Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 10/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Oh, running. Thank you for being there for me when the rest of life seemed FUBAR. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 8mi 

Did: 8.45mi @ 9:30/mi avg, Big 5

Well, for only getting about 4.5 hours of sleep thanks to stress/anxiety, this run went pretty well. 

Wednesday

Scheduled:4mi easy

Did:4.01mi @ 9:43/mi avg
No real commentary here. 

Thursday

Scheduled 1mi WU, 4-1600/400, 1mi CD

Did: as scheduled, total = 7.5mi @ 8:38/mi avg, Big 5
Heck. Yes. This run felt amazing. I wasn't sure what I could reasonably keep for the miles, but decided to try for my standard 8:00/mi pace that I've been going for on speedwork in the past few months.

7:44
7:44
7:44
7:43

Aww, yeah. Today's weather probably contributed to this (31, no wind = my new favorite speedwork weather), but I'm still insanely proud. The miles felt good- pushed in focus only, not pace. I could have totally gone faster by about 10-20s on most of them if that's what training called for, but was very happy with the current "just finish Publix feeling good" marathon training that I'm doing. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find the miles didn't feel long, and even doing four repeats didn't seem arduous. Instead, I was truly able to just enjoy each and every lap on the track. This is exactly what I wanted from this round of marathon training: to capture the same feeling I had while running last fall, extend it, and foster more of the same appreciation and gratitude for being able to do this, and the calming, happy sensations that running brings me. 

Friday

Scheduled: strength + yoga

Did: 20min strength +  10min yoga
I actually felt like lifting today, so I did 2/3 of a 30min YouTube dumbbell workout, and then followed that with some morning meditation yoga. 

3pm update: deadlifts were probably a bad idea... 

Saturday

Scheduled: 17mi easy

Did:17.13mi @ 9:43/mi avg, Big 5
Yesterday's deadlifts were definitely a bad idea. Holy hamstrings. We had a great group this morning for our 5am start; a few friends joined in for the first eight, and then three of us continued for the full 17. 

I intentionally ran us the opposite way we'd run the past few weeks to give us some nice downhills, though we still had a good bit of uphill as well. It was nice to have a small reprieve from hills. I had some of the typical "blergh, this is tough" feelings within the first couple of miles, but they went away by mile 6, and I had an enjoyable run overall. It was also really nice to run a few new patches of road that I'd never run before- who knew places like that still existed up near me? :) 

The best part of the run was the last half mile or so. One of my training partners had reached the "alright, I'm ready to be done" point, which, for her, meant we were picking up the pace to bring about the end sooner. I shrugged and followed suit, and we had a good surge for the last 800, around a low-8/high-7 pace. Being able to finish with such a strong kick on a 17mi run felt good. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 6mi easy

Did: 5mi @ 10:00/mi, Big 5
Ugh. Another crazy weather snap. We went from singlet and shorts weather yesterday to 30 degrees with 20mph winds for a "feels like" of 19. That sort of weather is too intense for little ones, so we canceled our Running Mamas morning outing. Though I had a friend volunteer to run with me if I really wanted, my aching hamstrings had me wondering: 1) if it were a good idea to run in the cold, and 2) how far I could realistically go. So, I opted for a treadmill run instead. 

...it was still a struggle. I kept the pace at a flat 6.0mph and just got through it, quarter mile at a time. I could've finished the full 6, but knew I'd done enough "extra" throughout the week to still be around 42mpw if I stopped at 5... so I did.

I'm grateful to have the 'mill as an option, but today showed me how much I really need to be outside with friends to enjoy running. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 42.1

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I've gotten my diet back under control and am feeling tons better. Dinners the past few nights have been bowls of roasted vegetables with a little meat, and they've been awesome. Hooray, mindfulness.
• I've currently logged 120mi for the month of January. I should finish the month with around 160. This isn't too much more than what I'd been doing for the better part of last year. 
• Eight more weeks! Only five more weeks of longer long runs, and then I'll start dropping back. Weeeee! I can do this. :D 

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 9/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Ahhh! I'm already in the single-digit countdown for "weeks to go". SO exciting. Even better is that I'm not even in that different of a place than I was at this point before Chicago. Speeds are a bit different, but that can be attributed to: 1) taking it easy in 30 degrees vs pushing a little in 90 degrees, and 2) actually having a time goal for speedwork for Chi. 

So proud of these accomplishments.

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 8mi 

Did: 8.07 @ 9:41/mi avg, Big 5

Great to have the full gang back together for this run. Easy out, and a slightly pushed back... with a sprint up THE HILL. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 4mi easy

Did: 4.06mi @ 9:38/mi avg

Brr. We went from singlets and shorts weather to 41 degrees and 16mph winds overnight. Nice and easy run. 

Thursday

Scheduled 1mi WU, 5x1200/400, 1mi CD

Did: as scheduled, total 7.35mi @ 8:43/mi avg, Big 5
You know what's just SUPER weather for marathon training? 31 degrees before 5am with 16mph winds that yield a wind chill of 19. Woooooo, that's my fave for sure. (not)

...but you gotta show up for your teammates

I'm not gonna lie. I was NOT excited about this workout. 1200s are not a fun interval for me; there were 5 of them; and the weather was less than appealing. Oddly enough, though, I ended up absolutely loving this workout. The 1200s seemed like just the perfect distance, easily broken down into three, very manageable ~2:00 laps, and, I was counting down reasonable, single-digit numbers of repeats to go. 

1) 5:53
2) 5:55
3) 5:54
4) 5:53
CHECK OUT THAT CONSISTENCY. BOOM.

...and then, as a special treat, we decided to turn and run the opposite way around the track, turning that nasty headwind into a tailwind, for the last 1200.

5) 5:33
This makes me even more proud of the first four splits. 

Yay!

Friday

Scheduled: strength + yoga

Did: yoga
Definitely struggling with strength training these days. Hooray for yoga, though. I had a good thirty minute practice today. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 16mi easy

Did: 16.02mi @ 9:44/mi avg, Big 5

HERE WE GO. MARATHONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! :D Another awesome run, full of hills (almost 800' of gain, so less than last week, though), wind, and great conversations with my training partners. Post-run, I headed over to the track to cheer on my husband at his speedwork session, and then we enjoyed a nice, relaxing morning of naps, French toast, and celebrating Clemson football. Hooray!

Yummmmmmmmmmmm

Sunday

Scheduled: 6mi easy

Did: 6mi progression @ 8:50/mi avg, Big 5
Kidfree weekend = an adults-only run on the greenway, which ended up being me and a couple guy friends (read: fast). This was supposed to be an easy run, and the guys definitely let me guide the pace... but I was just feeling good. The last four miles were all solidly under a 9min pace, with most of them in the low to mid 8s. We finished up in the 7s for sure (though that was only the back 800m of the last mile), and it felt good. Solid end to the first half of marathon training for sure.

Total Weekly Mileage: 41.6

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Feelin' good. Feelin' strong.
• I've had some trouble with eating the past few months. Basically, I kind of threw everything to the wind and said "whelp, I'm marathon training, and other stuff's happening in life, so maybe I should just eat when I'm hungry and eat whatever I feel like". That was NOT a good plan. Over the past two months, I've quickly gained way too much weight, and been struggling to fit into clothes that I should NOT be struggling to fit into. After a bit of a freak-out/melt-down/major-self-imposed-guilt/shame-trip, I'm in a better place this week. I'm tracking everything I'm eating again, and, shocker, the best thing that's come of this is feeling physically better. Guess that whole "when you eat like crap, you feel like crap" thing holds true... even if you're marathon training. :P 
• Super pumped that my running bestie just signed up to run Publix with me. I'm pretty sure our first run together was her pacing me through an 18mi training run for my first ever marathon five years ago (whoa, has it really been that long?) that happened to coincide with a regional contest both of our choruses were attending. Since then, we've shared a lot of amazing moments together, despite living three hours apart, and I'm beyond excited to share this one with her too. 
• MARATHONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! :D 

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 8/18

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Let's do this. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 4mi @ 9:33/mi avg, Big 5
Couldn't pass up the chance to run in low 50s with a singlet and shorts. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 7mi hill repeats

Did: 6.23mi @ 9:33/mi avg, Big 5, Resolution Run = 8.78mi total @ 9:16/mi avg
It's taken me until my early 30s, but I've finally figured out the best way to spend New Years Eve: splitting a bottle of sparkling grape juice with my husband and toddler, and then going to bed at 7:30pm. It was EPIC. 

Plus, it made getting up at 4:00 for the first 10KTuesday of the year suuuuuuper easy. :) 

At first, having 61 degrees for our 5am run seemed amazing.... and then, half a mile in, we remembered how awful running in the humidity was. Blergh. Bring back the 30s! 

After a shower, some peanut butter and banana toast, and a little nap, my family headed downtown for Round 2 of our New Years Day running: the Atlanta Track Club Resolution Run. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 4mi easy

Did: rest

Thursday

Scheduled 1mi WU, 6-8x800/400, 1mi CD

Did: as scheduled = 7.74mi @ 8:39/mi avg, Big 5
Today was the first day I actually felt like I'm marathon training. I've been dealing with a suuuuper dull ache in my right PF since Tuesday, and had a lot of mileage on the schedule today. I told myself six repeats was a bare minimum, and any more would be bonus.

The first few repeats were fine, and on point. I had a teammate running pretty much stride-for-stride with me through the first three, and that helped a ton... and then she stopped for water and I continued. 

#4 was tough, and I could feel myself fatiguing. Wooo, marathon training-- where you're tired halfway through your workout. #5 and #6 were easier, knowing I was past the halfway point, and #7 felt like a victory lap. Yessssss.

1) 3:52
2) 3:49
3) 3:50
4) 3:48
5) 3:48
6) 3:44
7) 3:33

Friday

Scheduled: strength + yoga

Did: 30min yoga
Just wasn't feeling the strength part today, but I did a whole yoga YouTube and really committed to focusing on the practice, instead of spending the whole time thinking about my day. That was nice. Also had a few miles of walking between my car service place and the bus stop to get to/from work. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 15mi easy

Did: 15.13mi @ 9:58/mi avg, Big 5
Coming home from this run, I had The Greatest Showman soundtrack blaring "We are bursting through the barricades, reaching for the sun. We are warriors, yeah, that's what we've become" at about 80%, almost happy crying because I am so freaking proud of myself.

After a couple weekday eight-milers (or close to, at least), a longer speedwork session, and a 15mi long run, full of hills, marathon training feels real today. I'm actually doing it, and doing it respectably well. I remember my first fifteen mile run: it was a struggle- mentally and physically- and, after I was done, I was stunned by the idea that I'd have to do that, and then ELEVEN MORE MILES to complete a marathon. I remember the first time I trained for a half: finishing that ONE 13 mile run was so touch, and now I'm doing that every weekend, like it's NBD. I feel like a flipping unicorn- a mystical creature that can't possibly exist. And it feels amazing. 

I am so glad my husband told me to sign up for a marathon last fall. It's been the best thing I could have done to help myself get over the crap-tastic year of 2018. It gives me something to work at, physically and mentally, and provides me with a sense of empowerment like nothing else. Thank you, running. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: 5.5mi @ 9:39/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
The Running Mamas opted to chance Riverside this week... and it did not pay off. Within half a mile, we hit a puddle. After "fording the river", we found our boardwalk completely inundated and unpassable. 

We turned around, at a bit of a loss for where to go, and ended up running on the road for a bit, which was NOT ideal. Thankfully we had one non-stroller runner with us, who kind of took the lead and did his best to ensure our safety, and we only needed to be on a road with traffic for about a half mile. 

The run itself felt surprisingly good. I'm feeling strong and awesome. No soreness, and no real fatigue from the past week (or even past day) past the first mile. #winning

Total Weekly Mileage: 41.16 (yasssssssssss)

Week-ending Thoughts:
Unicorn status = engaged.

Race Report: Resolution Run

Previous PR: 6:14 (1/1/17)
90% Goal: 8:15
50% Goal: 8:00
10% Goal: 7:30
Result: 7:10, 2nd Place AG 

Training: nada

Pre-Race: Today was a Tuesday, so, of course, I got up at 4am, and ran 10KTuesday with my teammates at 5am. After a few weeks in the 30s, we were a bit shocked to have 61 degree weather this morning. At first, it seemed great... and then we started running. Hello. humidity. The entire run felt like a struggle, and we only kept a 9:30ish average pace. 

After a shower, some peanut butter and banana toast, and a brief nap, my whole family loaded up for our family tradition: ATC's Resolution Run! 

We had a relaxing stroll around the lake (while our little one insisted on running, and completed just over a half mile, because he felt like it), rolled a stroller through some serious mud for the ATC member photo, and then enjoyed watching our munchkin do the 50m dash like a boss with another running mama's kid. 

I got in a half-baked half mile of warm-up after the dash, and struggled with a 9:30 pace there too. That was cool with me. After all, I'm on day 4 of straight running (which included a 14-miler), marathon training, and already ran a 10K this morning-- clearly I wasn't looking for a fast time. 

Race: I made it back to the start corral about four minutes before the gun went off (probably the closest I've ever cut it), and found my teammate. We both agreed we'd probably end up running about an 8-min mile, but weren't going to run together or anything. The first quarter mile was kind of uphill and a bit tough. I kept looking at my watch to see how more how much further we had to go. I passed a good number of people after the hill, when I still had stamina, and could motivate myself by capitalizing on the new, flatter terrain. I didn't run hard, but definitely tried to keep a mile repeat sort of effort. Pretty excited to see 7:10 on my watch as I crossed over the line. 

Reflections:

Best part of today was sharing running with my family. :) Kid did the 50m dash and loved it; I did the mile; and my husband did the 5K... and the other family members cheered for whoever was running at any given time. Yay.