Training for a 100 mile race training recap - 3 Weeks to go!

Map says 16,200 ft, website says over 18k of climbing.

You may have noticed that I went from "5 weeks to go" last week to "three weeks to go" this week.  This is because the previous posts were from the point of view of the beginning of the training week.  Since the race is on May 18th I figured that it was less confusing to post the actual time left until the race (Massanutten Mountain 100).

Monday - Scheduled day off.  And after 113 miles last week, it was nice to rest.

Tuesday - 15 miles on trails (2:00:01 - 8:01 pace).  Ran the trails at a moderate pace. Surprised to see such a brisk pace.  I guess the day of did me some good.  Shoes - Montrail Fluid Flex.

Wednesday - 10 miles of trails (1:14:52 - 7:30 pace).  Watch was acting weird.  Was on a new route so not 100% sure that the miles were accurate.  Happy with pace. Shoes - my beloved New Balance MT110's.

Thursday - 15 miles of roads and trails (2:07:20 - 8:30 pace).  Ran the hilliest roads I can find in my area.  Incorporated the steep powerlines trail section.  Low energy.  Shoes - La Sportiva Helios

Friday - 6 miles of roads (49:34 - 8:16 pace).  Had 5 on schedule, but I like even numbers so I did a bonus mile.  Felt strange to run so little.  Got an email Thursday night from Skechers about a prototype shoe coming my way that I had a lot of input on (no, I can't talk about it yet).  Got motivated to reacquaint myself with the Go Bionic Trail (not out yet)  Shoes - Custom Skechers Go Bionic trail prototypes.

Saturday - AM: 12 miles of roads (1:39:03 - 8:16 pace) Ran to work.  Shoes - Altra Torin
PM: 12 Miles of Trails (1:42:58 - 8:35 pace).  Beautiful afternoon so I added a run after work.  Saw new Altra Lone Peak 1.5 on line so I decided to bust out my old pair and give them a new try.  Looking forward to trying the new ones.  Shoes -  Original Altra Lone Peaks

Sunday - AM: 14 miles (2:56:23 - 12:36 pace). Ran the tough trails at Pawtuckaway State Park with Adam.  Closest simulation to MMT's trails in the area.  After the run I drove home and immediately jumped onto my local trails and ran another 16 miles (2:24:44 - 9:03 pace).  Total miles for today, 30. Shoes - La Sportiva Helios

Summary - 100 miles in 14 hours 55 minutes

Another big week.  In the last 30 days I have run 436.4 miles, which might be the most I've ever run in that time frame.  Luckily I've made it through the toughest part of my training and now I head into three weeks of tapering back.  Although my coach, Satan. still has a 30 mile run scheduled for me this coming Sunday (what the hell kind of taper is that??).

As far as the diet goes, I'm still on track.  No sugar or wheat.  But...I did have a few drinks this week.  I'm losing weight at sort of an alarming pace and didn't think that easing up on the alcohol a bit would hurt.  Now with three weeks to go, I'll be totally back on the wagon until after the race.   Honestly, it felt good to allow myself this little indulgence.  I've been a very strict Vegan for the last several months and I'm positive that it is helping with my recovery.  I'm not ever sore and I really believe that the diet is contributing to that.

I feel like "the hay is in the barn" and I'm going to be very ready to tackle this huge challenge.  I'm at the point where I feel like I could whip off a 20-30 mile run at any time without any trouble.  After crappy results last year I am more confident that this year will be much more successful.