Training Days, 2008.

As I get ready to run marathon number 35 (or is it 36?), no matter ... but as I do my daily training, I wonder if I am training hard enough. The routine this week was a six mile run every other day. The other day, I did the indoor bike, until yesterday, when it was nice enough to do my second outdoor biking ride for this spring. Today, I doubled up on the workout by following the six mile run with a 13 mile bike ride. It actually was very nice and, weather permitting, I hope to make this the normal routine. My next run begins the seven mile out and back. This one tends to get a little more grueling, since the out course is mostly up-hill and the biggest rise per mile happens between mile three and mile four. The ranch is at about 3300 feet, and the turnaround for the seven miler is probably at about 3800 feet. The last half-mile when it becomes the eight mile run is probably another 200 feet higher. It doesn't sound like much, but when I did the bike route to the four mile turnaround last year, it would take about 25-30 minutes on the out part of the trip and about 10 minutes for the return. So, there is a lot of work done in the elevation climb!

So, anyway, training continues ... and actually begins to get serious for the rest of the training period beginning this week.