The Trail Run is Nigh

Hi!

I'm terrible—I know! It's been dreadfully difficult to keep up with blogging while Brian has been at the tower. For those of you who don't know, my dear fiance is in week 5 of his 16 week fire academy. He is down in OC Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. He has been living with his aunt down by the beach to shorten the commute time. Friday he comes back home and has a rest day. Saturday is studying and food prep. Sunday he leaves around 10 a.m. for his study group.

Needless to say, it's been busy. 

Luckily, I have been keeping up with my training. I am currently in Stage 3 of NROL4W. It is by far my favorite stage. I have started modifying the workouts so that, instead of taking a true rest between sets, I have been stepping in place or doing high knees. So the strength training is doubling as cardio.

I've also been loosely following Hal Higdon's training plan for intermediate 10k.

My Sherriff's 10k Trail Run is this Sunday, and while I still feel like it's going to kick my butt, I'm confident I'll be able to finish. With the wicked hills miles 1-3, I am settling on a 1:15:00 goal time. This is significantly slower than my normal pace, but I am confident that the "moderate to steep inclines" are goign to slow me down on the first half, and I'm okay with a slower time for this one.

In other news, I'm thinking about running my hometown's half marathon in June. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't run another half until next year, but it's two weeks before the wedding, and it's one of the fastest halfs in the US, and it's only $50. So, I'm sorely tempted to do it.

I've decided I'm going to start half training and if I like the longer runs on Saturday/Sunday, then I'll commit come late April. If I'm not enjoying the longer runs, I'll just sign up for the 5k and call it a day. Either way, we'll be racing in June.

Wish me luck this weekend!