Running - a lot

I've been running a lot lately in preparation for the California International Marathon, December 6th. I've never trained this much for a marathon before. Typically my training plans have peaked at 50 miles a week. This time I'm going up to 70 miles a week. Now, that may not sound like a lot more, but it is. It really is. 70 miles a week, running 6 days a week, means that you average more than 10 miles a day. A typical week looks something like this:

Monday: 8 miles with 10 100m sprints
Tuesday: 15 miles
Wednesday: 5 mile recovery day
Thursday AM: 11 miles speed workout
Thursday PM: 4 mile recovery
Friday: 7 miles with 6 100m sprints
Saturday: 20 miles
Sunday: Rest :)

I'm on my 4th week of a 12 week schedule. I feel really good, I'm getting really fast, but it is hard. It is hard to get up in the morning, when it is dark and cold out, and head out the door to run 15 miles, and then go to work. The good news is that I have lots of company on my runs. Blitz runs with me all the time, and he is always enthusiastic. Xander often accompanies me in his chariot. Afterwards he needs his "recovery drink" too. Since he kept trying to steal my bottle, I gave him one of his own.

It is beautiful of course. I watch the sun rise almost every morning on my runs. Sometimes it is clear and the horizon brightens to a beautiful red and orange, then the sun comes up casting a glowing golden light on the mountains. Other days the sun comes up into the clouds and paints a warm rosy glow on the wheat fields. On the cold days, a light mist hangs over the ponds and streams and glows orange and gold as the first rays of the sun peak over the horizon. Almost every day I see hawks perched in the trees and and soaring above the fields hunting. Some days I even see owls, looking like giant cats perched on the power poles.

Getting out of bed is hard in the morning, but I never finish a run wishing I was back in bed. Love - hate. It hurts some days, but some days I pulse with energy, feeling like I could run faster and faster. Why? I'm not sure, it's a test, it's a challenge, it's miserable, it's beautiful, I love it.

-Jake