Endur Stage 4 - 10 Mile Hill Run

 Stage 4 is in the books,  a wee bit slower then last year but again a good solid effort so I am quite pleased with my 1h31m37s  ,  only 49 seconds slower then  last year.   I wasn't sure how the legs were going to take flying down the downhills but I am pleased to say that it wasn't an issue.   Its the following day that I am writing this report and I feel pretty good,  a wee bit hungry ,  slightly tired and only a bit of Quad pain ,  not noticeable unless I put pressure on the muscle and even then its only slight.  I feel well prepared for tomorrows Alpine event at Chicopee. 

Once again I found myself watching the HR ,  especially on the climbs.  Tried to maintain in  the mid 140's then low 150's on the climbs and then opened up the last couple of Ks getting to 163 bpm on the last climb to the finish...max is 169 (  new figured it was around 164 pre Endur 2019 )

Looking at the Garmin data...

Relive 'Evening Aug 14th'

Endur Stage 3 - 30 km Trail

Stage 3 is in the books!  I had a consistent run but it was 9 minutes slower then last year coming in at 3h27m35.   The legs felt like I was already 20 km into a 50 km race when I started.  The were heavy felling,  no pop in them at all.  I was expecting things to loosen up as I wen along but it didn't happen.  I wanted to keep the avg pace under a 7:00 km and that is exactly what I did coming in at 6:55..I will take it.   The last of the 6 laps was the hardest it was getting super hot and it was catching up with me.  I didn't have allot of time to play with so I had to push hard where it was easy and cruise where I had to.

Splits ... 35:05, 34:54, 33:15, 34:35, 34:27, 35:19

Cant complain when the last lap is only 14 seconds slower then the first. 

Garmin Data ...

Fitbit Heart Rate Data ...

HR data at the start is false ,  it was a gradual climb maintaining the same pace.   Maxed out at 161 bpm on the last loop ...it was a tough one but I pushed through it. 

Relive 'Morning Aug 13th'

Endur Stage 2 - 15 km time trial

Stage 2 is in the books,  1h22m21s ,  a few minutes off previous times but the course was a little more difficult.  It was described as an out and back on a rail trail but there was a handful or two of little hills and a crazy spiral walkway.  I did what I could ,  didn't leave anything out there.  The heart rate was more or less around 150 bpm give or take.  Had to gear it back a few times to let the HR settle a bit. 

Fitbit HR Data ...

Finished strong feeling a little dizzy...recovered quickly.   I was really looking forward to a run that I could settle into a constant pace.  The small elevation changes made the impossible for me.  It was no big deal,  everyone was facing the same route so its an even playing field.     The 10 km time trial will be a good opportunity to settle into " the pace" being on a track.

Garmin Splits ...

The 2nd and the 14th km was the same part of the course and were the fastest and 2nd slowest of the day!  Coming in I geared it back to catch up on the O2 looking for a strong finish. 

Relive 'Morning Aug 12th'

Stage 2 pictures  ...

Endur Stage 1 - 1/2 Marathon

 1hr59m50 seconds ,   set out to do the half a tiny bit better this year giving the distance the respect it deserves.  Decided to hydrate as well as take in  a gel at around the 15K mark and that is what I did.   Its not a super speedy time but its better then last year but not 2 years ago logging a 1h59m05.   I never pay all that much attention to my past times and probably should I really believed that I had an Endur Stage 1 PB ....oh well next year.     I was pretty consistent with my pace but its really hard to tell with the rolling hills.   It will be interesting to see what I have in the tank for tomorrows 15k time trail ,  2 years ago it was 1h18m41s ,  last year 1h18m13s.  Its an out and back on a rail trail so it should be a little easier then last year so my goal is a 1h17mXXs ,   it seems like a tall order but I had very similar starts the last 2 years...guess I will find out in the morning. 

Relive 'Morning Aug 11th'

Endur run up...

With Endur starting Sunday I am not doing much this week.    On Wednesday I lifted at lunch and didn't run.  Yesterday I logged 4 km on the backyard trail. 

Some wee speed

Another 5 km logged on my meal break.  Been throwing in a few Ks every day @ 5:00 pace. 

Monday

5 km today on my meal break. 

Endur weigh in 173 lbs.