Track and Field Blogs - Magdalena Lewy-Boulet

Flagstaff is an amazing place to train. Despite most of the trails (and roads) being covered with snow the first week of our stay, I’ve been able to get in some amazing training.

My first week here, which included Christmas day, my family was here with me. It was a nice little vacation for them, and it was great to be able to spend quality time with them between runs. After that, my good friend Bridget Duffy was my training partner for the next week. My average days have consisted of a run in the morning of 90-120 minutes, followed by strength training, then a nap, then an afternoon run in the 60-80 minute range. Every few days, I’ll throw in some Jack Daniels killer treadmill strides in place of the morning run. My weekly mileage has ranged well over 100 miles a week, and it feels great.

I’m used to running mostly on trails, and I hear the trails here are beautiful. I’m sure they are, but unfortunately it has snowed so much that the trails are all buried. There is a dirt road near our house that has thawed out enough to run on occasionally, but for the most part I’ve been running on the roads. Everyone tells me that if I like it here in the winter, I will love it here in the summer. I am planning on returning to Flagstaff in the summer.

I have been lucky enough to tag along with some local runners a few times a week down to Sedona. It’s about 30 miles away. The elevation is a bit lower so there is not any snow and the trails are great. The dirt trails of Sedona are rolling hills and can be pretty challenging. Amazing scenic red rocks also surround the trails.

I absolutely could not be keeping myself healthy at this level of training without help from Phil Wharton, miracle worker. His massage work, stretching work and strength routines have made all the difference. It has been so great to be able to hang out with my coach Jack Daniels. I also have to thank coach Daniels and everyone else at the High Altitude Training Center for providing such a great training environment. I’ll definitely miss them when I’m back in California.

Next week I will have the opportunity to see what my fitness level is at the USA half marathon championships in Houston, TX. This will be my first time running in Houston and I am so eager to race and see what I can do. This is a great race to start the 2009-racing season.

Until next time….Magda