Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
March mileage, a hot-and-sweaty Texas run, and How to Spot a Traveling Runner
I looked back my training blogs from my first marathon at the same training week, and I am consistently in awe of how I was able to run that race. Though I do miss run-commuting from work! And check out that comment about gels. Maybe I need to buy those lemon shortbread cookies again?
I’m in that part of training where I’m reconsidering all my choices to do marathons. This week, my brain is going to unhappy places and I’m finding all the excuses to cancel the remainder of my race calendar for summer and go back to racing half marathons. Or something. I know this will pass, but it’s an awful negative loop.
Blame it on the Texas heat for my mood maybe.
But this reminds me that I need to find my mantra for this race. Because things are bound to get ugly.
MONDAY My usual rest day. I had a great call with my coach — who had just finished her own Ragnar relay. So I got to pick her brain A LOT in preparation of my first adventure. One piece of advice she gave was to GET OUT OF THE VAN and lay flat whenever possible. It ended up being the best advice.
TUESDAY An easy run day on the treadmill at home — starting with some foam rolling and ending with a set of Strides.
4 miles (plus an extra .4 for the Strides) / 49:22 / 11:06 average pace
WEDNESDAY Tempo Run! We’ve been having some really unpredictable weather in Iowa, so it was another treadmill day. I’m not made about it, but sometimes doing speed work can be difficult. Like, are you supposed to have negative splits in your middle fast miles?
5 miles / 53:02 / 10:36 average pace
Splits: 11:04, 10:25, 10:04, 9:48, 11:41
THURSDAY Traveling Day — off to Austin, Texas for Ragnar Luckenbach
FRIDAY First day of Ragnar! I don’t want to spoil the race recap too much, but my first leg was 7.6 miles. And it was hot.
SATURDAY Ragnar Day Two: I had two legs — 2.75 miles in the middle of the night (yay!) and another 6.85 miles in the afternoon (still hot!).
SUNDAY Since this was my first trip to Austin, we walked around and explored downtown, including some of the riverfront trail. I honestly felt really good, considering what I put my body through over the prior three days.
WEEKLY RUNS: 5 runs WEEKLY MILES: 26.7 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 219.26 miles
I also had 104.1 total miles for March — my biggest mileage month ever. CRAZY!
Join your fellow Maniacs in Burlington! New discount for Vermont City Marathon: Use code BibRave10 to now save $10 on your registration!
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Running in shorts, running in birds, and running on new trails…
Earlier in the week, I decided that the combination of my “new” office location and the late start of yoga didn’t work for me, so I took it off my weekly schedule. I’ll be returning to my former office space next week, so I’ll be back to my 25-minute commute. Whomp, whomp. I had plans on Tuesday night, so swapped my usual Monday Rest Day to include an easy run — and then took ANOTHER rest day because I was just generally feeling like poop.
The good thing is, the workouts that I DID do, felt awesome. I mean (*spoiler alert*)… besides the long run in the rain. Having a confidence-boosting week — and finding the “wins” even in these tough runs — was a really good push over the halfway hump in my marathon training.
MONDAY YAY! They finished the paved trail by my house, and I now have a completed 4-mile loop nearby. The weather was brisk (probably too much so for shorts!) but pretty great considering how long winter has stuck around. I got in 4 miles + a set of Strides.
TUESDAY Scheduled Rest Day, since I had wine/dinner plans after work.
WEDNESDAY I felt like CRAP – tired, unmotivated and really stressed out. I didn’t run. And then I felt crappier because I “kitchen-sinked” my husband after he had been traveling for a couple days. SIGH. Moving on…
THURSDAY It’s like someone flipped a switch on my mood, and I was so glad that I delayed my run a day. I felt AMAZING — and my paces proved it.
Man, that was a confidence builder run! ? I used the sidewalks and trails around my neighborhood again because it was SO NICE and so many people were out and YAY SPRING IS COMING. I kept passing the same couple in different directions on the trail, and it kind of cracked me up.
FRIDAY Rest + foam roll
SATURDAY Well, this training run goes right in the memory books: 40 degrees, rain the ENTIRE time and good ol’ Iowa wind. It was miserable, awful, no good, terrible. But I finished my dang 15 miles sopping wet (13 with the Striders running group; 2 miles afterward on Drake’s campus). I was SO COLD after this run and shivering pretty bad by the time I got home (despite changing out of my wet clothes in the car). A super hot shower and layers of fleece fixed me right up.
I packed Cytomax with me to try again and snacked on a Pamela’s gluten-free fig newton bar (Figgies & Jammies) during the run — and didn’t take any GUs. I’m still not sure about my fueling strategy for the marathon and what’s really “working,” but I’ve got a WHOLE MONTH of long runs to tweak my plan.
SUNDAY A 25-minute recovery run on the treadmill, followed up by a core workout.
2.20 mi / 11:24 average pace
Lots of foam rolling before bed! My legs were feeling pretty beat up, but by Monday I was back to normal.
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs WEEKLY MILES: 27.3 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 192.56 miles
New discount for Vermont City Marathon: Use code BibRave10 to now save $10 on your registration! Prices are set to go up on April 1, so this is a great time to commit to your summer marathon.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
As the runners like to shout out: WOOOOOOOOOOOOAH, WE’RE HALFWAY THERE! Halfway through Marathon training!
This was a drop-back week for me, as I rest and recover from the first half of training — and prepare for some serious mileage. Per my conversation with my Coach, the theme of the week was: Focus on something other than running. Kinda weird coming from a running coach, right? But the intent of that was to save my mental energy and let my brain refresh. I think most of us runners — especially those in the middle of marathon training — seemingly eat, sleep, bleed, (eat again probably) running. The downtime can help a runner be reflective in how training is progressing, but also be a wake-up call to do. your. strength. training. That said, this was also the week to NOT add anything crazy or new into my schedule.
As Coach says: There’s plenty of weeks left to worry about training (and mileage and fueling and… and…). FOCUS. Worry about other things, like, GETTING MARRIED.
My weekly plan included only 3 runs (all easy), 2 strength sessions, and yoga.
MONDAY Rest – and bi-weekly Coach call.
TUESDAY Strength workout for runners with kettle bell and TRX.
WEDNESDAY Easy 3-mile run (ran 3.17 to celebrate the upcoming holiday ?)
39:09 / 12:21 average pace
THURSDAY Skipped yoga; felt pretty energy-drained (thanks, PMS) and distracted about work and wedding stuff. Probably all the more reason to go to yoga, right? NOTED, UNIVERSE.
FRIDAY Wedding Day (and Rest Day) 😉
SATURDAY 7 easy miles on the treadmill
1:25:58 / 12:16 average pace
SUNDAY Easy 2-mile recovery run. A beautiful day in Iowa — we saw 70 degrees in the late afternoon! And though my motivation to run was low, I really wanted to be outside. Followed up my run with two rounds of my strength workout using both my kettle bell and TRX.
19:49 / 9:52 average pace
I also had a massage on Sunday morning. Every month, I’m dealing with a different issue – right hip, left calf, right glute, left hamstring… this session, seemingly a bungled up right quad. The last couple days I’ve had some right knee issues, and I wondered if something else might be the root cause. So, I’m spending some extra time stretching my quads (like, really stretching) and focused foam rolling. And I’m probably not going to wear those shoes on a long run anymore, just to be safe.
WEEKLY RUNS: 3 runs WEEKLY MILES: 12.7 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 165.26 miles
Getting so excited to see Burlington in person again!
The Vermont City Marathon is only two months away (plenty of time for experienced runners to train!). Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! Prices are set to go up again April 1.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Longest trail distance (and a crazy map drawing!), easy runs at home on the treadmill and more strength training with the kettlebell.
I got two awesome runs out on the dirt trails during week nine of training — which was not quite following my written workouts, though it helped me through a kind of a stagnant, tired patch of my marathon training cycle (go away, cold weather!). Though I went off-plan on my coach, I did ask in advance if swapping my long run day to Sunday was OK (and what workout I should do on Saturday) — AND got in SIX days of workouts. And then I did my longest run ever on dirt trails. It was a good week to kind of go “rogue,” since now I’m enjoying a cut-back week for my marathon training mid-point.
ON THE SCHEDULE:
Two strength workouts
YOGA!
Tempo Run
Long Run
A couple Easy runs
MOAR FOAM ROLLING!
MONDAY Scheduled Rest Day! I also did some foam rolling on my calves and feet.
TUESDAY Strength workout with my kettlebell (I’m seriously so happy that I asked for this for Christmas!). I also love starting my week with strength — a nice ease-in after resting, which helps me focus for the week ahead.
WEDNESDAY Tempo Run on the schedule… but I ended up meeting a couple trail buddies at Jester Park after work for 5 miles. I did one of my long runs here in the fall, and it’s such a wonderful park.
5.2 miles / 57:50 / 11:12 average pace / 127 elevation gain (per Garmin)
THURSDAY Finally back to my Yoga Roots class after a couple weeks off. It felt GLORIOUS — even though it’s always so hard — but the instructor always keeps the mood light and makes us laugh and reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously.
FRIDAY Started off with a 5-minute walk and then ran for 40 minutes at an easy pace. Back on the treadmill!
3.62 miles / 41:18 / 11:24 average pace
SATURDAY Since I swapped my long run to Sunday, my weekend Recovery Run became another easy run. Another notch on the treadmill. And some foam rolling to keep those tight muscles in check.
2.0 miles / 21:53 / 10:56 average pace
Ready for trail running season!
SUNDAY Met a flock of Turkeys (or, since we’re domesticated, do they call us a Rafter of Turkeys?) in the city at Center Trails for my long (and cold) run of the week… just in time to meet Daylight Savings Time square at 8am CST. These trails are AMAZING — and probably my favorite in the area so far (there are SO MANY trails here in Iowa to explore!). I love the mixed terrain and that these are tucked into city limits. There’s a lot of activity here — and a lot of fat bikers (not bikers who are fat). I love to see mixed use of the trails and people out having fun outdoor in winter. The Center Trails webpage also has a conditions indicator — like when it’s closed due to it being too wet and muddy.
I did another test run with Cytomax, and I’m still unsure if I want to use it on marathon day. I have only a couple more weeks to decide and fine-tune my fueling strategy. At this point, I haven’t really found something that I love OR something that I dislike — mostly just “this works” and adaptable to everything so far (I am not a light packer!).
I was SO COLD when I got home (there were multiple layers of fleece) and I couldn’t nap, which was a bummer. But a big ol’ bowl of chili for dinner was just the ticket to warm me up.
14.08 miles (trails) / 2:56:21 / 12:31 average pace / 358 elevation gain (per Garmin)
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs WEEKLY MILES: 24.9 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 152.56 miles
Isn’t Burlington so pretty???
The Vermont City Marathon is only two months away (plenty of time for experienced runners to train!). Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! Prices are set to go up again April 1.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Tired feelings, new Launch Shamrocks and BibRave buddy!
Week 8 was my time to focus on foam rolling, recovery, and good habits in general — especially as it was my first 25+ mile week since November. Daily stress is fatiguing me pretty hard, and I know big mileage weeks only add to that feeling. And there are a LOT more weeks that are going to feel like that. I haven’t raced in a while though, so I’m getting excited as I approach some of those dates on my calendar.
MONDAY Rest Day
TUESDAY This felt like the longest 4 miles that I’ve ever done! But my paces were pretty fast for a slower-than-easy run. This is probably why I’ll always run with a watch.
4.32 mi / 42:39 / 9:32 average pace
Splits: 9:44, 10:25, 9:47, 10:03
Ended the run with 4×20 second strides (and a big chocolate milk, of course).
WEDNESDAY Rest Day (planned in advance, since I had a social thing after work)
THURSDAY Interval training day! I always get so excited for speed workouts, as they allow me the time to FOCUS on my runs instead of zoning out on the treadmill watching the third season of Desperate Housewives. And while I can’t run fast for long distances, running fast is SO FUN. Though running fast on the treadmill kind of freaks me out!
Overall, this was a weird run. I felt like my legs couldn’t turn over any faster, though felt like I didn’t even workout when my sprints were over. I was running so hard on those 400s but not even out of breath!
Finding bad habits in the week already taking over, I made sure to get some foam rolling in after my run.
FRIDAY Rest Day (unplanned). Skipped my strength workout that was on the schedule, since some impromptu fun plans came up after work. I moved my Strength Day to Sunday, alongside my recovery run. I still need to do better on getting in my strength workouts and foam rolling.
SATURDAY Long run with the Capital Striders in the AM (UGH, start times changed to 7am, and it was ROUGH — but I made it). I completed the 12-mile route, and then came home to do an additional 2 miles on the treadmill. I honestly just had enough of the cool weather, and I was REALLY hoping to enjoy the expected 65-degree day. Alas, it was NOT in the 60s at 7am and wasn’t until well into the morning that the temperatures warmed up. At least it was sunny?
SUNDAY I originally planned to meet some Turkeys out on the trails, but I had a gnarly headache in the morning — and I just knew there was no way I wanted to wake up for another 7am run. No fun on the trails for me!
Ahhhhhhhh….
Sunday is my weekly recovery day; beyond doing my usual recovery run, I also needed to make up my skipped strength workout from Friday. I want to start GOOD recovery habits rather than using Sunday as a make-up day. So I finally took my first epsom salt bath using the San Francisco Salt Company’s Epsoak Muscle Soak. I get really antsy sitting in baths (similarly, I always think 5 minutes is TOO LONG for foam rolling. Patience is not my virtue.), but forced myself to stay the entire 20 minutes. And my body felt GLORIOUS when I was done. All my muscle soreness was gone (along with my hot water to shower afterward).
On Sundays, we recover. If I’m not having a massage, I’ll be using the salts. And foam rolling for longer than 5 minutes. Promise.
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 WEEKLY MILES: 27.1 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 127.66 miles
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Crazy week. And crazy weird temperatures!
Despite a crazy week, I completed all of my scheduled workouts! Coming back from vacation, I was eager to return to my routines. I feel like I can adapt well to being thrown off my usual schedule, but I definitely feel the impact of stress when things change in my usual routine. So, this week’s runs and workouts were MUCH needed to help me deal.
MONDAY: Rest day and return to work; but wow, did my hips feel sore from the weekend.
TUESDAY: Random day off (my work building caught fire!), so I did my kettlebell-focused strength workout in the early afternoon.
WEDNESDAY: Easy 5-mile run + core workout
10:21 average pace
My first mile felt pretty rough but got easier — and it was 72 degrees in Iowa!!!! Since my office was still closed, I got to run in the afternoon on the Greenbelt Trail in Clive.
Splits: 10:35, 10:29, 10:24, 10:05, 10:13
THURSDAY: A fun but TOUGH Intervals workout — 6×400 (400m recovery) with an easy mile warm-up and cool down. I was a little freaked out about sprinting so fast on the treadmill, and it took so much focus.
Finished with foam rolling — which is something that is seriously lacking in my training right now.
FRIDAY: Wow my body is tired; bless this rest day.
SATURDAY: The Long Run That Could – I had 12 miles on the schedule, but I totally mismanaged my schedule and ran out of time in the morning (Who makes a hair appointment for 10:30am on a Saturday in the middle of marathon training?!) I finished 11 miles – a fast finish workout at that — just in enough time to shower for 5 minutes, dress, and drive 20 minutes to my salon.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
Things seen on my recent runs — including an amazing riverfront trail in Tampa, a water stop on the trails in Iowa, a “jogging” track on a cruise ship, and… alligators?!?!
One of the best parts of having a running coach is the ability to adapt my training program when life (and fun) comes first, like during vacation. I like the balance of working out on vacation — and running outdoors always helps me explore a new city or neighborhood. Being gone for 8 days though was TOUGH. And I can tell you that running on a cruise ship is even tougher (particularly if you experienced a day-long nausea spell at sea and drank too much definitely). This was my 3rd adventure on The Rock Boat — and this was my favorite boat so far — but this post is only about my marathon training adventures. 😉
I worked around my travel days, making airport days my rest days. Though I had 6 scheduled workouts (4 runs and 2 cross-training) during my trip, getting in only 3 runs was still a success. All things drinking and sea sickness considered. My goal for for the next couple of weeks though is to get back into my cross-training and strength training because I’ve let those important workouts slide. I also hope to get in a better blogging routine and return to weekly training posts.
Week 5 was a drop-back week, and I had a Tempo and Easy runs before vacation — and two easy runs while I was away (one with Strides).
MONDAY: Rest Day
TUESDAY: MY TREADMILL IS FIXED!!!!! Good lord that took way too long. ProForm finally sent out a technician, and both the motor and control board were replaced. And my first workout back on the ‘mill was intervals (one additional than the prior week) — alternating .75 mile fast and .25 recovery. I’m aiming for consistency on these — and running based on effort level.
THURSDAY: Travel Day (and Rest) — WOOF! Such an early flight!
SHORTS! And testing out my new Saucony Triumph ISO 3.
FRIDAY: 55 degrees in sunny Florida! Some older gentleman runner laughed at me for wearing shorts & tee shirt — he was bundled up completely like it was winter or something. hahah
My training plan called for a 40-minute easy run, ending with Strides.
SATURDAY: Boat sickness caught up with me, and I had to skip my “long” run. Only 5 miles on the plan, given that it was a cutback week; but 5 miles that I could NOT do (besides, you know, even keeping food down).
SUNDAY: I was feeling better, but skipped the Strength workout on my training plan and enjoyed all the wobbly stair climbs at sea.
Week #6 at a Glance — and almost back to my normal schedule (and surroundings):
Easy Run, Tempo Run, Long Run, Recovery Run
Running on a cruise ship is NOT easy!
MONDAY: Ran on the cruise ship, which was super hard, super hot and super windy. Got 2 miles in before giving up (4 miles on the plan).
Average 11:39 pace
TUESDAY: Skipped my strength workout again (I know, I know) – but I did SO MANY STAIRS on the boat, you guys!
WEDNESDAY: Rest Day – and Debarkation Day (booooo!)
THURSDAY: Outdoor running on the paved Sarasota trails – such a great place to run (and flat!). I was working it for those high effort level paces, and felt like I was going to puke near the end and had to slow up. Felt really, really easy though considering how fast my paces are (all things relative).
Stoneybrook Nature Trail in Sarasota, Florida.
5:00 total miles / 48:30 / average 9:42 pace
Splits: 9:38, 8:59, 9:14, 9:42, 10:56
FRIDAY: Travel Day back to Iowa (and a scheduled rest day)
SATURDAY: Woke up early to join the group run, but ended up staying in bed a little later. Instead, I drove to the Greenbelt Trailhead near my house. It was 48 degrees in Iowa in the AM (got to around 60 when I was done). What a beautiful day for a long run! 🙂
Time to figure out double digit run fueling!
This pace felt like I was running an effort level 7 for majority but I was moving soooo slow – yay, vacation hangover! I also am testing out how running on Cytomax feels. I used it on the course during my first marathon, so I’m interested in how it may aid my energy and performance for the duration of the race. In training, I’ll take a couple sips after 30 minutes, and then a few more every 15 minutes.
Made up for the absence of cross-training by doing a kettlebell-based strength workout following my run. I also had an afternoon massage, which was the perfect addition to my recovery day.
Back to work and normal life and training schedule commences!
WEEKLY RUNS: 3 (week #5) + 4 (week #6) WEEKLY MILES: 13.45 (week #5) + 19 miles (week #6) TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 77.36 miles
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
It’s been a rough start to marathon training. I missed two of my runs in training week 3 and generally felt defeated at anything I attempted (thanks, PMS!). I don’t want to make a habit of having every other week be awful, so I’m letting it go and reconfirming my dedication to the remainder of this 20-week cycle. I’ve got vacation coming up and “destination runs” to plan — and there’s no time to feel bad about missing a couple workouts (or complaining about my STILL-broken treadmill). I used Week #4 to get recommitted to my goal and determined to get all 4 of my runs completed.
So since Week #3 was mostly a bust, here’s how Week #4 of Marathon Training went:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run + Core
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run with Fast Finish
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core
MONDAY: Mondays are my usual rest day — alternating bi-weekly with a call with my running coach. I always have a good takeaway from our chats and she truly keeps me honest, accountable and POSITIVE!
TUESDAY: The last couple weeks my speed workouts have been on Tuesdays, and… if I’m being honest, it’s HARD after having a rest day. Though I’ve somehow lucked out with every other Tuesday having some crazy ice or likewise weather concern.
Week #4 was a longer tempo interval (1200 repeats). I don’t really know how this type of workout translate yet into marathon pacing, but it keeps me focused on my running effort levels and awareness of when I’m pushing myself to a faster pace. Though sometimes I feel like I’m running much faster, which can be a little deflating. I try to remind myself that even a 10- or 15-second increase in pace is faster.
I didn’t complete my Core workout post-run, since I was surprised at the door with a glass of wine and a diamond. As far as excuses go, that one takes the cake, no? lol
Mile warm-up [10:31]
Speed intervals: 9:47 [400 rest: 10:38] / 9:52 [10:53] / 9:49 [10:48] — I like the consistency!
Mile cool down [10:47]
WEDNESDAY: ARGH, this week was SO COLD. I didn’t realize until I was back inside that it was only 10 degrees. But man, it felt even colder. I couldn’t finish my entire three miles because I couldn’t warm up (no thanks to you, $140 thermal North Face pants), but completed a respectable 2.13 miles given the conditions. I had to get into a hot shower immediately to get warm, so I didn’t do my strength workout either.
2.13 miles / average 9:48 pace
THURSDAY: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness — this week’s class was probably my favorite session so far, since returning to a regular yoga routine. The instructor was in a sassy-but-silly mood and I laughed (at him and at myself) a lot during practice. But I felt better afterward then when I entered and really felt like I “blissed out.” It’s a wonderful feeling!
FRIDAY: YAY! REST DAY! We went out to celebrate and I had my once-a-year steak. haha
SATURDAY: I’m really enjoying the weekly Striders group runs — despite the 7:30 am start — and it’s been awesome running with and getting to know some great people and the Des Moines city neighborhoods. The Saturday morning events always have at least 2 routes (a long and short route) and sometimes an in-between third option. There is usually a water stop worked into the map at the shorter distance turn-around (though we somehow missed it this weekend).
This week I had 8 miles on the plan, with a Fast Finish for the last mile. It worked out well, as I was with the group for the 6-mile short route and finished my workout around Drake University again. I DID THE FAST FINISH — and actually felt really, really good (but, cold OMG WINTER).
Splits: 10:23 (1) / 10:17 (2) / 10:47 (3) / 10:32 (4) / 10:40 (5) / 10:56 (6) / 11:45 (7 — oops! forgot to pause my watch when I went inside to use the water fountain!) / 9:22 (8)
I also got myself an Orange Mud seat wrap for the new car. For some reason, all this fleece-wearing in winter makes me super sweaty and I don’t want that stank to invade my vehicle. Is that how “moisture wicking” works? It’s weird. I love that the seat cover transitions into a wrap to help you change with some modesty outdoors (or, in my case in the summer, my work parking lot). Also, it comes in hot pink.
SUNDAY: Easy recovery run, followed by a Core workout. I will say it again, how much I HATE having to bundle up for the temperatures for only a 20-minute run. Last week I went to the gym’s treadmills before my massage, which worked out well; this week, while it was sunny, I cursed my way through the cold outdoors again. I love winter better when it snows.
2 miles / average 10:19 pace
WEEKLY RUNS: 2 (week #3) + 4 (week #4) WEEKLY MILES: 9.7 (week #3) + 17.1 miles (week #4) TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 44.91 miles
I have a cutback week for this upcoming week, and have already packed for all my planned runs and workouts while on vacation (and yay, some vacay running buddies!). Once I get back, the double-digit long runs begin. ?
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
Because of the upcoming double digit distances this training plan, I worked with my coach to swap my long runs to Saturdays to participate more often with the Capital Striders (the Des Moines area running community) group runs — which are, painfully, at 7:30 am. I did something similar in my last marathon training and getting the long run over with early Saturday seemed to work well for me. Though getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is definitely not the easiest, I usually take a nice afternoon nap — and I wait to do my Sunday recovery run in the afternoon.
Week #2 of Marathon Training Plan looked like this:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core
My treadmill is still busted, despite receiving two replacement motherboards from ProForm. So, that meant a couple evening runs in the dark after work and ALL of my runs this week outdoors. The whole situation is totally irritating seeing as how we’ve had the equipment for less than a year AND purchased a 4-year warranty — and bundling up just to do an easy 20-minute outdoor run pisses me right off… but I’m working through it. But if I don’t get a promise of a replacement treadmill by next month, I’m REALLY going to lose my shit on someone.
Monday: GLORIOUS REST — and another recognized holiday at work — has me feeling finally (mostly) back to normal. We got a crazy ice storm in the Midwest on Monday, but the above-freezing temps melted mostly everything away overnight.
Tuesday: Short run — 3 miles, followed by an at-home kettlebell-focused strength workout.
Average 10:25 pace
Wednesday: Tempo Intervals — 6x400s (with a mile warm-up and mile cool down) in my secret stretch of sidewalk near the backside of my development. I love it; it’s a near-perfect .25 mile block (a little over, actually) and only slightly uphill that I just run back-and-forth.
Finishing these intervals was TOUGH, and I slowed down quite a bit on the last set. Looking forward to seeing myself get more consistent for a full set.
Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness. Some weeks I love this class and others I hate it. I guess that means it’s working. Recently the instructor changed the programming to hold poses for 10 breaths instead of 5 — and holding some of the poses are really, really hard. The instructor tried to adjust me in triangle and I nearly collapsed.
Friday: Rest Day! I ended up meeting some friends after work for happy hour at Wellman’s Pub.
Saturday: I had 6 miles on my training plan, so I joined the Capital Striders group run (at 7:30 am) for the short route (which ended up being about 5 miles). After my running friends departed, I explored the Drake University campus to finish out my last mile. It was a pretty nice day in Des Moines, and I can’t believe I got my ass out of bed that early.
Average 10:21 pace
Sunday: Easy 20 minute run — and despite it being 37 degrees, it felt REALLY really chilly.
Average 10:11 pace
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 WEEKLY MILES: 16.1 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 18.11 miles
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
It’s here, it’s here! Marathon training has begun. I can honestly tell you that I was excited to see a tempo run as my first workout of the plan (and also told my coach to remind me of that further on in training). But that workout didn’t happen. And neither did my mid-week easy run or my yoga class or my weekend long run.
When I got sick over the weekend, I messaged my coach asking when to do certain workouts based on my symptoms. And the short answer was: Use your energy to get better. And it was definitely the right decision as I battle whatever cold/flu combo sickness that has knocked me on my ass.
That said, I am committed to seeing through these 20 weeks of training — despite conditions seemingly conspiring against it (yep, treadmill is still broken despite them sending a new replacement motherboard). I intend to train hard though and do what I need to do to complete my workouts when I am fully capable to do them. This week, unfortunately, was not that week.
Winter Warrior!
Week #1 of Training looked like this on paper:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run with Capital Striders
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core
Skipping to the weekend, I was finally well enough get through an at-home Strength routine on Saturday and an easy run on Sunday (before this giant ice storm came through, thankfully).
Warmest winter running tights.
WEEKLY RUNS: 1 WEEKLY MILES: 2.01 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 2.01 miles
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