Week 14 training and notes.

What a beautiful week! The sun has been out nearly everyday and so the shoulders along Hwy 28 and 89 are wide enough so that I feel "safe" running outside, even up here. What a treat! I took advantage of this newfound landscape and ran outside every day I could.

This is also the first week of my new training plan. From now on, every two weeks will be counted as a training cycle in which I will complete five critical workouts in 14 days. I'm both excited and nervous for this change but really, only good things can come from it (increased fitness and strength) as well as a sense of "courage" that I'm trying something entirely new.

As you've probably gathered, I've also decided to change another very large aspect of my life: by August, I'll be moving to Moraga, CA to attend the MFA program at St. Mary's College there. This was a hard decision for me and I almost didn't go. However, with their offer of a scholarship and my discovery (helped by my coach) that I will not give up running, I've decided to give it a go. There are worse things than failure, as they say: it would be worse to not try at all.

And so, I dedicate this week's training to new horizons. May they be beautiful and may I run across, over and beyond them.

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Monday, 3/22: 20 miles on the ditch trail in Reno. 2:44 total time; 8:14 pace. 5 seconds faster than the last time I did a long-long run. I felt fantastic aside from the bug which stung me repeatedly on the ankle (it was caught in my sock) and the trail “construction” which forced me to alter the route quite a bit.

Tuesday, 3/23: 8 miles outside along the shoulder of Hwy 28 on the North shore of Lake Tahoe.

Wednesday, 3/24: 8 miles along Hwy 89 down the West shore of Lake Tahoe.

Thursday, 3/25: 13.6 miles with hill workout: 10 x 60’ . OUCH! Minute-long sprints HURT. I think this was by far the most difficult workout of this training “cycle.” I felt myself get more efficient, though, which is awesome. Despite my fatigue, my last rep was the fastest.

Friday, 3/26: 7.6 miles on the treadmill in TC. I felt better than I thought I would (usually treadmill running feels awful after being outside for a few days. But this was not the case, thankfully.)

Saturday, 3/27: 8.02 miles in 1:01 down North shore. Avg: 7:40 and it felt effortless. Fastest pace so far at elevation-- my spirits are in the clouds; it was difficult not to smile the entire time.

Sunday, 3/28: 7 miles down West shore. It seemed as though I ran into the wind both out and back-- needless to say, I ran slowly.

Weekly total mileage: 72.22