week 12 training recap

Miles run: 29

This was a solid week of running, and I'm really proud of it. 

On Tuesday, I returned to Valley Forge (Mt. Joy) to complete my 5 miles. I was studying the elevation from my previous discouraging) run there Saturday and had somewhat of an epiphany when I realized the first climb is the highest and most challenging. And per the chart, the remaining 3 climbs are shorter and not as high as the first one. This made me realize it's not as hard as I make it out to be, and I became eager to chip away at Mt. Joy again.

Whether it was the elevation epiphany or the positive headspace I was in those 5 miles were phenomenal. They felt so good, the time flew, and truly, I didn't want to stop when I hit 5! Thursday, I ran another 5 from my house to the French Creek trail nearby. Half of this trail is technical, like Mt. Joy, but nowhere near the elevation. I still considered it good practice navigating rocks and roots. This run also felt good. 2 for 2 so far.

Saturday, I had planned my long run to be a race in York. The race director emailed on Thursday with the bib pick-up and race start times. The 16k was scheduled to start at 10:30 AM. 10:30!? In the summer?! You read that right. Trail runners have a laid-back vibe about us, but a 10:30 start time in the summer sounded like my worst nightmare. I'll take that time in the fall or winter, but summer? No thanks. I was still up in the air about doing it Saturday morning. I did some math and realized it would take about 1.5 hours to get there, to complete the run about 3 hours on trails (knowing I was adding 3 to hit 13), and then another 1.5 home… equaling almost my entire day. I love running, but there needs to be a balance, and that wasn't it. When I realized I was filled more with dread than excitement, I ate the $40 registration fee (trail running is amazingly cheap) and headed to Valley Forge for more time on my favorite mountain, and that's not sarcasm!

This long run was challenging but in a rewarding way. I did a loop on Mt. Joy and then ventured off to what I thought would be a small loop, taking me back to Mt. Joy, but it turned out to be a perfect singletrack that led to Chesterbrook! It ran along the river and was so peaceful with no one else out there. I hit a mile out and headed back to complete the 5-mile paved loop around Valley Forge. This was a struggle as much of this trail was in the direct sun, warming up fast. I had a few negative thoughts creeping in during this loop, and I fought hard to maintain my positivity. When I started to compare myself to other runners, I changed the narrative to say, "Look at how strong they look!" instead of, "I wish I looked like that." I also smiled throughout the loop as the fields were full of dragonflies. I closed the 5 miles with 1 left and headed back up Mt. Joy. I was so tired from a mix of the hills and heat, but I only had 1 mile left. Knowing that running on tired legs is key to ultra training, I reminded myself, "You can do anything for 1 mile," and carried on. Fun fact: I frequently tell myself, "You can do anything for [x amount of] miles!". It's applicable every time. Mind over matter. I proudly finished, headed to the closest gas station for an ice-cold Coke, and then went home for food and a shower. I woke up this morning to complete my last run of the week, 6 miles. My legs weren't nearly as sore as last week and this was another good run. I have a busy week ahead with work, so I've made sure to strategically plan out my runs when I can get them done.

Cheers to the week ahead.