I have started to get random calls and emails from people wondering if I'm doing okay...and it occurred to me that I haven't updated this in quite a while. The truth is that when training goes according to plan, there's not too much noteworthy to report, and I'm too tired from doing it to write about it!
It has been a great few weeks, with the high school team that I coach scoring their first conference championship in school history. With the end of XC season, the beginning of Nordic ski season, steady 120-140 mile weeks, and my first semester as a Ph.D. student (Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology emphasis) in full swing, it has definitely been a busy time.
I did make it up to northern MN for a weekend, and got in a nice long run up and down the long, grinding hills of Duluth while the other Lundstrom men attempted to shoot deer. That was a great run, and I've had a couple of others in the 30+ mile range that have gone well. The only hiccup in training occurred last Saturday, when an early winter snowstorm derailed plans for a 35 mile run. It was calm and a slushy snow was starting to fall when I set out early in the morning.
About 90 minutes into the run my clothing was soaked, and I turned into what became a pretty viscious wind. I got quite cold, stopped off to try to warm up indoors and only seemed to get colder. At that point, I decided I had best cut the loop short and head for home. By the time I got there, I had warmed up slightly as the path I was on gave me some shelter from the wind. However, my legs still didn't feel like they were firing on all cylinders in the cold, and the snow was continuing to pile up. I did not feel like I was getting much of anything out of the run. Bringing my body temp back up to normal was the top priority. I did still run 26 miles, in some pretty serious snow, and it was not as slow as it felt...maybe I started running faster to try to warm up.
Last year prior to the New York Marathon, on a cold, windy, rainy day, I got extremely cold, passed out, and fell off the side of a construction site (my uncle was building a house). I hit my head on some concrete block, and off I went to the ER. After a $10,000 medical/cardiac workup, the doctor told me..."Your heart is fine. Maybe just try to use some common sense."
Common sense? So I'm not sure what he meant by that, and running 26 miles in cold, wet, windy conditions probably doesn't qualify, but I did make it back home without any major medical problems, so....baby steps, I guess.
Less than 3 weeks til TNF 50 mile. I've got to try to sleep more.
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