Eyes on LA: Week of 9/7-9/13

Fall is here in Flagstaff!  Definitely my favorite time of the year.  It's also the start of racing season!

I'm starting off my season in sunny San Jose, at the Rock and Roll San Jose 1/2 Marathon on 9/27.  I'm really pumped to get the racing going, and to get back out on the roads again.  I think this fall has the potential to be a big one for me, and I'm hoping to start building some momentum going into LA in February.  Just gotta stay healthy, and get the work in.

Here's what went down the week of 9/7-9/13.

Weekly Mileage: 120

First Workout: 5 mile warm up, 10 mile steady state on Lake Mary Road, 3 mile cool down.
This one was tough as myself and Kiya went out and back this time instead of straight out.  Lake Mary Road is net downhill if you go straight out, and has some daunting climbs on the way back.  Considering that, I was pretty pleased with how this one went.  I definitely didn't knock it out of the park, but that is OK, sometimes you just have to get on base and be happy with a good effort.

Splits: 5:24, 5:18, 5:18, 5:18, 5:17, 5:15, 5:15, 5:22, 5:14.

Second Workout: Planned: 12 mile run into 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 fartlek, with a 2 mile jog at the end.

DNF'd this workout.  Was having some pretty bad stomach issues through the fartlek, and had to call it 1/2 way into it.  Ended up being a little crunched for time after the bathroom break, so just decided to cut my losses and rest up for a big session on Tuesday.  I was just generally feeling crappy during the whole thing.  Don't think that I gave myself enough to recover from the first session of the week.

Long Run: 20 miles, 6:30 average.

Overall this was a good week.  Bad workout aside, everything else went smoothly, and I was able to get in my desired volume.  I'm lucky to have such an awesome support crew who helps me get through some of the tougher parts of the week.  Working full time and trying to run higher mileage can sometimes strain me a bit, and makes me a little sullen throughout the week. Sarah is always brilliant about it, and does her best to make me smile and make my days a little easier.  I wouldn't trade my life for the world, sometimes its tough, but when things come together, it is always worth it.

I'm hoping to just keep chipping away throughout the next few months and to whip myself in the best shape that I possibly can.  Everyday I believe in myself a bit more, and raise the ceiling a little higher on what I think I can achieve in this sport.  I know there will be some tougher times between now and the trials, and certainly some moments of doubt.  It's time like that when having such a great support system can make all the difference in the world.

I think I'm going into Rock and Roll San Jose in the best shape of my life, and I hope to showcase some of the work that I've been putting in.

Nick Hilton
The Moderately Talented Distance Runner

Eyes on LA: Weeks of 8/17-9/6

Three more weeks of training is in the books!  The first two of this edition were impacted by a vacation that my girlfriend and I took, so the volume wasn't ideal.  But it was good to get out of Flag and enjoy some time with Sarah.  Definitely needed the mental break, and it'll be the last real break before the trials.  So overall, I think it was very needed.  Here's what the weeks looked like!

8/17-8/23: 80 miles

1st Workout: 8 mile steady state @ Lake Mary Road.
- Definitely my best 8 mile effort at altitude.  Progressed really well, and felt strong and in control throughout.  Splits: 5:20, 5:15, 5:14, 5:14, 5:09, 5:04, 5:02, 4:55.  Always pumped to close any workout under five minutes, and to run the last four miles in that range was really exciting!

2nd Workout: 10 x 1k repeats on the track.
- 1k's are always tough for me, and tend to be the bane of my existence.  This time I tackled this one with ease.  The goal was to start around 3:00, and get a little faster.  I felt incredibly smooth at 3:00 pace, and was able to drop it strongly through the end of the workout.  This one, and the previous workout this week were probably two of my better workouts that I've done here in Flagstaff.  Splits: 2:59, 3:02, 3:01, 2:59, 3:00, 2:59, 2:58, 2:57, 2:55, 2:47.  Ran these with 1:30 recovery between intervals.

8/24-8/30: 80 miles

1st Workout: 1min.-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 Fartlek, with 1/2 the time of the next interval as rest.
- Ran this one while on vacation.  Wasn't my strongest effort, and didn't feel great.  Just glad to get out and get the work in.

2nd Workout+ Long Run: 20 miles total, with 4 miles faster from 15-19.
- This one I think I was still shaking off the vacation rust.  Felt pretty good through the first 15 miles, and my pick-up was ok. Ran 5:14, 5:08, 5:14, 5:17 for the faster section.  I like getting work in during long runs, to simulate that mid-race "dead leg" feeling.

8/31-9/6: 110 miles

Back onto some real volume this week!  Always feels good to get back into the routine and to post a good mileage week.  Definitely was an up and down week in terms of how I was feeling, but that's just how it goes sometimes.  Felt strong through the last few days of the week, so it'll be good to carry that momentum into next week.

1st Workout: 4x2mile repeats @ Buffalo Park. 2:30 rest between intervals
- This was really a grind for me, as it usually is.   2 mile repeats just hurt, and there's no way around that one.  Still had one of my better 2 mile sessions, so I'm happy to walk away from this one with a positive state of mind. Splits: 10:22, 10:08, 10:14, 10:10.

2nd Workout: 10x2min. on/1 min. off @ Buffalo Park
- Always a sneaky workout.  I tend to go into this one with the "this one isn't so bad" mindset.  Then I'm always rudely reminded how much it hurts.  was running between 4:45 and 5:00 min. pace for my hard sections.  Felt markedly better on this one then I did on the 2 mile repeats.  Definitely recovered off of that one well.

Long Run: 22 miles w/o fluids or carbs
- Always good to simulate burning fat through the latter stages of the long run. Averaged 6:31 pace on a hilly course.

Thanks for following!  Looking forward to some bigger mileage weeks and some racing on the horizon!

Nick Hilton
- The Moderately Talented Distance Runner.