Strange week

This week started out without much running, but ended with my biggest mileage week this year. I'm not sure my approach was wise, but it felt good up until the last 15 miles today. Let me back up a bit...

Weekly mileage:

Monday: Did a couple miles with Jamie at the reservoir. I was not feeling well all weekend and strained my back on Saturday. I did 4.5 hours on Sunday and the back was sore on Monday, so I decided to give it some rest.

Tuesday: Went to a yoga class with Jamie to see if I could loosen up the back a little. It must have worked because I felt better the next day.

Wedneday: 9 tempo miles at lunch - felt good. 7 miles after work with Dawn - nice and easy. I think the easy evening run may become more integrated in my training. It seems to help recovery...don't know for sure.

Thursday: 10 miles at the reservoir...Pushed a little too hard as I felt rushed for time.

Friday: Took a vacation day and did 19.5 miles at the reservoir in about 2:45 or so...felt very solid. Again...pace was probably a bit too fast.

Saturday: Climbed with Dawn at the Gunks...felt tired in the morning, but got better as the day went on.

Sunday: 38+/- miles at the reservoir in 6:36 with about 20 minutes of stoppage time for refueling. Did the first 7-8 miles with Dawn at a nice easy pace. Picked up the pace for the next 15 miles, and then struggled a bit for the last 16 miles. Wore the Montrail Hardrocks with hopes that my feet would not get beat uo so much, but my feet were still very sore. The Montrails are heavy which made me work more. The weather was perfect for running, so I wanted to take advantage of it today. I may be doing the Pinetrails 50 miler in a few weeks, and wanted to see if I could get more time on my feet.

Total Mileage for the week: is about 85 miles. Not bad considering I really only ran 4 days this week.

Thoughts:

I really need to work on my fueling plan for VT100. I'm not consuming enough calories on my long runs as I am getting hungry and then slowing down (not quite bonking). With the Vegan diet, it makes it tough for me to get enough fat and protein, so I don't have a lot of reserves. The good news is that I am light as a feather, but I need to keep fueling the tank. If I do the 50 in Maine, it will be a good test of my fuel management. I also need to figure out my salt and fluid intakes. I have had good luck with ecaps, but they have much less sodium than S caps or Saltstick. I may try switching with the hot temps coming. I was somewhat dehydrated after VT100 two years ago.

I love readiing the blogs of the big boys - AJW's blog is great...Tony K's blog is mind-boggling when you look at his mileage. The guy is amazing. I used to enjoy Scott Jurek's blog, but it appears that he is no longer updating it. I also enjoy reading many other ultrarunner blogs when I have the time.

One needs to be careful in comparing mileage to other's via blog entries. I see Tony K's entries where he is running about 8 minute pace and think...hey, I'm running the same pace. Then, I remind myself that this guy is running at altitude and probably doing major elevation gains, etc. One mile does not equal another mile. Anyway, it's fun to keep tabs on these guys as I prepare for my race this year.

Hope everyone has a great week!