MDS2016 Training Week 1 Summary

18-24 January, 2016

I've been meaning to start blogging about training a long time ago and I've always sucked at it. I am going to try and do my best this training iteration!

I just finished my first week of training for Marathon Des Sables-2016. I took a week off after Bandera 100k. Mostly at the persistence of Aja and my Doctor back in Warsaw. 

Getting back to Warsaw, Poland has been a whirlwind for me. I got the luxury of having more blood drawn for further testing. I'm also trying very hard to focus on recovery and prepare for a few months of training with a backpack that is going to make me 14-17 pounds heavier during the runs. Recovery phase of training has never been easy for me. It's mentally draining and I always feel like I'm falling behind the power curve on recovery days. I'm getting better at it and I know my body will thank me in the end.

Lately, I've been pretty gun shy about running. Last week, I overcame some mental hurdles with running since Bandera. My first run last week was very slow with lots of water throughout the miles. I cringed throughout the day when I felt the urge to urinate. I didn't want to see the dark colors I saw during Bandera. I feared that I would train too hard too fast and knock myself out of training and potentially MdS which would not be good! 

I have some big goals for MdS this year and need every bit of training from now until April. By the end of the week my confidence in my running abilities increased and I actually accomplished some really solid workouts. 

Even though it's freezing in Warsaw, this is actually really good training for MdS. There's a decent amount of snow on the ground with very few people out on the trails. I tried to focus my efforts on running in fresh snow versus snow packed trails. This simulates running in the sand dunes and really worked the stabilizers in my legs.

1st Pack run along the river. Lots of ice chunks floating in the river!

Speaking of stabilizers! My right leg is still pretty tight from running Bandera. The cramping I experienced did a number on my right hip flexor and IT band. Most of the runs I did last week consisted of running and fast walking. If I felt tightness, I would stop and do some deep stretching and then ease back into running by starting a solid fast walk. I spent a lot of time rolling all things associated with the right leg with my trusty tennis ball.

I also had a videoconference with my coach, Liza, and she helped settle those uncertainties. We went over the macro view of training for MdS and discussed my concerns as well as my excitement. We also discussed equipment and nutrition for the race. I got a chance to dust off old notes on last year's race. Reading those notes brought back lots of memories. 

I need to find a better running pack for my small frame. I spent way too much time surfing the Internet and reading various opinions on different packs. Hopefully I'll narrow down my choices before the end of next week.

My obsession to do well in MdS has me even more motivated to train hard, smart, safe, and efficient. 

That's all for now! More to follow next week where most of my miles will be on the trails in Phoenix, AZ.

Oh yeah, I need to break this habit ASAP!