Run 20 miles? Check.
I finally got the long run in a few weeks ago at the C&O Canal towpath. Not going to lie… it was tough. The first 14 miles went ok, but the last six miles were an absolute struggle. Six miles had never been so painful or felt so long.
But it got done.
LESS THAN 2 WEEKS UNTIL HATFIELD-MCCOY!
Am I ready?
Ehhh… not totally.
But it’s all good. Come race day, I think I’ll be fine and ready to go. Hopefully.

I received an email from the Hatfield-McCoy race organizers last week with info on lodging, packet pick-up, race day details, etc. There will be about 700 runners participating on June 11 — very small compared to the usual big races (20,000-30,000 for Rock ’n’ Rolls) that I normally do. It’ll be interesting to see what the excitement level is like. I feel like smaller races tend to be quieter, more low-key. But then again, this is a popular race, so it might be different.
The last 4 weeks of training have been up and down. I’m getting the runs in, but my weekly mileage hasn’t been as high as I would like. On the upside: I’m getting better about cross-training. I bought a weighted jump rope and resistance bands…
I’ve been using both for the last few weeks — I love them, especially the resistance bands. I haven’t done a ton of workouts, but I feel like I’m seeing results from the handful that I’ve done (stronger abs, arms and legs). Here are the two workouts I’ve been doing with resistance bands:
– 30 Min Total Body Resistant Band Workout
– Full Body Resistance Band Workout
This is how the last 4 weeks went:
—
Week 13
Monday, May 2 – nothing
Tuesday, May 3 – 6 miles – treadmill
Wednesday, May 4 – 30 minutes of jump roping
Thursday, May 5 – resistance band workout
Friday, May 6 – 4 miles – treadmill
Saturday, May 7 – 20 miles – C&O Canal towpath
Sunday, May 8 – nothing
Weekly total: 30 miles
Cross-training: jump roping and resistance band workout
Week 14
Monday, May 9 – nothing
Tuesday, May 10 – 5 miles – treadmill
Wednesday, May 11 – resistance band workout
Thursday, May 12 – 5 miles – treadmill
Friday, May 13 – 30 minutes of jump roping
Saturday, May 14 – 16 miles – C&O Canal towpath
Sunday, May 15 – nothing
Weekly total: 26 miles
Cross-training: jump roping and resistance band workout
Week 15
Monday, May 16 – nothing
Tuesday, May 17 – 6 miles – treadmill
Wednesday, May 18 – 4 miles – treadmill
Thursday, May 19 – 6 miles – treadmill
Friday, May 20 – resistance band workout
Saturday, May 21 – 13 miles – treadmill
Sunday, May 22 – 30 minutes of jump roping
Weekly total: 29 miles
Cross-training: jump roping and resistance band workout
Week 16
Monday, May 23 – resistance band workout
Tuesday, May 24 – 5 miles
Wednesday, May 25 – 4 miles
Thursday, May 26 – 5 miles
Friday, May 27 – nothing
Saturday, May 28 – 10 miles
Sunday, May 29 – 3 miles
Weekly total: 27 miles
Cross-training: jump roping and resistance band workout
Total miles for the year: 477.2 miles
In other news…
I’m going to Mexico in a couple of days. A friend is heading down there for work (assessing a luxury beachfront hotel — Banyan Tree Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya… tough job, right??) and I’m tagging along. I’m planning on doing some running there (there’s a hiker/biker path that runs throughout the development) and hopefully will do a little kayaking also. Life has been crazy lately, and I’m looking forward to getting away for a bit.
Hope you have a great week.