I was looking forward to this run all week because it’s such a gorgeous and, actually, fun run. Up in the canyons, overlooking the whole city and part of the ocean, dirt path, no cars, and it was 70 degrees which was awesome. The first 3.5 miles are all up hill and we had a great crew starting out (Tony, Yermie, Richard, and Moses). I wish we had at least a half mile warm up on flat land before we started the climb but I didn’t design the mountain. We literally start and don’t get a break til 3.5 miles up where it flattens out briefly and then continues up. It slopes down a little bit later and then back up (and down and back up) but its a great workout to push hard up the hills and then relax on the downhills. I will be feeling it in my glutes tomorrow.

Anyways, we went out for 50 minutes (about 7.5 miles) and then turned around and pushed it back. Hadn’t done a legitimate long run in a while (since the one in Central Park was awful) so it felt great to be moving for a long time at a good clip. About 15 miles total for the run and then straight to Coach’s pool (about 5 minutes away) for a 15 minute ice bath.

Since the joints were taking quite a beating on the way back with the steep decline and slant, the ice cold water really helped the legs get rid of all the lactic acid buildup over the past few days. 15 minutes is about the longest you want to be in a cold bath for. Any longer, it can actually have the opposite affect and cause more circulation of the same blood (or what 20 minutes of heating your legs would do).

Legs feel really fresh and ready for a tough week in terms of workouts and mileage. Next race will be on December 10th in Santa Monica. I will run a 5k and hope to get in the low 14 minutes.

Would love to hear about some upcoming races or training schedules on your end. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick