Massanutten is only three weeks away. After racing Bandera, I had expected to really pound out the miles. It just didn't work that way. After taking a while to heal, I got the flu which took me out for two weeks. The latest blow was injuring my right knee a few weeks ago.
Overall, however, things are not really so bad. Before the injury, the heart rate monitor had been telling me that I was in good condition, and while I wasn't increasing speed, the same easy runs were being done at lower and lower average heart rates. Also, the knee injury forced me to focus on walking. I doubt I have lost much in the way of conditioning; however, I am a much better walker than I was a few weeks ago. And walking well is going to be key to finishing this race.
Also, I've ended up with a very odd training schedule. After returning from New York late Monday night, I took Tuesday off and started training again on Thursday. I ended up only running twice this week. But since the total mileage for the two runs was around 49 miles, it's hard to say I've been slacking. And I've felt very strong throughout the runs and not sore afterward. The only real issues I've had is that I blistered really badly Wednesday. I have purchased new shoes, but I also plan to buy new socks before the race. I've also decided to pretape my trouble areas. This didn't work so well in Saturday night's run; I need to make the tape stick to my feet better.
So, overall I feel I'm ready to go. I've got only one more hard run planned before I start to taper. Let's hope that doesn't drive me nuts.
1 comments:
Tom,
I'll have my full taping kit at MMT, so I can help you with taping, if you like. I've got a system put together for me that works pretty well, so hopefully I can help you there.
I'm looking forward to a night and day of hiking and running with you at MMT. Your training might not be exactly where you want it to be, but being a strong hiker will definitely help you on that course.
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