Santa Rosa – Weeks 8 & 9 (of 16)

Top Left: Juan Ramirez post-run. Right: OC Coast Runners reunion! Bottom Left: Los Pinos Peak right behind me.

Week 8 — My coach gave me a free week following my 50-mile race this past Saturday so I was able to get in more runs with friends.

Total Miles: 48.08

Monday
10.00 Easy recovery run at Woodward Park after my Marin Ultra Challenge 50-miler on Saturday. Felt amazing — the first time in a long time I can say I am not injured after a race…must be all this running. ;P
Tuesday
10.00 easy run out on Wellbarn. It’s a tough course and it was a hot day so D and I took our time and cut it short. Click here to see course. Felt tired but still very happy.
Wednesday
6.01 Nice easy, fun run with the OC Coast Runners at Back Bay. More of a social event followed by some Mexican food and beers.
Thursday – 10.00
FINALLY was able to get in a run with my friend Juan Ramirez. Though we had been training under the same coach a few years back, we were never really able to get a run in together. We met near Angel Stadium and ran the Santa Ana Bikeway out 5 and back. Our speed was a tiny bit too fast for me because I was a little fatigued but we chatted a lot and sweated like pigs — both of which make me feel alive.

Friday – Rest

Saturday
12.02 miles running a portion of the Los Pinos 50K course. So much talk about this very, very difficult course has me on point to intimately know the course. The RD was nice enough to take me out on the course. I was using this run as a way to compare my times on this portion of the course and I will be honest and say that I felt really slow. It took me 2:21 to run 8 miles from Lazy W over Los Pinos and back to the Main Divide. I thought it was a crappy run but John Hockett told me it was actually pretty good. Can’t wait to get back out there and do another comparison.

Sunday – Rest

Week 9

Total Miles: 47.09

Monday – 6.21 around my hood. Just an easy run and getting back into marathon training mode.

Tuesday
6.01 around the block again but this time with Ashley. Kind of tweeked my calf when I veered off course to snap a picture and then hauled butt to catch back up to her. Did this run instead of my speedwork because Ash and I were meeting someone from Hoka later in the evening and I didn’t want to be late.

Wednesday – 8.01 (3×1-mile on the Santa Ana Bikeway)
Felt absolutely fabulous although I did feel that calf thing kind of flaring up.
Thursday – 14 miles on the Fourth of July hiking to and from Mt. Wilson to watch the fireworks. Wonderful night.

Friday – Rest (Calf hurt like crazy so I took a day off!

Saturday – 12.86 miles on the Los Pinos 50K course. RD got another group together to run the first part of the course with the option to continue on through the peak for 25 miles. I was concerned about my calf but it didn’t hurt until I was done with the first part and there I found my answer to NOT run the 25 miles.  Had a blast meeting new runners.

Sunday – Rest