Sunday was my first time in three weeks that I did a long run. This was quite intentional as I did not want to rush my recovery from my recent race. While I have been very eager to get my training back to full force, I knew that if I pushed myself it could be a recipe for injuries, burnout, and other related issues. For the majority of this run, I actually ran in a group a friends, which is a rarity for me. Normally, I do about 98% of my running solo, but I am trying to strike a balance of more group running to break some of the monotony of my training routes. Unfortunately in Merida, Mexico, there are not many places to run. It is 100% road running with no hills or trails available. Over the past nine months, I’ve pretty much run in about every area of the city that is decent to run.
The other thing I am doing with group running is trying to help fellow runners. I have a friend who is interested in making the plunge into ultra distances. I am always eager to help and on top of that, having another runner in the city that would be interested in doing six to eight hour long runs occasionally will be nice. Another friend is training for his first marathon attempt. I am working with him to help him find his optimal pace to achieve a sub-four hour marathon. Not that I am any kind of expert but I have done quite a lot of reading and communicating with experienced runners. I love to share knowledge so this is great opportunity for me to give back to others who share my passion in running.
Scott on his way for a FKT on the AT.
On a side note, I have been following Scott Jurek and his attempt to complete the Appalachian Trail in the fastest known time. I’ve been a huge fan of Scott and have recently gone back to re-read his book Eat and Run. It’s been very interesting to read it a second time now that I have more experience in the ultra running world. Eat and Run was the second book I ever read related to ultra running. Reading it three years later gives me new insights. Much of the book was so foreign in terms of training load and distances that I could not completely comprehend it all the first time. This time around, it makes more sense and I am gaining new insights. I am really pulling for Scott to set the FKT for the AT!
Coming this week will be my first full week of training. I plan to run at least 100km/62mi and start the beginning of a training plan to prepare me for my next race–most likely in December.
A-very Fun Adventure 