10 days to Go........

With just 10 days to go until the Las Vegas Marathon, I'm starting to feel even more excited and fairly confident of a good race in "Sin City" on November 15th. 

Since completing the TransRockies Run back in August of this year, Vegas has been my main focus and I have to say that training has gone extremely well - even with a move to Phoenix and experiencing 100 degree temperatures when first arriving which was during a crucial point in my training program. I was feeling fit and ready for TransRockies after a summer of running on the trails, but marathon training has meant a switch back to mainly roads with lots of speed work and tempo runs, but it would appear that my body has adjusted pretty well and I have found that my average pace on my easy runs is now half a minute per km faster than it was a few months ago.

Although training has gone well, it has also been extremely tough, especially the long weekend runs, simply due to the desert heat. Back in Calgary, I could happily run 20-25km without needing to take on board too much fluid, but here in Phoenix, even on a 10k easy run, I'm finding that I need to drink a good litre of water to make sure I reap the benefits of the sessions and to ensure that I don't overheat and become dehydrated. During the 30km + runs, I've had to choose routes where I know there is a water fountain so that I can refill bottles or my camelback, neither of which are ideal when some of those long runs have involved elements of speed work. It's not so bad carrying a backpack when running trails and I have tried to stick to them as much as possible, but with training for a road marathon, road running is a necessity to prepare my body for the trauma it will face when running on tarmac for 42km - carrying a backpack alters my running style and sometimes I have woken up the following day with achy muscles as a result of attempting to pick up the pace when on road.

A few weeks ago we bought a treadmill to help get the maximum benefit from my speed work. I'm not a great fan of the dreaded treadmill as I much prefer to run outdoors and battle the elements, but I have found it a blessing this past month or so and feel as though it really has helped with my preparation for Las Vegas. I've been able to run with air con and a fan to keep me cool (although I've still been dripping in sweat!), and I've had drinks to hand throughout which has meant I can focus on just running instead of worrying about running out of water and wondering when I'll next be able to refill my water bottles. The furthest I've done so far is 2 x 18km tempo runs, and I was really pleased that yesterday's 18km tempo was 3 minutes faster than a couple of weeks ago.

Runs with Pups :-)

My easy runs are still done outdoors and in a previous life, I would take Wilson and Brandy with me on those runs as they were generally at a pace that both dogs could cope with. I haven't been able to run with the dogs as much as I would have liked since I arrived in Phoenix, but earlier this week, a storm system moved through the valley which brought 2 feet of snow to the north of us in Flagstaff, and cooler temperatures and rain for us here in Phoenix. It was still around 65-70 degrees but with the cloud cover and a cooling breeze, I seized the opportunity and headed out with both pups for the first time in over a month, 

As soon as Wilson saw his running harness, he got really excited and his usual howling and barking started which set Brandy off with her crazy darting backwards and forwards around the house. They both knew what was coming and there was absolutely no doubt that they were extremely excited.

We ran an 8km out and back route to Deem Hills and although they still found it on the warm side with tongues lolling as they trotted along beside me, I could sense that they were extremely happy and were enjoying every moment. We stopped for water at Deem Hills as the ice in their neckerchiefs was almost melted, and I gave them a good dousing with the cool, refreshing water whilst they had a good drink, filling a poop bag with water and carrying it with us so they could have more if they needed whilst we were heading back home.

A warm Brampster

It was so nice to run with them again and all 3 of us were beaming with delight and happiness on arriving back home an hour or so later.

Today's run was another easy run but although the weather was still cool, it was too far to take them with me, so instead we spent some time at the local community park. Unlike many other places here, this park has a huge grassy area and whilst dogs are not allowed off-leash there, we still had fun running backwards and forwards and playing with a ball even though they were on leashes. Wilson and Brandy loved it and they spent considerable time rolling around and cooling off in the lush green grass before we headed home where they then slept and groaned in contentment as they nodded off.

It's certainly been a great couple of days - I've ran with my pups and I've had some really good speed sessions as I now move into the final week of my preparation for Las Vegas. It's now taper time, my body and mind are feeling ready, and I'm just hoping that the positives thoughts and the feeling fit, strong and healthy last so that I get the result I'm looking for in Las Vegas.

Enjoying the cooler weather

Happy boy :-)