Bear Mountain 50k Training Update

I fell off the blogging bandwagon again! But hey, life gets messy and hard and busy sometimes – we all get it.

The past few weeks have been going very well! I am feeling strong and ready to take on Bear Mountain. I finally brought myself to look at the race elevation profile and other information about it, and I’m less daunted than I thought I’d be. While I haven’t gotten a ton of trail time, I know I’m a stronger runner now than I’ve ever been, and I am mentally prepared. I’m ready for it to be race weekend and for me to kick some ass and take some names!

A lot of my fellow runners have been getting injured, and it has put me on high alert and helped me to force myself to stretch or roll after a run when before I might have been lazy. Matt’s ankle has been sore, a few friends have stress fractures, and our wonderful friend and guest-blogger Kristen has some hip flexor issues. I have become hyper aware of my body, and have been easing off when my shins hurt to avoid a stress fracture. I’m hoping to ease back even more when my training is over and to keep my mileage steadily around 30 miles each week as long as my shin pain dissipates, and then work my way up slowly to get my body ready for my next adventure in running – a 50 miler!

I haven’t chosen a 50 miler yet, but am hoping to do one sometime between next spring and summer. It’s a big challenge, and while my heart is telling me to sign up now and worry about the rest later, my brain is reminding me of all my past injuries and telling me to wait at least a year before I take on such a big challenge. Hopefully I can get in a few marathons and half marathons (and maybe another 50k…) in the next year, but for now I’m going to force myself to rest, recover, and plan. I may even reach out to my physical therapist or a running coach to correct any imbalances I may have and to put me on a path to success. The last thing I want is another injury and to be out of the game again. 

Tapering has begun this week, and I’m looking forward to a slight break in my mileage and to get some well-deserved rest after Bear Mountain! I’ve gotta keep my mileage up enough to pace Matt at his first 100 miler though – I can’t wait!