Mountain Mother Runner

The final recap of Ultra (?) Training is here! If you hadn’t read my post last week , the taper time of rest and reduced running was really driving me crazy. I had read other runners’ stories and experiences of dealing with the ‘Taper Blues’ or the ‘Taper Tantrums’, but I hadn’t ever gone through it myself! My last three training runs were shared with Eisley in the stroller. We did 6.34 miles on Monday, 6.10 miles on Tuesday, and a short shakeout run of 3.04 miles on Friday. Not sure about you, but I am a numbers person! I love keeping track of everything so I can look back and compare. After going through each of the 18 weeks of training, I was very surprised at the numbers that added up from my mileage logged... Solo Miles: 446.39 Stroller Miles: 207.65 Total miles: 654.04 Are you kidding me? I can't believe Eisley cruised around for over 200 miles this summer listening to music, eating snacks, taking naps, and telling me to run faster. We've had so much fun to...

The end of this long training cycle has turned into a strange relationship. I have found myself looking at my workout plan and feeling a slight dread about the run, whether it’s a hill repeat day, tempo, or even a 90 minute easy run. I’ve reached the point of HAVING to run, like it is some sort of chore. Pushing Eisley in the stroller for 2-3 runs per week helped me gain strength in the beginning, but lately it just seems so hard. Is she gaining weight? Am I losing my mojo? A major factor has been the later sunrise and the rising temperatures. The heat is a total energy drainer and makes a run feel slightly miserable, having me wonder how long until it’s over. Maybe it could be because my energy levels have been less during this taper, or maybe it’s because I’ve never really trained this long for anything. Early apologies for the TMI, but have you heard or read about female athletes training so much that their menstrual cycle stops? Here is an informational article from Runners...