Long hilly run done!

I'm pretty happy with the nice little 14 mile hill run I did at Umstead this morning. I'm so glad there were a few friendly folks there making sure I didn't get lost (it can happen), and pulling me along for much of the run. Despite the heat and humidity, it was beautiful.



I'm also pretty happy to have finished my second consecutive week of doing all the workouts I'm supposed to. I just need to keep that up for the next eight weeks...

Now, time to eat massive quantities of tasty things.

Sticking To It

I started off my training for the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon a bit late. In the back of my head, "fall marathon" equates to the California International Marathon (CIM), which is the first Sunday in December. I figured I had until August before I needed to begin training.

Unfortunately for me, City of Oaks will be run November 2, lopping off a whole month of training time. So, I began my training in earnest the third week of July, at Week 4 of the 18 week Hansons training plan I'll be following. Oops.

To complicate matters further, I wasn't up for the 6 day a week, high mileage yet, so I started out skipping a few easy runs a week. Then I took a week off to let the gash in my leg heal. Last week, Week 4 of my training, I did all of the substantive workouts (track, tempo, and two weekend runs), leaving out two easy runs.

This week, I will do all of my runs. I did my easy run yesterday on hills, and did a decent job at the track this morning with 3x1600. I have a tempo, two easy 10s and an easy 6 left. I may mix up the order so I can leave for the beach early Sunday, but at least I'll get it done.

I'm planning to start reading the Hansons training manual soon (immediately, or yesterday would be best), so that I know more about what I'm doing. I geek out on that stuff. I need to figure out if my early slacking will mean that the 16 mile top out long runs won't be enough to prepare me (since I started late and skipped some workouts). I may feel better if I do an 18, or maybe a 20.

Baking My Travels Clean

Side note: Perhaps that song reference doesn't work as a title (in my punny way of using song names as post titles). I sure hope I don't burn what I'm baking, as the proper name of the song would indicate. I have Rocky Votolato on the brain from his demo release and upcoming living room show in Boston!!

So... one of the great things about visiting family is enjoying fantastic, homemade goodies. My trip to California last month was no exception. On this trip, Neil fell in love with my aunt's awesome nutty granola. Or should I say, super secret recipe, awesome nutty granola? In either case, it is delicious, and she bent her rules to share the secret recipe with me.

After my morning 8 miles, I came home, ate, napped, and now I'm making my first batch of her granola. It is in the oven as I type.

I'm not telling what is in there!

Track Tuesday!

That's right! I can now do my Track Tuesday workouts... on a real live track! This morning was my second trip to the nearby Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke. It is a difficult adjustment from the spray-painted street markers the Buffalo Chips use. I think I lost count during one of my 1200s today. People say this isn't a nice track, but it is close, and it is actually a track!

Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke. Photo credit: Commons.wikimedia.org