Chesterfield Gorge Ultras
Monday - 3.5 miles. Bluff Point. It was gorgeous out! I got out of work early enough to get a few miles in, and figured I'd do a leg check at Bluff. Main loop, nothing crazy. I started out intentionally slow, felt better as I went, and it ended up being my fastest time on the main loop! Progression run from outta nowhere, and I was really pleased with my effort.
Tuesday - 7 miles. Poquonnock Plains Park w/Faith. Gravel track? Sure. Faith was doing some kind of interval run, and I just got new shoes, so why not? It was raining, a cool steady drizzle, and we went through the intervals pretty much on the money. The shoes felt great! They're the Salomon S/Lab Ultra shoes, their distance trail shoes. Already happy with them.
Wednesday - 0.
Thursday - 0.
Friday - 9 miles. Arcadia run with George and Kim. George hit me up for a run in Arcadia, and mentioned that his friend Kim wanted to come along. Sure! We all met up at Midway lot, and George had mapped and led this run. So happy to see him out on the trails and enjoying his running again! Great times in Summery weather, it was mid-80s and "webby" on the trails. Kim is just getting into trails and did awesome, but she's a rockstar athlete so I'm not surprised! Great time!
Saturday - 16.5 miles. Arcadia heat training run w/John P. The plan was originally for 20, but the heat won the day. Already 70+ degrees at 8 a.m., and we set out at a conservative pace. Five miles in, we were already hot and feeling the effects of our previous days' efforts. Stopped at a couple of streams to dip our hats, and I mentioned that I knew a good swimming hole near mile 9.
Sh-sh-sh-shark!
Not a secret spot. Just an awesome spot. Below the bridge across from Frosty Hollow Pond in Arcadia. You're welcome!
Yeah, that was a lifesaver! John had stashed his handhelds at around mile 7, and as we circled back to the cars around 11 miles (to grab drinks/food), we decided to run back to get them and call it at 17-ish miles. Of course, that meant another dip in the swimming hole! That water really did rejuvenate us on a hot, hot day. Crisp, clean, cool, and deep enough to submerge. John said this was a big part of Western States training, with the heat beating down and the knowledge that those quick dips do wonders for your mental and physical state during that kind of race. Awesome day!
Sunday - 0. I'm cool with that, I'm finding a great balance with running, family and work, and if I can keep things like they've been lately, that'll work just fine for me. I had the chance to go out again for a few miles but it wasn't going to be beneficial. I'm hitting all my goals, and my miles/hours/elevation totals have been climbing steadily since the beginning of the year. So it's all good! And I feel good. No injuries, issues, etc...so I'm pretty stoked about the next few months!
Total: 36 miles on 4 runs. One week until Chesterfield Gorge. Shooting for 100k.
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