min break)
2 min AMRAP (1 min break)
--- 6 DB Snatches
--- 6 push ups
--- 6 sit ups

Wow! Great workout!! I feel amazing!

Crossfit

4 ROUNDS OF:

2 min lateral burpees (25, 26, 24 reps)
1 min rest

2 min pull-ups (34, 29, 25 reps)
1 min rest

2 min goblet squats (41, 39, 41 reps)
1 min rest

2 min sledge hammer (26, 45, 50 reps)
1 min rest

1 ROUND OF:
1 min min lateral burpees (15 reps)
:30 sec rest

1 min pull-ups (14 reps)
:30 sec rest

1 min goblet squats (23 reps)
:30 sec rest

1 min sledge hammer (24 reps)
:30 sec rest

UGH!!! Super tough!!

Run #6 - 30 min uphill walk

@ 1 min increase to 1% @ 3.2 mph
@ 2 min increast to 2% @ 3.2 mph

Maintain 3.2 mph

-increase 1% incline every minute until 15%
-from 15 min - 47 min hold at 15% at 3.2 mph

Maintain 15% incline

@ 47 min increase to 3.3 mph
@ 48 min increase to 3.4 mph

- increase .1 mph every minute until 4.0 mph

@ 54 min decrease .1 mph every minute until back to 3.2 mph and decrease 1% incline every :30 sec to finish at 60 min

Great walk, pretty hard!

Office PT session
1.44 mile warm up (includes fast feet, high knees, butt kicks & grapevine)

10 X .04 mile sprints up hill (15 sec avg)
10 X .04 mile slow jog down hill (3 min break)

.15 mile cool down - includes foam roller and stretching session

Run #5 - 45 min easy flat run

0-10 min flat @ 6.0 mph
10-45 min flat @ 6.1 mph

Good run, low energy. Oh, well, got it done! :)