Superior training week twenty-two recap

I got some running-is-a-part-time-job kind of numbers this week.

• 14 hours, 32 minutes

• 60.4 miles

• 10,656 ft D+

I ran every day except Monday and hills every day but Thursday, when I did an easy run by the river.

Two weeks ago I wrote:

I want to get ~110 miles and 15,000 ft of climbing in over the next two weeks.

I pretty much did it. 103 miles and almost 18,000 ft of climbing. My training is finally coming together and none too soon, with my one race of the year less than two weeks away.

Today I went back to RMNP to beat the heat and had a great long run on the loop I did in June, but in the other direction and without snow. I weathered some afternoon rain and hail, for the first time on a long run, and at the end of the day dealt with a herd of elk at the trailhead where I had parked. I'm comfortable being close to mule deer, but adult elk are big and can mess you up! The smart thing to do is wait for them to move along, or go around, giving them a wide berth. In about two weeks, male elk will begin competing for mates and it will become more dangerous to be out in the meadows with them.