A friend of ours who has run TransRockies several times said last year, "The training is the hardest part..." when Mark and I were considering this epic race. The training has been hard, but it's lead to some really epic runs and opportunities to hang out with some great people. This past weekend was epic with back to back to back long runs, starting off with our moonlight run in the Grand Canyon down to the river and back. Mark's post describing our adventure was spot on. It was an amazing run and one I'm not so sure I would have tackled had I not been training for TransRockies. Our third long run of the weekend was also quite memorable for me. It's difficult to describe the feeling you get when running on a great mountain trail early in the morning, but I have to say I was feeling pretty lucky to live where I live and have that opportunity. As the the completion of that third long run in a row was nearing, I remember thinking how amazed I was that Mark and I were able to complete the week and the three challenging runs with no more damage than just run-of-the-mill fatigue. Mike Smith has mentioned from time to time that we've got to throw out the conventional wisdom about training, and that we would be surprised at what our bodies could handle, I guess I needed to see it for myself to actually believe him.
This past week of training, ending with the three long runs, leaves Mark and I feeling pretty good about our preparation for the race. We have no false sense of being finish leaders, but we now know that we can finish, and that will be a big accomplishment. There are still 4 weeks left in training and I'm sure we have another weekend of long runs just ahead, but is the training the hardest part? I guess we'll know soon enough.
-jea
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