2 Weeks to Alpharetta Women's Half

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Um, it's Thursday, so idk... 

Monday

Planned: lift
Did:  nope

I think I might've done some yoga in the morning, but that's it. Had a stressful day at work and just spent the evening watching the season finale of Loki.

Tuesday

Planned: 1mi WU, 8x800m w/1-2min recovery, 1-2mi CD for 10KTuesday
Did: as scheduled = 6.97mi @ 8:51/mi avg, MBF Week 3 Legs

Was NOT feeling this workout when I started, but mentally told myself "it's just a couple 800m".  I was hoping for sub-8s on all of them, and would've honestly liked closer to a 7:15-7:30, but knew I didn't have the mental energy for that. The first two were good, and then they got harder... much harder by the end. I spent the bulk of the run wondering why I felt so sluggish despite the marathon training (which I basically stopped mid-August, so it's been two months... probably has something to do with it) and the cooler weather (though the humidity's still hanging around), and doubting my ability to want to push at the level I'd have to push to hit a half PR in a couple weeks.

Paces weren't bad, especially for doing these on the road:

3:55, 3:46, 3:41, 3:49, 3:52, 3:52, 3:50, 3:33 (not a typo on that last one)

Then I did the leg workout I had planned to do about six days ago... heh. 

Wednesday

Planned: easy 5mi
Did: 5.03mi @ 9:34/mi avg

Oh, hey there faster easy pace! Today was the first day I felt like the weather had a positive impact on my pace... or maybe it was just the conversation we had on the run, which was really more like a venting/therapy session. 

Thursday

Planned: 2mi WU, 6mi solid, 2mi faster, 2mi CD = 12
Did: run as scheduled = 12.07mi @ 9:07/mi avg, 2.66mi lunch walk

I was kind of dreading this workout, but also relieved that it was "only" solid miles. Mentally breaking up a 12mi workout into small pieces and parts definitely helped me today. I was able to have a full conversation the entire time, which told me I wasn't working too hard, but, man did it feel tough. I couldn't pinpoint my limiting factor, but maybe it was just my mind. After two of the solid miles, I was mentally toying with the idea of breaking this up into 3x2mi (and switching with Saturday), and probably would have done it if I didn't have my training partner with me. It's easy to switch a workout on the go when you're alone, but harder if you have to verbalize and explain it to someone else. 

Super proud of this one, and maaaaaybe starting to believe I'm not as out of shape as I thought. Still not where I thought I should/could/would be (my recent marathoner training partner seemed to be handling the pace better than me! lol), but pleased. 

WU: 10:12, 9:49

Solid: 8:55, 9:03, 8:56, 8:40, 8:51, 8:59

Faster: 8:26, 8:07

CD: 10:01, 9:56

Friday

Planned: easy 5mi
Did: 5.12mi @ 9:54/mi avg

These runs just aren't feeling easy like I'd thought. 

Saturday

Planned: 2mi WU, 2x3mi or 3x2mi @ 8:00 or less, 2mi CD
Did: as scheduled = 10.52mi @ 9:04/mi avg

I had absolute zero confidence in my ability to hit anything close to an 8:00 this morning... but I pulled it off. 

Set 1: 7:59/, 7:50, 7:49

The first mile and second weren't too bad. I had to focus, but they felt alright. The third was a lot harder, partially to the elevation. I was definitely breathing hard. 

Set: 8:05 ,8:12, 8:06

While these were slower, I'm still incredibly proud of them. I really wanted to give up and do this set slower than the first, but was encouraged by the first mile's split, and kept going. Even though I was slower than I'd wanted, hills, bumpy sidewalk, traffic, etc. played some role. I'm super proud that I didn't give up there and kept pushing for a solid finish. 

Today was definitely a mental success. While I'm certain that I don't have the fitness to make my mind want to go for a half PR next weekend,  I still feel great about what I did. 

Sunday

Planned: 8-10mi easy

Did: 6.40mi @ 9:42/mi avg

I realized during yesterday's cool-down that 8-10mi was more of a marathon taper Sunday run than a half, and called an audible to 6-8 instead. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 46.1

Week-ending Thoughts:

I feel a lot better than I did last week, but still am not mentally ready to go for anything spectacular next week. I was pretty discouraged by the idea that I pushed as hard I I did on Saturday and still would've been barely sub-2 if I'd kept the same average pace to finish out the half. I think anything sub-2 will be a victory for me, which is a testament to my mental state.