This week officially hit the 4 WEEK mark until my marathon. It was a bit surreal because now the count down is OFFICIALLY on! It’s amazing how long some days can feel but how quickly time passes.
There were some fun but busy changes happening this week:
1. My husband finally coming home
2. Finalizing up the start of a new job in a week
I knew I had to stay focused on the last few weeks of training, and that has been my focus throughout the entire week. Just keep my eyes on the price.
Here is a breakdown of my workout this week:
Monday (11/10)
6 miles easy
The gloves officially came out this week. It has gotten COLD!
Tuesday (11/11)
Warm up
7 x 1000 meters (7:41 pace)
3 minute recovery between each
Cool down
9.5 miles total
Wednesday (11/12)
6 miles easy
Thanks to someone on Instagram, I realized I was dressed just like a Minion for Wednesday’s run! Minion running for the win!
Thursday (11/13)
1 mile warm up
10 mile tempo run
1 mile cool down
12 miles total
Friday (11/14)
Rest Day
Saturday (11/15)
11 miles
Sunday (11/16)
10 miles
Saturday’s run was done at the YMCA. I knew I wanted to do a little something different than just 10-11 miles at a set pace so I decided to switch things up a little bit.
The break down was:
2 miles easy (9:22 pace)
2 miles moderate effort (8:27, 8:13)
2 miles easy (9:22 pace)
2 miles moderate effort (8:27, 8:13)
1 mile easy (9:22 pace)
1 mile at marathon pace (8:00)
1 mile cool down (9:30 pace)
Sorry for the awful picture, the lighting wasn’t the best.
11 miles total, but because of the constant changing paces it really made it fly by. I felt really strong throughout the entire thing too. It’s amazing what one-day off can do to help your legs recover.
I could have done 11 miles at a slow easy pace, but I just wanted something to keep my mind engaged and this ended up being perfect.
Looking back on this week, I’m not sure if I really have a TOUGH workout. I felt strong for each of my runs for the most part. It’s funny because during some of the workouts I would tell you it’s SO HARD but then looking back on it I realize it really wasn’t that bad.
I’ve got 4 weeks left in my marathon plan. The last 2 weeks will start a taper, but these next 2 weeks will still include the same sort of workouts.
I will do my final 16-mile run next Saturday and my final 10-mile tempo the following week. It’s crazy to think that I am that close to the end, but I am so excited to see what the outcome will be!
This has been one of my best weekends in a while, simply because my husband is finally back at home and it feels like things are right again. We had such a great weekend visiting family, relaxing and just enjoying each other’s company.
What was your best run this week?
What was something fun you did this weekend?
Best run this week was a PR 10K!! I did Run in the Dark on Wednesday in 56:23, delighted! 🙂 And this morning I went for my first hike in probably years and it was absolutely stunning.
Workouts always seem “not so bad” in hindsight I’ve noticed! But then when I’m doing it again I wonder if it always felt so hard! Great week, and let the countdown begin 🙂
That’s very exciting how close your marathon is! Sometimes people ask how I can train for something weeks away, but the time really does fly. My long run went really well this week, but I did get cold by the end…sadly I think it’s time to break out my really heavy winter clothes.
I am so excited for your marathon in 4 weeks! You are going to kill it! My best run this week was 1.87 miles. Since becoming pregnant running has not been fun and it’s broken my heart. I ran a 5k at the end of September and ever since then it’s been hard, hurt my hips, felt so strange. I decided to try it again and see if I set low milage goals and slow paces if it would feel better. I still walk a little to give myself a break in the work out but so far its been wonderful just to feel like a runner again!
I also did an 11 mile run this weekend on my faithful treadmill! I always switch my long runs to keep it interesting. I did: 2m @ 8:34, 2.2m @ 8:20, 1 min recov at 4.0, 2.2m @ 8:13, 2 min recov at 4.0, 2.2m @ 8:06, 1:30 min recov at 4.0, 2m @ 8:00.
I have a half this week and had to go out and buy some gloves. I do not like cold weather!
Great week! It is a sign you are getting stronger that the weeks don’t hurt like they did just a few weeks earlier.
With the cold weather here and the dark mornings and evenings, I think I am going to try to use the treadmill this winter. Last year I had a job where I worked from home and I could run at lunch when it is light and sometimes warmer. Now I don’t have that flexibility so I think I might go to the gym immediately after work. If I go home, change, stretch and go for a run, I loose my motivation very quickly. I really don’t like running in the dark either… maybe I should invest in a headlight like yours…
-Run with joy!