Week 7 – Almost There…
Asa H -
This week was all about squeezing in some last-minute training before the 50-miler next Saturday. It’s crazy to think it’s almost here. After months of building mileage and long runs, the focus has shifted from pushing hard to pulling back and letting my body recover.
I started off the week with a 25-mile run on Monday. It was long, no doubt, but honestly, it felt pretty good overall. It took a while to get through, but it was one of those runs that just felt smooth once I got into it. It was a great way to set the tone for the week. I didn’t feel totally wrecked afterward, which was a nice confidence boost.
Tuesday was a rest day, and I definitely needed it. After that, I ran 8 miles on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. All three runs were pretty chill — just about keeping the legs moving without doing anything crazy. I wasn’t worried about pace, just staying consistent and getting in some solid, easy miles.
On Saturday, I cut it way back to just 4 miles, which honestly felt almost too short compared to what I’m used to now. Then on Sunday, I was supposed to run 10 miles, but I ended up calling it at 6 miles. I was feeling tired and just didn’t think forcing the extra 4 miles would do anything positive. A few months ago, I probably would’ve stubbornly pushed through, but I’m trying to be smarter about listening to my body, especially with the race so close.
This upcoming week is going to be super light. I’ll only run three easy 4-mile runs — Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — and I’ll take Monday and Friday completely off. After that, it’s time to line up for the 50.
The reason for this really light schedule is to flush out the systemic fatigue that’s built up over the whole training cycle. Even though my body feels mostly fine on the surface, there’s definitely deeper fatigue hiding out in my muscles, joints, and even my nervous system. That’s what tapering is for — giving my body time to repair, reload glycogen stores, reset my hormones, and basically get everything firing at full strength again.
I’ve read and been told that the trick is to not stop moving completely — keeping the legs turning over a little helps maintain muscle memory and blood flow, but the real goal now is to show up at the start line fresh, not fried.
Right now, I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. 50 miles is going to be a big challenge, there’s no way around that, but looking back on all the work I’ve put in, I feel ready. The hard part’s done. This week is just about trusting the process, keeping things simple, and getting myself to the start line healthy and hungry to go.
Comments:
All viewpoints are welcome but profane, threatening, disrespectful, or harassing comments will not be tolerated and are subject to moderation up to, and including, full deletion.