Weekly Training Report (Week 1)

This year I am competing in the Southern California Ultra Series. To compete seriously and earn enough points to do well, I figure I’ll need to finish at least six ultramarathons this year. That’s not an easy task—at least not for me—and it’s not one that I can accomplish without becoming a better, stronger runner. In an effort to make that transformation I've been following a structured training plan for the last couple months, and I fully intend to keep working at it in future.

One of my plans for this blog is to post weekly reports on my training. I hope by knowing that others can see what I’m doing I will feel more pressure to stay productive and on track to accomplish my goals. And perhaps it will even be educational and/or amusing to watch my progress (or lack thereof) as I attempt to run hundreds of miles through the Southern California wilderness.

I try to focus on three things when making my running schedule: cross training, having fun, and improving upon my weaknesses. I have found that when I structure a training program with these in mind I see bigger improvements in my overall performance and I am a happier person. Since I spend a lot of time doing drills to improve my speed (a weakness), lifting weights, and playing around on my bike, my weekly mileage is not what you might expect to see from a person training for ultras. I’m not sure if my strategy is the best one out there, but it helps me stay sane and injury free. 

Finally, I would like to say a few things about last week. April 30^th I ran the 50-mile Leona Divide Trail Race. Normally I take it easy on race week to make sure my legs are well rested. I also try to do as little running as possible the week after a race so that my legs can fully recover before I start running again. For that reason, the fact that I didn’t run many miles this week wasn’t a surprise. Tuesday I did an easy jog on the treadmill at the gym. I attempted an easy run on Wednesday but my left iliotibial band was tight and causing me some pain, so I decided it would be best to take the rest of the week off from running and focus on stretching and cycling instead.

5/2/11—5/8/11            Running (recovery week)         Cycling

M:                               --                                                  --

T:                                02.50 mi                                      51.05 mi 

W:                               04.00 mi (ITB pain)                    40.20 mi 

Th:                               --                                                50.53 mi 

F:                                 --                                                 --

Sa:                               --                                                 89.30 mi

Su:                               --                                                 --

Totals:                        06.50 mi                                     231.08 mi