There will be an answer....

Let it be, let it be! You must download that song onto your IPOD.

This is the motto I am adopting for my current fitness level. Yes, I am in good shape but I have big ideas for myself. When all I ever want is more time and the months to slow I find myself begging for speedier results. Very conflicting huh? That's why I downloaded the song "Let it be". Last nights American Idol Brooke White sang the McCartney tune behind the piano and I had downloaded it just hours before her performance.....crazy! I thought she rocked so I will have to download her version too.

After my 10K on Saturday Micheal, Steve and I headed to the gorge for a 3:45 run. I needed to do 40 minutes of AT work so I chose the climb to Angels Rest for that portion of the workout. I wanted to see how long it would take me to reach the summit. My legs felt the 10K but after about an hour of running we started up Angels Rest. I worked hard but was limited by legs not my cardio. My glutes were simply tired! It took me just over 37 minutes to get up there. Micheal said we summited in around 36 at the tail end of one of our 8 hour runs. Wow, those were speedier days! Steve beat me to the top with his very fast power hike and I wanted to kill him! He likes to sleep during his 100M races so he practiced his best sleeping pose on a nearby log. I haven't combed through my archives yet to see if Micheal's 36 minute summit is true but I believe him. After 3 hours of running I was pooped and my legs were very tired. On Monday my left quad was actually sore from the 4,400 feet of climbing and descending. It was good to feel soreness in my quads, it's been along time!

This week is Chuckanut Mountain 50K but since I am training through the race that means no taper and business as usual. Monday Trisha and I did Hot Yoga and it was just what my tight body needed. The heat did not impact either of us. It was nice to step into a 105 degree room for 90 minutes of challenging poses and pretty much tackle it with ease. Our endurance training definitely came in handy. During the class I became one with all my tightness. :) Tonight Alex joined me for a Yin Yoga class and showed off his 11 year old flexibility even calling me, "sad".

I did a steep strides workout with Kris on Tuesday. I ate her dust every repeat. She was able to get quite a bit farther than I each time and I actually think she got stronger with each repeat. Kris is a powerhouse for sure and it was really evident on Tuesday as I watched her spring up Firelane 1 with great control and speed. I felt like I was pretty speedy but it was slow motion next to my DFF. Tuesday evening was a shake down run while Alex practiced baseball. I am really enjoying the evening runs because They are truly slowwwwwww.

Tomorrow is hill repeats, legs and an evening run. Friday we drive to Chuckanut, do a shake down run, eat then I will be off to sleep. I am going to try to run Chuckanut in sub 5:42. I think this is doable but definitely a stretch goal. After Chucky I will do a few more flat tempos utilizing VDOT numbers which Scott lowered today based on my 10K time. I was using VDOT 48 and he moved to 47 or 46 depending on how my track workout goes in a couple of weeks.

On the nutrition side of things I have been doing well but can't crack the 14% range for body fat. I think I can get to 13.?????% but it will take time and as long as my lean muscle mass continues to climb and not decline I am satisfied. Still loving the energy and recovery the good nutrition provides. A few chocolate or cookie craving here and there but nothing over the top or that lasts for days. It will be interesting to see how my plan changes when late April bring those long back to backs. The quantity of nutrients will again increase and it will be interesting to see how Mark designs a program to ensure I can eat it all. I see lots of liquid in my future. :)