Peachtree Training: Week 6/12 (29w pregnant)

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Vacation is the best. I need one of these every couple months. I haven't thought about anything other than enjoying my time with my family and life itself for the past few days. SO RELAXING.

Monday

Did: rest

Last day at the beach = chillaxing 

Tuesday

Did: 6.47mi @ 10:23/mi avg

Pinned a new location (Captiva Island, FL) for #10KTuesday this morning before we headed back home. The run was pleasant, and, after being here for four days, I finally found the resort's running trail. Win!

Wednesday

Did: 5.01mi @ 10:49/mi avg, Big 5

Had a nice greenway run with my husband this morning to help settle back into home life. I didn't need to walk at all (still can't believe how I've avoided that at 29w pregnant), and the run felt more-or-less good, despite the slower pace. It was a little weird to think 52 degrees was "cold", but I guess I acclimated to the high 80s and 90% + humidity of my Florida running over the past week. 

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU, 3xmile/400, 1mi CD = 6mi @ 9:36/mi avg, Big 2
Back to reality... That 4:10am alarm came pretty early today. While my body regularly wakes up around 4am (even on vacation), I'd gotten quite used to going back to sleep for another two hours over the past week. Oh well, gotta get back to makin' money to fund my next escape from life. 

Today's warm-up was HARD as usual, marked by a near 12min/mi pace for the climb up the YMCA hill. I didn't have much hope for getting my mile repeats anywhere near an 8:00 today, but aspired to keep them lower than a 9... or whatever my body was capable of today.

Splits: 8:32, 8:25, 8:14

SO pleased with those!!!

Track running still makes me feel "alive" and capable, despite being huge and slower than usual. It's nice to push myself a little bit. :) 

Friday

Did: nada
Wanted to get up and do yoga, but a 10:30pm wake-up with my kidling + 3am Charley horse in my calf + 4am potty break = nope

Saturday

Did: 2.14mi @ 11:05/mi avg + 4.01mi run/walk  w/stroller @ 13:50/mi avg + 7.01mi with stroller @ 11:36/mi avg = 13.16mi @ 12:12/mi avg, Big 5
I'm still stubbornly keeping a half marathon as my weekly LSD, until the negatives outweigh the positives, at least. I broke this one up into a few parts due to childcare scheduling, but still got it done.

I started off with a solo <25min run at 5am, where I felt comfortable, but averaged a very slow pace for myself. Then, after packaging up my little one, headed out to meet some training partners for whatever they could do. We got 4mi of run/walk in together, before I was left with the remaining 7mi to do on my own (well, plus the bump and the kid in the stroller). Thanks to a lot of mental tricks, I was able to make it through. I think my favorite parts of this run were: 1) listening to the kiddo sing "Mr. Sun" to the sun and 2) having cold chocolate milk in a cooler to chug once I made it back to the car. 

Sunday

Did: 5.61mi @ 10:54/mi avg + 1mi walk
Awesome family run morning on the greenway. I'm definitely struggling (mentally) with my slower pace these days. This has been the first weekend where I've had multiple miles that start with 11:XX (or more like 11:3X). I still feel good while I'm running (well, for the most part-- definitely dealing with the normal pregnant running fun of intermittent round ligament pain and the sensation of having to pee every 2mi); it's just comparing pregnant running times to non-pregnant (or earlier pregnant) times that's getting me. I'm still crazy fast and capable compared to this point in my last pregnancy (and a TON more comfortable), so I need to remember to focus on all of that. :)

Total Weekly Mileage: 36.26

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Wooo, over 1000 (1009) pregnant miles to date! I wound up with 1094 total in my first, and expect to be around 1200 this time around. 
• Pregnant running is definitely not as hard as last time. I attribute that to marathon training the first five months of this pregnancy setting me up better, and the weather being more mild since I've got an earlier due date. 
• Still love that a 36mi week feels more-or-less like "maintenance"

Peachtree Training: Week 4/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Hrm... today is Friday. I don't know what I was thinking at the beginning of the week. 

Monday

Did: rest

Tuesday

Did: 7.0mi @ 11:09/mi avg, Big 5

Ran two miles easy with one teammate, and then did another five miles of 3/1 with our third teammate. Nice and easy morning, even if it did start at 4:20am. :P   

Wednesday

Did: 2mi solo + 2mi 3/1 = 4.05mi @ 10:41/mi avg, Big 5

Woo, the sidewalk didn't beat me up this week. ;)  

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU + 8x hill repeats + 0.5mi CD = 5.41mi @ 11:32/mi avg

I can't remember anytime in the past year that I've dreaded a workout as much as I was dreading this one. The YMCA hill is always a beast on our SpeedworkThursday warm-up, and I was not excited at all about doing hill repeats on it... especially not pregnant. 

...but you follow the plan, whatever it says. So I did, and I felt SUPER proud afterwards. 

Friday

Did: rest

Briefly considered running, but enjoyed sleeping in instead. :) 

Saturday

Did:13.32mi with stroller @ 10:40/mi avg, Big 5
To celebrate my five-year anniversary of becoming at marathoner, I wanted to do a half marathon today (pushing a toddler in a stroller while being ~6mo pregnant with another kid was a necessity due to my husband's schedule, but a pretty sweet bonus).   I'm so freaking proud to have done such a great pace, and so grateful that the entire run felt so comfortable, too. Yessssssss. 

Sunday

Did: 4mi with stroller at 3:1 @ 11:47/mi avg, Big 5
Another super easy run/walk with my running mama friend along the river. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 33.81

Week-ending Thoughts:

• So freaking proud of the stroller half marathon at 28w pregnant
• Still feel great while running
• Kind of crazy that a ~34mi week still feels like "maintenance mode". At this point during my last pregnancy, I was doing this sort of mileage, but it was not easy or comfortable. So grateful for a different experience this time around! 

Sizzler Training: Week 6/8

Week-beginning Thoughts:
After 40mi last week, I'm starting to feel the marathon itch. I like the way I feel when I'm logging a ton of miles... Hahah. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest
Took the morning off from yoga to have a morning "to myself". Up at 4, shower, dress, and then plan for the week, indulge in some personal emails, and enjoy a hot mug of coffee... all before a great pre-work hour with my family. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 5mi easy
Did: 6.34mi @ 9:20/mi avg, Big 5
I couldn't NOT do a 10K on Tuesday. This run felt good. I feel fresh, strong, and had to hold back the pace a bit, reminding myself I had a track workout tomorrow. Maybe I shouldn't be holding back, though? 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 15min WU, 10x400m/100m (start at 5K pace, increase pace every other), 15min CD

Did: as scheduled for a total of 6.8mi @ 8:43/mi avg, Big 5

This was an intimidating workout for a few reasons:

1) It's been awhile since I've been on the track

2) I can't remember the last time I had more than 8 repeats

3) This wasn't just a repeat workout it was a progression/track hybrid

4) 100m is a REALLY short rest period

Once I got out there, though, the workout actually went pretty well. My first repeat only needed to be around 1:50. Considering I'm usually doing these at 1:40 or faster, that's huge. The first interval felt easy, and incredibly manageable... to the point that I worried I was phoning it in for the workout. 

Nope. I wasn't. That measly 100m rest took its toll quickly, and, by the end, I was grateful to have started "so slowly". 

1&2 (Goal: 1:50): 1:50, 1:49 
3&4 (Goal: 1:45): 1:40 (forgot to start after only 100m, bolted, and then attempted to slow down-- oops), 1:47
5&6 (Goal: 1:40): 1:40, 1:38
7&8 (Goal: 1:35): 1:37, 1:34
9&10 (Goal: 1:30): 1:34, 1:32

Definitely struggled through the last four repeats, but am proud to have pushed through and made this workout count.

Wee, progression intervals!

Thursday

Scheduled: rest

Did: yep
Only got about 4 hours of sleep last night thanks to a business development thing. I really don't know how I ever did marathon training with a newborn a couple years ago. 

suite life

Friday

Scheduled: 15min WU, 20min tempo, 15min CD, 3xcircuits

Did: as scheduled, total = 5.66mi @ 8:57/mi, Big 5, 3xcircuits

I hate tempo workouts. They embody exactly what I don't like: extended discomfort. I'm great at pushing hard for short bursts on the track; I can always count on that recovery. I'm also great at long easy miles; there's no pressure-- just keep running. Tempo miles are something else. They're the only runs I do where I'm truly experiencing this:

I didn't want to do this workout, but I've been reminded myself that I'm in-training because I want a fast time at a race. If I don't put in the work, I can't expect a good performance. Last week was just about mileage, but now I'm back in workout mode. Every run has a purpose, and it's up to me to "make it count". 

I was fine for the first three minutes of my twenty minute tempo run. Then I started mentally counting down the minutes. 

"Okay, two more minutes, and then you'll be halfway to the turnaround point."

"Halfway there. Turn around, and don't mind that GIANT hill you just flew down and now have to climb back up."

"One more minute, and then you'll only have nine more to go."

"Three more minutes, and then you'll only have five minutes to go."

"Maybe you could slow down, and still push a little, but not as hard as you've been going... that would still kind of count.... and then you'd have to blog about how you could have gone faster but mentally crapped out."

It was a STRUGGLE, and it was a struggle of the worst kind: the ones where there's nothing you're combating but your own mind. There was no physical reason I couldn't run the pace. I just didn't like pushing myself like that. Except I liked pushing myself like that... when I was done. 

I didn't have a pace in mind, but was hoping to be strong enough to end up with an 8-8:05/mi average. 

That's a 7:46/mi average, folks.

I was so proud when I finished up. 7:46/mi was a TON faster than I'd hoped for. I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it. Especially because my current 10K PR pace is around that time. If I want to have a good showing at Sizzler, I'm going to have to run that for over twice the duration. No way that's happening for 6.2mi if I don't do more of that pace for shorter distances over the next few weeks. Each run has a purpose, and it's up to me to execute it. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: 6mi @ 9:33/mi avg, Big 5

Comfortable run with ATC's In-Training crew this morning. Pace, again, varied with participant needs (high-8s to start, and nearing 10s by the end), but was super comfortable. Love being able to be part of this group again. 

water stop selfies <3

Sunday

Scheduled: 12mi easy

Did: 13.19mi @ 9:38/mi avg, Big 5

Today was all about being grateful for the ability to do things that used to seem impossible. I got up and out to start a stroller run in the dark with one of my best friends (and her kid), and then pushed a stroller for over two hours, covering just over a half marathon's worth of distance. 

When I'd mapped out 12 yesterday, I realized I'd either be doing parking lot laps to get me up to 12.0, or wind up with closer to 12.5 and a more reasonable route. If you're doing to do 12.5, you might as well do 13.1, right? 

The run felt good. I'm really proud of the fact that a 9:30 is now a comfortable long-distance pace for me... with a stroller. Back during Chicago training, it was a struggle to keep 10s without one. How far I've come. :) 

such a beautiful sight

The best part of this run was sharing the distance with my friend and our children. After the run, they even high-fived each other and congratulated one another on their half marathon. I don't think this is my first stroller half marathon, but maybe it is? Either way, I'm pretty proud of have been able to run it. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 37.97

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Grateful. That word sums up this week. Pushing myself in all kinds of ways reminds me of how far I've come.