The plan was simple enough—somewhere between 9 and 12 miles on the trails. I didn't know exactly what the distance would be until I finished because I was mixing up the arrangement, trying different trail combinations to keep things interesting.
It was a stark contrast to yesterday's mountain biking session, which was intense but brief—just a half hour of hard work. Today was about endurance, about keeping my feet moving deliberately up the hills instead of defaulting to power hiking.
First 5K Feeling Strong
The first 5K went by smoothly, clocking in at 42 minutes and change. My body felt good right from the start – one of those rare days when everything seems to work. I could maintain a quick pace even on the uphill sections, pushing into high zone 3 or zone 4 to do it, but today was when that extra effort felt worthwhile. When your body cooperates like this, you don't question it – you go with it.
Holding the Pace
By 15K, I was still trying to hold at least 4.5 mph. It had just recently fallen back to 4.4, but I wanted to see if I could regain it on the final stretch back to the car. Overall, the run felt remarkably good—one of those days when various factors align perfectly.
I couldn't tell if it was the combination of good sleep, the cold weather, or the paraxanthine I tried instead of coffee this morning. Maybe all three. My stomach wasn't bothered during the run, and the Skratch in my bottle went down perfectly fine.
Only Two Hills Required Power Hiking
There were only two hills at the end that I had to power hike – the two steepest sections of the route, where I didn't feel like trying to run up would be productive. But besides those two exceptions, I maintained my goal of running deliberately up every incline, which felt like a significant achievement for the day.
What made today's run possible? I think it was a combination of factors. First, I had a great night's sleep. I didn't go to bed particularly early, but I went to bed on time and slept in just a little. My Eight Sleep gave me a 100% score, with all vitals in the green and both REM and deep sleep at acceptable levels.
Weather and Nutrition Wildcards
The weather was another factor – super gloomy and chilly, barely reaching 45 degrees despite yesterday being practically 80. These cooler conditions typically help my performance.
Then there was the paraxanthine experiment – 200 milligrams instead of my usual coffee. I think that could have been the wild card. I'll have to try it again to confirm. Next weekend I've got a 35-40K run planned, depending on the route I choose, and I'll bring paraxanthine to see if I get similar results.
Final Stats
Here's the breakdown for those keeping score:
Distance: 10.57 miles
Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, 39 seconds
Average Pace: 13.5 min/mile
Heart Rate: Avg 155 bpm
Elevation Gain: 1,611 feet
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1: 7% (≈10 minutes 46 seconds)
Zone 2: 52% (≈1 hour 15 minutes)
Zone 3: 35% (≈51 minutes 15 seconds)
Zone 4: 1% (≈2 minutes 44 seconds)
Training Effect: 3.8 aerobic, 0 anaerobic
Training Status: Productive
Recovery Time: 31 hours
VO2 Max: Holding higher
Overall, that was exactly the run I wanted to do – deliberate intensity on the hill climbs with minimal power hiking. Sometimes everything clicks, and today was one of those days.
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