Hill Torture and Joe T's Apple Crisp

You’d think having a week off from school would make it easier to update my blog more regularly, but somehow that didn’t happen last week. Here’s a brief rundown on what’s been going on…
After a miserable (humid, dead legs, slow time) 50K race in Warda, I headed home to Memphis to visit family for a few days. I was greeted by rain, lots of it. Needless to say, my running suffered a bit. Sure, I managed a run, but I wasn’t super excited about it in the least bit. It’s funny how every time I go home, it rains. Seriously, it ALWAYS rains when I go home (and the day I left it cleared up and was really nice!). Anyway, I got back late Tuesday, caught a few hours sleep, and headed to Bandera for an easy 15 the next morning. The 3 of us were greeted with perfect running weather, sunny skies and cool temps. The coyotes were excited about it as well, as we could hear a pack of them howling in the field when we arrived. We essentially ran miles 5-15 of the 100K course, with a few more tacked onto either end of the run to make an even 15 (yes, I ran around the parking lot to ensure my Garmin said 15 miles exactly).
Turkey day brought more cool morning temps and blue skies, which made for perfect hill training weather. I did repeats by myself on my new favorite hill off Babcock. My legs didn’t feel particularly spry, but I was happy about the workout nonetheless. Friday called for 20 miles, so I met Tom and Kelli at McAllister for some faster-than-normal running through the woods. Much like in Warda, my legs felt like junk from the start. I managed to slog through 18 miles (Tom did 23), but it certainly wasn’t my best effort. Saturday’s plan was Bandera, and I was hoping to get 4 hours in, with the middle 2 being a fast tempo effort. Well, it rained (poured) most of the night and part of the morning, rendering such an effort nearly impossible. Anyone who has ever run in the Bandera mud will tell you that it slows down even the fastest of runners (and I’m not fast to begin with). You knew your feet would slide in the mud with every step, but it was always a mystery as to which direction they would slide in. Chris (“new” Chris, not Chris Russell) was the only soul brave enough (or dumb enough) to join me. It was great getting to know him and show him around Bandera. We ended up logging nearly 18 miles in 4 hours, slower than I had wanted but a solid effort given the muddy conditions.
Sunday’s run might have been my favorite of the week. I had planned on meeting one of my former runners (Luke) at Government Canyon for a nice 10 mile stroll over the rocks. I figured at least one or two more people might show up and join us, but when we hit the trails, our group was 11 strong. John, Tom, Tony, Kelli, Liza, Joe T!!!!!, and others were there to soak in the beautiful morning (temps in the low 40s with lots of wind and zero clouds). We decided to start uphill, taking Far Reaches up to Sendero Balcones, where we would hit Twin Oaks for some fun downhill running. I settled in behind Joe, Kelli, and Luke on the climb up, running more than I would normally have run but feeling good doing it. Once we hit Twin Oaks, I stepped aside and let Travis and Luke (the youngsters) take the lead. Within 10 seconds they were completely out of sight, leaving Joe and I alone to chat and catch up. I really enjoy this section of trail, and Joe and I had a blast. After re-joining the others at the bottom, we jogged back to the cars and sampled some of Joe T’s delicious apple crisp and cheesecake. What a great way to spend the morning!
Monday brought a much needed day of rest for my body, but it also meant a return to work (hard to complain when you’ve had a week off), which I wasn’t thrilled about. Tuesday was supposed to be a speed day, but Joe and I decided to change things around and make it a hill day instead. The weather (yet again) was perfect for the torture session he had planned. I sprinted uphill, threw rocks, grunted, and got really dirty over the course of my hour long workout. Larry would have been proudJ. I will take this kind of training any day over being stuck inside a gym. And my legs definitely felt it yesterday, when I was relegated to running on the treadmill because I had weight room duty at school and was too lazy to get up and run early in the morning.
Overall I feel good about the training I’ve been getting in. I really enjoy (think sick and twisted kind of pleasure) the hill sessions with Joe, and I think I can tell a difference in my uphill running, as evidenced by runs at Bandera and Government Canyon. My racing plans for summer 2012 are starting to come together, and the biggest piece of the puzzle will fall into place (for better or worse) when the Hardrock 100 lottery is announced this Sunday. I will be ecstatic if I get in, but my chances are slim (roughly 10%) chance. Either way, I want to continue hammering away at things and get ready for Bandera 100K and a great 2012, both in running and my personal life.