Week 5 - 14,510' (53,440')

29 - 2,350' - up/down on a mix of trails.

30 - 1,200' - up/down on Blue Ridge Parkway.

31 - 1900' - up/down on Shut-In.

32 - 2,530' - up only on treadmill.

33 - 2160' - up/down on Shut-In. 1h/1e x 10. *

34 - 1,200' - up/down on Blue Ridge Parkway. 3 mile test (137), then 7 x :30 strides. **

35 - 3,170' - up only on treadmill 6%/6mph. (132,136,137,137,140,139,140,141,143) ***

Big week for me getting in alot of vert as well as some quality. Very happy with what I discovered this week.

* = Did 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy for 20 minutes on grades between 12%-20% as well as some easy running before and after the reps.

** = There's a great section of the Parkway that's closed most of the winter and I took advantage of the first 3 miles of that section today which is a very even incline of about 300' per mile, about 5.7% grade. I decided I'd keep as close to a 10:00 pace as possible and see what kind of HR data I get -137 average. Then turned around and jogged back down for a few uphill strides.

*** = I wanted to extend a bit on what I did yesterday and get an idea of where I'm at. I really like the 6% grade after doing alot of 10%-20% the past month. I did notice the 10:00 pace right away, though. I've been doing alot of 14:00-20:00 paces over the steep stuff and it took a good 2 miles of this run to feel comfortable at the 10:00 pace. I'm very happy with the HR data, the fact that it stayed steady and just inched up each mile. The low HR is not as low as it might appear. My max is only about 170 and 150 would be getting into some good work. I can also say that my legs were more tired than my heart today - probably because of hitting a pace I really haven't worked with lately going uphill.

Side Note - Rick walks into a bar. Before him are 2 beautiful widgets, both of which he desires quite alot, but one just slightly more. One of the widgets is a sure thing while the other requires a little luck to get in to. Although Rick would be quite happy to get into either widget, the one that requires a little luck seems to be drawing him a little more, like the way any beautiful widget would motion with just the index finger. Perhaps it's the unknown that makes this widget slightly more desirable? The widget that's a sure thing would be quite an adventure and a true test of stamina and longevity. How long could Rick go before the shoulders drop forward and the back begins to slouch? Would there be enough oxygen in the blood to provide energy to the most necessary muscles that the widget would demand?

The choice to drop my name in the hat for the slightly more desirable widget would eliminate all chances of the sure thing. When Rick was in his 20's he would have chosen the sure thing, in his 30's, he'd had tried his luck looking to get into the widget with the intriguing eyes. What will he do in his 40's? Perhaps be patient and realize the widgets are sticking around for a few drinks, a decision does not need to be made at this very moment. But, the sure thing won't be closing the bar, there are quite a few people out there who'd love to get into this widget.