Wilbie here.
We haven't been as current or frequent on keeping up with the blog as we'd like to be (as we've been reminded by some faithful Building Phase Team members), so I thought I'd give a quick update on the progression of things over the past few weeks.
Since our Asheville adventure, our training has become pretty rigorous. That race was a stepping stone to the bulkier part of our training plan. We've been nailing some great marathon pace tempo runs, ranging anywhere from 10-20 km. These runs are to practice pace. We have to learn our pace and be comfortable. A marathon is a little over 42 km, so the goal is to get into a rhythm where the pace is brisk, but sustainable. We've blocked off next Saturday for a 30 km run at marathon pace. We're going to head over to Raleigh to scout out the out-and-back portion of the course which encompasses miles 9-25. We're stoked to scout things out and maybe gain a little home-court advantage! Here's a link to the marathon course if anyone is interested: http://cityofoaksmarathon.com/course_info/course-map-full.pdf
We've also been booking some serious gut-wrenching track workouts. These workouts are usually at 5-10 km pace for our purposes. The past three times we hit the track we tackled some heart-breaking mile repeats. We ran 5-6 repeats at each workout. When you're striving for speed, but consistency is key, these workouts can become really tough at the end. But, even with sore legs, even with running 3-4 miles to the track beforehand and sloppily yogging (it's a soft "j") a couple back home afterward, it's safe to say we nailed 'em. We finished off our last mile repeats this past week and are looking forward to some shorter, and faster, repeats to come.
Naturally, in the bulkier part of our training plan, the long runs have bulked-up quite a bit! We've been spacing our long runs about 10 days apart at this point, no need to be controlled by the artificial barriers of a 7-day week! Recently we got in a great 18-miler, which we titled Tour de Chapel Hill because we literally ran around Chapel Hill. But, I must admit, this past week we set out for an ill-advised 21 miler and we were both pretty ruined by the end of it. What we've learned: the weather can make or break your run. the weather has been cool as of recent, so we blocked off Wednesday afternoon to get in the long run. Of course, the one day we block off is 85 and humid. Being the spirited dudes we are, we set out anyway. We planted water and gel in 4 spots the night before, so we had that going for us on our little "self-supported" run. But our bodies weren't having it. We were cramping, hot, and heavy-legged by the half way mark. As one might assume, this did not turn into a fulfilling run. The mileage is in the books, but it did not feel good or productive. The joke's on us for forcing it. While it seems restrictive to always do a long run on Sunday morning...it might just be the way to go. You get up, ya run and you're done before breakfast. No heat, no humidity, no tummy troubles to worry about. But hey, we're learning...we're building.
Things are lining up nicely. We're happy with our progression and we look forward to more in the next four weeks. We're also going to begin a gradual taper here in a bit, so stay tuned for that...it's always an interesting process!
For all you builders out there, we will be having a work site build day, but at this point it's looking like it will be after the race. A post-race build party, if you will. We're looking forward to throwin' on a flannel and swingin' a hammer, and we hope you'll join us. We'll keep you posted.
As always, help us help Chatham Habitat build! You can donate here: https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/ChathamHabitatforHumanity/buildingphase/ Any and every donation makes a difference. So donate, inspire us to build and enable Chatham Habitat to build as well.
In the trial of miles, and miles of trials,
Wilbie
P.S. Shout out to Uncle Tom and Uncle Ed, Gregor's uncle and dad, and two of our biggest fans and Building Phase Team members. Thanks for taking such an interest in our initiative, for keeping us motivated and for an epic weekend in Chapel Hill. 'Yuns' are two of the coolest older dudes I know!
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