It seems as though we just did Wilke a little while ago, but it has indeed been three weeks. Just like last time, Gilbert had us doing Wilke the Monday after a longer long run...last time it was after a 15.5 miler, today after the 18.6 mile tour of the AT&T course on Saturday. This sort of workout schedule builds character, no? :-)
Anyway, it was really great out there this morning. It was around 40 degrees when we started, and it might have warmed to the mid-40's by the time we were done at Wilke, and then maybe warmed a bit more by the time we stretched. This sort of weather makes Wilke a lot more tolerable. The warmup run was really nice and easy , for a change, but of course I was trailing everyone on the warmup, so those in front might have been boogeying right along. I'll never know. We all did the long warmup/cooldown version of Wilke today, and as previously noted, I think that's the only way to do this workout. Plus, after the long run on Saturday, I needed the extra distance to get fully loose and ready to run the hills. Once we reached the parking lot at Robert E. Lee, I hung back to make sure Eric found his way to Wilke, and we had a nice chat as we rolled through those warmup hills. When we got there, we had only missed one drill, so that worked out about right.
Gilbert gathered us up, and it was a much better crowd today than usual for Wilke. Given the long warmup/cooldown, he only called for 7 x Wilke, and 2 Backwards Wilkes. I was thinking we'd bump up to 8 x Wilke with the usual 3 x Backwards, so relatively speaking, I was happy that we'd have this "easier" workout today. Kenny and Gilbert took up positions on the hill so that we couldn't cheat anywhere, and we were off. It was good to see Brad and Jan back with us today, and I ran the first couple of the uphill Wilkes with Brad. My goal was to set a steady pace and to maintain good form throughout the repeats. I succeeded with that, I think. I started out last, and ended up in mid-pack, so I was moving up as the workout progressed. I only made "Wilke Noises" on the very last repeat, and only for a short time. It is always a wonderful thing to be at the top of the mountain after that last repeat! I noticed that Gilbert made Eric his special project for the morning, making sure that he learned the correct method to the madness that is Wilke. Everyone gets his or her turn as the Special Project on this workout, and Gilbert does end up making the workout go better for you as you learn the proper form and speed for the hills.
With "only" two backwards Wilkes on the schedule, I was very happy. Still, I finished that second backwards repeat feeling like my quads were on fire, which is the desired result, I think. It was really great to come down off the mountain for the last time!
A cup or two of Powerade, and it was time to jog back to RunTex. Going back, we could see the trails near Barton Springs better, and so we got to enjoy quieter running on the return trip. For a change, we ran truly easy coming back. We've been guilty of running too fast on the cooldown miles on most workouts, so it was great to see us really letting the body relax off of the more intense work today.
I stretched with Colleen, and that was the day. Right at 8 miles total, and it was an entertaining bit of mileage at that. Tomorrow is easy running, and then I'll be running in the countryside for the rest of the week while travelling. That will be great as long as the deer hunters don't mistake me for a white-tail deer. :-) I'll wear only non-natural colors, so that should keep me safe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment