This weekend was my last final "big weekend" of training for FANS. I would have like to have done it next weekend, giving me a three week recovery and taper, but my schedule forced me to peak a week early. I'll still do some good miles next weekend, then lower the intensity and distance gradually.
On Saturday I went to a local park where I mapped a 3.2 mile loop (FANS is a 2.4 mile loop). I repeated the loop 10 times for 32.1 miles in 6:20:23, an 11:51 pace. On Sunday I went to White Rock Lake and did the "long loop" (standard 9+ mile loop plus the spillway addition for about 10.3 miles per loop) three times for 30.84 miles in 6:30:10, a 12:40 pace. Saturday I walked in new shoes and got some big blisters on my left heel. Sunday I switched to older shoes and the blisters only got a little worse. Both walks went pretty well and were fairly even in terms of splits; no major crashes. Now I just have to recover and maintain for FANS.
Yesterday was the kick off for the Fall Team in Training season. As I mentioned previously I am a coach for the DFW Metro Walk Team. I'm really excited about the opportunity to coach. We will have 35-40 walkers on the team, so it's going to be a big group and hopefully a lot of fun. Training starts Tuesday, but the real hardcore training will start on Saturday. I'll let you know how we are doing as the season progresses. My team is training for Nike Women's Half/Full Marathon, Dublin Marathon and the Dallas Half Marathon, all in late October/early November. It's great to be able to help people achieve their personal goals and do things they never thought possible! I can't wait to get to know the team.
