Marathon Training – Week 15

I DID IT! No, no…I didn’t run a marathon (yet), but I made it through the big, crazy, scary week on my marathon training schedule that I’ve been scared of since I first planned out this training back in November. I mean really, who runs 20 miles?! (Well I guess me…) This week was also INSANE work wise, I didn’t get home from work before midnight once. It was exhausting and I crashed HARD on Friday. But, like I said…I DID IT! Here is how the week went:

Monday: Cross Training – I took a Spinning class in the morning before work. I have to rush to get ready when I do a class because they end a bit later than I normally finish my work outs, but this was worth it. There was actually a sub teaching the class but it was REALLY good. Great way to start the day.

Tuesday: Speed Work – This week called for a ten minute warm up, then 5 x 2 minutes fast/2 minutes easy, and a ten minute cool down. Wait, what? That’s like…~4 miles! It was so amazing to do just a short, sweet run. I am kind of excited for after the marathon when I can run shorter distances on a regular basis. I want to keep up my mileage for Broad Street, but I can definitely work in some 3-5 mile runs in my training plan (which I will make up after the marathon). Here’s the average paces for the speed work:

Speed Type	Distance	Average Pace
Warm Up	1.04 miles	10:29
1 – 2 min fast	.23 miles	8:35
1 – 2 min easy	.18 miles	11:05
2 – 2 min fast	.24 miles	8:31
2 – 2 min easy	.18 miles	10:51
3 – 2 min fast	.23 miles	8:49
3 – 2 min easy	.16 miles	12:22
4 – 2 min fast	.24 miles	8:25
4 – 2 min easy	.15 miles	13:00
5 – 2 min fast	.25 miles	8:08
5 – 2 min easy	.18 miles	11:16
Cool Down	1.15 miles	11:15
Total:	4.23 Miles

Thursday: Tempo Run – This run was supposed to be 8 miles. But I got home from work around 1:30 am, and I had a crazy, busy day ahead of me. It was no surprise when I hit snooze a few extra times and only had time for 6 miles.Wednesday: Rest – Too tired.

I am calling this a huge victory that I even made it out there for 1 mile. Even still, I felt a bit guilty for not doing all 8, considering I’ve missed a few runs here and there because of my various ridiculous injuries. But, in the long run (ha…pun) I doubt 2 miles will make a huge difference. The splits:

Mile	Split
1	9:51
2	10:20
3	9:26
4	9:46
5	9:25
6	9:54
0.06	1:38

I only had time to cool down for .06 miles, which isn’t really enough, but oh well.

Friday: Rest – I wasn’t going to work out this day regardless because I was running 20 miles the next day and wanted to feel rested. But even if I had wanted to I wouldn’t have be able to. I got home from work and passed out the second my head hit the pillow. I don’t think I have ever been so tired in my whole life.

Saturday: Long Run – This was the first Saturday I didn’t have to work in 5 weeks. I set my alarm for early to emulate race day. I wasn’t going to wake up at a ridiculous hour or anything, but I figured 6 would be early enough. But I woke up at 7:30 with my phone half way across my room. I must have turned off the alarm and chucked it in my sleep. This is why I can’t have nice things. I dragged myself out of bed. I did NOT want to go running at all. On the other hand, I wanted to get the run out of the way so I could relax on Sunday. I made my usual pre-long run breakfast– peanut butter on a flax wrap. So good. Then I got back in bed and watched this weeks Modern Family. So good. Then I dragged myself back out of bed and got dressed. Before I knew it I was out the door.

I downloaded an audio book. I chose Ellen Degeneres’ Seriously…I’m Kidding.

I had a few other books in mind but I figured that this would be nice and light and her voice wouldn’t irritate me as much as if it were some random fiction book. It was only 3 hours long, so I figured I could just switch over to music after. This turned out to be a BRILLIANT idea. It made the miles go by very quickly. The book wasn’t great, but I definitely laughed out loud a few times. My favorite part was when she was talking about how crazy people usually have shopping carts. Then she thought that it actually wasn’t such a bad idea since she usually keeps everything in her pockets. She said it could be like her purse on wheels. And she could call it a POW. But then she decided maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all. I was cracking up, I bet other runners thought I was crazy. Maybe I should have been pushing a shopping cart…

I am debating whether or not to get an audiobook for race day. It really made me zone out during this run, but I don’t know if you are supposed to completely zone out during a race. I’ll have to think about it…

The first few miles I was not feeling so great, but eventually I got into it. I saw a partner at my company running around mile 4, I took a Gu (Espresso flavor mmm) around mile 6, it started to flurry around mile 9. Around mile 10.5 I reached the start of the Drive again and went inside to the little cafe to fill up my CamelBak even though it wasn’t empty yet. They have a water cooler that runners can use for free, though I’m pretty sure it’s just filled with tap water. Still, very convenient.

At that point, it also started BLIZZARDING! I was worried about going back out in it, so I called mom to see if she thought it was safe, and to let her know where I would be in case I ended up in a snow bank. She said to go for it, and off I went. The “blizzard” lasted for about 3 minutes. Then the sun came out again.

Around mile 11 I saw a friend from middle school. Also around mile 11 I took another Gu (chocolate flavored mmm). Around mile 12 I felt myself starting to feel like how I did during the 18 mile run. I didn’t want it to end up like that run, so I took an extra long walking break. It didn’t kill my pace too much, and I started up running again feeling so much better. Around mile 15 I saw the same friend from middle school again. (I also saw the same old man 4 times during my run, kicking some serious butt, and a couple other people multiple times.) Around mile 16 my book ended, and I switched over to music. Around mile 17 I took a 3rd Gu (espresso again). Also around mile 17 I realized that I was going to make it! Around mile 18 I ran out of water but was nearing the cafe again so I figured I would fill up again even though I was almost done. Around mile 19 I stopped at the cafe. I was shaking pretty badly when I stopped. Weird. Then I finished really strong. Amazingly, it only took me a minute longer to run 20 miles than it took me to run 18 the other week. At mile 20 I called mom to tell her I actually did it! Then I walked home for a mile and a quarter for a total of 21.25 for the day (not including the tons of walking I did the rest of the day/night). The splits:

Mile	Split
1	11:32
2	11:02
3	11:12
4	10:58
5	10:52
6	11:38
7	10:57
8	10:59
9	10:43
10	10:45
11	10:50
12	13:27
13	10:36
14	10:43
15	10:59
16	11:41
17	11:21
18	11:15
19	10:46
20	10:01
21	18:10
0.25	4:18

I know that I still have 6.2 more miles to run after this until I complete a marathon. I kind of wish I had a 22 miler on my schedule. Most plans max out at 18 miles, 20 miles, or 22 miles. I picked the 20 mile max because the whole schedule seemed like it would work for me, but now one more super long run would be nice. However, there is only 3 weeks til the marathon, and I am officially tapering, so that is not going to happen. I also think that I kind of feel ready for it! This long run totally boosted my confidence. I know I could just as easily have a bad day like with my 18 mile run, but I’m hoping with 3 weeks of tapering I will feel fresh and rested for the marathon. I read an article earlier in the week that basically said that you ARE going to have some really awful training runs, it’s normal. All I can do is not get too cocky after this long run and hope that I don’t have an awful run on race day!

Sunday: Cross Training – I did a very easy 45 minutes on the elliptical. It felt good to get my legs moving again. I read an issue of Women’s Health during my work out. It said that moving a little after hard work outs is one of the best things for recovery. So I covered that! It also said to drink lots of water (working on it as I type) and to get a massage (it’s not just an indulgence! It really helps your muscles). So now I’m off to get a massage!

Total miles: 31.54 miles

This week should be much less crazy work-wise, and training-wise. I think I can get it all in!

–Melissa

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Marathon Training – Week 14

Another week down! We are now less than a month from the marathon, so crazy! I signed up for the Broad Street Run this week. It’s a 10 mile race on May 6. I think it will be good to have a goal in mind for after the marathon.

This week was extremely exhausting. I worked until the wee hours of the morning, but I still managed to squeeze in 5 work outs. Here’s what I did:

Monday: Cross Training – I swam and biked. Both of these helped to loosen up my legs from the 18 miler.

Tuesday: Rest – 4 hours of sleep = no work out

Wednesday: Speed Work – This workout was a 1 mile warm up, 10×400 with 400 of RI in between each,  and a 1 mile cool down. I warmed up at a 10:03 pace. I did a walk/jog for my resting intervals. The pace of the 10 fast intervals were: 8:50, 8:26, 8:26, 8:11, 8:23, 8:07, 8:16, 9:08, 7:19, 8:12. I wanted to keep them all in the 8 minute range. When I didn’t get that for the 8th 400 I pushed really hard for the 9th. Then I cooled down with a mile run and some walking for a total for the day of 7.28 miles.

Thursday: Rest – 4 hours of sleep = no work out (again)

Friday: Tempo Run – This was 1 mile easy, 5 miles tempo. I ended up just doing what felt good. The splits: 9:10, 9:24, 9:24, 9:36, 10:13, 9:00. Then I cooled down for a total of 6.11 miles.

Saturday: Cross Training – I did the arc trainer for 15 minutes, the elliptical for 15 minutes and upper body strength for 20 minutes.

Sunday: Long Run – This was a step back week. Hooray! My schedule called for 10 miles. I considered doing more since I skipped a 13 miler the other week because of my neck. I set out on a 12 mile route, but when I got to 10 miles I was just ready to be done. So I walked the last 2 miles home. It felt great to just walk. I didn’t run with water and I was very thirsty around mile 7. Big mistake. I’m also feeling some foot pain that feels like this old injury. I’m a bit worried about that. The splits: 10:54, 10:52, 10:40, 10:53, 10:54, 10:37, 10:58, 11:02, 10:33, 10:31. Not my best, not my worst.

Total mileage: 25.39

Time for bed! Week 15 is going to be the most challenging yet! I’m nervous.

–Melissa

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Marathon Training – Week 13

This week was not my best. I only ended up missing one (more) run, and one cross training day. So in the end my back/neck injury thing wasn’t too bad. Here’s what the week looked like:

Monday: Cross Training Rest – I couldn’t move my head again when I woke up in the morning. I was in a ton of pain, and called it a rest day.

Tuesday: Speed Work Rest – Still in a ton of pain. I decided to make an appointment with an acupuncturist. I didn’t think my regular doctor would do anything than tell me to take some pain killers and wait it out. I was already doing that and my neck wouldn’t move and my back was killing me, I needed to take a different approach. I left work early (amazing) and went to acupuncture. I felt immediate relief. I left able to turn my head but my back still hurt a bit.

Wednesday: Cross Training – I kept it very light with 45 minutes on the elliptical. I didn’t want to do anything too strenuous, but it felt good to move again.

Thursday: Tempo Run  Rest – This was also the week that my crazy schedule finally caught up to me. I set me alarm for the morning but literally could not get out of bed. I was so exhausted and decided to post pone this run until Friday. I went to my second acupuncture after work this night. Again, I felt better but still a little off.

Friday: Tempo Run – I waited until after work to do this run since we get out at a reasonable time on Friday nights. I was nervous because I hadn’t run since last Thursday, but I was also SO anxious to hit the road. My legs were itching to run! This called for 1 easy mile, 4 tempo miles, 1 easy mile. I ended up doing a 10k at whatever pace I felt like running because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself for the first run back. But I killed it and juuust missed my PR by 18 seconds. The splits:

Mile 1:	9:10
Mile 2:	8:57
Mile 3:	9:20
Mile 4:	9:38
Mile 5:	9:57
Mile 6:	9:33
.2 Miles:	1:46

Not too shabby for my first run back!

Saturday: Cross Training – I hit the gym after work, but ended up not getting there until later than planned so I only had time for an elliptical work out before the gym closed. I wanted to keep this work out very easy anyway because I had an 18 mile run planned for the next morning.

Sunday: Long Run – I wasn’t sure if I was completely ready to do such a long run after the whole neck/back thing, but I also knew that I couldn’t skip this run if I wanted the marathon to happen. I felt off when I headed out for this run. It wasn’t pretty. I think the fact that it was FREEZING COLD probably didn’t help things, but I know I could have pushed myself harder. At one point I touched my face and I realized it was completely numb. I considered finishing the run inside at the gym, but I kept at it when I saw a guy running in shorts. I really was just not feeling it at all today, and my paces showed. I walked A LOT. My legs were tired. I just couldn’t get in the zone today. I’m really, really hoping that this doesn’t happen on race day. Anyway, the terrible splits:

Mile	Pace
Mile 1:	10:16
Mile 2:	11:01
Mile 3:	10:49
Mile 4:	11:27
Mile 5:	11:38
Mile 6:	13:34
Mile 7:	12:16
Mile 8:	12:43
Mile 9:	13:24
Mile 10:	14:10
Mile 11:	13:18
Mile 12:	12:07
Mile 13:	13:36
Mile 14:	13:14
Mile 15:	12:26
Mile 16:	12:27
Mile 17:	12:17
Mile 18:	10:18
.76 Miles:	12:42	Cool Down

Yeah….Not so great…But at least it was a PDR. And at least I finished. There is always next week!

–Melissa

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Marathon Training – Week 12

Oops. A bit late on this post. Had an insane week. Here’s a quick recap of last week since tonight is not really Friday for me, I have work tomorrow. Boo. I will try to do this week’s recap on Sunday after my 18 miler (!!!!!!!!!!!)

Monday: Cross Training – Elliptical and strength training. I don’t remember it exactly since it was a week and a half ago at this point. I’m sure it was great!

Tuesday: Speed Work – This workout was a 10 minute warm up, followed by 1k, 2k, 1k, 1k with 400s of RI in between, then cool down. (Also known as a 1 mile warm up, .6 of speed, .25 miles of rest, 1.2 miles of speed, .25 miles of rest, .6 of speed, .25 miles of rest, .6 of speed, .25 miles of rest and a 1 mile cool down.) This ended up being 7.34 miles with some cool down walking afterward too. I have no clue what the splits were for the speed because it was 5 in the morning and to figure out my watch just seemed like way too much work.

Wednesday: Rest – If I had known what was to come (foreshadowing!) I would not have taken this rest day. But at the time it felt good.

Thursday: Tempo Run – Soooo this was a 9 mile tempo run. Personally I think it’s kind of a big deal to run more than 8 miles on a weekday. I REALLY think it’s a big deal to run more than 8 miles on a weekday when you don’t get home from work until midnight and you have to leave for work again at 7:30. Yes, I know I am insane. This run was amazing. I ended up doing a 15k plus a cool down for a total of 10.07 miles. Yup I ran double digits all before work! The splits:

Mile 1:	11:50	??
Mile 2:	10:48
Mile 3:	10:34
Mile 4:	10:19
Mile 5:	10:42
Mile 6:	10:25
Mile 7:	10:24
Mile 8:	10:31
Mile 9:	9:49
Mile 10:	15:46	(.3 running, .7 walking)
.07 Miles:	1:14

I just noticed that the first mile was 11:50, I’m thinking maybe I didn’t really have satellite reception when I started. Oh well.

Friday: Cross Training – I decided to rush a bit in the morning and go to one of my favorite spinning classes. I was a tiny bit later to work than I should have been, but it was worth it.

Saturday: Rest – My back, neck and shoulders had been hurting a little since Wednesday. I thought it was from too much sitting at work, or maybe running, or maybe the massage I got last Sunday (maybe the guy hit a trigger point??) but on Saturday it started to be really painful. While I was at work I just kept hoping it would go away so I could do my long run of the week (13 miles).

Sunday: Long Run Rest – I woke up and I could hardly turn my head. I really, really wanted to run though. So I got dressed in my running gear. Shoved some Gus in my pocket and headed out the door. Right, good thinking Meliss, you can’t turn your head but you are going to go run for 2 hours, think again! I made it .59 miles (at a 10:35 pace…since that matters…) when I was about .3 miles away I turned around and ran towards the place where I got a massage last week instead. This story would have been a lot better if the place had actually been open at the time and I had literally ran right to a massage. But I had a half hour to kill so I walked home instead and dropped off my Gus. Then I went back to the massage place and got a massage, it helped a little, but I was still in a lot of pain.

To be continued in the Week 13 post…

–Melissa

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