The Dread & The Week's Miles

I haven't blogged much this week. Maybe it's because it was my last recovery week before five weeks of tough training ahead. This week, I skipped most speedwork, just doing four 500 meter strides at 5k pace today. My goal instead was to heal before what I think is the key portion of my training. That meant taking an extra day off and running substantially less (50 miles) than previous weeks. I have five weeks before the taper to stay focused and put myself in a postion to do well. I'd be lying, though, if I said the prospect of a 70-mile weeks didn't fill me with a bit of dread. There's nothing easy about it. They'll be tiring, physically and mentally. This is inevitable. Training for a marathon is a long process, with lots of ups and downs. Tomorrow is a "recovery" day with two 5-mile runs. I'm looking forward to the second because it's a hash. Then the week gets hard: 15, 6, 12 with 7 at half marathon pace, 5, 22. Ouch. These weeks are the real test.

8 miles, 57:53