Step back week: Fun and Dangerous at the same time

Step back weeks are a great part of marathon training which is not quite a week off, but certainly a recovery week where there's no increase of weekly mileage or long run mileage. I love step back weeks because they usually come when I'm not feeling so good and wasn't going to run anyways.

But by the end of the week, I start to go a little stir crazy which leads to thoughts like, "hmmm, it would be fun to train for a 50-miler and do one". (Who thinks like that?) I started looking around for ultra-marathons. (I have the time because I'm not out running.) I have seen the 12 and 24hr races at Lake Nokomis in person and I'd love to do one some time. (I think my feelings about Lake Nokomis are clear by now although this could be the kiss of death.) It's not a true 50-miler, it's "how far can you go in 12 hours" distance. (I'd do the 12 hour before deciding on the 24 hour race.) And all my local friends can come cheer or take turns running around in circles with me.

Robin and Jenna told me about the Superior Trail Race which is a true 50-miler with a cut-off at the last water stop that I think I could handle. It's trail running which I typically can't stand so I'd have to train a little differently. (Most soccer players kill their knees; I seemed to ruin my ankles and that makes trails particularly hard for me. Maybe I'm just a wimp.)

These are both possibilities for 2011; not even close for 2010. I'm imagining that 2011 will see me train for the full Flying Pig in early May and then maybe a longer race after that. I'm not sure. I've got to get through the Twin Cities Marathon this year first.

What other crazy thing did I do this week?

I said, "I'll teach you all to run a 5k and then we can do the Milk Run (and later the Dreidel Dash)" when a colleague said she was going to start a weight-loss group at work. How am I going to train these people to run a 5k while I'm trying to train for a marathon? I have no freaking clue; I'm open to suggestions. I'm thinking this is the training program to use and it'll be bonus running miles for me.

Today is the prettiest day ever in life. Maybe I just feel that way because we've had so much rain lately that I was ready to build an ark. I woke up at 5am (no, seriously) and ran by the pretty lakes. It was really windy. I had a great run and hauled tail too. This time Paula Radcliff told me I set a new personal best in the mile. (Thanks but there's no way I did a 7:18 mile on that run.) Then I went to work and was done by 12:30. WIN I came home and ate my Chipotle out on the patio. (I feel kind of full from that burrito. Bleh.) I'm not sure what else I'll do to entertain myself today. I was thinking about a walk but that burrito is going to take a while to go down.