SAPPER JOE 50K DONE!

Here's me moving like a gazelle.

Burly downhill.

I finally got the results from the Sapper Joe 50K. 7:12:16. I'm satisfied for now but the Wasatch Speedgoat 50K looms on the horizon.

I'm no race veteran, but the Sapper Joe was the most organized and efficient race I have ever been a part of. Knowing that the organizers have everything under control gives the runner a sense of confidence and lets the mind focus on the task at hand. The course was beautiful, well marked and quite a bit steeper than expected. I had not previously been to this area of the valley, so I had a mental picture of the terrain. I saw in my mind rolling hills like the ones above the Avenues. Not quite. It was hard, and oddly enough, I'm not a great runner on the flat stuff, but I can chug up the steep stuff and I can plunge headlong with reckless abandon on the downhills. It was a great race and I learned some things that I can take with me to the next adventure.

I will, first of all, start to train harder. Generally, I am in damn good shape and capable of not running much for two months and showing up to a pretty difficult race and toughing it out for an alright finish. However, I owe the race, the landscape and the people who put on the race more respect than a performance less than what I am optimally capable of. Okay, the race, the landscape and the people who put on the race don't care what I do. Only I do, and that's what's going to have to matter.

Forward. Here is what I have to motivate me until the July 18th Speedgoat.

Oh my. So I have some work to do. I've got a bit of a foundation now and I can't let it slip. Time to ramp it up.

Catching up. Here's what I've done for recovery this week.

Monday
JT
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Handstand push-ups
Ring dips
Push-ups
(17:06)

Tuesday
75 power snatches @75#
(8:05) sad.

Wednesday
While everyone was doing the WOD, and in between coaching and timing.
25 weighted pull-ups @44#
25 strict pull-ups
25 ring dips
25 handstand push-ups
50 back extensions
50 ghd sit-ups
50 squats
50 bucket circles
(no time)
2 hours later
20 minute trail run. I took an intentionally long, steep hill to start with. Held RPE of about 15.

Thursday
8 sets of 1 heavy thruster
155#, 165#, 175#, 180#, 185# fail, 185#PR, 190# fail, 190# fail.
Later: Stupid human tricks with Matt Boulden.