Next week I have a post planned on my decision to return to my old coach. For now, I will reflect on the first week of marathon training, the first week with coach generated plans.
Monday 50 minutes regular
This felt like a regular run, as it should. Since both Mom and I had the day of – yay Spring Break! – we started significantly later. We also both misjudged the temperature. I definitely overdressed. It felt like the start of summer. I loved the run and focused on form throughout, so much that at the end of the run when I realized that I was going to fast and should probably slow down a bit, I ended speeding up just a tad.
Tuesday warm up, tempo run, cool down
My coach suggested that I attempt the tempo portion on a track, if possible. Since I am returning after a couple years away, he used the mileage I recorded during the tempo portion to estimate my current level of fitness. I decided when I started the run that I would head over to the local high school and see if I could possibly access the track that I used a few times back when I started training with my coach the first time. (They repaved the surface and kept the gate locked at all times.) I arrived, part-way through my warm up and found the gate locked once again. However, as I looked over at the track, two older gentleman walked past. Clearly there had to be another way to access the track. I did not imagine that these gentleman were prone to fence hopping. A few minutes later I found it and for the first time in nearly four years, used the track again. I felt nervous about finding 90-95% effort. I like for things to be concrete. However, I felt good through that portion and perhaps could have pushed more. I logged negative splits during the tempo portion.
Wednesday strength training
I made sure to push through on each exercise with good form and enjoyed the work out.
Thursday 55 minutes with 6 x 1 minute hard effort at end
So, due to nature’s call and having to go out of our way a little to find a bathroom, I accidentally added on more than a mile, almost 10 minutes worth, to this run, including at least half a mile after I finished the hard efforts which were supposed to be at the end of the run. Aside from that, the intervals felt really good. I attempted to hit the lap button at the beginning and end of each interval but forgot most times so I do not know my pace for these efforts. I could definitely feel that I needed to get out of the house and buy a new set of shoes.
Friday stationary bike
To be perfectly honest, I decided Thursday night that I wanted to stay up a little later and get some more cross stitch done and since that would put me out of the range that Mom needed if she were going to work out with me, I decided to skip the stationary bike, no other reason.
Saturday Altamont Challenge Half Marathon 100 minutes regular
I have registered for this race twice and never run it. Last year, I neglected to check the date and missed the run due to the fact that I was in Chicago on race day. This year, I woke up and everything in me did not want to run. Not only would I be running it alone but I had put a significant amount of extra mileage (percentage wise) in earlier in the week, haven’t trained for hills and would be running up Paris Mountain twice, and it was raining. Mom was actually on her way over to pick me up when I texted her. Without a doubt, I know that DNSing this race was the right decision. I think I would have had an absolutely miserable time and would have created a significant amount of DOMS that would have impacted my training next week.
Instead, I slept a little more and then met Mom at the gym since it was still raining and knocked out a hundred minutes on the treadmill. Overall, I felt good and strong throughout the run. I could feel my left heel/plantar fascia a little bit (a very little bit) throughout the run and after. I’m watching it and making sure to stretch. I’m pretty sure that running in the old shoes as long as I did is what brought this little bit back on and I should be good to go with the new shoes.