9/22 to 9/28

A good week, I guess. It started off with Monday Night Football. Go Bolts! Work is very busy and the family is good. My wife's birthday was Friday, so we've had some fun this weekend. I bought some flowers . . at a wholesale joint, so I did some cuttin' and arrangin' myself. I had to include a pic. Plus, check-out my game face before Monday Night Football and my Oakley collection. Of course I'm sponsored - I'm their main main, call me prime-time! It's all about the game face!

As for the training, a pretty mellow week, I mentioned to my coach that I was still recoverin' (cuz i'm cuttin' n arrangin'), but I'm not worried. I have about a month before my next race (finally!!!), and then a month until the last race of '08 (tomorrow I book the trip with the travel agent!!!). And I have been running a lot the last 5 months. Now, I'm running hard, so the work-outs will keep me fit and get me really race ready. The naps, the days off here and there, not a big deal in my book. I'm such a competitor, I know I'll eat a lot of dirt when the day dawns. I'll satisfy my appetite. I will not wear a fu*kin' dress. And, I'm nailin' the workouts starting this week!!!

Monday off.

Tuesday off.

Wednesday off . . .(remember, I took last Sunday off, too).

-- Keep in mind I do a fair amount of walking with a pack. Perhaps 2 miles a day, lots of stairs, lots of standing, talking, walking, etc.

Thursday 8 miles pretty hard (with hills).

Friday 8 miles pretty hard (with hills).

Not really part of the plan, but just getting back after my "days off"

Saturday some speed drills on the trainer. I set it up in the garage for the first time in a long time. I went hard. I simulated the Caveman hill work-out. I felt great after wards; my hip/legs felt so loose and fluid. Expect a lot more of this, Matt!

In fact, I came to a very solid (tentative) conclusion about my training. Starting this week and continuing until the end of the year, I will base almost all of my weekly training on two Caveman days (tues thurs) and one long run (sun). Everything else is whatever I want (more hills, tempo, recovery, trainer, sleep). Most of my runs will be hard unless it's a short recovery on an off day. I've done a lot of big runs. I think my aerobic engine is good. Two races to go and a lot of race-readying training is coming my way. After all, that's what Trevor has suggested and he's a World Champ. Literally.


To summarize, Lucho got my aerobic engine tuned-up (wait until next year!!), speed is the order of the day, and cross-training rules, so my bikes will again see the light of day. Oh yeah, and I'm going to crush two more races this year.

Sunday 12 miles of very rolling, pretty hard running. Never even close to too hard except for the final .75 miles, a little descent where I went about 5:45 pace. Lucho, I'm coming (ha ha ha)! It was funny. I imagine Lucho running like that everywhere and can only think that people must look and go hmmmmmm. It's moving. So, a solid run.

As for the races, a little description and a scare! It looks like Jack and I will be going to a race just outside of Vegas. We're meeting-up with some friends I've been running with. Should be a great time. I'm going to run the 25K. Hal Koerner's among the 50k entrants, but I'm not up for 6 hours of massive carnage. I want to hammer what should be a very legit 25k and have an awesome time with my kid and some good friends. As for the scare, my friends Jeremy and Kara whom I'll be doing Vegas with did the Noble Canyon 50k this weekend. The official results aren't up yet but I think Kara did fairly well. Jeremy had a bad day according to him. A miserable day. And Kara passed out at the finish due to heat exhaustion. They were considering a cancel of Vegas. I was prepared to take it like a man, though bummed. But Jeremy sent me another email and said after a couple of beers and some reflection the race is back on. I'm stoked. Very very stoked. For the racing, yes, but the travel will be epic. My kid and I will carve Vegas. Awesome. Super stoked and I have the training to dial this in.

As for the second race, it's the Xterra Worlds on Oahu two days after my 40th birthday. Yes, that's all I want for my 40th. Not a lame surprise birthday, but an age-group win, a cold drink, the trade-winds in the tropics with the family. Since this is the inaugural year of the race it's open to anyone. Starting in '09 I think you have to qualify; my age-group win at Vail Lake does the trick, makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. Either way, it's a race in the islands and it should be epic however it turns out!