Sorry to be posting this on a Sunday, but we just returned from another weekend on Lake Ouachita. After the Little Rock Marathon, I’ve been kind of lackadaisical regarding my fitness, but never fear, I have finally gotten back on a training plan. Well, I signed up for a marathon on the 25th of May and a 50k on July 12th, and I don’t want to be embarrassed, so I have to prepare. I used my recent 10k time to calculate all my pace times for this round of training.
Sunday, I completed 30 minutes of yoga.
Monday: Easy 3 miles at 11:00 minute pace.
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Tuesday, I completed 30 minutes of yoga.
On Wednesday, I had a 6 mile tempo run. 1 mile warm up, 4 miles at 9:24 pace, and a 1 mile cool down.
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It was also sunny, and I got my first running tank top lines.
Thursday was absolutely beautiful and I rode 15 miles around Lake DeGray. I am totally a fair weather cyclist, but I really do love riding.
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Friday, was a complete rest day.
On Saturday, I fished the morning away and set out for a run after I ate lunch. I ran down the road 4 miles and then ran/power hiked the Womble Trail. I was supposed to do 12 miles, but you know, trails are hard. I was tired.
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The Womble Trail is awesome. It is very scenic and challenging. At some points, my HR was in the 170s walking up the inclines. People mountain bike this trail, and I cannot imagine how hard that is.
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Here are some of the scenic views:
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The Ouachita River is down there.
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I passed several markers along the way that were placed by the Forestry Service. Wouldn’t that be an awesome job!
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Let me spend a moment talking about running unfamiliar trails alone. My husband knew exactly the route I was taking, and he knew he should start looking for me after 3 hours. I carried plenty of water and food just in case I got stranded or hurt. I also carried my cell phone and when I had service, I would text location updates to narrow a search area if one needed to be conducted. I also carried a small pistol and pepper spray in my CamelBak. You never know what could happen and it is best to just prepare for everything.
Please do not saunter down a very remote, challenging trail on your first hiking or trail running experience. Pick something easy, that is heavily traveled. I am very familiar with the geography of this area and have spent weeks in these woods.
So anyway, I had a great fitness week. What about you?