By the time you're reading this I will have exactly 17 days until my first Ultra Marathon, my longest race to date!



Last week I wrote about WHY I'm doing this race and today I'm going to share with you all the training journey I have been on the past 3 months in preparation!



Due to the Midwest and the crazy weather plenty of runs have been done indoors on the treadmill. Not necessarily ideal but it was that or nothing.



The great part is that I have been able to get out on the exact trail I'll be running on during the race. I have ran the trail backwards and forwards, done the crazy hill that's going to be awaiting me at the end of the race. I know the trail, I know quite well and I feel extremely prepared in that aspect.



I'm hoping to get in a 20 miler sometime in the next week or so, may be a bit tricky but I'll get in something long-ish out there *fingers crossed* I have been able to hit long distances, longest run was 18 miles and it felt really good actually! I've been running pretty much daily, taking the "active rest" days as power walking days.



I try really hard to do SOMETHING every single day to keep my legs sharp and used. I have also been doing some long-ish runs back to back days so my legs get used to being ran on when they're tired. I haven't pushed it too hard but I do need my legs to get used to running while tired because let's be real, 30 miles on a trail and they'll be tired!



One of my favorite part of this entire training cycle has been the exploration of a new terrain, I've been solely a road runner until late last year when I discovered the trails! It's also a huge plus that I've been able to share this experience with my Mom. I really feel like it's a pretty unique thing to be able to do this sort of thing with a parent, maybe no and I'm just crazy but either way, I love the time we get to spend together out there, sharing a passion and a love for running and the outdoors in general. It's really special and something that I'll be able to treasure forever!



My other favorite part has to be watching my boys watch me train. They know my running shoes, they know that when we go down into the basement that I'm running. They love to ask, "Mommy, how's your run?" every now and then during a treadmill run. They also ask that whenever I get home from running outdoors. They're invested as well, no they don't understand that I'm in training for a huge race, but they know this is something important to me. I love that they get to watch me run, they get to watch me be dedicated to my health and fitness. I really hope to be able to pass this love along to them!



Overall I'm super happy with how my training has gone, sure there have been hiccups, a couple weeks in there where I was sick and had to step back so that I could recover, then having to readjust the plan BUT that's life, especially when you're dealing with a 16 week training plan, life happens and we just have to roll with the punches. It's much easier to be adaptable than to get frustrated and give up all together (let's be real, it's taken me YEARS to be able to be okay with this idea when it comes to training!)



 I've essentially switched over to training for my upcoming Half Marathon in June, the goal is to PR that race SO I wanted to make sure I give that race it's due as well. Overlapping these training plans has been interesting and I'll let you all know how that feels closer to the 50K and then give a recap afterwards on whether it was a good idea or not! I'll also write out, roughly, my entire training cycle and plan that I stuck to throughout this cycle in hopes that it may help someone else out there looking for a plan that can be easily adaptable (hello moms who love to run!)

I hope everyone has been having a great week!!