I just wrapped up my long run for the week. A 14 mile run that put me at 36 miles for the week. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Sunny, mid 40’s and no wind; a rarity around here for February. I have been very fortunate to get days like this on my long runs; I’ve really only had one day that had me running in the rain/snow/wind, and that wasn’t bad overall.
Awbrey Butte from Tetherow
This was the longest run I’ve been on since completing the Portland Marathon. I felt really good towards the end of the run. Still had some left in the tank and didn’t have the weakness in my hip flexors that I had experienced while training/running Portland. It seems any weak spots become more pronounced on these long training runs. I think this is attributable to a few things:
- Strength training – I’ve tried to hit the gym twice a week to do a few core workouts and upper body weights.
- Weight – I have dropped an extra 10 pounds since Portland, while increasing over muscle mass.
- Harder workouts – Noticing the benefits of hill and speed workout. A hill in the middle of a long run that used to kill me is now not so much of a big deal.
- Better Form – I have tried to really focus on good form since taking the good form running 2 class.
Snow Covered Cascades
Other Items from the Week
Yurbuds update
I’ve now had some time to use the Yurbuds that I received for Christmas. Overall I still like them. After wearing them for a few hours, you will hardly notice they are in your ears, very comfortable. On the downside I am noticing that the sound quality isn’t really there. Yes, they are better than the $8 pair of earbuds, but I kinda expect more from a $30 pair of earbuds, maybe I’m asking too much.
iSmoothRun Sale
iSmoothRun is on sale this week for $1.99, normally $4.99. Here is my review of it.
Max King wins El Cruce
Local trail runner Max King took first place in a three-day stage race that starts in Chile and ends in Argentina, El Cruce. He posted some photos to his facebook page that I think are absolutely amazing. Here is the post-race report from iRunFar that also has some photos.
Next Week
Next week is a repeat of this week with the exception of adding a mile to the long run (15 miles). For the speed workout, I think I’m going to head up to the college and try some 800 intervals on the track.