Catching Up

Oh it feels to good to run fast again.  The two weeks prior to the TDC I ran one time.  It was a seven mile loop up to Whatcom Falls and back.  I felt pretty good after putting down a 19:11 for the first 5k and cruising through the park.  Then I slammed on the mileage and elevation on the bike in those two weeks in preparation for the century.  333 miles to be exact.  Let's just say I haven't been on it much since.  The focus lately has been on my run.  The week after the ride I was able to get four days and 25 miles in.  One day I ran two comfortable laps around Lake Padden for 5 miles.  The next day I ran from my house, through the Sehome trails, to the school gym for a swim.  On the way back I followed the waterfront back home for 7 miles total.  Two days later I went back to Padden for some fartlek work and managed 10 miles of hard/easy laps based on time and HR.  Since this location is where my first triathlon of the season will be on June 22.  I felt it necessary to feel out the course.  I was surprised how well me legs felt during the week and even got a 7 mile hike in with my friend up to Fragrance Lake.  But as I tend to do, it was probably too much too soon.

San Juan Islands

Last week my legs felt lethargic and unresponsive.  I took three days off completely before I felt some energy pour back in them.  Thursday I went up the Cedar & Pine Lakes trail in the Chuckanut area.  It was so steep in the first two mile I found myself power hiking most of it and even that wasn't easy.

Cedar Lake is the first flat spot.  1,400 ft in 2 miles.  That's an average 26% grade. 

Once I got up there I looped the lake and headed back down the trail to intercept Lost Lake Tr so I could get up to Raptor Ridge.  I read this was a nice viewpoint and it did not disappoint.  I eventually made my way down for 10 miles and 2,800 ft in a little over two hours.

Raptor Ridge Viewpoint

For a brief moment on Sunday the rain stopped falling.  I drove to the gym for a swim workout followed by 6 miles of trail running on Sehome.  It was a blast moving through the wet ferns and hearing my shoes squelch in the mud.  There was only a few people rustling through the woods like myself that day because the popular Ski to Sea was going on.  Last week was only 16 miles but it was necessary for that time off to let my legs fully heal.  I need to remember this for when the race season really kicks in because even though I felt great those two days.  The rest of the week they were a little tired.

What I'm really the most excited about was my track workout this morning.  It was not a beautiful day for running intervals.  The rain was coming from all directions and the backstretch on the track felt like a wind tunnel.  But hitting my splits boosted my confidence and has me excited for racing.  After a mile warm up with some high knees, butt kicks, dynamic stretching and strides, I got into the meat and potatoes of the workout.  400m, 800m, 800m, 1200m, 800m, 400m, 400m, 100m, 100m.  The 400s and 800s were at a targeted 18min 5K pace, the 1200 was 38min 10K pace and the 100s were all out.  Let me tell you that was some hard work but I hit every split.  I'm pretty excited about my progression so far and that it's early in the year.  My goals for training are to stay healthy and to not over-train.  Which means a little more core work and continuing my daily yoga/stretching routine.  I put a race schedule up earlier this year but due to being a broke college student again, I've had to prioritize the most important.  As of right now this is how it should unfold.

June 22  Lake Padden Triathlon Bellingham, WA
              -Hilly bike and run
July 13  Ocean Shores 70.3 Ocean Shores, WA       
              -Flat as a pancake but with winds
August 11 USAT National Championship Milwaukee, WI
             -Urban waterfront on Lake Michigan
September 8 Tri Turtle Tri Seabeck, WA
             -West Sound Tri Club local sprint
September 15 Kirkland Triathlon Kirkland, WA
             -Hilly bike
September 22 Portland Triathlon Portland, OR
             -Flat bike and hilly run

Until then I'm going to keep working on my run, get in the pool more often and set the bike trainer up so I won't have an excuse to not ride when its raining.  I do live in WA and should not use it as an excuse to run in glorious trails instead of mind-numbing trainer intervals.  We'll see what happens.