“I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord, which made Heaven and Earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepth thee will not slumber.” Psalms 121: 1-4
The Western States Endurance Run is now a mere seven weeks away. I have completed all the races that I plan to run prior to the WSER and will now focus in on seven weeks of training that will hopefully get me in position to make a run at the 24 hour mark on 27-28 June. So the gameplan is to have four intense weeks of training, trying to get 70-80 miles per week of quality miles and then use the last three weeks to taper and rest going into the race.
The Western States Endurance Run is now a mere seven weeks away. I have completed all the races that I plan to run prior to the WSER and will now focus in on seven weeks of training that will hopefully get me in position to make a run at the 24 hour mark on 27-28 June. So the gameplan is to have four intense weeks of training, trying to get 70-80 miles per week of quality miles and then use the last three weeks to taper and rest going into the race.
I have built up a good base and have worked out some bugs on the long races during the first part of the year, but I noticed the recovery from the longer races kept my miles down the week after the race. I am going to concentrate on running shorter but faster runs during the week and mid range runs on the weekend. The incorporation of Fartlek and Tempo runs has made a big difference in my overall physical condition and I plan to increase the use of these techniques during my weekday runs. This is a plan to deviate from, as life has a way of frequently rewriting my schedule, but a plan none the less. I will write a weekly training update, so check back and follow the progress for the next seven weeks.
This past week, I will call it Week-0, was used as a recovery from the 24 Adventure Trail Run. It worked out perfectly, I happened to be on travel to St Louis and it was the perfect time to rest and regroup. I did manage to get a run in on Thursday morning before flying back to DC. I ran 10 miles on the Katy Trail in St Charles, MO. The Katy Trail is a 264 mile bike trail that runs along the Missouri River and provided a good place to run in a busy city environment.
The plan was to get a run in on Saturday and Sunday, however priorities and that life thing intervened on Saturday and when all was said and done the run did not happen. I was able to get out early on Sunday for a 14 mile run around the Bull Run Battlefield. It’s always good to be the first one on the trails at the battlefield before the deer get spooked. Whenever I run out there I keep track of how many deer I see, Sunday was a record breaker at 46.
Although it was a low mileage week, it was a needed recovery for my body and it sets me up nicely for four hard weeks of running. The Lord continues to bless my running efforts and I am constantly reminding myself that, it is through his perfect plan for my life that I am able to continue to forge ahead in this sport of ultra running. I have a deep respect for the challenge that lies ahead in the WSER 100, however I have no fears, for my faith in the Lord is strong and my confidence in His plan is stronger. Run Strong!
God Bless and Semper Fi,
Huffer
Training for 4-10 May: Weekly Mi (29.0), Monthly Mi (93), Yearly Mi (853.4)
Mon-Wed: Off
Thurs- 10 miles: Katy Trail
Fri: 5 miles: Crossramp
Sat: Off
Sun: 14 miles: Bull Run Battlefield
