Weekly Training Wrap - 1/16 – 1/22

When last we left our hero... Alright, so I'm no one's hero, but it was kind of a cool introduction, right? Anyway, in last week's installment of my Weekly Training Wrap I indicated that I was in a funk. A week later, I feel pretty much the same in regards to the causes of this condition. However, I think I possibly underplayed the role of two factors.  The virus I developed at the end of last week really played mind games with me. It wasn't until I started feeling better that I recognized this. And, more importantly, the doldrums almost always get to me at this time of year. While I don't think I am depressed, I certainly struggle with energy and mood this time of year.

The larger question at play, what did I do about? The first thing I did is step back and look at the larger picture. As part of that process, I decided to revamp my training plan and put the focus entirely on LT100. The Colorado Marathon is no longer a goal race. Don't mistake that as me saying I won't give a 100% (or hope to PR), I just won't train with a focus on it. In addition, I took a week off of organized training to give myself a little mental break. I still had a good week, including a great trail run. It felt nice to do things at my own pace. Finally, I talked with several good friends to keep help me gather my thoughts and clear out the gunk. I am so fortunate to have a great group of running friends that put up with my constant analysis.

This week is going to be a little different as I am traveling a few days and hope to participate in the Frozen Front Range Marathon on Saturday. The FFRM is a Fat Ass group run that will allow me to meet other ultra/trail runners and get a good long run with vertical into my early season training. I'm excited for it -- hopefully the weather holds up.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	10	Deer Creek Trail Run
Tuesday	Rest
Wednesday	5	Recovery pace
Thursday	8	GA Pace with hill sprints
Friday	4	Recovery pace
Saturday	18	Long Run
Sunday	7	Easy pace
Total	52	About 4900 vertical feet gained