Week of Sept 12 - 18

The TEAM!

Mon, Sept 12

PM: 12 miles, 500' - Through Rocklin/Lincoln
Took the guys on sort of an exploratory run which involved ducking under barbwire fences and running through star thistle. Felt great, cruised at a moderate pace for 1hr 30min. + light core, abs, pushups, and drills.

Late PM: 2 miles - Springview Track
After a long hiatus, strapped on the fivefingers once again and did a form-focus type run (quick leg turnover, relaxed arms, smooth stride). Really enjoyed the coolness of the evening after a semi-hot day.

Tue, Sept 13

Am: 7 miles, 1,700' - Robie Pt/No-Hands/K2
Easy jog from Robie to No-Hands and up K2 (15:00) and back. Recorded a new PR on the descent down K2 (7:50).

Wed, Sept 14

Am: 3.75 miles - Springvew
Easy jog with some form drills thrown in there. 1.5mi barefoot.

Pm: 11.25 miles, 2,100' - Stagecoach
3xstagecoach with the team from the hair-pin turn to the top. Splits: 14:20, 13:33, 13:12. Felt strong and efficient on each, but had to work a tad bit harder on the last one. Great quality workout.

Thur, Sept 15

Pm: 11 miles, 1,000' - Through Rocklin
Went exploring with Ben on various trails and service roads in and around Rocklin. Legs fatigued at the beginning, but continued to feel better as the run progressed. +Light core.

Fri, Sept 16

Am: 13 miles, 4,000' - Castle Peak (9,103')
Beginning from Boreal Ridge Rd, hit Castle Pass (7,880'), hung a right, and rode the ridge up to Castle Peak. Gorgeous views atop Castle. Decided to go tag Basin Peak (9,017') along the same ridge-line some :20 away. Saw one more peak worth shooting for so I backtracked, bypassed the trail up to Castle, went the opposite way past Castle Pass and made a short hop to the top of Andesite Peak (8,219'). Went exploring some more on hole-in-the-ground trail and thereabouts before calling it a day. Definitely an area worth revisiting.

Sat, Sept 17

0 - Complete Rest

Sun, Sept 18

Pm: 4.6 miles, 1,200' - Springview & Treadmill
2.1mi in the fivefingers at the park, focusing on form and turnover. Then jumped on the 'mill and ran 2 miles @ 10% in 20:00. 1/2 mi jog cd at 5%.

Late Pm: 7 miles - Springview
Easy cruise, chased some skunks, and ran in almost complete darkness on this moonless night. +Core

Weekly Miles - 71.6

Weekly Vert - 10,500'
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Another consistent, more quality-focused week. I'm curious to see what my 50mi experience will be this Saturday compared to a year ago. The field will be slightly more competitive this year with Chris Calzetta (27th at WS in 18:45 and a nice win at the Born to Run 100k earlier this year), local runner Michael Fink ('10 Rock'n River 50 winner), and Eric Toschi (2nd behind Jorge at the Bishop 100k in May and 2nd behind me here last year) seemingly at the top of the list. I'm sure there will be other guys and gals I'm missing who will be in the mix as well. The heat also is looking like it will be a factor again this year with reports saying ~94 deg (major plus in my opinion, love the heat). All in all, just hoping to enjoy it, run smart, and if possible, take a shot at the CR set by Scott St. John (6:57:18 set in '00).