Hello everyone! How’s your weekend going? We have a lot to celebrate around here!

Saturday night we did a delayed anniversary dinner and Wes’ end of ICU celebration! It’s been a tough month for him, so i’m happy that he made it to the end! 6 12-hour shifts per week is just no fun!

It was a fun and relaxing evening. Today after our runs are complete we are heading over to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday. A fun weekend to get ready for a pretty busy week ahead for me.

Marathon training week 3 is officially over. It wasn’t the best for me, but I’ll just pick myself up and focus on the next week.

 

Here is look at week 3 of marathon training:

Monday – 6 miles

I should have seen a tough week coming at the start of Monday, but I tried to keep a positive attitude. I started the week off with 6 easy miles.

I was tired, it was hot and humid, but really what’s new? I think that is how pretty much all 18 weeks of this training plan is going to go.

 

Tuesday – 9 miles (Speed Workout)

The workout on schedule for this week was:

Warm up
6 x 800 meters (400 recovery)
Cool down

The goal for each of the 800 meters was 3:15. My final splits were: 3:14, 3:15, 3:12, 3:13, 3:14, and 3:17. I was pretty much done at the end but happy to hit it pretty much right on.

 

Wednesday – 6 miles

Another 6 miles just like Monday. It went pretty much the same, nothing real exciting to report. I was really focused on just trying to recover and get ready for the tempo run on Thursday.

 

Thursday – 10 miles (Tempo Workout)

Oh, where should I even begin with this one. I really tried to focus on the mile at hand. I knew my body was tired, but it usually is during marathon training.

I started off with an easy 2 mile warm up. My legs were tired, they felt achy, and had no kick. At that early in the morning it’s quite common for the first couple miles to be a struggle.

I started my tempo and then first 2 miles were okay. However, by mile 3 I could tell things were going down hill and fast.  I was struggle to breathe, my legs were not having it, and each mile was getting slower and slower. By mile 4 I was struggling to hold an 8 minute pace.

I could have kept going, maybe I should have looking back at it, but instead I cut it at 5 miles. In total, I average a 7:29 pace. A few seconds slower than goal marathon pace.

Looking back on it I wish that I’d just ran that extra mile with what my body would give me. However, after the week I’d had I was just exhausted. I finished out the cool down and did a total of 10 miles.

Not a good run, but instead of focusing on it I am going to just keep looking ahead and hope for redemption on my tempo.

These pretty anniversary flowers sure helped to cheer me up!

 

Friday – Off

A much needed rest day! Thank goodness.

 

Saturday – 10 miles

Just like the last few weeks, my Saturday run started at 3:25 in the morning. This should be the last week of this since Wes’ schedule is changing and he doesn’t have to work on Saturday morning.

I look forward to only having to get up at 4 mornings at that early hour.

Anyways, today I did 10 miles at around an 8:49 pace. It wasn’t supposed to be at long run pace which I was thankful for. Even with my rest day it was still pretty tired. I just took it one mile at a time and before I knew it I was back and on the couch.

 

Sunday – 8 miles

The plan is 8 easy miles on Sunday.

 

There you have it. Week 3 is done. It wasn’t the best but that’s expected. Even though I know the heat and humidity can really take a toll on the body, it’s been a bit hard for me to accept.

One day at a time. One run, one workout, one tempo at a time. Then before I know it I will be at the starting line of the Chicago marathon right?

 

How did your training go this week?

Do you prefer to cut workouts short if you aren’t hitting pace or just slow down?