8.20-26.08

W- 10 miles (am) / 5 miles (pm)
Th- Rest
F- 15 miles (am) / 5.5 miles (afternoon) / 6.5 miles (pm)
S- 10 miles (am) / 6.25 miles (pm)
Su- 3 miles
M- 21 miles
T- 36 miles

Total = 118.25

Although I got some good long ones in this week, I never once stepped foot on a trail (all bike paths and roadways - bummer). However, the bulk of the training is done until Run Rabbit Run 50 and now it's just a matter of getting some quality in with a few days of mellow hills. For the majority of the time leading up to the race I'll be focusing on getting some homework done and clearing my To-Do List to prepare for my week-long absence from class . It seems that over the summer breaks I always forget just how much of a time commitment school is and it takes a good month or so to get back into the swing of things.

The last four months have provided a lot of good learning experiences as this was my first time venturing past the generally prescribed marathon training distances. I now know that I can handle the increased mileage if care is taken to gradually progress rather than push too far/hard to fast. There is such a strong desire to compare my training to that of the more experienced athletes instead of allowing for a more personal approach. I believe that after a recovery period of a month or two following the 24 Hours of Boulder I'll be ready to push a bit further and incorporate some quality sessions to begin preparing for my first 100 mile next year (not sure which one yet). In addition to a 100, I am itching to knock-out the Colorado Trail; a goal which may need to be re-evaluated and postponed until 2010. We'll see.