Week #5: July 9 - 15
Sunday
Morning shakeout - 2.2 miles at 6:55 pace, followed by core work. For the afternoon run we ran a very hilly course. I ran 4.2 miles at 7:16 pace and felt solid, finishing with a 6:55 mile.
Monday
Morning shakeout - 2.2 miles at 6:49 pace, followed by flexibility work. Later in the day I ran an easy 4.6 miles to work through soreness in my calves. To prepare for tomorrow's long run I did a two mile evening shakeout at 7:30 pace.
Tuesday
Third long run today. For the first time we ran Ohio Creek, which starts with a massive two mile downhill and then consists of rolling hills. After 35 minutes I turned around and had to come back up the brutal hill at the end: 9.2 miles at 7:38 pace.
I started off comfortably down the main hill at about 6:45 pace but the rolling hills took a lot of energy out of my legs and I came back much slower.
Afternoon shakeout was two miles at 7:42 pace on the Western State Colorado University indoor track due to a thunderstorm.
We then did some core work, went to a water park and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Wednesday
Morning shakeout - 2.1 miles at 7:06 pace and then flexibility work. The afternoon run was on a flat loop. I felt good today and did not push the pace since we have a faster run tomorrow: 4.2 miles at 7:08 pace.
Thursday
Morning shakeout - 2.1 miles at 7:16 pace and then a core workout. For the afternoon run we went to a higher elevation in Crested Butte for a faster run. We did a 1.9 mile warmup at 8:22 pace. I felt beaten down during the run and finished the three mile course at 6:16 pace.
I didn't feel great today, but "main camp" ends in the coming few days and I will likely have a chance to reboot.
Friday
Morning shakeout - two miles at 7:31 pace and then flexibility drills. For the afternoon run we ran on a pretty flat trail that started in the town of Crested Butte. I took it easy to recover from yesterday's faster day (4.1 miles at 7:26 pace). We were able to walk around the town after our run which was great.
Saturday
Many runners left camp today, and the few of us that are staying for the final two weeks ran a solid 4.9 mile run at 7:14 pace. We also moved into a condo in Crested Butte, which is a nice change from staying at the Western State campus.
Total mileage: 50.7 miles
