Countdown to the El Paso Marathon

In 7 days I will run the El Paso Marathon, but will treat this as a training run for the Jemez Mountain 50 miler that I’m running in May. Usually a marathoner would build his mileage reaching a 20 mile long run about 4-6 weeks before the big race. He would then taper off to ensure that he is well rested and in optimum shape to run a fast marathon.

I, on the other hand, am training for a 50 mile high altitude trail run in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. My training strategy is to run back to back long runs of 15-20 miles on the weekends with easier 4-6 mile runs during the week. I plan to complete a 30-35 mile training run in March and a 35-40 mile run in April. This should prepare me for the challenging course I will encounter in May.

Going in to the marathon I will not be well rested to run a fast race, but this is nothing new to me. The marathon will be an excellent opportunity to get in a 26.2 mile training run complete with frequent water stops, cheering squads, and spectators; something I will not encounter on the trails of the Jemez.

Yesterday I ran a 15 miler in the rocky, rugged foothills of the Franklin Mountains and, wouldn’t you know it, rolled my ankle at the end of my run. I had just spent 2 hours negotiating loose pebbles, rock gardens, and steep climbs without incident. Ironically my mishap was during the last 2 steps before reaching the safe pavement of my neighborhood.

This morning I completed another 15 mile run through my neighborhood and along the Rio Grande. I was a little concerned about my ankle when I woke up so didn’t know what to expect. The weather called for showers and high winds. I thought to myself, “is this a good idea?” When I left the house I was pleasantly surprised; my ankle felt OK and the sun was shining with no wind.

After running for several hours I still felt pretty good, but the sky was turning black and the wind was picking up. Only 30 more minutes and I will be sipping coffee in my cozy living room. Soon the rain started coming down and trash was blowing around in the street. I made the last steep climb to my neighborhood and it was all downhill. Not a bad way to start a Sunday morning. Full marathon report next week. See you on the trail.