50k training at the local sledding hill.

7 weeks left until the La Jolla Canyon 50k in Malibu, CA. Since we don’t have mountains in southeastern Michigan, I have to improvise for my incline training. The only good way for me to train for these inclines is to head to my local sledding hill. It only rises about 35 feet at about a 40 degree grade on the easy side and about a 60 degree grade on the steep side. It really doesn’t simulate the race course, but it will have to do.

Today was this week’s “hill day” so I went out in the cold to put in some work. It was 16 degrees outside with a wind chill of only 9 degrees. I don’t usually mind the cold, but I under-dressed for it today. I planned on doing laps up and down the easier side of the hill until I reached a 5k distance. This ended up being a much easier task than what I had planned for. I kept a very even pace of 9:38. That is very slow compared to my average pace (~7:30) but I wanted to keep it slow because of the inclines. I like to run till it hurts, but I almost feel like I was slacking today. Next week on “hill day” I plan on doing 5 miles at a 9:00 pace.

Tomorrow is my long run for the week. It is also my birthday! I’m going to head out to my favorite trail for 20 awesome miles.

For those that don’t know, I am doing a fundraiser for the 50k to raise money for the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics. It is a very important cause that affects one of my dear family members. If you’d like to sponsor me, you can click here. For as little as $1 you can help fund research for treatment of this rare disorder.

I want to thank you all for your support.

–Tim