Race week 8/26/13

The legs have been feeling dead.  So I'm taking it easy this week.
8/27/13 - Ran the 6 mile loop and 1 mile cool down.
8/31/13 - Iron Mtn 30 miler.
     This is a low key race down in Damascus VA.  There are 50, 30 and 16 mile race options.  A number of mtn junkies were headed down.  The course is a rugged trail race that is mostly on the Iron Mountain Trail.  The rest is on the Creeper Trail.
     Last year I was 3rd in 4:34ish and I have hopes of getting in at a similar time but hoping to come in faster.  The weather for the race was mild temps, high humidity, and rain later in the day.  I was hoping to finish before the rain hit.  
     This race goes 4.75 miles on the Creeper Trail before hitting the first single track trail.  I remember hitting this section really fast (for me) in 2012, running 7:30 pace.  This year I averaged 7:45 but spent most of this time in 2nd place wondering why no one else was running faster than me.  It was weird.  I hit the trail in 3rd and ran the mild ups and flats and then hiked the steeps.  I ran more of this than last year. 
     The course is pretty rocky but mostly runnable.  I choose to run with one handheld out to the turnaround and then pick up a second handheld there.  I ran with a few packets of Heed and drank it most of the day.  I think I drank around 140oz in the race.  Had 6 PB and jelly quarters and 2 waffles. 
     Throughout the race I felt like I was running more than last year but was slightly slower throughout the race (the confirmation of overtraining).  The conditions were a little muddier than 2012 but overall I felt like I ran more of the race, didn't deal with cramps, and ran the last very technical downhill better than last year, but this all added up to me being about 15 minutes off of last year's time.  I got passed by one runner on the way back and finished 5th in 4:49ish.
     I saw the handwriting on the wall, last month, at Catoctin but wanted to chalk it up to a bad day.  But the feeling of not having the normal leg power or turnover was an effect of training not a bad day.  Sometimes you get it with the first hint, other times you need to be hit in the head to get the message. 
     All in all, nothing to complain about, and I'm happy with the result, I just know that had I followed a little better planning I wouldn't be in a situation where I need to take some time off and would be reaping the rewards of my training. 
     On Sunday we had planned on riding our bikes up the Creeper Trail to White Top and Back - 34 miles, but we got out 5.5 miles and the sky fell.  It was raining like crazy, so we turned around and headed back for an 11 mile ride.  Better than nothing!
Total for the Week;
37 miles running
11 miles cycling