Peachtree Training: Week 12/13

Weekly Totals
Miles: 32
Days Run: 6
Avg Pace: 9:15

Injury Update
I've been really luck to have been able to run so well through pregnancy and in the postpartum period afterwards, but I haven't escaped completely unscathed. A few months ago, I had some weird ache on the top of my left hip bone (iliac crest). A visit to the sports masseuse and some pointed stretching got rid of it within a few days, but it's crept back again over the past week. :/

I was able to fit in a day-of appointment with my massage guy on Monday, and he noted that this is a common problem for postpartum runners, so whoopie for me. I've been diligent about stretching and it's felt better the rest of the week, and, by Sunday, it was finally 95% better. Phew! 


Monday
Scheduled: 4easy, 40XT or off
Did: 0.75 @ 8:29/mi and Mizuno Monday
Didn't make it down in time for a full loop of Armour, so I started out solo going the opposite way until I ran into Bob. First half : high-9/low-10. Second half: sub-8. 

MM was GREAT today. We did a lot of the arm stuff I've been hoping to get out of the program, and I'm pretty proud for focusing up and modifying things as much as I needed in order to focus on form. I went really slowly on our tricep wall push-ups, and barely stood away from the wall at all, but, man, I sure felt the burn. 

We did the shoe arm workout at the end, and I'm always surprised at how hard it is. Left feeling awesome, though. 

Also: I was beautifully sore in my upper back and arms until Thursday :D

Tuesday
Scheduled: 9 ONB
Did: 9 @ 9:28/mi average
"Oh, hey, wanna start running at 4:30am so we can get an extra ~3 before 10KTuesday?"
This is not an unreasonable request for either Brandi or I to make of each other, and I love that this is our normal. 

I couldn't remember this morning if my 9 was supposed to be PRO or ONB, but didn't consciously focus on doing either. I haven't run this many miles on a weekday since... August? so I was pretty content to just get it done and stick with friends the whole time. B and I did a little less than three together before joining the group back at my place for an official 5am start to the 10KTuesday route. It was really awesome starting out with such a large group and thinking that we created this thing, and it really has turned into a thing. #IT'SATHING!!!!

Run went well. It's nice to think about this being essentially the longest weekday distance I'm going to have to hit during marathon training. I felt a little tired at the end of it, but not completely beat down, which I think has something to do with the potato letting us sleep through the night more these days. :) 

kind of progression-y? 

Nope. Not really a PRO or an ONB, but still pretty awesome times.
Also, keeping up with our 25w pregnant friend (who's really setting this 9:30ish pace (!!!)) is great motivation

We had a whole crowd of #10KTuesday runners this morning! :D

Wednesday
Scheduled: 4easy, 40XT or off
Did: 1mi jog, 2 x 1600/400, 1mi jog on the 'mill @ 9:11/mi avg
I wasn't sure if I wanted to do Thursday's workout today or tomorrow, since I'm out of town for work and my schedule is a bit variable. We've got a big fancy dinner tonight, which means I may or may not: 1) be drinking, 2) be out late... i.e. tomorrow might not be a good day for speedwork. 

So, I could've done the full workout this morning, but here are all the reasons excuses that I didn't: 

1. I just did my longest run in like four months yesterday
2. My hip is still sore
3. I haven't gotten much sleep the past few days and wanted to take advantage of a night without a baby
4. I never did my pre-training assignment and needed at least an hour in the morning to do so before 8am training
5. I'm a 20-something-year-old woman and running alone at 5am through a city I'm not super familiar with while trying to focus on pace and not what's around me is NOT a good plan, so I had to use the treadmill
6. There was another runner waiting to use the treadmill (they have FOUR in the hotel gym, and only ONE works)

So, I did a hybrid of the two workouts: roughly four miles today, two of which were at repeat pace (7:42/mi, which is 7.7-7.8 on the 'mill).

Reflections:

• 'mill life is hard. I miss the track... and my 10KTuesday crew
• I was always able to pull out more speed at the end of the repeat, probably because I was only doing two
• I walked the first 0.1 of each recovery
• It feels really good when someone sees your cool-down and comments on how fast you are. #gazellelife

it took too long for the elevator, so I ended up taking 16 flights of stairs too :P 

Thursday
Scheduled: 2 mile jog, 4 x 1600m/400m,  1 mile jog
Did: 4.22 @ 8:48/mi
Reason #118 I Love My Company: Whenever employees gather for training, meetings, etc., there's always someone else to run with!

One of my training classmates approached me at lunch yesterday after hearing I was training for a marathon and asked if I'd be up for a run the next morning. Initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to running in the morning. After all, this was one of my few chances to sleep in, and I wasn't sure what workout I wanted to do and when I might want to do it. Deciding to run with someone meant I'd have to plan all of that out ahead of time and then stick to it. 

Buffalo Bayou is a much better place to run: 1) with a friend and 2) when it's light out
Thanks, daylight savings time!

Ultimately, the desire to get to know another running coworker and have some safety to run outdoors triumphed, and I agreed... then we had the awkward pace conversation. Y'know, where she asked what pace I planned to run at, and I had to figure out what to say. Without any background on each other's abilities, this is always a bit of a gamble. What if one of us does 11min miles and the other is gunning for a 1:30 half? I've had that happen, and it's awkward no matter which role you're filling: "pacist speed-demon" or "oh, you're really fast... and I'm not, but I'm still a real runner!!!" .

Thankfully, we were both about the same pace. I'd suggested a 9-9:30/mi (hoping I could find a way to keep that pace, but honestly believing I'd end up more around a 9:40), and we decided to meet up at 6am for a little over 4. 

The run went great! So great in fact that I had no idea my first two miles were 8:47 and 8:40/mi. Oops. Fortunately, my coworker was more than capable of keeping up. I never actually found out any of her times during our run, which was kind of nice. Instead, we talked about our careers, running husbands, her extensive knowledge of ATC's Peachtree Road Race/Publix Marathon (pretty impressive for living in Texas), and First Women of Running, the book she's currently reading.

I found out afterwards (from Google) that she's actually a really fast runner (like, Boston fast). It was really eye-opening (and a bit humbling) to realize how much I focus in on pace when I talk about running. I learned a lot about the type of runner I want to be from her, and that's going to mean letting go of pace talk sometimes and just loving the run. 

We finished sweaty and disgusting, with a sub-9 pace for a great run in 100% humidity.  Now I can go into tomorrow knowing I really earned my rest day. Thanks, Houston! 


Friday
Scheduled: 4easy, 40XT or off
Did: off
Considered waking up to go run the river with friends, but, between getting home around midnight, having work to do, and remembering that a doctor's appt was going to interrupt my work day, I opted out and decided to commit to a good stretch/foam-rolling session after dinner instead.

Saturday
Scheduled: 8 easy + 4x hills
Did: 2.63 @ 8:59/mi warm-up PLUS 8 @ 10:10/mi, PLUS all-day coaching with Song of Atlanta
I wasn't sure how much I'd actually get to run today since I had hoped to be at SOA (which started at 9am) by 10am, so I joined Jerry for a few miles of "warm-up". It feels really good to finally both be back in a place where I can run with him and he doesn't have to be uncomfortably slow, just "slow".  

There were enough trainees and few enough RLs in the "run" group for ITFP that I was able to take the 10ish min participants. I ended up being a personal RL for one trainee (who's doing his first Peachtree EVER) for the first half, then spending the back half with some of our ridic fast run-walkers (they average under 10min/mi!). I felt really good the whole time, and am starting to finally feel like 9:45s can truly be called an "easy pace" for me again. It was also really kind of cool to hit close to 10mi again for a weekend run... and then be able to straight into an all-day coaching session for show chorus AND THEN sing with Boss. at a fundraiser show that night. 

most of the ITFP Alpharetta Run Leads

Sunday
Scheduled: 4easy, 40XT or off
Did: 4ish @ 9:48/mi with the stroller
I did something scary today. I ran without a shirt... in just a sports bra and shorts. Doing a race in that attire has been a pipe dream of mine for awhile. While I'm pretty comfortable in my own body, I believe in a strict level of aggregate hotness (actual temperature + physical attractiveness) that must be met in order to justify running shirtless-- i.e. the more attractive you are, the less "OMG IT'S SO HOT" it needs to be to justify running shirtless. :P

Anyways, long story short, I'm not quite there yet. I've come a long way since baby, but, despite all the fat I've shed and muscle I've built back, I still have a nice "mom pooch" of extra skin that flops a bit when I run, and I'm simply not comfortable showing that to the world at this point. Oh well. A goal for next year, perhaps... 

#MotherRunner

The run itself went well enough. I was pretty easily keeping sub-10 pace with the stroller (WHAT), but seriously struggled as the run went on with the front wheel alignment. After stopping over six times to try to adjust it with sweaty hands, I gave up and just ran with the front wheel lifted off of the ground. So, yeah, I definitely got a good shoulder/arm workout in today.