Wednesdays Are For:

Hello and Happy Hump Day! Nice to see it show up so fast, but I guess that's what happens with three day weekends.

This is how I feel about Wednesdays

For the last week or so I have been thinking more and more about my training plan and whether it is really up to par with my goals. I had a really hard time with the 50k 10 days ago and despite a quick recovery time, I'm left wondering if I will ever be able to run them at a pace that I am satisfied with.

So I have decided to change up my training plan and increase the "hardcoreness" of it just a little bit. You can find the updated plan on My Training page. To be honest this probably won't be the last time I change it, but I hope it's the last time I make any major changes. For this update major changes include three main things:

1. Increase in weekend long run mileage
The major change to the weekend long runs are to the Sunday long run in particular. Instead of sticking with a simple 10 miles (which already doesn't seem like a huge commitment) I'm uping it to as much as 16 miles after a 26 mile run the day before. Yes, those weekends will probably suck, but the more mileage I do the better prepared I will be on June 2nd. I shouldn't be afraid to push it.

2. Addition of one double run per week on Wednesdays
I've done double runs in the past and I really like them. I say there's no better day than one that starts and ends with running! Plus, double runs teach your body to work when you're already tired and recover quickly.

3. Addition of speed work as AM run on Wednesdays
Many ultra runners don't do any sort of speedwork. It's certainly not necessary to running long distances. But I enjoy being able to go fast and since I still have a number of middle distance road races on my schedule I'd like to keep up with it. Maybe my new motto should be: Run Long and Run Fast, Just Not At The Same Time.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about speed work as a means to convince myself to start doing it again. I've done a few tempo runs since then, but nothing that really qualifies as speed work. Then this morning, in a miraculous feat I got myself out of bed, into my running clothes, and out the door for some mile repeats. Looking back at MapMyRun it appears the last time I actually did these was September 28th, forever ago.

I did those repeats all summer long. The air was still cool when I left the house and the sun would be coming up. By the time I'd be finished I would be soaked head to toe in sweat. The good kind of sweat. The kind you know came from honest hard work.

Feeling hardcore after a sweaty summer speed session (say that 5 times fast!)

This morning walking out the door it was cold and dark and I was immediately terrified of what I was about to make myself do. During the first mile I flew out way to fast and two miinutes into it I felt dead. But then they got better and better, as they usually do, and I ended up quite happy with splits of 7:45, 7:28, and 7:11. The fastest repeat I had ever clocked over the summer was around 7:10, so I am incredibly amazed that after 4 months I was able to squeeze one out around the same time. Muscle memory is an amazing thing.

So what are Wednesdays for? Doubles and speed work, that's what!