Elevation Training

Recovery from the Kaiser SF half was more difficult than I expected.

Probably because after completing the first half marathon I'd done in 7ish months, the next day E & I hiked up to Coit tower, which, while cool, was perhaps not the most advisable recovery activity.

Coit Tower is on Telegraph Hill (an actual nontrivial hill).  The hike up from sea level involves lots of stairs.  Enjoy!

The rest of the week was a bit of a sad showing.  My left shin was in pain and my body was just generally beat up.  So I took it very easy in prep for our ski vacation, throwing in:

1. some weightlifting and recumbant bike
2. a full rest day
3. a 3 mile treadmill workout of  1 mile ladder (5.0 to 6.1 min. each) followed by 2X5 minute ladders from 6.1 mph to 6.5 mph workout (with walking recovery) totaling 3 miles in 35:52
4. 3 miles @ 10:51 with some walking cooldown
5. 3 miles @ 11ish/mile with Sis at 4,000ft+ elevation
6. Sunday - first downhill ski day in 2 years at 6,570ft+ elevation.

Who needs a purse?  I can stuff the pockets of a running jacket over a fleece over long underwear like no-one's business.

 The next week was more of the same:

1. Monday ski half-day due to whiteout.
2. Tuesday perfect ski day, 10AM-3PM with a short lunch break and multiple sessions of 5 minute intervals down steep blues followed by 5 minute recovery up the chairlift.

FYI -- I opted out of black diamonds this trip.  I am fine.  E broke his arm (which may or may not be related to his black diamond escapades).  Regardless, I feel that I made the correct choice for me.

OUCH!

 Wednesday AM I ran a short 2 mile interval workout on the treadmill (1% incline, 400s at 6.0 mph was enough to spike my heart rate, yay elevation!).  I did this at the spa before a dip in the jacuzzi and sauna time followed by a decadent spa day (gift from my father-in-law) with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law.  Then we flew home and managed luggage with a one-armed travel party member.  Good times.

Thursday was yet another full rest day (holy return-to-work-craziness!).

Friday, I headed out with visions of elevation benefits, but hit 1.5 miles at 11:51 and called it to walk the remaining 0.46 miles home.  I was shot.  Exhausted from the travel, the time change, and just generally not in it.

Thankfully, Saturday, I busted out 6 miles at an easy effort average pace of 11:48 with the last mile at 10:06.  And today, I did a slowly increasing time every mile no-fuel 9 miler at an average pace of 12:23.  I don't really know how to measure the mileage for the last two weeks with the skiing, but what I can say is that I feel good about doing 15 running miles (plus another 2+ walking) this weekend.  It's been a while since I've had such a solid running weekend (outside of a race), so that's encouraging.  Makes me feel like I'm still headed in the right direction for Oakland.  So wish me luck.