Bear training week 28 recap

It's T-24 days to the Bear 100. I've been busy with life, training, and work. Blogging has suffered. I'm going to catch up a bit this week.

Week 28 was a solid training week. I'm very pleased with the work I did.

• 52.3 miles running

• 12,943 feet D+ running

• 17 hours, 40 minutes all training

I did five runs, all with significant elevation gains, and all over 90 minutes. I also did one yoga session, one session of tempo intervals on my favorite elliptical/stair-stepper hybrid at its max vert setting, and a lot of short bike rides.

I found a way to extend one of my favorite local segments to make one mile up-and-down laps with 250 feet of positive elevation gain (dénivelé positif, in French, or "D+") . This is slightly steeper than the Bear's rate of 230 feet per mile. Friday I did four laps. This week I'll do the same workout and at least five laps. It's not the most scenic run, but it's close to home and doesn't require a 20-minute drive. A trail-running podcast episode about crewing and pacing made the repeats pass quickly.

Sunday I went out for six hours in conditions that I expect at the Bear and at a similar elevation, on a route with a 3,000 foot climb and a 2,400 foot climb. I counted my carbs, fluids, and salt intake to use in planning my race fueling and hydration. I ran nine miles up and over Crosier Mountain (9,250 feet, or 2,819 meters) and down to the Glen Haven General Store for water, potato chips, peanut M&Ms, and a Coke. Then I reversed course, summitted again, and then ran back down to my car. Nine miles is a typical gap between aid stations at the Bear. It was a useful simulation. My legs felt good, my gear was fine, my fueling and hydration adequate.

The second half of August has been pretty wet and the mountain vegetation is unusually lush. I saw thriving moss and ferns on the shady slopes of the Big Thompson canyon, and running water in the springs higher up. The trail conditions were fabulous, neither muddy nor dusty.