Still tired. Guess I didn’t really cut back on volume, either.

Monday: 8.5 mi, road, 135 bpm
Tuesday: 6 mi, trail (Bagley), 141 bpm
Wednesday: 5.5, treadmill (intervals), 149 bpm
Thursday: rest
Friday: 4.1 mi, paved trail (1 mi warm up, 5K race), 136 bpm/183 bpm (technically on Saturday)
Saturday: 6.5, road, 135 bpm
Sunday: 16.3, trail (SHT starting @ Twin Ponds), 149 bpm
Total: 47 mi

Nope, 47 miles is not a cutback when I’ve been averaging less than that over this training cycle. Whoops.

I’m feeling very uncertain and nervous about this race. I have no doubt I can cover the distance. I’m just very worried about the heat. For my long run, I started at about 1:30 and it was maybe 80 degrees, not sure. I had a steep climb in the first couple miles that took a lot out of me. It was a very difficult run overall, and I struggled to keep cool. I actually stopped and sat for… probably 2 minutes. I never do that. Well ok I stopped and crouched down several times during the Superior 25K. But full-on sitting? Never. I rested until my heart rate dropped into the 130s.

A few times I ended up with too full a stomach from the water I was drinking. I’d still be thirsty but have to deny myself water in order to keep from getting sloshy. I do know I was underfueled, since I had 4 gels and a bottle of sports drink, but didn’t eat anything else. So yes, I made some mistakes. And yes, I know during a race I’ll have access to aid stations where I can get cold water, tasty food, ice, etc., all things that would have made a difference during the long run. The race also starts at 6 AM, so I won’t be out in the heat and full blast sun for the beginning. It’ll still most likely be hot at the end, but I won’t start out hot. Maybe I should try getting up early for my long run sometime. Ha ha ha.

All of this solidifies that even if I complete a qualifying race, I won’t be throwing my hat into the ring for Western States, which I followed over the weekend. A very strange race (on the men’s side) this year!