Following the lead from This Mama Runs for Cupcakes, here are my answers to her Running Survey:
1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?
I love the water but I hate the sand; my pick is for a mountain trail.
2. If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?
Lemon-lime or GTFO. Also, I *hate* Gatorade, so anything else at the replenishment stations, please?
3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?
I know that I won’t be able to find new-old stock of my Ride 7s for too much longer, so I’ll put towards trying out a new pair of shoes.
4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?
I definitely start with a plan, but let my body override and determine its course of action.
5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?
End with the uphill. Am I in the minority on this?
6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?
I do yoga and spinning and roller skating/derby.
7. What is your preference—> Out and back, point to point or loop runs?
It depends on if there’s a shuttle bus involved. (HA! And NO.) But seriously, loop runs are The Worst; I prefer an out and back, with point to point in second.
8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a—>
A Buddy Pouch! I’m impressed by how awesome this thing is and I do not feel it at all when running — so long as I’m wearing pants/capris. I wish for a smaller/lighter version to wear with shorts that doesn’t flop. New runners: ALWAYS carry some sort of ID on you and my bonus pro tip: if you live in the city, carry a bus pass!
9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?
Does a white tiger at Nemacolin count?!
11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?
Chocolate milk (by post-workout must have!) and a sweet potato Eggs Benedict.
12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?
I’m an all-weather runner but these lululemon speed shorts (I guess they’re only currently for sale in solid black) are seemingly part of my race day uniform.
13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?
Somewhere between Miles 4 and 5 are when I’m feeling my best for warm-up.
14. What do you do with your key when you run?
I have a lot of pockets in my gear (phone armband, water bottle, zippered pockets in my bottoms, key hole in my winter running gloves), but the block it pocket in the speed shorts is the best place where I don’t physically feel it and also feel that I won’t lose it.
15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?
The Niagara Falls International Marathon was an amazing experience for me, and I wish I could bottle up all of that awesomeness for future races.
weekend:
Trick-or-treat in my neighborhood is always the best. And Halloween marks our four-year anniversary of moving into our house. I like to dub this weekend as “one of two yearly hangovers that I look forward to.” I only just thought of a fun idea TODAY for a costume. So, I’ll be running around tomorrow trying to find a beard. HA!
And I have my post-marathon massage. NINETY MINUTES, BABY.
seven things, seven days:
1. Season 2 of Nicole Antoinette’s Real Talk Radio Podcast is live!
2. I’m really bummed about my hair right now. Last week, it got totally fried, and I’m losing so much hair every day — it’s breaking off completely at my hairline — and it didn’t even lighten properly. Not to mention, for the first time the processing KILLED my scalp while it was on. I guess I’m more pissed than bummed.
3. Moved to my new office at work this week, and was greeted with door decorations, a “welcome to the 3rd floor!” gift bag, and a lunch party (and a giant Snickers bar).
4. It’s tights season! And I’m finding getting dressed to work overly complicated again. Also, who puts tags in tights seams — THE WORST!
5. I participated in an EEG research study at The Scarehouse last year, and I got my brain activity info this week. SO NEAT.
6. On our road trip from Canada, I found “Kool Ranch” Kale Chips at the rest stop. Oh man, they were so good! Definitely not better than Canada’s Intense Pickle Doritos though.
7. This last one is for my Pittsburgh runners. Here, since I forgot to include this picture in my marathon recap:
Can a single blog post even capture the excitement of completing a first marathon? I don’t know, but I’m going to try this. My FIRST marathon was an indescribable experience. The Niagara Falls International Marathon were 26.2 miles that start in the U.S., continue over the border via the Peace Bridge and through Canada, ending at Niagara Falls. Most of the mileage follows the Niagara Parkway along the Niagara River, and it is just a breathtaking course.
This race had a 6-hour time limit, and I was training to finish in less than 5 hours. I felt pretty good for most of the race — no pain in that stupid nagging knee at all — and started to get overall tired and tight about 15 miles in. But Miles 21-26 were just a next-level experience. It was something part out-of-body and part flow state.
Sauconys ready.
I ran most of the course, with a few short walks through water stops and some stretching after Mile 15. No bathroom breaks, despite there being a port-o-pot at every Mile (really!) and no real distress for the duration of the race. I did break the Cardinal Rule of running though, by drinking something new (Cytomax) on the course that I didn’t train with… but I was at a point where IDGAF and, well, gluten-free fig newtons and sports beans weren’t cutting it. It wasn’t until after Mile 20, but I was ready for a bigger boost. And I felt like I drank a Red Bull and “grew some wings” (maybe I need to start trying out some new fueling options?).
Registration and Cost: I registered early bird back in March for $100 — yep, I officially registered for a full marathon before even doing a half marathon. The full marathon was capped at 1,200 runners (there were 721 total finishers so I imagine it didn’t sell out) and you have to have a valid passport in order to register for this race.
I apparently have a race day uniform now. LOL
Shuttle and Bag Check: There was a shuttle option from Canada (again, only for the full marathoners) and corresponding bag check on the buses. I didn’t use either since I stayed in Buffalo and had a pick-up at the finish line on the Canada side.
Expo and Packet Pick-up: The expo was located at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, so we had to cross the border to get there. One last border agent check point at packet pick-up itself, and the rest was easy. I was also able to pick up a fellow Pittsburgh runner’s bag and t-shirt (sans bib) since he was unable to make the race. The staff was super helpful and easy-going about it. Also, we got to fill up the bags trick-or-treat style at a vendor table at the far side of the expo; I couldn’t eat most of the products but it was very generous — including a full-size box of pasta!
Start Line: The race started in Buffalo near the Albright-Knox Gallery — which was open pre-race so that runners could wait INSIDE before the start. We even explored some of the galleries. That was majorly cool. Outside, there were seemingly enough port-o-pots, though I waited about 10 minutes with the influx of users about twenty minutes before start time. The half marathoners started at a different location on the Canada side.
So happy to be running!
Weather: The morning was chilly and low 40s at the start, and I thought it was perfect for shorts (hilariously). I did go back-and-forth on wearing my gloves and taking them off (and glad that I tucked them into my sleeve instead of discarding them mid-race), and I kept my cap on for the duration of the race. It was also super windy at certain points, which I think Pittsburgh winters have prepared me well for. Clouds covered the sky for the first half and the sun came out for the second. Considering I was initially planning for a forecast of rain for the weekend (and what Buffalo/Niagara could be at the end of October), I was overjoyed.
About 10 miles from the finish: Niagara Falls in the background.
Fans and Experience: Not a lot of fans on this course, which I know is troublesome for some runners. But I was OK with it. Running over the Peace Bridge was definitely a highlight, albeit a windy one. Each water stop had a bunch of volunteers, some stops had music, another had a mascot (I think, at Mile 20). The first and last 3 miles had the most crowd activity. One of my favorite moments was high-fiving these two kids after Mile 24 and yelling “POWER UP!” The families were all laughing and these kids were so dang excited. I was too!
Peace Bridge! We had our own lane.
Best Sign: One spectator held a sign with a Buffalo Bills game update (with newly-taped updated scores). I asked him the score of the Browns game OF COURSE. (He laughed and told me the game had only just started.)
Medals and Swag: THERE IS A TINY SPINNING FLAG IN THE MEDAL! This represents the two countries we ran through and HOW FUN. (I was quite mesmerized by it after my finish. See: DELIRIUM) There was also a long-sleeved performance tee — bright green, SQUEE! — as part of our registration/packet.
Finish Line: This was the first race where they gave us these branded zippy hooded jackets at the finish line — they’re super thin and gauzy but they did their job to cover me up at the finish (and look better than foil)!
Naturally, I had chocolate milk.
Bonus: You guys, the volunteers were giving out cheese pizza at the Mile 20 water stop. How amazing (and how torturous for me).
Random Bullshit: Another WTF with the Music app on my iPhone, punking me and playing the same song over and over and over for nearly 2 miles (until I realized there was NO WAY this remix was that redundant). And then my playlist would only advance to the next song if I used the phone and not the control function on my headphones. I had to close and restart the app, which allowed me to advance the songs through the headphone remote but wouldn’t automatically shuffle through the playlist.
Notable 30-somethings: The #1 female finisher was in the 30-39 age bracket (and #7 overall). Congrats, Paulina Golec from Krakow!
After Party: Since the race ended at Horseshoe Falls, selfies were NECESSARY. Then, a champagne and cheese plate back in the hotel. Like you do. Later, back in the States, we walked (yep, walked) over to Buffalo Proper for an amazing post-race meal.
TL;DR: The Great: A freaking rainbow opened up just as I reached Mile 26. I mean, C’MON UNIVERSE. I started yelling LOOK AT IT! And yes, I started crying. The Good: Miles 21-26. Something inside me came alive in those miles. I can’t really explain it but it was transformative. Dare I say it: I was having FUN. The Bad: Experienced some Charley Horses in my right calf around Mile 18. All things considered, that was something I could handle. The Ugly: Since this was my first marathon, I saw some of the bad that happens to runners during a race. I really tried not to let down runners get in my head, and I had an amazing running partner (new friend from Alabama!) who kept me thinking positive.
Caught snacking.
Splits: First off, I thought *for sure* that my Garmin watch would die before I finished, but it lasted the entire race.
10:18 (1) / 10:27 (2) / 10:36 (3) / 10:31 (4) / 10:16 (5)
10:31 (6) / 11:09 (7) / 10:38 (8) / 10:40 (9) / 10:38 (10)
10:50 (11) / 10:42 (12) / 10:49 (13) / 10:33 (14) / 11:29 (15)
11:08 (16) / 10:50 (17) / 11:08 (18) / 11:50 (19) / 11:13 (20)
12:57 (21) / 12:23 (22) / 12:51 (23) / 11:50 (24) / 11:17 (25)
11:04 (26)
Obviously, I slowed WAY down Miles 21-23, which I honestly didn’t notice until I looked at my splits after the race. But my overall strategy was to run the first half at 10:30 pace (which is on par with my half marathon time) which I managed pretty well. I knew that I would probably slow to an 11:30 at some point; I certainly didn’t expect an almost 13-minute mile in that — but what expectations did I have, really? — and at that point in the race I was stopping and taking pictures, enjoying the views and the experience, talking to my fellow runners and to the volunteers. And there was definitely some singing out loud. Man, I couldn’t have asked for a better first time.
Without further ado…
RESULTS Time: 4:57:24 First Half: 2:20:36 Second Half: 2:36:49 Pace: 7:04 (min/km — the metric system always makes me laugh!) or 11:05/mi
I have continually asked myself: Am I ready for this?
Like most of my races in the past year, I haven’t really been sure until I start running. But as you probably know, every run feels different. I know this marathon is going to be tough both mentally and physically. But I’m feeling… really anxious. Especially after starting to experience some knee pain on my long run last weekend.
WEEK 18 MONDAY: Rest Day
TUESDAY: Rest Day; concert after work and Uber-ed home with friends, so only walked to work (1.5 miles).
WEDNESDAY: Disappointed that run//yoga run club was relocated because of the post-season game, but that was exactly why I wouldn’t be driving anywhere. I was annoyed enough by merely walking through the crowds to get home that I didn’t feel like running around downtown anywhere. I’ve been feeling *really* burned out, so was looking forward to our weekend get-away. Walked to-from work (3 total miles)
THURSDAY: Ran my commute home from work (with an extra loop around the Point State Park fountain). 2.18 miles at average 9.19 pace
FRIDAY: Packed, prepared for our trip. Lots of stretching in between loads of laundry.
SATURDAY: Guys, I went swimming. OUTSIDE. Our resort pool was beautiful and warm and it was so wonderfully relaxing. I did some water exercises, walking, and some laps.
SUNDAY: Again, another beautiful day for swimming (maybe a bit cooler than the day before). Not so exercise-intense as the previous day, but I stayed active to keep warm. Then, realizing that it was probably a little too chilly to hang out at sundown, we spent 15-20 minutes relaxing in the hot tub.
Truth be told, I intended to do my long run Sunday morning, but I woke up either severely hungover (wine pairings with dinner the night before, so… incredibly likely) or sick from something I ate. I attempted to get out of bed a few times — once even meeting the boyfriend for a quick game of putt-putt and lunch. But then as I sat in the restaurant, I got nauseous again and had to go back to bed. Around 5pm, I felt well enough to keep food down and start moving around. I didn’t trust my stomach in the shuttle bus either, so I walked both ways. It was probably a 4-mile round trip! Alas, I moved my long run to Monday.
Total runs: 1
Total miles: 2.18 miles
WEEK 19 MONDAY: I was supposed to do 10-12 miles for my long run, but ran out of time in the morning before checking out of our hotel at Nemacolin. I suppose it was a blessing, given that my left knee was starting to hurt around 6.5 miles in. I’m hoping it’s because of all the rolling hills around the resort property and not an actual injury. I have been dealing with really tight hamstrings and piriformis issues, which might be related to the . Strangely, this is the SAME knee that was acting up prior to the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, which didn’t bother me at all during that race; it hasn’t bothered me since, actually.
I continued for another couple miles — the pain lessened after a mile, but flared up again as I finished. The grounds of the resort were pretty neat though, especially running around the Animal Sanctuaries (I’m pretty sure that the white tiger was trying to chase me). Alas, another 8.74 miles logged at average 10:57 pace. Although now I don’t know if I should just rest until the marathon, do a few easy/low-mile runs, if this is what happens to every first-time marathoner at this point in training or what. Maybe it was from swimming?
When we got back home, I made sure to spend a lot of time foam-rolling my legs.
TUESDAY: I did some hip exercises and strengthening for possible Runner’s Knee (per Dr. Google and Runner’s World recommendations).
WEDNESDAY: I joined in with my run//yoga run club friends for a slow three miles and it felt REALLY good. I skipped power yoga afterward to focus more on stretching at home. No knee pain.
3.04 miles at average 11:09 pace.
THURSDAY: Rest and stretch.
FRIDAY: Had to work late, so Rest Day.
SATURDAY: Fineview Step Challenge – review coming this week! FIVE MILES OF FUN.
SUNDAY: More foam rolling, stretching.
I also walk-commuted to work three days this week.
Total runs: 3
Total miles: 16.51 miles
Total training miles: 252.58 miles
This is it. The hard work is done, and I am officially in my taper (hashtag, taper madness). I’ll certainly do a reflection post on my training later on but right now? I’m exhausted.
MONDAY Rest Day
TUESDAY Had a grad school open house after work, so another Rest Day (and I am seriously on, like, four snooze alarms in the morning now. Sigh). I realize that I need to bring a set of workout clothes, my yoga mat, and a pair of running shoes back to my office. At some point, I took everything home and never brought my workout gear back; there have been so many times that I’m sitting at work, stressed, and totally want NEED to run it out.
WEDNESDAY Again, plans after work, so another Rest Day (I realize that this is too many in one week, especially in days off in a row after the Akron Relay. Feeling disappointed in myself, my training, and super antsy about not making this more of a priority). So my Thursday run was rough…
THURSDAY 3.96 miles with some speed bursts — It was fun to play Dodge the Drunk as Steelers fans encroached upon the North Shore though. There are always those idiots who have no idea how to move over when you call your path to the left (or worse, those who step right in front of you). I’m not ashamed to say that I put my shoulder in a guy when he stepped in my way, and I refused to break stride.
But my body did not feel good. At all. My shins were bothering me, and I was super stiff with heavy legs and my foot felt like it was attached crooked (??). I guess I needed a better warm-up, since Miles 3 and 4 felt much better. Mentally though, I had to talk myself into that last mile. I did a lot of stretching when I was done.
Splits: 10:26 (1)/ 10:04 (2)/ 9:52 (3)/ 10:04 (4)
FRIDAY Sick day from work, so I needed to rest and work this out of my system. I guess I’m not surprised at this point that my body’s immunity is being tested.
SATURDAY I’m always nervous about running the day before a long run, so after my massage, I did a half hour of strength-based yoga for runners at home (since I missed my weekly yoga night on Wednesday) and did SO much stretching.
ETA: I nearly forgot! I went for a 60-minute sports massage in the morning. She helped me stretch, which felt amazing. I’ve been having a lot of tightness in my piriformis, and she spent a good bulk of the massage time on my legs and glutes. Next month, I’m doing a 90-minute FOR SURE.
SUNDAY Long run — 20 MILES (and the Penguins/Lemiuex 6.6k race). I was freaking out about this run, especially since I missed a 18-mile run in my training. I was allowing myself to get *as close as possible* to that 20. But once I was close to 18, I needed to keep running. And then needed to get past 19. Because my GPS wouldn’t connect at the start of the training run, I knew that I had to add about .75 to my total mileage.
If you want to know what kind of person I am: I needed to see 20 miles on my watch, so I kept running beyond my actual 20 just to get the pleasure of seeing that number. Those last three miles were slow and felt terrible BUT I RAN TWENTY FREAKING MILES. Actually, 20.76 (Total time: 3:37:39).
Some of those splits are outliers because I forgot to pause my watch walking up to the start line of the 6.6k race (and, again, afterward when I finished and walked back to where I was meeting the group), and I obviously ran the race WAY TOO FAST. But… eh. I slowed WAY down on those last three miles by myself (and I was really starting to hurt everywhere). I need to trust that I can run the bulk of my race at an average 10:15 pace though, slowing to an 11:00 for that last portion. I think I can, I think I can… finish less than 5 hours?
And, yes — LOTS of stretching and moving around after this run! (And I ate, like, 8 meals.)
Total runs: 2
Total miles: 24.72 miles
Total training miles: 233.89 miles
SEPTEMBER NUMBERS
Total runs: 10
Total miles: 66.55 miles
Increase: 5.89 miles over August
It’s ALMOST taper time, you guys. I have my long(est) 20-mile run to look forward to this weekend and then the insanity of waiting and advanced mental training begins.
MONDAY: walked to/from work (2.75 miles); LOTS of stretching and foam-rolling tonight too.
TUESDAY: walked to/from work (2.75 miles); I’ve been obsessed with squats lately, so every spare moment — brushing teeth, petting the cats, eating breakfast — I’ve been randomly doing them around the house. My neighbors must think I’m SO weird.
WEDNESDAY: Ran 3.04 miles and 75 minutes of hot yoga with Urban Elements run//yoga club. We had a substitute yoga instructor for the session, which helped to keep me focused on my yoga poses instead of my mind straying to off the mat. I loved the difference in style and it switched up my practice a bit. Unplanned, but obviously something I needed.
THURSDAY: Run 3 miles… three ANGRY miles. I did *not* want to run, and I was exhausted. But I tried the ol’ sport psychology trick of putting all my running stuff on to see how I felt then. And then I walked out the door to see if I still didn’t feel like running. Well, it worked, I guess, because I ran. But I still didn’t want to. lol
So since I broke my finger, I intentionally took a couple days off because of the immense swelling. But by Wednesday I felt my body was ready to do some running and yoga and get back into my routine (and get over my crankiness). My finger is still super bruised and gross though.
MONDAY: Scheduled Rest Day
TUESDAY: Supposed to be a Fast Finish day, but rested (and hated everything and everyone and OH MY THE CRANK).
WEDNESDAY: run//yoga club with lululemon from Urban Elements. Our group run started off with a nice gift from lululemon — a pair of their running socks to try out. That’s super exciting (and they’re purple)! They fit very similar to the Champion socks that I swear by, but my feet felt a little sweatier in them. I’ll test out over a few more short runs before claiming them as a new option.
We did 3.07 miles at a 10:00 average pace. We kept it slower than normal because of a new runner to the group. New people means the club continues (you should join us). Plus, the weather felt nice! Like, THERE’S HOPE FOR US ALL.
I was able to modify my yoga a bit too, so as to not further injure my finger. 75 minutes of hot flow, as per usual (but without any difficult inversions or floating).
THURSDAY: Rest. Was invited over to a friend’s for a little patio fun, which was necessary.
FRIDAY: Supposed to be a Fartlek day. *sigh*
SATURDAY: Had enough of rest days, and went out for a 5-mile run at average 9:38 pace. Today was supposed to be cross-training, but I needed to run. And it felt awesome. I followed it up with some plank holds and GOOD stretching.
SUNDAY: Functional Fitness 101, aka: moving furniture. It was too dang hot and I wimped out of my run (again). I keep telling myself that we are less than a month away to the onset of Fall temperatures (sweet baby Jesus, hurry). I know that I need to work on my resilience and my motivation, but 94 degrees plus humidity means NOPE. So I spent an entire day cleaning out my attic and organizing.
This was a day that all I had to do was put on my run outfit, and I probably would have gone out. But I became so preoccupied in getting this space organized. (At least, it’s no longer an excuse, right?)
I’m starting to feel bad about missing my runs. Seriously though, I know that I cannot continue this behavior and be able to run a full marathon. I will chuck this up to a fake taper learned behavior for my half marathon next weekend, and then I need to get super serious about my training. I MEAN IT.
Total runs: 2
Total miles: 8.08 miles
Total training miles: 104.43 miles FINALLY over that century mark!
Fun fact: I’m just about equal to the total training miles that I had for the Pittsburgh Half (granted, that was at 14 weeks of training). It’s still probably far too few miles, but I had a pretty good half in May and I hope this spells good for Cleveland next weekend.
Week 8 was an OK training week! I know that this upcoming week is going to be hit-or-miss what with traveling and finals. I also realized that my scheduled 5K is on SATURDAY (not Sunday), and I have my final presentation an hour later, so I’ll probably be too stressed to run it. *sigh* In any event, I look forward to taking some run-selfies in Toronto this week. (God, I hope it’s not 80+ degrees!)
MONDAY: Rest Day
TUESDAY: I experienced technical difficulties in between my MapMyRun and my Garmin. My stupid watch wouldn’t connect to GPS (again!) downtown, so I ran around for a half mile or so to the Point in hopes of connecting. I did the reverse loop from the Point over the Ft. Pitt Bridge and over through the South Side trail, back up Smithfield and through downtown again. MMR also logged me doing a 4-minute mile swim over the Allegheny again, so… I guess I’m going to start pausing my workout when I run around the Convention Center.
Anyways, one app tracked me at 6.06 miles, the other at 4.5; I split the difference and figured I ran somewhere around 5 miles.
Sweating it out in my awesome new lululemon top — a gift from my run club buddy for my 5K PR. *love* (see also: cat photo bomb)
WEDNESDAY: Weekly workout with run//yoga club — 3.2 hot, slow, and sweaty miles and 75 minutes of hot and sweaty (and not slow) yoga, with an added emphasis on heart openers. This was probably my favorite practice so far with Megan at Urban Elements.
THURSDAY: Extra rest day (since I had to work a 12-hour day, oof)
FRIDAY: Liberty Mile! And yep, only that one mile. Once again, no connectivity with my Garmin, so I had NO pacing function. Recap of this race to post this week!
SATURDAY: I was really getting that urge to run again today, but I decided that resting for Sunday’s long run was more important. I did get a massage in the morning, which was overdue and much-needed.
SUNDAY: Run 9 miles Kind of run 10.01 miles. Admittedly, this was a TOUGH run. I waited until late afternoon, where the heat index was still somewhere in the mid-80s and felt like my shoes were melting on the pavement. I took several walk breaks, and went out too far on the South Side trail. And, well, by the time I was downtown, I was still a mile away from home. I kind of run-walked that last bit only because I was going to pass out if I stopped (and I seriously contemplated calling the boyfriend to come get me).
Total runs: 4
Total weekly miles: 19.21
Total training miles: 92.01
No long lead-ins from me this week. I just reached 22 pages on my Capstone paper, so I’m all word-ed out.
MONDAY: My usual weekly resty rest day.
TUESDAY: Ran 3.02 miles (10:15 avg pace); should have done 5, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
WEDNESDAY: Rest; completely crapped out after being in a seminar all day. Skipped my weekly run//yoga club, and I’m bummed about that.
THURSDAY: MOAR REST! I had to prepare for my weekly Capstone session with my advisor.
FRIDAY: Rest; again, what a weird week — we had our departmental retreat, so my schedule was just all out-of-sorts. I could have run after work, but… I opted for napping in my hammock. Oops.
Ommmmmm
SATURDAY: YogaFest — I did three sessions: two hour-long flow classes (the first was at 7:30am — yay, me!) and a pure barre intro class in between. The barre class one was so… weird. And not at all what I expected. But doing three classes five hours really tired me out, and made me feel less bad about taking so many rest days this week. Also, I freakin’ woke up at 6am — with a massive headache, but STILL. Considering my sunburn from just the morning, I’m glad that I went early.
Side note: I feel like Whirl YogaFest always has THE BEST vendors. Like, I got to eat a gluten-free scone for breakfast (thank you immensely, Chateau Cafe). Soergel’s is always there too, with the perfect snacks. And I come home with a bag full of awesome free swag. I also always purchase at least two new tops every year. But please bring back Marty’s Market and their scrambled eggs?
SUNDAY: Ran 6.14 miles, which also (randomly) included a Flash 5K with SCRR to coincide with this summer’s last Open Streets PGH (sad face). The Open Streets events have given me the motivation to wake up early and do training runs with the SCRR group; I didn’t recognize anybody and wasn’t feeling very social (or awake) though, so I just ran by myself. But it’s part of my monthly goals, to run more regularly with them. I had already ran a mile to the meeting point and didn’t find out about the Flash 5K until I arrived, but decided why not? (I mean, aside from being totally exhausted and unable to run another two miles). Well, I was exhausted, and part of that fourth mile was power walking, but I did my six.
In complete random turn of events, realized that I beat my 5K PR time by 7 seconds. So I have a new PR: 28:08! Certainly wasn’t expecting that as part of my training week, but I’ll take it!
Total runs: 2
Total weekly miles: 9.16 (this week was another drop-back week in the training program)
Total training miles: 72.80 miles
This week doesn’t deserve any gold stars. While it’s not something often-talked about in runner’s circles, my motivation and energy takes a nose dive when I’m premenstrual. BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR US, LADIES! I wish, probably like most women, that my cycle would coordinate with my training schedule (especially in my drop-back weeks), but that isn’t reality.
Pun intended: I just gotta flow with it.
Love this pic from run//yoga club!
My goal was to get all four of my runs in, but when Friday came-and-went (had to drive to Cleveland), I knew that wasn’t going to happen. My second intent was to at least increase my mileage from last week, which… ehhhhh.
MONDAY: Rest Day
TUESDAY: Cross-training NOPE.
WEDNESDAY: Ran 4 miles with run//yoga club — at a 9:30 pace (seriously). And then 75 minutes of yoga. Admittedly, it was a tough practice after that warm run.
THURSDAY: Rest Day
FRIDAY: Rest Day
SATURDAY: Rest Day (but for serious, I walked all over Cleveland today, so I don’t feel too terrible about skipping another cross-training day).
SUNDAY: Ran 8 miles. It was already 90-some degrees at 9am in Cleveland. Regardless of the ridiculous amounts of sweat (omg even my super-old sports bra ran color onto my white tank because of it), this was a fun run around the city. Tackled two bridges, saw three sport stadiums, and ran through four different neighborhoods and through my old college campus — which has changed something amazing since ten years ago. My amphipod handheld water bottle only took me 5 miles before I had to buy another bottle at Starbucks (did I mention: HOT?).
Weekly Runs: 2
Weekly Miles: 12.04 miles (that’s not an increase from last week, unfortunately)
Total Training Miles: 63.64 miles
