If you follow me on Instagram, then chances are you may have already seen some of this but I thought it might be fun to share on here for those that missed it!

Now normally I would share my own workouts, but since we’ve become parents we realized it just doesn’t work for Wes and I both to be training for a big goal race at the same time. So, I am taking this summer to cut back miles a bit, build some base, and work on my strength. Wes on the other hand is gearing up for a big race at the Chicago Marathon in just 8 weeks!

I knew leading up to this workout that it was a big one, and it would really help Wes to have my help on it.  Thankfully we worked it out to stay with my in-laws so they could keep Easton while I biked his workout.

Goal workout: 10 miles easy, 10 miles at goal marathon pace (+cool down)

We got an early start to beat some of the heat and thankfully it was overcast that day, but it had been raining for 3 days straight so the humidity was pretty killer!

We started the first 10 slow and easy and let his body get adjusted to the humidity. I could tell he was worrying a bit about how humid it was, so we kept it pretty quiet and just let him process the miles. Around mile 3 he began to get into it a bit more and we started chatting to hopefully take his mind off how far he had to go.

He took in some water and gatorade throughout the run about every 2-3 miles.

At mile 8 he took his Honey Stinger Gel and then stopped just before mile 10 to change into his lighter racing shoes.

I get a lot of questions about shoe changes (as we both do it). We switch to lighter shoes for the tempo/speed portion of the workout because they are lighter. If you wear heavier shoes on your easier/warm up portions then it will feel like less effort for those hard miles. A lot of times these are the same shoes that we race in.

As soon as he switched shoes, he jogged for about 0.25 miles and started.

This is when I actually had to work. Keeping up with him while also making sure not to hit anyone else on the trail was quite the job!

I stayed behind him for the first 3-4 miles because I had to cross some busy roads and was often playing catch up. I kept trying to give him water every 2 miles or so unless he signaled me to wait.

After mile 6 I could tell he could use a little help (mostly because we were starting a gradual up hill) so I put the bike in front of him so that he could essentially “chase” me. My Garmin wasn’t showing me the running pace (only mph) so I didn’t really know how fast I was going I just did my best to stay just far enough in front of him that he could chase.

We hit mile 9 and even though I’m pretty sure he couldn’t hear me with his music going I told him “Don’t stop, you’ve got this – GO!” I could tell he was working super hard but I just kept trying to stay in front of him to help him chase me that final mile.

Finally we hit 10!

His workout splits: 5:27, 5:21, 5:17, 5:19, 5:23, 5:22, 5:26, 5:22, 5:27, and 5:13.

Goal marathon pace for him is roughly 5:18 per mile. He averaged 5:21 for this 10 miles in a 73 dew point and closed in a 5:13. Meaning – he did GREAT!

It’s not always about hitting the exact pace for every single mile. It’s about putting in the effort regardless of the weather conditions.

This was the perfect way to start out his 32nd birthday and I am so excited to watch him race in Chicago in October!