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... 

Atlanta Marathon Training: Week 16/18

eek-beginning Thoughts:

Really hoping I have a voice this week... Otherwise, I feel pretty fine, though. 

Monday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest
Well, I've got a bit more of a voice today, and I felt like I was on the mend... until the evening, when a runny nose/runny eye combo took over. Ugh. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 8mi

Did: 8mi @ 10:16/mi avg
Running is the only time my face stops leaking. I felt miserable when I got up-- just lots of congestion and grossness, but opted to run since everything was still above the neck, and I really wanted at least an hour where I could breathe. 

Turns out, that was a bad idea. I was pretty beat when I got home, and only got worse throughout the day. Everything was awful, and I barely left my bed. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: nope
I felt absolutely miserable today, and also barely left my bed. 

Thursday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest
I'm starting to feel human again, but still have a wealth of "ugh". Here's hoping for a recovery throughout the day, since I've got a USATF meet this weekend... 

Friday

Scheduled: 6mi total, including 400m and 3000m at USATF

Did: 5.69mi total @ 8:22/mi avg, Big 5 x 2

USATF Recap 2019

Saturday

Scheduled: 18mi total, including 60m, 1mi, 4x800 and 4x200m relays at USATF

Did: 18.65mi total @ 10:09/mi avg, Big 5 x 3

USATF Recap 2019

Sunday

Scheduled: 6mi easy, including 800m, 200m, and 4x400m relay at USATF

Did: 6.04mi total @ 9:42/mi avg, Big 5 x 2

USATF Recap 2019

Total Weekly Mileage: 38.37

Week-ending Thoughts:

• For a week where I felt as terrible as I did for half the days, I'm beyond impressed with my ability to rebound and deliver. I'm so grateful for my body's strength and ability to handle what I continue to throw at it, and consider myself incredibly fortunate to be able to keep doing what I love doing through everything.
• I ran over 30mi in three days at the track meet, mixing random warm-ups, cool-downs, pure "extra mileage because I have time between events", and long runs into a LOT of pretty fast track events. Unicorn status = full power. 
• There's nothing that compares to being part of a team. This weekend, I was lucky enough to be a part of a so many smaller "teams" within one large one: marathon training mamas, the Under 40s crew, relay teams, Atlanta Track Club, and, at its core, the worldwide running community. So very grateful for what running has brought into my life. Truly, there is nothing else that has had such a profound and positive impact on my life and outlook. 
• There are only 46 more training miles before my marathon. Holy Stromboli. I'm going to run a marathon in two weeks, and I feel AMAZING. This is insane :D 

USATF Masters Indoor National Championships 2019

Background:

I'm not an elite athlete by any means (at best, I consider myself "recreationally competitive"), but I'm fortunate enough to have a spot on Atlanta Track Club Elite as an "under 40s" member of their Masters Track and Field team. This weekend was our big annual meet, the Indoor National Championships, and it was epic. 

Friday: 400m and 3000m

I came into the meet after a week of being "down with the sickness", and was just hoping that it would resolve itself in time for me to still run. I had had zero aspirations of fast times before getting sick (since I'm marathon training right now), but all hopes of decent performance was squashed after a few days feeling miserable in bed. 

Fortunately, I woke up feeling a LOT better on Friday, and headed over to the track to cheer on my running bestie, Beth (who I'd recruited to come along as part of our team), in her first event: pentathlon. We warmed up a bit around the track, and then I did a couple extra miles outside by myself. Turns out, being essentially off for a few days is just like a taper, and my warm-up miles were sub-9, but felt just as easy as my usual-for-these-days 10:30. Heeeeeey-yo. Really need to save some of that for the evening's 3K.... 

besties

My first event of the meet was the 400m. Honestly, I don't remember how this event felt, since I'm writing this several days afterwards. I do remember feeling really proud that I was able to hit a 1:30, though, which was good enough for a ribbon and my first contribution of team points. 

The 3000m was later that evening. Due to event scheduling, we ended up downing some Moe's about an hour before the event. Not the brightest idea, but food was necessary, and it was far better to eat then and chance it than to not eat and run the 3K on empty stomachs.

hunger-crazed

The 30-44 year olds all ran together in one heat, which meant we had a lot of teammates on the track together. It was pretty cool to start off with our coach, and get some cheers each time she lapped me. 

With how I've been running, I was expecting to come in just under 20min, maaaaybe somewhere close to 18. The first five (of fifteen) laps weren't bad. I got lapped by the leaders; watching them fly by was incredible! The second five laps felt like the third lap of a typical track mile: you know you're so close to your last segment, but it's so tough to get through the penultimate one. The third five laps were super tough, and I was grateful to be done... in 14:31. :D :D :D

Saturday

Beth's coming down to Atlanta to run the Publix Atlanta Marathon with me in a few weeks, which meant I had a buddy who also needed to run insane miles during the weekend. The meet was held in Winston-Salem, a place we've spent many a chorus regional contest weekend together. Especially since neither of us sing with our respective Sweet Adelines choruses anymore, we were thrilled to get the opportunity to run our "traditional" Salem Lake route together.

There's something amazing about long runs. They're meditative, therapeutic, and just so calming. There's really nothing to do other than put one foot in front of the other, and just surrender to that comfortable rhythm for the next couple of hours. It's even better when you're running side-by-side with one of your best friends, talking about anything and everything (or even nothing, at times), on a course where you've already shared so many memories together. 

Fun Facts:

I had completely neglected to bring any long-sleeved running shirts.

It was in the high 30s.

I ran in my pajama shirt, and it was not awful. 

We finished up just in time to grab some waffles from the hotel breakfast, change clothes, and make it back to the track to declare for our next event with two minutes to spare. 

The 60m was fun. It was quite obvious that I'd get the same points/placement regardless of if I ran my best race ever or walked, so I enjoyed a half-hearted effort, and focused on not straining anything. ;) We made friends with a couple super fast ladies, and it was fun to see them at other events throughout the weekend. 

After the 60m, I went out and did a short warm-up (both to actually warm-up and to add mileage for the day). I struggled through a 10:20 mile, and figured my next event, the mile, would probably be around that same pace. There's something magical about being on the track, though, because I wound up finishing in 7:36... after running over 15mi ALREADY in the day, being on Day 2 of a track meet, being in the middle of marathon training, and having some other "extenuating circumstances". That race, out of all of the ones this weekend, is the one I'm most proud of/impressed by. 

I (smartly) ate some food after that race, and waited for the best part of the weekend to begin: the relays. This is always my favorite part of any meet, because you get to enjoy running with other people, working together, and taking ridiculous team photos with the baton. :) 

Atlanta Track Club women's relay teams

It's also super fun to see a hoard of matching singlets descend on the check-in clerk, and really feel like you're part of something amazing. :D 

We ran the 4x800m, followed shortly by the 4x200m. The officials (and some of our competitors) were a bit surprised to see us running "back to back events", though, due to the number of non-club and men's teams, they were about an hour apart.

Woo, National Champions

(it's all who shows up--- and we were the only W30 team in the 4x8)

We finished the evening off with some Outback to go, and much-needed "legs-up-the-wall" time.

Sunday

Mmmm, Sunday. After sleeping in (like a rock) until 6:30, we had a nice, lazy morning of packing, eating more waffles, hanging with our teammates, and, finally, making our way over to the track for the last day of competition.

By the time my 800m rolled around, I'd already run 2mi of warm-up, and my legs were exhausted from the past couple of days. I spent the race trying to focus on improving my arm swing, which is definitely the weakest part of my "track form". 

I fit in another 5K before my next race, just enough to make sure I didn't have to run any more after our remaining events for the day. The 200m was fun. I was in a heat with ALL sprinters, so I knew I'd have the track pretty much to myself. Despite them being significantly faster than me, we all had seen each other in previous events and had some nice camaraderie. 

the 200m winner was kind enough to take a picture of my husband and me :)

The 4x400m relay was the last event of the day. It's "only two laps" (of the 200m track), but, man, I just died with 100m to go. I had no kick to give coming into the handoff, and it seemed that most everyone felt that way. Watching our third and fourth runners, our lead and I commiserated about how that had been the hardest 400m we'd run. 

The weekend finished off beautifully. The Under 40s made a solid contribution and helped the team win the overall competition (814 total team points), taking home both the men's and women's team championship trophies. :) 

Under 40s: We're here for the points.

most of the team, celebrating our victory

 ...and then we made the long drive home. I've never been quite so grateful to be able to crash in the backseat while someone else deals with logistics, driving, and safety. :) 

Summary

400m 1:30, 4th

3000m 14:31, 2nd

60m 0:13, 5th (bumped to 4th due to international competitor)

1mi 7:36, 4th

4x800m 3:37, 1st

4x200m 0:42, 2nd

800m 3:39, 5th

200m 0:43, 4th (bumped to 3rd due to international competitor) 

4x400 1:37, 2nd

Total Points Earned for Team: 41 (5% of total)

(1) 1st, (3) 2nd, (1) 3rd, (3) 4th, and (1) 5th place finishes