Week-beginning Thoughts:
My calves are pretty sore after the 22. Definitely need to make sure I'm taking care of them this week to avoid any derailing injuries... But I'm still feeling absolutely awesome and super capable. :D
Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: rest
Right calf has been sore all day, in different spots, so I'm not worried, but it's something to remain aware of...
Tuesday
Scheduled: 8mi
Did: 8.01mi @ 10:07/mi avg, Big 5
41 and "sprinkles" felt really cold with the wind today. Glad to have a good training partner to share these miles with, and to have had the foresight to bundle up my calves! No problems on the run, and definitely feeling better afterwards. Bonus: this was the penultimate 8mi Tuesday of this training cycle. So weird to start thinking about a true week-day mileage taper starting in a couple weeks...
Wednesday
Scheduled: 5mi easy
Did: rest
Had a later than usual night due to some life stuff, and opted to sleep in and spend the morning talking some things through with husband instead of running. That's actually only half the story. The other half is that it was 39, rainy, and 10mph wind, and, without any of my training partners able to meet me early and near me (a change from our typical Wednesdays, driven by some work obligations), I let myself think of getting up to run as "optional".
As soon as you start thinking of running/working out/whatever as something "optional" or something to "fit in", it loses all chances of actually happening. Real talk: who wouldn't choose staying in a warm cozy bed over being outside in cold conditions?
The decision to bail on my run (even though I mentally rescheduled it to Friday and had a plan to get it done sometime this week) affected me ALL. DAY. LONG. Lesson = learned.
Had a later than usual night due to some life stuff, and opted to sleep in and spend the morning talking some things through with husband instead of running. That's actually only half the story. The other half is that it was 39, rainy, and 10mph wind, and, without any of my training partners able to meet me early and near me (a change from our typical Wednesdays, driven by some work obligations), I let myself think of getting up to run as "optional".
As soon as you start thinking of running/working out/whatever as something "optional" or something to "fit in", it loses all chances of actually happening. Real talk: who wouldn't choose staying in a warm cozy bed over being outside in cold conditions?
The decision to bail on my run (even though I mentally rescheduled it to Friday and had a plan to get it done sometime this week) affected me ALL. DAY. LONG. Lesson = learned.
Thursday
Scheduled: 1mi WU, 8x800/200, 1mi CD
Did: 1mi WU, 8x800/320, 1mi CD = 7.6mi @ 9:27/mi avg on treadmill, Big 5
A middle-of-the-night wakeup from my little one had me awake from 12am until 2am, and then thunder and lightening were in full force when I woke up to meet my training partner for our track workout. Greeeeeeeeeat. Knowing how terrible yesterday was sans run and not wanting another day off, I rolled out of bed, and plodded over to our trusty treadmill.
A middle-of-the-night wakeup from my little one had me awake from 12am until 2am, and then thunder and lightening were in full force when I woke up to meet my training partner for our track workout. Greeeeeeeeeat. Knowing how terrible yesterday was sans run and not wanting another day off, I rolled out of bed, and plodded over to our trusty treadmill.
I got myself through with all kinds of mental crutches. First up, SnapChatting my team for some accountability. Next, reminding myself I could go as slowly as I wanted for my warm-up: "It's just a mile."
OK, bathroom break, then it's just two laps on the track until recovery.
The first 0.5 wasn't too bad. My 7.5mph (8:00/mi pace) speed felt faster than I wanted, but I toughed it out, grateful for the double distractions of counting the 0.1 ticks of the treadmill and the melodrama of my Netflix When Calls the Heart episode playing on my iPad.
Just one more and then you're a quarter of the way through. Think of it as one lap of a mile being over and done with.
I took water breaks every mile, and ended up doing ~320m recoveries instead of 200m just because the treadmill math (0.2mi instead of 0.125mi) was easier, and made it through.
The 8:00/mi speedwork pace streak continues. :D #unicorn
Also no foot or calf issues. Hooray!
OK, bathroom break, then it's just two laps on the track until recovery.
The first 0.5 wasn't too bad. My 7.5mph (8:00/mi pace) speed felt faster than I wanted, but I toughed it out, grateful for the double distractions of counting the 0.1 ticks of the treadmill and the melodrama of my Netflix When Calls the Heart episode playing on my iPad.
Just one more and then you're a quarter of the way through. Think of it as one lap of a mile being over and done with.
I took water breaks every mile, and ended up doing ~320m recoveries instead of 200m just because the treadmill math (0.2mi instead of 0.125mi) was easier, and made it through.
 |
| ...and I felt awesome about myself for the rest of the day |
The 8:00/mi speedwork pace streak continues. :D #unicorn
Also no foot or calf issues. Hooray!
Friday
Scheduled: strength + yoga
Did: nope
It wouldn't be marathon training without some adversity, right? I came home from work yesterday with a scratchy throat and fatigued body. I woke up with no voice and still feeling blergh. Took today off completely, and am hoping to just make it through the 20 tomorrow.
It wouldn't be marathon training without some adversity, right? I came home from work yesterday with a scratchy throat and fatigued body. I woke up with no voice and still feeling blergh. Took today off completely, and am hoping to just make it through the 20 tomorrow.
Saturday
Scheduled: 20mi easy
Did: 20.46mi @ 10:30/mi avg, Big 5
I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat that was super uncomfortable to swallow through, and seriously considered skipping out on the run. But, I had a few things that convinced me to give it a go:
1) I'd slept for over 8 hours, and woken up all on my own at 3:30, feeling wide awake
2) When I wasn't trying to swallow, I felt more or less fine
3) I'd had plenty of moments yesterday where I was able to forget about the discomfort
4) 15min of Googling all revealed lots of "if your symptoms are in your neck or above, go ahead and run" advice
5) I really didn't want to miss out on my last continuous LSD before the marathon
I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat that was super uncomfortable to swallow through, and seriously considered skipping out on the run. But, I had a few things that convinced me to give it a go:
1) I'd slept for over 8 hours, and woken up all on my own at 3:30, feeling wide awake
2) When I wasn't trying to swallow, I felt more or less fine
3) I'd had plenty of moments yesterday where I was able to forget about the discomfort
4) 15min of Googling all revealed lots of "if your symptoms are in your neck or above, go ahead and run" advice
5) I really didn't want to miss out on my last continuous LSD before the marathon
All of these things convinced me that it was worth trying to run. If I felt icky after a mile or two, I'd stop, walk back to the car, and take myself to the doctor's later in the morning.
Surprise, surprise, though. After a mile or two, I was actually feeling better. It was as if running reduced the inflammation of my vocal chords (thanks, improved bloodflow). There was no way I could run 10mi feeling this good if I were really sick to the point where I shouldn't be running, right? Right.
I split my run between two amazing training partners, with one taking a 10mi Roswell loop, and the other taking a 10mi Alpharetta loop... and neither of them getting a word of conversation from me, since I still can't speak. That's teamwork for sure. I had each of them holding a one-sided conversation as best they could to get us through the mileage, and am so grateful for how each of them have altered their schedules, lives, and mileage to make sure I had support and coverage for all of my long runs and didn't have to head in town (and pay) to run with the track club's training group this season.
I felt good enough after my run to do a quick grocery store trip and pick up a few of my favorite sore throat food essentials (namely tortilla chips) as well as some bacon for a celebratory breakfast at home and mac-and-cheese for lunch and dinner. I did a good stretch at home, showered, and then single-parented a toddler for a couple hours (sans voice, btw) before getting a two hour nap in the afternoon. I still feel good, besides my throat, and feel confident that I made the right call in getting the run done.
Plus, OMG, guys, I'm done with my 20+ mile runs. I did it. I made it through. It is totally all downhill from here!!!! Woooooooooooooooooooo!
Sunday
Scheduled: 6mi easy
Did: 5mi @ 10:30/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
On the bright side, I have zero leg or other soreness lingering from yesterday's LSD. On the down side, I still can't speak, and that's putting a total damper on my otherwise family-ful weekend. Shoutout to Google Translate's app, whose English-to-English module is the only reason I'm able to communicate with my toddler...
This run was tough. I felt cold and hot, and then cold again. I couldn't decide whether the burning in my throat was due to the cold air on raw tissue, or if maybe I was a little sicker than I thought and shouldn't be doing the run. I compromised with myself and cut the run a mile short, just enough to finish out slightly over 40mpw.
On the bright side, I have zero leg or other soreness lingering from yesterday's LSD. On the down side, I still can't speak, and that's putting a total damper on my otherwise family-ful weekend. Shoutout to Google Translate's app, whose English-to-English module is the only reason I'm able to communicate with my toddler...
This run was tough. I felt cold and hot, and then cold again. I couldn't decide whether the burning in my throat was due to the cold air on raw tissue, or if maybe I was a little sicker than I thought and shouldn't be doing the run. I compromised with myself and cut the run a mile short, just enough to finish out slightly over 40mpw.
Total Weekly Mileage: 41.15
Week-ending Thoughts:
- Well, the mileage isn't what I'd wanted for my last "high mileage week", but, for being sick, only missing 5mi is pretty good.
- This week's 20mi run felt like nothing. How amazing is that? I've been able to train my mind to a new normal.... That's what marathon training is about: learning just how much you're capable of.
Up Next:
- USATF Masters Indoor National Championships next weekend: I'll be running every running event possible in an attempt to rack up enough team points to justify my place on the team. I'm pretty stoked because my running bestie is coming too, and the meet is in Winston-Salem, where she and I have a long history of long runs together post-Sweet Adelines regional contests. I'm looking forward to using our Salem Lake loop to get me halfway to the 18 total I want for Saturday.
- After next weekend, it's literally "Welcome to TaperVille". I'll have one last long run (15mi), and only be doing 10KTuesdays (instead of the 8mi I've been doing). I literally can't believe I'm still doing this. I'm still running, 20+ miles at a time, at a respectable pace, with no walk breaks, and feeling SO good. This is amazing, and I'm so lucky that I get to do this.
- THREE WEEKS 'TIL THE MARATHONNNNNNNNNNNNNN :D
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