It seems as though most of my running friends have started blogs so I figured I better start mine before I end up in Dillon Edwards' predicament. (Actually, you can get here from jeffwittich.com as well.)
After watching my buddy Chad run Western States a few weeks ago, I started hitting the Bay Area trails again. And when my high school cross country teammate Mike told me he had signed up for the North Face Endurance Challenge event up in Marin in December, it seemed like a good chance to train for an ultra-marathon since the course is only 3 miles from my place.
I've got some time to kill right now while waiting to add a pound of hops (ok, just 11 oz now and 7 oz into the secondary) to the wort for my latest IPA batch so here is a summary of my training during week 1 (out of 20) for my first 50-miler.
The goal this week was just to get my mileage up so there are definitely some slow runs in here.
Monday: 3.0 mi @ 6:55 - Didn't get home from work until 9PM so just a short run across Marina Green then over to Planet Granite to boulder/lift
Tuesday: 5.0 mi @ 8:37 - After 2 hours of sleep, stopped by Rancho San Antonio on the way to work. This is a trail run that gains 650 feet over a mile and a half. I had wanted to keep my HR below 170, but ended up in the 180s for most of the climb. Felt good though.
Wednesday: 7.1 mi @ 8:51 (1067') - Headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands. Unfortunately, I didn't time it right and ended up on the north side of the bridge after the 9PM pedestrian closing time for the bridge. After getting yelled at over the intercom for trying to get through the gate and run back, I got a ride back to the toll plaza in the back seat of a squad car from one of SF's Finest.
Thursday: 8.0 mi @ 7:47 - Easy run down to AT&T park along the Embarcadero and back
Friday: 5.4 mi @ 7:25 - Out to the bridge along the water into some pretty strong wind. High-7s on the way out - Mid-6s on the way back. Hamstrings felt pretty tight after the run even after stretching. Lifted.
Saturday: 12.0 mi @ 9:09 (2234') - I thought there was no way I could run after waking up with extreme muscle soreness in my lower back. I rolled out of bed and limped hunchback while getting ready. I was meeting up with Mike to run in the headlands so I didn't want to bail. I figured I'd try to run a bit, stretch out, and see what happened. Amazingly, after heading out from the warming hut at the base of the bridge, it turned into a case of Wobble Girl. I couldn't walk without wincing in pain, but running was fine. We ran across the bridge and hit the Coastal Trail to the lagoon and back.
Sunday: 7.6 mi @ 8:28 - Just a matter of getting some miles in. Shins felt pretty sore from the hills the day before, but everything loosened up after a few miles through the Presideo.
Week Total: 48.1 mi
