(not my) Marathon Training: Week 4/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Well, here we are, Week 4. Since I have a trip later in the week, our schedule shifted a bit. 

Monday

Scheduled: 2mi WU, 5x1K @ 10K pace/2min, 2mi CD

Did: 2mi WU, 5x1K @ (7-7:30/mi)/2min, 1.5mi CD = 7.45mi @ 9:06/mi av

As I was in my garage at 4:04am, getting ready to head over to the track, my phone rang. My training partner had accidentally locked herself out of her house... without her car keys. So, I drove up to her place, we opted to drive to a different, open-to-the-public asphalt track in lieu of running from her house (since our normal track was too far with this change-of-schedule). 

The asphalt track wasn't as bad as I'd feared it wouldbe, but, man, I've run on the track too much lately, because I was OVER IT before we even hit 1.0 on the warm-up. I'm starting to tire of running in "circles" and having mechanical workouts. 

My legs were tired from not having a rest day, and just life, so I decided I wasn't going to go for any specific pace on the 1K repeats. Instead, I'd try to "make it fun" by relying on my watch's GPS to track distance and run the first one in Lane 1, the second in Lane 2, etc. 

My first repeat, I felt a small soreness in my inner right hip. Ugh. There's that whole "not stretching" thing starting to take its toll. I really need to do more of that, especially since I'm not strength training at all these days while asking a LOT of my running muscles. 

On repeat #3, I missed my watch beep and kept going... until I realized I hadn't missed the watch beep. I'd just neglected to specify the correct number of repeats. Oh, Mondays... 

Stopped/saved workout, then started a new one, and finished up the repeats, slogged through more laps around the track, hating every single one because I was bored to death. I think this is a sign I need a rest day, more stretching, and more strength training... 

Tuesday

Scheduled: easy 10KT

Did: as scheduled = 6.36mi @ 9:46/mi avg, 30min yoga

Weee, easy miles! My legs are TIRED. My body is TIRED. I'm actually on the fence on whether or not I'll run tomorrow... But, today was good. We welcomed back a 10KTuesday runner who'd moved away a few years ago, and just started a new job back in the ATL area. 

Also started feeling right glute tightness and did 30min of stretchy yoga. I think the fact that my legs were shaking in a basic forward fold is a good indication that I need to stretch more if I'm going to ask so much of my body... 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 2 miles WU 2 x 2 miles at HMP with 3 minutes jog in between + 1 mile faster between HMP and 10K pace 1-2 miles CD

Did: as scheduled (with shorter cooldown) = 8.23mi @ 8:56/mi avg, Big 5 Stretching, 30min yoga

It was a struggle of a morning. At 3:30am, I got up, and had to check in with both kiddos before getting out the door. I wasn't really feeling great about this run, and it was definitely more of a "just get through this, and then you can have rest day" sentiment than a "yeah, I'm gonna crush this". 

The way my training partner is doing things, her paces are based on a time trial she did pre-season, rather than her personal goal. This means they're all faster than what we'd need for a more reasonable sub-4:00 goal. This also means that I'm much better at shorter distances than longer ones, and probably have the physical ability to do longer races much faster than I am/want/think. 

I'm sitting at 58mi for the past seven days, and OMG do I feel it, so I've been opting to hit around an 8:00 for whatever the "speed" portion of our workouts is all week (1Ks for Monday and today's 2mi repeats. 

WU: 10:10/mi

2mi: 8:13/7:54

2mi: 8:06/7:53

1mi: 7:45

CD: 9:51

Shortened the CD a bit to get back home for kiddo wake-ups faster, but I'm proud to say I stuck by my car for an extra 5min to go through those Big 5 stretches I haven't done in... erm... maybe a year? 

Thursday

Scheduled: rest

Did: absolutely nothing

OMG, sweet, sweet rest day, I love you so... especially since I got all ready for work this morning, and then was hit by a super hard wave of fatigue that kept me in bed and sleeping for pretty much the entire day. Uggghhh. 

Friday

Scheduled: 5-6 miles WU 6-7 miles at MP 2 miles CD

Did: 0.78mi @ 13:23/mi, ~3mi walk

I really, really wanted to run with my training partner this morning. But it wasn't looking good when I woke up and still felt kind of blergh. I figured I'd try it out and see how I felt after a quarter mile, just to help her get going, if nothing else.

Nope. This is the first run I've aborted in... maybe ever? But I knew better than to push myself through anything when I wasn't feeling like even running an easy 3-4. I came home, and slept another couple hours from 4:30-6, and then more between 7 and 9. 

I finally felt better by the afternoon, though... just in time for our family mountain getaway! 

Weeee, Blue Ridge

Saturday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 1.5mi hike (780ft elev gain), 20min yoga, 40min HIIT/Core

I had low hopes for actually being able to run this weekend. Mountain cabins don't exactly have sidewalks along their access roads and I am NOT a trail runner (much less with a kid or two in tow). Instead, I leaned into the vacation part, and got my exercise through some light hikes and my downloaded Beachbody on Demand core workouts.  

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: HIIT/Core, 0.78mi hike (430ft elev gain), 6.0mi stroller run @ 9:16/mi avg, Big 5

Did a workout at the cabin before leaving, and a short hike at a great waterfall en route home.

Then got home and decided to head out for an easy riverside run. SO MOIST. Ugggghhh. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 28.8

Week-ending Thoughts:

Such a weak ending to a week with such a strong start... Part of me is already flipping out about a "loss of fitness" for taking three days off with sickness/travel. Part of me is eye-rolling, remembering we always tell training participants that it's absurd to think you can lose so much fitness in such a short time. That's kind of like going on a "diet" for a day, not drinking much water, and "losing" five pounds. It doesn't work that way. 

It felt good to do some strength work this weekend, and I hope I'll be able to find a way of fitting that into my life, even if it's only 30min a week. 

My legs felt a little weird on the Sunday run, but I'm hopeful that the sports massage I got on Friday helped work out the weirdness in my hip/glute, and that re-committing to stretching post-run and doing some yoga throughout the week will keep those issues at bay. 

Here's to a fresh week of marathon training. 

(not my) Marathon Training: Week 3/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Umm, well, it's Friday and I'm just writing this, so.... 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Considered a workout in the evening, but opted for sleep. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 2mi WU,8x300m @ 10K pace up, 30s rest, 300m @ MP down, 90s rest, 2mi CD

Did: as scheduled = 7.61mi @ 8:32/mi avg

These went much better this week. I was right on my goal 7:20ish pace for the uphills, and around 8:15 for the downhills. Eight was a LOT, though.... 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 5.05mi @ 9:31/mi avg

It's always weird to run our typical Thursday route on a non-Thursday... 

Thursday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 5.03mi @ 9:30/mi avg

Today was a struggle of a day, but I was able to fit a lunch run in with my husband. So humid. So gross. 

Friday

Scheduled: 2mi WU, 5x1mi @ HMP/2min rest, 2mi CD

Did: as scheduled = 10.00mi @ 9:00/mi avg

I was excited about mile repeats today, especailly since they were "only" at HMP. I opted to make these an 8min/mi pace (which is actually about my HM PR pace), even though I thought I could probably do them faster. Today's workout was "mechanical". I locked into the 8:00 pace, hit 30s per 100m eight times, and then, after a 2min jog, did it again... and just repeated until I was done. It was kind of boring, but also felt good to just "execute". 

Bonus: it took me until the second mile of the cool-down to realize that this was a 10mi workout. I ran 10mi before 6am on a workday. That feels really BA. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 13-15mi @ solid pace (MP+30s/mi)

Did: 15.17mi @ 9:18/mi avg, 1mi walk, .67mi walk

I had a hard time getting ready for this run. Sleep didn't come easily last night, and I woke up a bunch once I finally got to sleep. I also made the route for today, and the hills for the first few miles were a bit more than I'd thought. It was 74 degrees with 100% humidity. Gross. 

We were trying for 8:45-9:15/mi for the bulk of the run, after we warmed-up/settled-in. Not bad, especially considering this was after yesterday's tough double-digit workout and all the moistness. 

Splits:

1) 10:17 (started with a huge hill)

2) 9:18

3) 9:15

4) 9:11

5) 8:43

6) 9:01

7) 9:07

8) 9:06

9) 9:23

10) 9:05

11) 8:55

12) 9:19

13) 9:05

Decided to cool-down

14) 9:48

15) 9:34 

I struggled a bit for the first bit, but, oddly enough, once my training partner started slowing a bit, I found myself more energized to keep her going. After all, we're training for her marathon. It's a weird mental thing to realize that when I have the "choice" of doing the workout or not, and don't "have to" do it for MY goal, it becomes a lot easier because I'm really choosing to opt in and go for it. 

I felt great for the duration of today's run, and also felt like I could've kept going (maybe not at pace, but definitely for more distance), which is AMAZING. I'm pretty sure I haven't run this far since my pregnant marathon training back in 2019. 

We took a detour onto the greenway instead of staying on the main roads (which had more hills) towards the end of the run, and ended up with a longer route... so we stopped when the last watch clicked 15, and then walked a mile of cool-down together. 

Feel pretty great that I've run 53.1 mi in the last seven days... even though my back is absolutely destroyed thanks to sports bra chafe. Uggggh, humid long runs are the worst. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 5.72mi @ 10:00/mi avg (1mi of this was alongside my munchkin)

Today was great. Two years ago, one of our best running friends moved out of state. He's moving back to ATL, and joined us for today's run. :D 

Ran about 4 3/4, and then let the oldest out to run himself. 

Taped my back up, and that worked well... though I forgot about a spot on my inner thigh that got suuuuuper bad during the last mile. Ugh, humidty. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 48.6

Week-ending Thoughts:

This Hansons-y plan is pretty empowering. I have zero time for strength training or much of anything else, but I definitely feel like a total BA. 

It's really cool to be able to share running with my family. :)

Oddly enough, on the days where I'm running long, I'm less hungry than the days I'm not? 

Marathon Training Wrap-up: A Comparison

In the past five years, I've trained for three marathons, all with very different purposes and plans.

Race: Flying Pig Marathon, Spring 2014

Goal: Finish first marathon

Training: Coming off a Grade II calf strain, I did the bare minimum. This was just straight running, nothing special. I remember my first 15mi run. I felt so tight and sore all over during it, and the day after, that I didn't know how I would ever add another 10+ miles to that on race day (much less all the weekend long runs between then and race day). 

Average Weekly Mileage: 26.7

Max Weekly Mileage: 49.8

Top Three Long Runs: 20, 18, 16

Finish Time: 5:16:28

Fueling: way too much water, and GU every ~5mi 

Race Commentary: I trained pretty much solo for this entire cycle, and also remember crashing hard during the race. I'd hoped to break 5:00 at worst, but lost the 5:00 pacer within the first two miles of the race... and then had lost the 5:15 pacer by mile 17. I ended up walking quite a bit after mile 20, but rallied at the end to cross that finish line smiling. Lots of lessons learned, and lots of pride in my very first marathon finish line.

Post-Race: This was not a pretty post-race. Throughout training, I'd constantly heard about the dangers of dehydration, and about "hitting the wall". So, when I was struggling in the later half of the race, I attributed it to not drinking enough... and ended up consuming roughly the equivalent of a handheld (20oz) every two miles. Shortly after finishing, I felt nauseous, dizzy, and weak, to the point where I didn't think I could make it back to our hotel without barfing or passing out. Initially, I attributed this to having just completed a marathon. No one in our group had run one before, so we had no idea what to expect. After a few hours, Dr Google helped diagnose me with hyponatremia-- i.e. OVERhydrating. Yes, that's a thing. Eating some straight-up salt fixed the problem, and it's a lesson I've never forgotten.

Reflections: You never forget your first. Marathon training gave me more confidence in myself than I'd ever imagined possible. I learned how to push myself to do things that were uncomfortable and, at times, even undesirable (in the short-term), to reach a long-term goal. That skill has translated to so many parts of my life, and proved invaluable. 

MARATHONER!!!

Race: Chicago, Fall 2016

Goal: Feel like an athlete after Baby #1 (and drop the baby weight)

Training: Intense. Two workouts a week (hills or tempo plus track intervals, all at pretty intense paces), plus long runs throughout summer. Barf. I served as a Run Lead for Atlanta Track Club's training programs during this, and remember struggling to keep high-9s for the first few months of training. I felt a lot of pressure during this cycle to keep pace, even on my easy runs, and recall a lot of stressful nights, due to anxiety about the next day's run. I was plagued by sickness and injuries throughout this cycle, and am certain that was because I was so overloaded in so many areas of life. 

Average Weekly Mileage: 40

Max Weekly Mileage: 69

Top Three Long Runs: 22, 20, 19

Finish Time: 4:17:43

Fueling: Alternating H20 and Powerade at water stops, stingers every 10K(?), salt packet midway through race

Race Commentary: Nothing says it better than this. Short version: I had an uphill mental struggle for the rest of the race. SO proud to have held on and "won" that fight. 

Post-Race: I remember crossing the finish line and just wanting to sit down right there in the chute. I remember someone handing me a beer, and wanting to cry because I couldn't possibly carry an open cup more than three feet without spilling it. I remember sitting down after the medal stand and being asked to "keep moving" by the volunteers... which really meant walk another mile to the family meet-up zone, where I could finally sit on the ground. Unlike Flying Pig, I was exhausted, but physically okay. I was able to walk around downtown Chicago to go to my hotel, get dinner, and enjoy the post-marathon afternoon, taking photos with my training partner and proudly wearing my shirt and medal around the city. The only problems I had immediately post-race were postpartum-related; I remember having to get up in the middle of the night to put ice on my sore abdominal muscles. 

Reflections: This was a TOUGH training cycle. I had a demanding job, less-than-one-year-old baby at home, lots of post-partum body fun, and was preparing for an international quartet contest, international chorus contest, and national professional conference during marathon training. When I look back on this, I literally do not know how I did it. When I re-read my blogs, I know exactly how I did it: struggling through one injury/illness after another, constantly feeling stressed and on-edge, and leaning more on my superman of a husband than anyone ever should. Before even getting to the starting line, though, I felt like I'd accomplished what I set out to accomplish.... the near-hour PR was just a sweet, sweet bonus. 

10mo Postpartum

Race: Publix (Atlanta Marathon), Spring 2019

Goal: use running/training as a sort of therapy to get over a LOT of major life disappointments

Training: Mild. While I did speed and hill workouts, I kept my pace goals mellow: slightly slower than 10K pace. My rationale for this was two-fold: 1) From the very beginning, I didn't want to stress about a finish time for this marathon. 2) I got pregnant right at the start of training, and didn't want to stress my body in multiple ways-- mileage was enough. Having pretty much zero pace/distance goals made this SUCH a relaxed training cycle. Truly, it was all about enjoying every run, and that made a huge difference. No injuries, minor sicknesses (likely caused by work stress + daycare bugs). Just good vibes.

Average Weekly Mileage: 40

Max Weekly Mileage: 50

Top Three Long Runs: 22, 20.5, 20

Finish Time: 5:03 (4:45, if you don't count bathroom lines/stops)

Fueling: stingers every hour, water for first half of course, Powerade/water mix for rest, banana at 21

Race Commentary: I enjoyed every moment of training, and (almost) every moment of this race. This was the easiest marathon I've ever run. It felt like just another long run with a friend, thanks to having my own personal support crew the entire way through (both a friend who ran stride-for-stride with me, at whatever pace I wanted, providing me with whatever support I needed and a crew of friends/family who moved around the course cheering for me). I still can't believe how "easy" it was. While I kept a very relaxed pace, it was still a marathon. Marathons aren't easy, but this one somehow felt that way.... at least until my shoes became too tight at mile 22, but that qualifies as "extenuating circumstances" in my book. ;)   

Post-Race: Besides just wanting to take my shoes off, I felt really d**** good post-race. I was so excited to share the happiness with all of my friends and family who'd come out to support me, especially my little one. I had some struggles later in the day walking on my constricted feet, but was fine less than 24 hours later. 

Reflections: Part of the beauty of running lies in its ability to become whatever you need it to be. This cycle and race wasn't about pushing myself; it was just about enjoying the journey, something I need to learn how to do better for life in general. I appreciated every step of the way, and every person who encouraged and supported me throughout. I loved sharing race day with one of my best friends, and training runs with so many others. This experience has reminded me how capable I am, and how much stronger I am when I let others hold me up a bit. I did something "impossible", and that feeling of accomplishment is what keeps me tethered so tightly to this beautiful sport. 

5mo Pregnant
#marathonmama

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 18/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Whelp, my kid's sick with a 103 degree fever and I spent all of Sunday cuddling with him. This doesn't really bode well for marathon week... Mom life, right? 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Felt dead last night and slept for about 11 hours. Woke up feeling kind of normal, but then got to about 80% well by the time I got to the office. Nothing bad during the day, but still have zero appetite. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10KTuesday

Did: 6.36mi @ 9:39/mi avg, Big 1

Feel like my ears are a little stopped up and I have some post-nasal drip in the back of my throat, but still operating around 80%. Run felt good. I just wish I could ENJOY a marathon week for once. Seems like every time we get to this point, I'm sick or stressing about something... *sigh*

Wednesday

Scheduled: 3mi easy

Did: nope
Laid in bed sick all day. 

concerned kitty giving cuddles

Thursday

Scheduled: rest

Did: nada
Worked 11 hours, through some light congestion and lack of appetite. Picked up marathon packets, but without any excitement or joy. Today's mantra has been "If I can make it to the start line, I can make it to the finish", and I really hope I'll be healthy enough to make it to the start line... 

Friday

Scheduled: 3mi easy

Did: nope
Still feeling stuffy-headed, though my appetite is starting to come back. If I'm going to exhaust myself running and risk a relapse of illness, I'd rather do that ON marathon day. 

Saturday

Scheduled: yoga

Did: nope
Couldn't even stomach the idea of a walk this afternoon to try out my new watch. I can't tell if I'm actually still sick or the nausea is caused by trying to eat too much too soon or too many different types of foods since I'm kind of desperate for calories today. *sigh* Still hoping I can wake up feeling ready to go in the morning and that I've done enough... 

Total Weekly Mileage: 6.3

Week-ending Thoughts:
This is NOT what I wanted my marathon week to be like at all. I'm grumbly, bitter, and quite whiny with my "this isn't fair" attitude. I've worked incredibly hard to prepare for this week and this is supposed to be a fun celebration of what I've accomplished, not just in this training cycle, but getting over all of the craptastic things life handed me in 2018. Instead, I feel like I'm still living through craptastic things. Grumble. Grumble. Whine. Whine. 

Do I need an attitude adjustment? Yeah, probably. If I'm lucky, that'll come in the form of a 26.2mi run on Sunday. 

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 17/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

What? Taper week already?!?! I guess all I needed to distract me from marathon training was a wretched virus that had me down for about a week, another major and unforeseen derailment from "how I always thought my life would be" to cope with, grieve for, and start the long process of "getting over", and a national track meet. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 1.0mi on treadmill @ 10:00/mi, 2mi @ 9:07/mi
I took today off from work to recovery from the track meet (we got back super late last night), and it seems like a shame to waste an opportunity for a daytime run. Of course, laundry, grocery shopping, getting kid back, and all sorts of other "adulting" took over my day and I found myself still in need of some miles at 5pm.... so I got one mile done on the 'mill and then another two outside. 

Fun fact: actually using your arms while running evidently makes you run faster

...so does dressing inappropriately and being freaking cold for your entire two mile run. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 6.3mi

Did: 6.3mi @ 10:23/mi avg
Wow, I can't believe there's only one more weekend between me and the marathon! Today's run was tough. My body is tired, and I'm starting to experience some not-so-fun symphysis pubis diastasis (not enough to stop, but enough that I'm starting to notice it occasionally). Blergh. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 3mi easy

Did: rest

Especially with how work has been (in, y'know, the DAY I've been back), I'm glad to have had a rest day. :) 

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 3xmile/400, 1mi CD

Did: as scheduled, 6mi @ 9:18/mi avg
As much as I love me some mile repeats, I was scared about this workout. My legs have been tired since the meet (I think that might be the first stretch of five consecutive running days, especially HARD running days, that I've done this cycle?), and the idea of maintaining that 8min/mi pace for my last speedworkout of the cycle was intimidating.

On the bright side, weather was ideal: 30 degrees, no wind. 

On the down side, I felt so slow and incapable going up our YMCA warm-up hill that I'm certain I would have been faster walking it. 

elevation chart on the track portion is obviously wrong.... 

"At least the track will be flat," joked my training partner. 

"Preach, girl."

The track was flat, but I still worried about keeping the pace. I decided to just focus on hitting each lap in 2:00, and see how I felt. I made it through the first mile in 7:50, and instantly had more confidence. I jogged the 400 recovery, took a water break, and headed back to the line for round 2. This was more challenging. I really tried to focus on my arms, something I've always struggled with (and, honestly, not paid much mind to), and think that helped carry me through to a 7:47 finish. 

One. More. Mile. 

One more mile at an 8:00, and you'll have gone the ENTIRE marathon training cycle hitting an 8:00 (or better) pace for every speedwork interval. While growing a tiny human. This is what unicorns are made of. 

Final mile: 7:44. 

So proud. So very proud.

Friday

Scheduled: strength + yoga

Did: yoga
Had you noticed something missing from all my runs this week? Like, idk, the "Big 5" or any variant of stretching... Yeah, legs were definitely not loose this morning, and I got myself up to do some serious stretching/yoga. We're one week out from packet pickup, and I need to focus on some self-care for sure. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 15mi easy

Did: 15.03mi @ 10:26/mi avg, Big 5, foam rolling
Lots and lots of thoughts during this run. I planned a route that took me through one of my favorite first long run routes, that holds great memories not only from marathon training seasons past, but also my first training cycle with Atlanta Track Club. It was hilly, but not crazy hilly. I'm really happy to have conquered so many hills on my runs this cycle, and even more pleased with how manageable they've felt. Publix is a hilly course, but I feel ready for it. 

today's route

I felt good throughout the run. It was the sort of day where I didn't want to do another half marathon at the end of it, but I felt like I could have: exactly where I ought to be un-tapered, one week out. By the last 3-5mi, my feet were definitely tired, and I worry a little about getting "marathon legs" around mile 20 next week, but, hey, I'll be running a marathon, so that's kind of to be expected, right? 

Came home, was treated to bacon/eggs/toast by my amazingly supportive family, and then enjoyed power walking another mile along the river while my munchkin bicycled. I can't believe the taper really starts now!

Sunday

Scheduled: 4mi easy

Did: nada
Sick kid = no running for mama. I suppose I could have done some treadmill miles while the munchkin slept, but I wasn't feeling 100% myself either. This close to the marathon, I decided it was much better for me to let my body focus its energy on staying healthy instead of logging miles. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 30.34

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Really, really hope that I don't catch whatever my kiddo has and wind up with a 102 degree fever this week...