This week had a lot of firsts. Some good, some not so good, but all in all I am really happy with how the week went! I hit some tough workouts, pushed through some less than ideal weather conditions, and made each day happen!
Before we get into too much here is a run down of my week:
Monday (9/8)
8 miles easy
Tuesday (9/9)
1 mile warm up
6 x 1 mile repeats with 400 recovery
1 mile cool down
9.55 miles
Wednesday (9/10)
7 miles easy
Thursday (9/11)
1 mile warm up
8 mile tempo run (7:54 average pace)
1 mile cool down
Friday (9/12)
Rest Day
Saturday (9/13)
16 miles (long run)
Sunday (9/14)
8 miles easy
I knew going into this week that it was going to be a big one! Last week was a bit easier and any time that happens it is followed up with a tough week. I was mentally much more prepared this time, not sure why I just felt a little more confident.
On Saturday, I knew I had my longest run to date of 16 miles. I was watching the weather all week, since it has been raining off and on a lot recently, and kept seeing that the weather wasn’t looking too pretty for Saturday.
I kept hope all the way up until I got up that morning that the weather would clear and I would be good to run outside. However, that didn’t happen and it poured almost all Saturday morning.
I headed to the YMCA to start my 16 miles on the treadmill. It’s near a local trail so I held out hope that if the rain let up, I could go outside and finish it. Sadly that never happened. I did have a pretty great run though.
I completed 16 miles at an 8:41 average pace. My long run goal pace is 8:42 so it was the closest I could set it on the treadmill. We attempted to try and get the treadmill set to where it wouldn’t cut off after a certain amount of time, but we could only figure out how to extend it out to 99 minutes. Oh well, it’s better than 60 minutes!
I ran a little over 11.3 miles in the first 99 minutes. Quickly stopped and finished it out. I was going to take a picture but hit the button one too many times and it cleared out the results. I jotted it down on my phone while I kept running.
The last 4.75 were more difficult, but still I felt strong the entire time. I could have easily kept going which is a good sign for me! I was really happy to have completed it with something “left in tank.”
Even though I was indoors I don’t think I have ever had a sweatier run in quite some time. It was really warm in there today. This picture really doesn’t even do it justice. I think partly because they had their official grand opening and a lot more people were coming in and out than normal.
The entire time I was running I reminded myself to run these 16 miles for this sweet girl. This is my in-laws cat who passed away on Friday while they were on vacation. It was very sad, but she lived a long 18 wonderful years. I dedicated the entire run to one of the sweetest kitties I have ever met!
Best Run
This week my best run once again was my tempo run. Thursday morning I woke up at 4:15 am and headed to my tempo run area to go for another 8 miles.
Even though my mileage had picked up for the week I was still able to hit the tempo run and felt strong at the end. I’d say this went even better than the last time!
My PRO Compression socks helped a ton with my achy calves!
That and Primal Sport Mud. Seriously, these two have been my LIFE savors during marathon training!
I’m feeling a little more confident after a successful tempo and long run this week! I am pretty sure I was on cloud nine after both of them!
Toughest Run
Even though I really don’t think I can remember a really TOUGH run this week, I would say Monday morning’s 8 miles probably would be the closest thing to it.
I wasn’t prepared to run 8 miles on a treadmill that morning and mentally I just had a hard time getting into it. There were a lot of mind games played to get through it!
Now time for the age old question, how am I feeling?
I am feeling much better than I expected to at the end of this week. I know next week is a little bit of a step back again which is a big help, but I can feel my body getting stronger.
The only hesitation right now I have is the idea that I won’t run further than 16 miles during training. This was my first of several 16 miles runs, but still not having that 20+ run is mentally bothering me a little bit. I am having to really put my trust in the plan and the success that it has had.
How did your training go this week?
What was your best and toughest run?
I have not really been running outside too much because the weather in Texas has been less than ideal. However, I got in some good weightlifting workouts and went to yoga class twice. It was a good week!
I need to get more weight lifting back in my plan! It’s been hard I’ve had to stick to majority body weight workouts and such at home. Hoping to change that up a bit soon!
So sorry to hear about the passing of your in-laws kitty. What was her name? We had our oldest dog, Riley, pass away a few weeks ago, and even though he lived a long life, it is never easy to say goodbye – we miss him every day.
Glad to hear your week went well. We are on vacation in the Caribbean this week and all my runs will be on a treadmill in the gym due to safety concerns (loose dogs, crazy drivers, etc.). 16 miles so far this week on the treadmill, only 40 more to go! A small sacrifice for the benefit of being in the tropics.
-Run with joy!
Thank you Greg! Her name was Sassy and she was the sweetest cat I’ve ever known. I’ve known her for the last 10 years since I first met my husband and even though she wasn’t mine it is just so sad! I miss her every time we go visit. She was always my best buddy!
Enjoy your vacation!! I have to say I am pretty jealous! I would run on the treadmill every day in order to be in the Caribbean 🙂 Fair trade I say! Enjoy!!
Glad your training is going well!
Thank you Matt!
You are such a wuss, yo won’t run in the dark, you won’t run in the rain. What are you going to do if your marathon is, yanno, rainy? *eyeroll*