Getting under control!

Funny how it seems so hard to get in control for someone who is for the most part in control. I have been like a kid in the candy jar with workouts and by the end of last week I found myself starving and very tired. I knew I was headed down a slippery slope last week and wrote about it in my last entry. I gave myself one week of total freedom before I felt the need to pull in the reigns. I finally came up with a training plan. It was hard to work in all the races I want to do and still train effectively for Coyote Two Moon. I had to pull back on some of the short races I had lined up so I could fill those weekends with good quality endurance based running. I only took my schedule out through the end of December because frankly it was taking a long time and I was developing ADD as I continued on. I really wanted to go for 4 week cycles but when I got it all down on paper with the key milestone events 3 week cycles made more sense. It's probably better anyway as I continue to build my base back up again. Just because I have my running under control does not mean I have my weight training under control. Maybe in a couple of weeks I can back off but for now it's so much fun I can't stop.

This week was week 1 of my training plan and on Tuesday I made my first trip to the track. I begged Trisha to come along so I wouldn't wimp out. It was a short session of 200's and 400's so nothing over the top but it was plenty hard enough as I watched my HR climb to 182. It didn't help that my hamstrings were screaming, "mama" from boot camp on Monday. However out of shape I feel my times did not reflect a significant down turn from where I left off. I am happy to report I was less than 5 seconds off my peak phase times. I do think the lack of body weight helps me move a bit faster so I hope I can maintain some of this loss as it seems to come in handy.

Today Trisha and I headed to the gorge for a 2.5 hour run. She is super fit right now so I got pushed the whole time trying to keep up. The day was perfect and the temperatures pleasant with no wind. The trails were empty and it was so nice to be out there. She brought along a new GPS watch that her and Darin are wear testing so it was fun to see the new tool in action. The GPS is built into the watch so no other piece of equipment is necessary. I think it's a Garmin but not sure, Darin can confirm this. She ran the entire way up Angels Rest and I tried to do the same falling a bit short but overall I was pleased with the fitness on big girl terrain. I wore the NB trail shoes I am testing and they were great. Granted the terrain was not slippery and I not sure how they will do on the slippery rocks but I liked them a lot. We climbed a bit over 3000 feet today in a short run. It was pretty much straight up and straight down. My downhilling is pretty pathetic but I felt better as we went along. I have a ton of work to do there and I can't wait to see how my quads respond tomorrow.

On other fronts I have been busy doing boot camp 3 times a week. It's M,W,F at 6:30 a.m. and I am getting my behind kicked. It's a blast and my partner Lisa is a work horse. She never complains and it's inspiring to watch her bust her butt with such strength and metal toughness. It sure makes me buck it up. As hard as it is it's a blast at the same time. This session goes for 6 weeks and we are almost done with week 2 already. After boot camp I go straight to the gym for running or incline walking for 45-60min. After that it's food then the weight room with Marlin (trainer) and 3 other girls. He matched us up for a group session which has some awesome benefits. First, the price, and second the camaraderie. There is just something about working out with others that helps me be my best. Maybe is the competitive drive or simply wanting to put my best foot forward. Overall as a group it's full of tough girls. They are fun and amazing so there is no shortage of hard work. I am enjoying getting to know them and already the laughs are good. But, since I do this schedule on Monday's and Wednesday's I am getting my sorry butt kicked but good! I love it!

Hagg Lake planning is in full swing and Stacey and I are busy getting all the permits, brochures, shirts and registration going so we can be ready on November 1 for entrants. This is our 4th year of RDing the event and when we get going it seems like yesterday we were doing the same thing. Fingers are crossed hoping the race will continue to sell out and runners will continue having fun on the opening race of the Oregon Trail Series.