5K Training: Week 11/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Wow, we're already at Week 11 of 12? This training cycle has gone really well. I feel like I've been working hard, but not so much that I'm consumed by running/training thoughts all the time, or having to modify my life to accommodate training. Opting to train for a 5K instead of a spring half was definitely the right call. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest
Did: rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 10K w/strides
Did: 10KTuesday with 4xhill repeats= 6.35mi @ 9:49/mi avg, Big 2
Hooray for having training partners back! :D We had some nice easy miles to start (all really consistently around 9:40 after the WU mile), and then took off for the hills. I felt really fast and really strong up them, but my pace was "only" in the 7s for the ~150m or so of hill. Oh well, still felt like I had good form and got something out of it. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: XT
Did: 20min weights, 10min yoga
Heeeey, look at me, I'm doing something on Wednesdays! Special thanks to the littlest baby in our house for having a reasonable sleep schedule that facilitates this sort of thing. ;) 

Arms, chest, back, and then some hip-opener yoga

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 5x1000(4:11)/400, 1mi CD
Did: rest
Felt kind of sick and opted out of working out. Got a 90min sports massage to deal with my IT tightness. Oof. Hurt so good.

Friday

Scheduled: 3-4mi easy
Did: 2mi @ 9:55/mi avg treadmill, Big 5
Felt a bit better from the sickness side of things, but my IT band was definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's massage. I decided to run, but just cut it to 2mi.

Saturday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 3x2mi(16:00-16:30)/800, 1mi CD = 9.5mi
Did: 2mi WU, 5x1000(~4:30)/400, 2mi CD = 8.72mi @ 8:47/mi avg, Big 5, all-day chorus session
I had a lot of thoughts about what this workout could/should be. I knew I wanted some sort of "challenge" element, and that it probably ought to be on the speed side versus pure distance. I ended up choosing to do Thursday's workout, but parking further from our usual track parking to get extra mileage on the WU and CD. 

It was a cold morning- 28 degrees. The 2mi WU wasn't bad, and then it was just a matter of knocking off a series of (5)-2 1/2 laps with 1 lap in-between. Between my sore IT band, getting over a sickness, being tired, and the cold weather, I had plenty of excuses to lean on when it came to not "going for the gold" on my split times. Based on my indicator, I should've been running 4:11. I let myself not do that today and just went comfortably hard, which ended up shaking out to:

4:30, 4:31, 4:30, 4:28, and 4:27

Good. Enough. 

Stretched, showered, ate, and then set off for another full-day chorus coaching session with my adorable 20+ lb weight strapped on for seven hours.

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-5mi easy with stroller
Did: 5.02mi @ 9:54/mi avg with the double, Big 5

Couldn't figure out why my legs were so sore on a Sunday until my training partner noted she felt the same... due to speedwork on Saturday. Ohhhhh, yeah. River was flooded so our route was limited with the strollers- lots of out-and-backs, but we got our 5mi in. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.09

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Definitely does NOT feel like the last week of training before a race... There's no anxiety, excitement, or even confidence leading into this coming week. I think I've already "checked out" of Publix? Maybe it's because my IT band was acting up, or because I already had the performance I was hoping for at my time trial, but I'm just kind of in a "go with the flow" mood for my goal race. 

5K Training: Week 10/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Oh, man. BOTH my weekday training partners are out of town this week. Good thing I've got this blog, Garmin, and text messages to keep me accountable.

Monday

Scheduled: rest
Did: rest
When baby woke me up at 3am, I really should have just run instead of attempting to go back to sleep at 4am. I never got back to sleep, and would have been better setup for my day had I just got some monotonous miles in... 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, tempo (20-30s slower than RP), 1mi CD
Did: 4mi PRO (10:11, 9:45, 9:24, 9:01), 4x0.05mi hill (sub 8 pace), recovery, 4x0.1mi hill (sub 9 pace), ~1mi CD = 6.23 @ 9:41/mi avg, Big 5
Another night/morning where, when i got woken up by the baby, I should've just stayed awake and gotten my run in. Up at 12:45am, baby down again by 2am, and I never really got back to sleep until 4:15am, just in time for my 4:20am alarm. Sigh. 

Today was a bit harder than usual, since I was solo. I waffled back and forth about wanting to go outside solo or treadmill it, an eventually opted for outside because: 1) it meant I couldn't just stop whenever I felt like it and be home, 2) I knew I wouldn't actually do "hills" on the treadmill by changing the incline if I stayed indoors, and 3) I was guaranteed to finish my workout without family interruptions if I went outside; inside, I'd be subjected to mom guilt if I heard the kiddos. 

So, I texted one of my traveling training partners a pic of myself pre-run with the caption:
"I'm only doing this right now because I know you are too."

With that for accountability, I headed out in the pouring rain. It was actually pretty nice, after a mile. I enjoyed the serenity, ability to be outside and moving, and then hit the hills hard on the way back. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: XT
Did: 20min weights, 5min yoga
Husband got the baby wake-up at 4am, but baby didn't stay asleep long after the monitor got dropped off with me at 4:30. Sigh. Knowing baby didn't need anything, but not being able to get back to sleep with the cooing/crying, I reluctantly got up, grabbed my dumbbells, and got to work. 

3x15x5lb (each hand)
row
upright row
shoulder press
bicep curl
tricep kickback

1x30x5lb
chest press
fly
skull crushers

Miler Method core workout
30s each:
side/front/side/back plank with leg/hip raises
flutter kick
scissor kick
and
20 knee push-ups

then followed that with some yoga/breathing exercises

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 6-8x200/200, 1mi CD
Did: 1mi WU, 400m, 6x200/200, 1mi CD = 4.0 @ 8:44/mi avg, Big 5

Heeeeey, I finally learned my lesson this morning. After multiple days where I'd get up with the baby before 4am and waste time attempting to get back to sleep before my 4:20am running alarm, I finally just stayed up and got my run done early. 4pm is going to suck, but the morning went great. lol


I spent my entire first mile trying to figure out what I wanted to do for my workout. I had 200s on the schedule, but the idea of doing them on a treadmill was intimidating (esp when I saw my prescribed pace was *gulp* 9.9mph. Last week's 9.0 had been intimidating enough. Yeeesh!

My other option, as I saw it, was to re-do last week's 800m workout, since I'd only made it through 4.5 of 6. That, too, was unappealing.

Maybe I could swap this week with next week and do 5x1000s? Nope. That pace was still an 8.9mph. If I didn't want to do 800m at 9.0, was getting a 0.1mph "break" really enough to go another 200m? Nope.

In the end, I opted to run just under a 9mph pace for a bit after my warm-up. I made it through a quarter mile and decided I did not feel like holding a hard pace for that long again today.... so I doubled down and went for the 200s. Solid choice. I felt like I could keep that pace JUST long enough for the 'mill to click to the 200m. I only did 6 of 'em, but, considering the workout was "6-8" AND I'd done a bonus 400, I felt good about it.

Friday

Scheduled: 4mi easy
Did: 3.11mi easy on 'mill @ 9:57/mi, Big 5
Contemplated waiting to run until lunch or after work to be outside, but opted for the 'mill instead just to get it done. Legs are still sore from yesterday, so I only did a 5K, but am planning to "make up" that mile on tomorrow's distance run. 

My legs are definitely appreciating the fact that I'm actually stretching them again. :P 

Saturday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 10mi push pace, 1mi CD
Re-scheduled: 1mi WU, 3x3mi/1mi = 13ish
Did: 1mi WU, 2x3mi/1mi, 4mi CD = 13.2mi @ 9:19/mi, Big 5, 30min stretching, 15min foam rolling
I changed this workout on Monday from 10mi of push pace to some shorter bursts, hoping to wind up with faster paces. The first one went pretty well (26:00), as did the second (26:40, though the second burst was super hilly). Around mile 8, though, I started feeling some tightness in my right hip/IT band. When my training partner said she was going to cut the last repeat and consider just running it in for an easy 10, I figured it would be a good idea to join her... though I still planned on getting to 13.1.

We ended up both making it to 13.1, but my right leg was not very happy with me the rest of the day. I took a LOT of time to tend to it, with the Big 5 stretches immediately after my run, another 25min of dedicated leg stretching about 1.5hrs later (after tending to children, shower, and eating), and 15min of foam rolling in the evening. Hurt. So. Good.

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-5mi easy with stroller
Did: 3.6mi with double stroller @ 10:22/mi avg, Big 5

Hooray, all the stretching worked! My legs felt much better today. I was looking forward to a nice and easy run with the double today, but flooding drove us from the concrete path to the gravel one, and unexpected rain meant we ran a little faster on the way back than planned... and cut the run a little short. Still a good way to end the week.

Total Weekly Mileage: 30.14 (is this the first time I've been over 30 in awhile?)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm really glad to have my training partners back this coming week. I would not be nearly as consistent of a runner without them.
• I'm also really glad that my right IT band issues were so easily mitigated
• One more week of hard work, and then it's taper time! 

Postpartum: Week 8

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• Writing on Thursday... lol

Monday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, Stroller Strides 360

Tuesday

Did: 6.31mi @ 9:35/mi avg, Big 5, 1.7mi treadmill walk, Stroller Strides

Wednesday

Did: Stroller Barre, 1.5mi walk

Thursday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, calf stretching, doc visit

Had an official doctor's appointment for my Achilles today, since it's still lingering after almost three months. Dr. Google and my experience were correct: I've got insertional Achilles tendinitis, and have been treating it properly. I've also been prescribed a night splint and topical anti-inflammatory gel to help. Best part: I'm clear to keep running, but just avoid heavy hill work/speed work, though the doc isn't concerned at all about the risk for rupture. Hooray, peace of mind. 

Friday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, calf stretches, Stroller Strides

Saturday

Did: 6.73mi @ 10:05/mi avg, Big 5, calf stretches

This run was hard. I feel pretty defeated when I'm only running about a 10K and wishing it were over after 5K... What happened to my marathon mama mentality? 

Sunday

Did: 4.5mi stroller run @ 10:00/mi avg, Big 5, calf stretches

This run was hard too, and I had to break it into segments to get through it. Blergh. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.54mi run

Week-ending Thoughts:

Maternity leave is great, really, but I'm struggling to feel satisfied each day. While I'm enjoying this "floating in limbo" feeling to some extent, it's also really frustrating to not feel any forward progress towards anything. I'm kind of ready for this Achilles thing to heal up already so I can get into some sort of training, maybe a 6 or 8 week program for the Thanksgiving 5K? 

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... 

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 13/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

I feel so freaking awesome. No soreness. No fatigue. No creeping injuries. This is probably the best marathon training cycle I've had? Not sure if that's because I was just in really, ridiculously good shape when I started or if just running mileage without pace goals merits the credit.

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

So much for that "feeling great" thing. I had some general abdominal discomfort this morning and was pretty OK taking a rest day.

Tuesday

Scheduled: 8mi

Did: 8.02 @ 9:55/mi avg, Big 5

Oof. 53 degrees and 91% humidity really crushes your spirits after months of temps in the 20s. I felt heavy this whole run, and started questioning if I was going to make it through. By mile 6, I finally felt "good enough", but this may be a turning point for me in this training cycle. Things might finally be catching up.... 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: 5.06mi @ 10:04/mi avg, Big 5

Another hot and humid morning, and another round of marathon training pains to go along with it. I wore a new pair of shoes and felt some definite discomfort on my right arch, just under the ball, similar to that problem that I was dealing with last spring. I'd go to a doctor, but, when I went last time, they just told me it might be a mild strain, to ice, put a support pad in my shoe, and keep on keeping on. So, that's what I'll do again... and maybe not wear those new shoes again for awhile. 

soggy, dark, humid morning

Thursday

Scheduled 16-18mi easy

Did: 18.16mi @ 10:25/mi avg (13.11+5.05 with stroller), Big 5

I had another out of town committee meeting scheduled for the weekend and knew I wouldn't be getting up to run 20+ miles solo, especially when I needed to be DONE by 7am for committee work. So, I swapped long run and speedwork days, and recruited my teammates to start at 4am on a work day to get me through the first 12mi. I was not excited about the route, though. To stay off too many hills (teammate request), we were limited to the road near my house. After they dropped off, I was limited to the road near my house due to: 1) no sunlight = no greenway and 2) heavier morning commute volume = no random road crossings like the ones we can make at 5am. This meant I'd be running more or less the same 4-6mi stretch over and over. 

Plus, I was super nervous about how my foot would hold out after yesterday's discomfort. >_<

I got up at 3:30am, stuck a pad from my podiatrist under the ball of my right foot, and headed out to meet my teammates. As soon as I walked out the door, I was greeted with  a delightful 63 degrees. Well, it's delightful if you're standing still. 

Within the first two miles, Teammate #1 and I were sweaty and hot. I briefly wondered how time of day might factor in to the "Aggregate Hotness Rule", which combines physical attractiveness, current climate conditions, and your individual effort to determine if it's appropriate to run shirtless.

We circled back for Teammate #2 after two miles, and began a ~4mi ONB, followed by the traditional 10KTuesday route. It was much tougher than I'd anticipated. Not sure if that's due to my being so far along in things, getting up at 3:30am, the out-of-nowhere heat flash from 30s and delightful to 60s with 90+% humidity, or the fact that finishing this run would put me well over 50mi in a single seven day period (which might be my longest seven day stretch ever?).

My left glute was sore within the first 5K. My legs were tired within the first 10K. I was definitely in "marathon mode" by the 10mi mark. Since I realized on the run that, if I kept going along, I'd miss seeing my husband and kiddo (since I was traveling for work that morning and wouldn't be home until Saturday night), I decided I'd try to hit a reasonable mileage, get home by 6:15, and then go out and finish the mileage once the sun came up with my munchkin in the stroller.

I pushed myself to continue for another two miles after my teammates dropped off, wanting to finish a half marathon, which would leave me with only 3-5mi to go to hit my goal mileage for the day. Those two miles were a TRUDGE. I barely kept an 11min/mi. 

Got home, changed sports bras and shirts, grabbed some chocolate milk, said good-bye to my husband, and then got the munchkin ready to head out. 

alright, let's finish this

Having the company of my little one was huge. I kept playing mental games of "just one more ____" to get through it. I trudged. I plodded. I resorted to little one coaxing me up hills with "I think you can" on repeat and helping us "put on the stroller's jet engines" (i.e. making motor/engine noises. I finished.

That was definitely the hardest run I've had in several years. I never felt like I should stop or that it was beyond me physically to keep going, but definitely had the mental "oof, I want to stop" that I had to overcome. I wanted to finish the mileage more than I wanted to stop. This felt like my first 15mi run ever. This felt like the Chicago marathon, where "marathon legs" set in at 13-- way too early. But I kept on going. Today was a win.

...but, man, I hope Publix weather isn't like this. That would suuuuuuuuuuuuck. 

Friday

Scheduled: 6-8mi

Did: 20min yoga, 4.5mi walk
When I saw that I'd hit over 55mi for the past seven days, I decided today would be an appropriate rest day. 

So, I took the morning to do some stretchy "yoga for tired legs", and then got some extra active rest in later in the day in the form of a 2.25mi walk to/from dinner at a work conference. 

Saturday

Scheduled: strength or yoga 

Did: 6.3mi @ 9:55/mi avg, Big 5
I'd wanted to get up and do a run around Clemson's campus this morning before committee work began, but, the weather was significantly different from the forecast when I'd packed two days ago. So, stranded without appropriate gear, and a little freaked about running sans flashlight (since I'd forgotten it), I opted for a treadmill run. 

OMG. This was another rough run. It was 68 in the hotel gym. WAY TOO HOT for a run. I ended up wearing a towel around my neck the entire run, which was soaked by the 1/2 way point. To help myself mentally, I ran with the treadmill in kilometers, ticking off tenths of the way until I'd get a 10K. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-6mi easy

Did: 6.64mi @ 10:19/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
Weather report had 41 with zero percent chance of rain at 7:30am. After getting the kiddos set and running about two miles, we had 10mph winds that made it feel like 30s and rain. Stellar. This was a tough run. I slowed down for the first bit to stick with my other running mama this morning, but can't say that I wanted to go that much faster. I was grateful I'd brought an extra layer of clothes to wear at the post-run playground date, because I ended up putting those on DURING the run. 

For some reason, I had 6-8mi in my head, and ended up going just beyond 6. So proud.

Total Weekly Mileage: 44.1 (40-45, 43= goal)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Still a unicorn.
• I'm so excited that there are only five weeks left. 20mi this coming weekend, then a 22 miler, and then it's "all downhill from there". I mean, I'll still have 20mi to run the following weekend, but I'll be at the USATF Masters Indoor National Championship track meet, so a good bit of those miles will be on the track during various events (where I'm literally just there to score points, and the amount of points I score for the team won't really change if I'm pushing my hardest at each event or just scoring a legal mark-- weeeee, under-represented age group), and the rest will be warm-up/cool-down mileage. 
• I looked back in my GSheet of every run I've ever run since making my "average a mile a day" resolution back in 2012. Evidently, my max mileage in a seven-day period was 69, during Chicago training, but that was when I did a long run on Sunday one week and Saturday the "next". Especially since circumstances are different this time with the whole motherhood thing, I'm gonna call my Friday-Thursday of this week equally, if not more-so, impressive.
• Still so proud that my legs and body in general is holding up so well. I'm two weeks out from peak mileage and still feeling better than I have during any other marathon training cycle ever. My mileage is less than Chicago, but not by too much. The biggest change is just the intensity.