Review, regroup, and rev up

This is a planned easy week: 50-60 miles. The timing is good; I feel on the verge of a cold and the additional rest should take care of that. In fact, I'd best take care of most everything that ails me this week as I have a major test coming up. The schedule for the next three weeks is 110 miles, 180 miles, 110 miles. When I think about it, I get just a wee bit nervous. Instead of getting nervous, however, I should take stock of preparations to date. Perhaps I'll discover I'm ready for this next challenge!

So far:

• The first half of 2006 I averaged 45 miles per week (early-year mileage was particularly low as I was coming back from a broken arm-induced lay off).
• Mid-June, 2006 I started running 60-mile weeks.
• August I moved up to 70-mile weeks - my treat to myself upon retiring July 28th.
• After getting six 70+-mile weeks under my sneakers, I moved up to 80-mile weeks in October.
• Again, six weeks of the new mileage level, then it was on to 90-mile weeks the last week of November.
• Since then, the mileage as been a bit jumpy: 90 miles, 58.5 miles (planned easy week), 86 miles, 95.5 miles, 51.5 miles (the week my dad died and we went to Michigan), 77 miles, 95.5 miles, 100.5 miles, 50.5 miles (less mileage than originally planned due to flirting with injury), 70.5 miles, 100 miles, 110 miles, 73.5 miles (higher quality/faster paced), and this week's 50-60.

It looks like I laid a strong groundwork of 70-80+ mile-weeks then went into a patchwork of 6 weeks with 90-100 miles mixed with a few light weeks and a couple of semi-lower mileage/quicker weeks. Will this be enough to tackle the next three week mega-mileage cycle? Based on my recent 110-110 week combo, I'd say "yes!" It was during that stretch that the non-running components of my training started coming together. I was putting more emphasis on stretching, I was more conscious of timing when it came to eating, I was more religious about icing...and it's all paying off. That and the 50-degree days and sunshine. Every little bit, all added together - et voila! Happy healthy runner!