Training Since Big Horn

It has taken me a while to get back into what I would consider real training for Wasatch; however, I feel like I am on pace to be where I need to be when I need to be there. My legs have gradually come back and my mind seems to be fairly fresh and the running pretty good. I took basically a week off from training, then a healing week at 60 miles, and finally last week was back up to about 80 miles . . . the next couple of weeks should be fairly mileage intensive weeks as I will try to build up to 100 miles per week by the end of this month. Enough with mileage . . . though I have noticed that my legs are doing proportionally better with short to medium distance runs right now and then seem less interested/motivated in functioning during runs at the 25 to 30 mile point . . .

One of the things I am trying to do this summer is run at least one new peak a week and have found this both physically and mentally enjoyable as well as challenging -- I think being on new terrain is making the vertical more honest vertical. I am not sure if it is simply an illusion of my mind or not, but I sometimes worry that running the same climbs over and over almost becomes like cheating because I know what to expect. Anyhow one of the cooler aspects of this has been seeing new parts of Utah's mountains and trails that I wouldn't ordinarily head out to for something as quick as a one day run -- I am not sure if I will really summit a new peak this week because of a couple days planned for running and camping at Alta, which isn't my everyday running grounds but I tend to make it up there a few times every summer as well as a non-running trip planned for later in the week . . . my basic point of this ramble is that by running fresher terrain so far this summer, I seem to be approaching my training in a relatively sane and fun manner.

Race plans for this month involve Speedgoat, which I hope to do as the second day of back-to-back 30 mile runs. I won't really be worrying as much about speed or competitive performance as much as simply handling loads of vertical while exhausted!