This past week of training was a big one. Probably the biggest week I have ever done. I ran 118 miles, about 18,400 feet of vertical gain, and about 23 hours. The only way I had time to do this was to quit my job. Ha.

As mentioned in my previous blogs, I was quite unhappy with my current job in public accounting. The long hours were just too much for me. I could not find a good “work-life” balance; and I did not care enough to grind through the long hours. So I decided to take a job in the tax collection department of the local county government. My last day at the CPA firm was on Wednesday of last week. This gave me four days to go big before starting my new job the following Monday. I jumped at the opportunity.

I decided I would try doing a “mini training block” to really ramp up the Tahoe 200 training. The mini block consists of 3-4 days of back-to-back big days.

Day 1 of the mini block was a 50 kilometer run on the trails close to my apartment. It is mostly flat, with the terrain varying between road, gravel, and smooth dirt. So very runnable. The purpose of this run was to keep a consistent running pace (9-10 min miles) for the entire duration, while carrying a pack similar to what I will carry at Tahoe. I successfully got through this run feeling that the pace was sustainable for flat running. I finished in just under 5 hours, which was a 50k PR for me, according to Strava.

Day 2 of the block was a 25 mile trail run, with about 7,300 feet of vertical. The route used some of the local SB 9 Trails route, meaning the trail was either steep up or steep down most of the time, with a good dose of technical rock hopping. The purpose of this run was to practice keeping a fast hiking pace on the uphills (mixing in 2 minute intervals of jogging) and consistently running the downs and flats. The goal was to keep a 3-4 mph pace without feeling overworked or bonky. This was mostly a success as I finished feeling like I could go longer at that pace. I averaged a bit over 4 mph.

Day 3 was a 20 mile trail run, using more of the SB 9 Trails route and other nearby trails, so also vert heavy and technical terrain. This run included the local Saturday Shred group run sandwiched in the middle. My goal for this run was to again fast-hike the uphillls and run the downs/flats. Occasionally, I pushed the pace on the uphills because that is what the group wanted to do. There were multiple social stops along the way, so the 3-4 mph pace slipped more towards 3 mph. My legs were starting to feel the accumulated fatigue of the previous two big days. By the end I was feeling pretty worked and ready to lay down.

Day 4 was a 15 mile run on mostly runnable terrain, with some rolling hills in the middle section. The purpose was to get another 2.5 hours of consistent running with the accumulated fatigue of the previous 3 big days. I was able to do it, but my body was definitely feeling sore. To finish off the mini block, I pushed some mid 8:00 min miles for the last 3 miles.

Overall, I think my body held up well over the four days. I ran about 91 miles throughout the mini block. I definitely felt sore the next day but a good type of sore. The muscles are adapting.

Some music selections during the past week of training:

Hellbender 4/23/2025 Boston, MA. Thanks to taper: J.Cable. Very cool experimental jazz group. Will have to listen again.

Animal Liberation Orchestra: 4/26/2025 Brooklyn, NY. Thanks to taper: Cam Keough.

Japanese Breakfast album For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). Listened to this multiple times recently. Cool song structures.

Grateful Dead 4/9/1987 Chicago, IL. Thanks to taper: Charlie Miller.

String Cheese Incident 12/31/1999 Portland, OR. Thanks to taper: Michael Frasca. Bill had an awesome monologue at beginning of set 2. poet.

Eric Church new album Evangeline vs. The Machine.