(not my) Marathon Training: Week 12/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

I'm feeling so good it's easy to forget that I'm 2/3 of the way through marathon training... I'm not normally feeling this good or carefree at any point in training. Guess that's the perk of not having to train for myself, but mentally feeling like this is all a choice. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 30min LIIFT4 HIIT workout

So hungry on rest days... 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 2mi WU, 4x1600/3min rest, 2mi CD

Did: As scheduled. 9.37mi @ 9:10/mi avg, Big 5

J'adore mile repeat day. :) Warm-up was slow and easy (first mile was 10:43!), and then we got into it. 

7:40 Was aiming for 7:45, but this just kind of happened. Kind of funny since my first few laps I'd been barely under an 8:00 and was trying to remind myself that a pregnant me had done 8:00 speedwork, so I'd better be able to hold that easily non-pregnant. 

7:42

7:39 felt comfortable, happy, talking to teammates while running

7:37 had to hold myself back from seeing what I could hit in the last ~200... 

Good run. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 5.06mi @ 9:48/mi avg

Ugh. So moist.

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 6.32 @ 10:12/mi avg

Really getting good at easy miles. This didn't feel nearly as sluggish as the pace might indicate... 

Friday

Scheduled: 1.5mi WU, 5mi @ HMP, 1.5mi CD

Did: as scheduled = 8.06mi @ 8:58/mi avg

Another moist morning.. ew. This was definitely a mental games kind of run. I kept comparing today's 5mi @ HMP to Sunday's 8mi @ MP, knowing that the whole purpose of this workout was to make Sunday feel easy. I was also struggling to remember how it felt to run an ENTIRE FREAKING HALF MARATHON (with hills, while (barely) pregnant) at a faster pace. 

I'd hoped for 8:15s for the HMP, but the first mile was not happening. I did get there, though. 

8:24

8:12

8:19

8:13

8:08

Saturday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 6.6mi @ 10:25/m avg

Another run family run with a stop 5/6 of the way in at the park :) This was a little longer than planned, but super easy.

Sunday

Scheduled: 8-10mi WU, 6-8mi @ MP, 2mi CD
Did: as scheduled = 20.55mi @ 9:34/mi avg, 0.5mi walk, 

This was a reality check kind of run. The warm-up 10mi was easy enough. I actually even "forgot" about it by the time we started the MP. I planned on running around 8:45s for the duration, and also (wrongly) expected that to feel easy and manageable. 

Nope. I was on the struggle bus a lot this run, alternating between 8:50s and 8:30/40s for the first bit and then in the 9s by the end (though I'm also fairly certain GPS was not accurate because I didn't feel like I could have POSSIBLY been going 9:27 slow for my last fast mile). It was a mental game throughout, telling myself not to try to stick with my super strong training partner, and that it was fine to let her go ahead at 8:30s while I held 8;45s, truly running the mile I was in (and ONLY the mile I was in), thinking about the run as two mile pace-setting exercise, then 10K, etc. 

I think the worst part was how, on the last mile, I had to do a couple additional loops around the pond in order to avoid having to go this super steep hill on the MP leg.

But it was totally worth while when my husband brought us suuuuper cold sports drink as we passed by the house en route to, wait for it, JUMPING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD POOL. 

I've dreamt about jumping into a pool post-run SO many times, and it was EVERY BIT AS GLORIOUS as I'd imagined.

Also, training partner brought electrolyte popsicles. WHAT A DAY :D

Total Weekly Mileage: 50.6

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Marathons are hard. This is the first week, though, that I've had a run that took it out of me. Pretty proud about that. I also learned from past runs and recovered MUCH better with lots of salt/food post-run, stretching, and a well-timed nap. 
• I'm absolutely amazed that 5mo pregnant me did a marathon a couple years ago. 
• REALLY excited for tomorrow's rest day