Less is More : 31 miles in 3 runs

Super happy with this week's runs!

On Monday, it was actually warm enough to run in shorts and a t-shirt.  So, I headed home as soon as school was out and got ready as quickly as possible so I could run before the temperature started dropping.  I chose a 9+ mile loop.  I forgot to take into account the fact that I would be in the shadow of a mountain for most of the run, so the run ended up colder than I anticipated, but oh well.  I could see the sunshine off in the distance.  I was running hard, and stayed strong even up the steep climbs.  As I got back into town, I was still feeling good, so I kept on running until I was getting too cold and hungry to continue.  11.6 miles / 1:27:12 / 7:30 / 859 ft of elevation gain

I didn't have time to run on Tuesday because of a last minute babysitting job, and I didn't have time to run on Wednesday because of an after-school baby shower that lasted until after dark.  By Thursday afternoon, I was really itching to run again.  It was cold out and there was snow drifting down from the sky (but not sticking to the ground), but it felt so good to be running, I ended up with 9.3 miles, and probably could have done more.  9.3 miles / 1:10:20 / 7:34 / 804 ft of elevation gain

I took Friday off because I was afraid of overdoing it.  On Saturday, I figured I may as well stick to the theme, so I headed out for another long run.  I chose a loop I have never run before.  It involved a really steep hill that I have biked before.  I spent the first several (downhill and flat) miles second-guessing my route choice, but stuck it out, and climbed the 2 mile, avg. 6% grade hill.  (11.3% grade at the steepest part).  I decided not to push my luck once I got back to town and didn't add on to the loop.  10.5 miles / 1:25:20 / 8:07 / 919 ft of elevation gain

31.4 miles this week.  That is my highest weekly mileage since this week last year, which involved a marathon.  Sad to think that I went a whole year without a week over 30 miles, but I did spend a lot of that time injured.  I spent 5+ months injured and trying to get well without quitting, and then I spent over 2 months not running at all.  And then of course there was all the time trying to build back up!

To add some new data into the mix...this week my runs had 2,582 ft of elevation gain.  Each run had over 800 ft.  In a more typical week of running, each of my runs averages 300 ft of gain.  2 weeks ago, I ran 5 times, a total of 22.4 miles, and only totaled 1,619 ft of elevation gain.  I know the longer runs are going to have more elevation gain just because they are longer, so I divided the total weekly elevation by total weekly mileage.  72 ft per mile 2 weeks ago, 82 feet per mile this week. I ran some bigger hills this week!  I'm hoping they will help me get my speed back, because I really don't want to do speed work...but I do really want to get back up to pre-injury speed!

Here are some pictures of my horse...just for fun.

I went to see her today, and she was fuzzy and happy.

I guess the cold weather isn't bothering her at all.