Week ending Feb 4

Sunday: Off. Got some work done which gave the day a semblance of productivity.

Monday: 12 miles, foothills trail, 2500ft of gain. It's my easy week, but that doesn't mean I don't have to give up my favorite route. Felt really good by the time I got on top of the ridge and really cruised on the west side of Reservoir Ridge. Nice warm-ish day, with temperatures near and above freezing (warm by clear January morning standards).

Tuesday: 8 miles, foothills trail, 1500ft of gain. Feeling a little groggy today, but that's due to a grueling but productive day yesterday, and not bringing enough food for lunch (our department is way outside of town). I just didn't do the nutrition thing right yesterday, and today I paid for it.

Wednesday: 8 miles, foothills trail, 1500ft of gain; 4 miles, Dixon reservoir, 500ft of gain. Split the mileage today to break in the Bare-Grip 200's. First run of the day felt pretty good and was one of my fastest times for this route, although it didn't feel like it at the time. My downhill running has improved quite a bit - I think it's a combination of confidence and skill gained from months of rough trails. I feel like I'm floating over boulders and the gnarly rocks embedded in the trail. The second run was insane, in a good way. The Inov8's fit snugly, but not too snug to cause issues; I would've liked a wide size, but everything else about these shoes more than makes up for it - highly-adjustable lacing, great groundfeel, and some wicked grip (duh). Anyway, this run was an out-and-back 4 miler, with a small ~250ft hill in the middle (basically the rise of the Plains up to the Dakota Hogback). 4 miles in 23 minutes, 5:45 per mile, on a rough trail with moderate elevation gain...I don't know what just happened.

Thursday: 10 miles, foothills trail, 1500ft of gain. Very relaxed run today before my flight to LA.

Friday: 4 miles, treadmill in an LA hotel. The best I could do, and I had limited time between engagements to get a run in. Oh well.

Saturday: cross-trained on an elliptical in an LA hotel for 1.5 hours. I forgot how strange this thing feels, but it's no impact and very low stress.

Miles: 42
Elevation gain: 7500ft
Time: 7 hours (+1.5 hours cross training)

My plan this week was to drop down mileage a fair amount to let last week's high-mileage sink in; mission accomplished. I visited LA for a family function and knew I wouldn't have much time in between festivities to get a run in (it's about 1 hour to the trails in Topanga and the hills northeast of Malibu).