Chicago Marathon Training: Week 18/20

Weekly Summary

Miles: 47.02 (L2=37, L3=47)
Days Run: 5
XT: 1
Rest: 1
Intermittent Injuries: nothing real 
Feelings: unmotivated, driven, complacent, sick, frustrated, proud, happy, relieved, excited, proud

Monday

Scheduled: 5-6

Did: 6.01 @ 10:11/mi avg

I don't want to run today, but, if I don't run at lunch, then I have to run at lunch on Wednesday... or see my hopes of a 200mi month go away. 

So, I did it. My legs felt stiff and slow at first, but the weather was good- sunny and 76, with a slight breeze, and lots of shade along the route. I daresay by mile 2 I was enjoying myself. I haven't run by myself at midday since maternity leave, and it was really nice to do something a little different. Though, as soon as I saw my watch was STILL over 10min miles, I wanted to give up and go home. 

Yes, I know this is a shake-out run. Yes, I know I'm asking a lot of my body. Still, yesterday's slower-than-expected 22 totally killed my confidence again. That, and taper madness is starting up, where you have all kind of phantom ailments and injuries. On the course of my run, I considered that I might have a stress fracture in my left tibia, then a pull in the back of my right knee, and, finally, a knot-turning-into-a-strain in my right quad. All of these things lasted about a quartet mile, and then something else popped into my mind. :P

But, I got it done, and I really enjoyed my first solo run in awhile. The greenway was gorgeous and peaceful, and a good reminder of all the great things I get from running, even if the pace wasn't what I wanted. 

and, bonus: no snakes this time!

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10 

Did: 10.41 @ 10:09/mi avg

Oh, surprise, surprise. I'm sick again. Guess I finally found my body's limit. Got up, got it done, and then proceeded to take a sick day and sleep for about five hours. 

The run itself went about as well as I could have expected, for having run almost 30 miles in the past two days and being sick. Surprisingly, I had a bit left in the tank towards the end was able to push up the hill for the first time in about 2-3 months. 

And, this was the last ten mile Tuesday! :D Next week marks the true beginning of taper time! Woohoo!

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Considered walking at lunch, but had a lunch and learn seminar instead. Barely got 2000 steps for the day. Also, my sore throat became a problem around dinner time and I could literally feel things swell up. Voiceless again... 

Look at how often I've been sick in the past five weeks. This is disgusting. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 1WU, 8x800/200, 1CD

Did: as scheduled 7.55 @ 8:36/mi avg

I didn't sleep very well last night. It's hard to breathe when you feel like coughing every minute and have a stuffy nose. :(

There was no reason to skip the run, though. I let Brandi know I was voiceless (we've run together for so long that she's become quite proficient and understanding my wild gesticulations and mime-speak), and met her at the Y a little before 5am for some 800m repeats.

I knew this was going to be a hard workout after I barely hit my first 200m split. I'm normally a good bit faster than goal pace for my first repeat on track workout days, but I'm also not normally sick. :/

Goal for the 800s: 3:36 (based on 5K PR --> 3:41 marathon)

I felt alright through the first half of the workout. It was hard to keep pace for the 3:36ish goal, but I could do it. After our water break, though, 800 #5 was impossible. My entire body felt heavy, and it showed in the next three splits. I let myself have a bit of a break, knowing the 3:36 goal was super ambitious for the marathon goal I have, and, real talk: I'm sick. I wasn't just slow on those; I was 10+ seconds slow on an 800. Still, a sub-8 pace. That's enough of a victory for me.

I tried to rally on the seventh, but it didn't happen; that one ended up being my slowest. It just felt like my chain had completely slipped off the bicycle gears. Knowing it was the last one, I was able to pull out a second wind for my last repeat. Zoom zoom. 6:36/mi pace. I really want to race a mile after this marathon training thing is over. Surely I can sub-6:30 now...

Best part: I finally have a run with an average under 10:00/mi. This is the first one in about a week!!!!

Friday

Scheduled: 5-6

Did: 6.12 @ 9:55/mi

Brandi and I met up for a new route this morning. She had alarm difficulties, so I actually ended up starting before she arrived, just doing loops of the strip mall parking lot so that we could meet up easily (plus, I didn't know the route). 

It was a slow run, driven partially by the fact that one of us was a mute, and partially because this is the week after peak week. We did warm up after five miles, and had a nice, easy-feeling 9:30 for the last mile. I give myself a good bit of credit here, because I'm still sick-ish. I've been waking up with a stuffy right nostril every day for the past week, and this is day four of a sore throat. Definitely going to the doc today... 

Saturday

Scheduled: 3WU, 10 tempo, 5CD

Did: 16.93 @ 9:54/mi avg

Breaking an 18mi run up into 3/10/5 made it seem so much more manageable, especially since training today was held about an hour away from home, and had a 5K race thrown in the middle of it. About 24 hours ago, we finally got a bit of guidance on what, exactly, Run Leaders were responsible for. I opted to run the 5K XC race, and then Run Lead for the half marathoners' extra miles... which left me about 10 short. 

Fortunately, there were a few other runners starting pretty early. I met up with Carol for one loop at 6am, then picked up Julie for a second pre-race loop. We ran through cornfields (literally) without any hint of light beyond our headlamps, and it was a pretty cool experience. Wouldn't have wanted to do it alone, but, with some company, it was neat. We even saw a giant armadillo along the path (and he a lot faster than I thought!).

not actual armadillo, but HOORAY, ARMADILLO!

Total pre-race mileage: 8.43 @ 10:13/mi. I was hoping for closer to 9.3, but the loop we ran was a little different than expected, we got started a bit later than planned due to car moving, and I might've run a bit slower due to my company (then again, maybe not-- pace felt pretty good to me). Still, I was pleased. I had less than ten miles to go! 

handful of Run Leaders at sunrise

I had zero ambition for the 5K race. It's a cross-country course, that I've done once before, and the last thing I wanted to do was slip or trip and injure myself. I figured I'd just run easy, and whatever my time was, it was. I ended up finding my friend Shelly (who'd paced me to my 10K PR a few months ago) at the start line and opting to run with her. She's coming back from a broken toe, and we figured we could keep each other "easy", plus she could talk at me and I could gesture wildly in response (because I woke up with the worst sore throat ever this morning and still have no voice--- strep test came back a "definite negative", but, man, it does NOT feel like it).

We had a great time, and ran negative splits (so much that we had to remind each other to slooooooow down more than a handful of times). Splits shook out at: 9:38, 9:26, and 9:12. So much for our "so, 10min miles?" agreement. It's times like these that make me feel a lot more confident about Chicago. I can't run these paces in my normal workouts or on long runs without serious effort, but, in a race, or during speedwork, my pace is bomb-diggety. 

crazy course map, eh? 

great finish pic

After the race, I met up with Jerry and we "jogged" back to the training home base together. We haven't run together in... forever? Probably since his birthday. It was nice, even if I know it was crazy weird for him to run a 9min/mi. This got me another 3/4 of a mile at a 9:45 pace. 

At home base, we regrouped and set off in pace pods for loops. I RL for the half marathoners, which was a GREAT call. Our single loop of a little less than four miles was almost entirely in the sun and, while gorgeous, was also really hot, and I was ready to be done. When we made it back to home base, I opted to add one additional mile with the rest of the marathon crew, because I wasn't sure what I was at in terms of total mileage and wanted to ensure I hit at least 16 for the day. After all, L2 only had 15 on the schedule, so anything beyond that was good enough for me. 

Group mileage: 3.54 @ 9:51/mi

Extra mile: 1 @ 9:30/mi <-- feel great about that one. Strong finish.

30th Birthday Cake with the ATC Crew

this guy's awesome :D
it's been nice to spend time together today

Brandi and I are SO EXCITED that it's finally TAPER TIME!!!!
BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER

Sunday

Scheduled: 30XT

Did: 60min yoga for athletes

Awhile a competitive triathlete friend of mine invited me to a "Yoga for Runners" class. I couldn't go at the time, but the idea stuck with me, and, now that my taper is finally here, I found that I had time to go! 

The class was totally full, and I'm glad that I made a reservation ahead of time. The drop-in cost was a little pricey ($19), but worth it to me. I enjoyed an hour of deep stretch yoga, but, unlike the "relaxation yoga" I'd tried a few weeks ago downtown, this actually did something for me. Plus, being in a room full of other athletes made it a lot more enjoyable since the instructor talked a lot about training and had specific things I could relate to as an athlete for inspiration during the class. Woot. 

Also, we used foam rollers. That was awesome. :)

And, bonus: I FINALLY HAVE A VOICE AGAIN. I think the antibiotics were just what I needed. I'm back at 90% again, and ready to hit taper week hard. lol.