Notes
Post GLR Summary:
The 2019 edition of GLR was certainly a memorable one. The lead up to the race was chaotic with initially 30+ people committing, before a good chunk drop out to leave us with 19 people, less than 2 full teams. In addition, the burn on Birkel's foot left the group even more hamstring'd. However, Team NBA was lucky that all major casualties were on the other group, so we were at full strength, numbers wise.
I ended up actually enjoying the smaller group. It let me (forced me?) to interact with people who on other trips I just hadn't due to the large numbers. Also, I thought it helped to bring the younger group of Elites my age more in contact with the older crowd.
Team wise, given the circumstances, I was proud of the group. The mixed team, despite running with 9 people and an injured Birkel, still managed 5th place in the mixed division. And Team NBA faired well in the open, running a solid 9th. The competition overall felt odd this year. I don't know if it was because we cared less about placing high than the past 2 years, but it was difficult to tell what place we were in all weekend. The front few teams seemed even more strung out than usual.
As for running, I thought I had a fairly successful weekend. I ran hard on all my legs, and didn't leave any particular leg like I left a ton out there. This year I did have very un-challenging legs, directionally. Most were straight for most/all the run. I finished the weekend with tired legs, but by far the least beat up I've felt post-GLR. Some probably has to do with the terrain I was running on (lots of dirt roads). Still, not feeling totally wrecked makes me think maybe I could have pushed harder somewhere.
From here, I'm looking forward to the post-GLR bump in training motivation. With Indy on the schedule in November, I'm now faced with trying to run a fast half. The plan right now is still in the works, but I have 2 main goals in my head for training. First is to get my mileage up consistently into the 70s. And second is to get some speed back in my legs. If I want to run what I want in the half, I can't be just running all workouts in the 5:40s like I have been. Still need to decide what that actually looks like, but for now I'm gonna take the next week to rest up and try to start getting in the habit of doing more little things consistently.