Scenic 63-mile week - 13 weeks to Austin

We are back from our visit to my parents' house in Ivins, UT. I banged out 47 miles in four days while visiting and completed 63 out of my 65 miles planned for the week.

I will admit it was a tough yet fulfilling week of training. Getting to 63 after 60 last week proved harder than I would have guessed. Increasing my mileage again after a hard LT workout on Monday was a challenge. However, I was glad that I had wonderful weather and scenic terrain in Utah to keep me motivated.

It's worth noting that St. George, UT introduced a significant altitude and elevation change dimension into my training. I ran a 12-miler on Thursday from the peak of Snow Canyon State Park, which took me to about 3,200 feet. I floated through the park to my parents' house that was largely downhill during the first half.

Posted are a handful of snapshots from this particular workout that give a feel for how absolutely gorgeous it was for me to run in SW Utah.

We all know that with downhills come uphills, so it was not all a cakewalk. My 20-miler on Saturday along the Snow Canyon Parkway bike trail proved again a test to my ability to endure the changes in elevation.

The night before we left Chicago, I stalled on Tuesday's planned 14-miler. It was 36 deg and raining here in SW Chicago. I had a busy day before our 3-day vacation. I could only muster 7 miles on the treadmill and was forced to adjust the week. I am proud that I bounced back.

This 63-mile week my highest-volume week since Aug 2007. Taking a look back at my log during that time, I am amazed by the shape that I was in for the Chicago Marathon. Based on history, know I can climb toward a healthy 70-mile week by Christmas time.


New exciting news: I am committed now to what will be my 3rd marathon in 2009: the highly celebrated and scenic San Francisco Marathon.


Preliminary "Tentative" 2009 schedule:

• Austin - Feb 15 - Registered and travel booked
• Boston - Apr 21 - Travel booked. Qualified and need to register.
• S.F. - July 26 - Travel booked. Need to register.
• St. George, UT* - Oct 3 - Lottery opens in April.
• NYC* - Nov 1 - Lottery opens in June.