Pisgah Prep

I slightly altered my plans the past few days.  I had hoped to run the Vin Gormley Trail x 2 for a 16 mile trail run over the holiday weekend.  The goal was to do a long trail run (in my trail shoes - I hardly use them anymore and opt to run everything in my Nike Free Runs) for about the time I would be out running the Pisgah Mountain Trail run 23K (2+ hours).  I wanted to feel comfortable running for that amount of time as I haven't done any long runs recently. 
I decided against this run when the time came.  I wasn't feeling up to it, and I was enjoying a nice weekend home with the family.  Instead, I did a short hill workout on my property Sunday.  This included 3 big loops and 5 shorter ones for a total of 3 miles.  The big loop involved scrambling  up (some hands and feet necessary) the extremely steep section of the hill - approximately 150 feet of elevation.  I was toast after the third lap, and then did the shorter loop (described in an earlier post) until I felt like I got in three miles.  My son was out in the woods cheering me on and running parts of it with me which was really awesome.  I'm impressed with his balance and his stamina for his young age.  He is unfazed with tricky footing and hills.  Watch out for him in fifteen years! 
Tuesday, I was able to get in the long run I was looking for.  I ran my Rome Point trails loop (6.5 miles) x 2 for a total of 13 miles (I feel the mileage is very accurate).  The weather was warmish, humid, and breezy.  I wanted to run a good pace without overdoing it, and I was pleased with my 47:48 first lap.  I stopped at my car to check my phone and drink a llittle bit of water.  My legs still felt fresh starting lap 2.  About half way in, I was over twenty seconds faster than the first loop.  This motivated me to keep pushing myself to get a negative split, despite how my legs and feet were now feeling.  I gave it a good push to the end, and finished my second lap in 45:55, for a total running time of 1:33:43 (7:12 pace).  This run felt great, and is quite the confidence booster!  The plan is to run a lot this week (hills - the bigger the better) and then take a few days off before the race the following Sunday....