After a 48 hour break it was time for another 3. I made some improvement over the last threesome. I’m using the treadmills at the gym for the morning runs. They have the ability to increase the incline to simulate hills which are not near by.
The first run was similar to the last run of the previous set.
I’m happy with the second run. The pace was good, the ground was mostly level. I think it will be similar to my second leg, with the second leg being shorter at 2.8 miles.
The third run, I upped the incline to get more vertical distance. I’ve been studying the legs I will be running and trying to simulate for distance and pitch. So while the total vertical shows 530, the bulk of it was accomplished in the first 2 miles. Not too unlike my third legs elevation.
I’ve done the distances, I’ve done “the hill”, time to start bringing it together. In a 36 hour period, I’ll be running 3 legs of the course. Each leg will be run about 10-12 hours apart. The training direction now is to emulate this timing.
Yesterday, I ran in the morning and again after work. Today, I ran again. Each run was about 12 hours apart.
The first run was at around 6 am at the gym, or a treadmill. While it wasn’t 6 miles, it was 4 miles with an incline that gave a rise of 309 ft.
The second run was 12 hours later around 6 pm. This run was similar to what my 2nd run will be.
The third run was on the treadmill again, at 6 am. Almost as long as what my 3rd leg will be, and I did push to get my time down.
Now to take a day’s break and then try a threesome again.
As it was the weekend, it was time to try some heavy training again. Each weekend, I want to try to conquer “the hill.” Last week I did it on Sunday, this week I was going to hit it on Saturday. I also learned from the last time that I needed to make sure I was well nourished and hydrated prior to the run. I had a decent breakfast of cereal with skim milk and biscuit with jam. Instead of taking just water, I made a mixture of 25% fruit juice to 75% water. I realized that for the 6 miles, I would need some carb boosting.
Years ago, I did the AIDS/Lifecycle ride and remembered that hard candy was handed out as we were riding 75-100 miles a day. So, I grabbed a mint and put in my pocket and for the run I went.
Overall, I did pretty well on the 6 miles. I improved my time from last week. Not a huge amount by progress. I did pop the mint into my mouth just before the steepest incline. Next time, I’m going to do this earlier as the sugars didn’t really kick in until was at the top. But it did help me on the last incline before the “finish” line.
Then I went and did something a bit crazy. I ran/walked back the 6 miles. The map only shows 4.22 miles because I didn’t start my Fitbit tracking on the first half mile and I stopped it when I got back to the trail, and took leisurely stroll back to my car. I made a few stops to take some pictures and hit a few red lights. By the time got back I was exhausted, and sore.
My muscles were fully worked out. I treated my self to nice evening soak in the hot tub. Ok, another guilty pleasure.
I was recently asked what “guilty pleasure” I indulged in after a run. At the time I didn’t really have anything specific. I just knew that I could indulge with a little more of whatever I was having. But, I was fond of Triscuits and cheddar cheese. That must of been my guilty pleasure.
Then I was introduced to a true “guilty pleasure.” One night while watching tv, my husband asked if I would like to try a cake in a cup. It is a something that takes no time to make and is delicious. So, my new guilty pleasure is the Duncan Hines Perfect Size for 1 deserts.
Again, as I’ll be running 3 legs of the relay, one leg every 10 – 12 hours, I decided to go for another run. So after work I changed into my running gear and off went.
Before I started, I decided to do a 3 mile run. Once I got going, I figured let’s push it 4 miles. But, my body caught wind of my plan and half way through started signaling that it was hungry. We comprised on a 3.5 mile run.
