Workin' it!

At some point this week, I opened Twitter and saw exactly what I needed – see image below.

I say this because I was also reminded (again) this week that not everyone supports my endurance habits, as I actually got asked the following, “Mer, when are you going to stop all this stuff and get back to being normal?”  My response was something like, “well, if being normal is fat and out of shape, I hope I never stop doing all this stuff.”  (eye roll)  It’s most disappointing when it’s the people you care about the most who say things like that, but it doesn’t keep me from loving them – it may, in fact, make me want to work harder so that each time we lay eyes on each other they are obligated to say things like, “Geez, Mer, you really look great!”  It’s the best kind of payback, right?

That being said, I started the week off by working hard on the bike for my 19 mile tough, hilly ride through Ahwatukee.   I was particularly pleased with myself because LAST week I reported maintaining just over a 17/mph AVS and this week I maintained 17.6 on the same route.  (fist pump!)

Matt was available for an easy ride on Tuesday – so we went out for 12 or so miles and simply relished the fact that it was no longer 35 degrees at 5am.

Then, Tuesday evening, I joined Mike’s group for a Masters Swim class at the gym.  I was, again, not as fast as I had been the prior few weeks, but I crunched out 1900 meters of sprints and drills.  Mike spent a LOT of time working with me on my kick, this week.  At one point he grabbed the kick-board, and refused to let me use it, requiring me to tough it out with no arms (mostly) and all kick.  I needed the coaching, so it was worth it.

Matt joined me on Wednesday morning for a 4.5 mile run – nothing impressive to report, as Matt was nursing a little bit of an Achilles issue.  He came out of the run with an 8:56 overall pace and no pain – so it was a win-win.

We both took Thursday morning off.   It was lovely, since I didn’t get home until after midnight on Wednesday night.  I got to babysit my favorite little munchkins while Anne and John caught the Who in concert.  I think everyone had a great night.

It had been far too many weeks since my last trail run, so I opted to head into work a smidge late on Friday morning and hit the trails when the sun came up.  I was a little worried that I had lost a little of my speed and glute-strength, but things seemed to work themselves out as I made my way through 6 awesomely beautiful miles at sunrise.  I was surprised that I didn’t see a single runner, hiker or mountain biker for the entirety of the 6 miles.  It was literally a ghost town.  I didn’t mind at all – the beauty of South Mountain deserves quiet some times.

1st couple of miles were in the dark, hence the head lamp.

I pushed out 2050 meters in the pool on Saturday morning – just to make sure I could still continually swim for over a mile.  I have been in Masters Swim for nearly a month, at this point, so all of my swimming has been short bursts of drills and speed work.  It was outstanding to realize I can swim and swim and swim.  Alleviates a bit of my stress regarding the upcoming Leadman 125 Triathlon in two short months.

Matt and I had planned to meet up this morning for a 7.5 mile run through Ahwatukee in preparation for our upcoming relay, but Matt had some tummy issues all evening and was not able to join me.  While sad about not having the company, I wasn’t so sad that it meant I could probably head back to the trail for another full Desert Classic run – 11 miles from the trail head to my front door.

I admit that I had probably had one beer more than I should have with my friends on Saturday night, so I could feel the lag in my breathing in the second mile of the Desert Classic where the trail takes a fairly serious elevation climb UP.  I stayed the course only punishing myself marginally as I hit the top of the hardest climbs.  It was motivating to see a couple hiking the steepest section and being able to comfortably run and hop right around them to the top.  (I should be less competitive, I know.)

After that couple, however, I didn’t see another human being for 4 miles.  I did see another hungry coyote in the same wash as the last time I did the full Desert Classic.  Fortunately, he was alone – so I had almost nothing to fear.  (That doesn’t mean I didn’t grab a decent sized rock to carry through the wash and out.)

As usual for a Sunday on the DC, I maneuvered around Mountain Biker after Mountain Biker for the last couple of miles.  There were also a few runners – one even sported his Ragnar Relay shirt and we exchanged fast words about the upcoming race.  Less than two weeks!

This was one of the first times I never felt a need to drink my water or take any Gels.  I just ran and ran and ran – traversing the stunning landscape as the sun rose over the entire south valley of Phoenix.

As I hit the very end of the DC, I remember my good friend and running buddy, Ron, asking me if I’d ever observed the petroglyphs.  I admitted to him that I didn’t know there were any.  He was visibly offended and actually took the time to show me EXACTLY where they were by zooming in on Google-Maps.  I made certain to stop quickly and take a picture so Ron would know I listened to him and enjoyed the history of South Mountain.  Thanks, Ron!

Zoom in and you can see the Petroglyphs on the rocks behind me.

My watched beeped 11 miles right in front of my house – 1:48:01.  It was my best time, again!  That’s a 9:49 pace – which is excellent (for me) on this trail.  It’s hard and so incredibly rewarding!

And, at the finish-line!

Now its nap-time.  Thanks for reading, my friends!