In the groove!

Smack in the middle of the peak phase for Bighorn and I feel great. I don't know if my body just knows it's time to recover rapidly and stay motivated or if my love of the hard push is the driver. Whatever it is I am going with it! MacDonald Forest 50K is this weekend and it will be my final run of the a peak week. No cut back week for me. Miles are stacking up near 90 now with over 20K in climbing per week. My average mile pace for the that load is the best it's been.

Hill repeats are like a welcome friend and so far I have had 2 sessions. Still not beating my time of 42:38 to the first clearing but getting very close. The good news is I feel super strong on all the ascents. I am reaching the clearing with just seconds difference between the repeats so I am giving myself an A+. The first week I only had 2 repeats but last week we started triples. I am slated for triples now for all three weeks of the next cycle. This week will be the end of a 4 week cycle with 1 recovery week. After that it's Build 1, Build 2, Peak, Taper, Taper/Race. That's seems so fast and I am excited.

Following repeats it's been a 5-6 hour run. Those will now increase with the quality going up near the end of each run. So far I have had really nice second day runs. Some of the best I can remember. Maybe it's the exceptional company (thanks for the support friends). Going to add VO2 max stuff for the final cycle. Those workouts will be part of the weekday stuff. The weather could be a bit warmer and less wet but I am not complaining. I might complain when I see that second beating sun at Bighorn. :)

My goal for the next 4 weeks is to stay focused, have fun, stay healthy and make the most of each workout. I want to bring in those second day back to back efforts and make them work. Additionally, I want to continue to keep my mind clear and positive. Continue surrounding myself with awesome motivated people who like to share the fun and the workload. No negative yuk exists and I plan to keep it that way.