I enjoyed this past week. It felt like I have finally recovered from the school year and could really dig into the workouts. It does not hurt that I have a bit of extra time as well.
Monday 75 minutes
When I first saw this longer run on the plan, for some reason I felt a bit mentally intimidated, but only for a moment. I have gotten myself so much in the habit of 60 minutes or shorter on weekdays – so I can get to school on time – that anything longer looks a bit like a long run. It’s not. Unfortunately, since I ran out of time before hurrying out the door for Bell Camp – yes, I am working a little this summer but only as a sub – I did not have enough time to write and then forgot all about it so I have no specific recollection of how the run went. I think it went well.
Tuesday off
I worked the polls for the run off election and thus did not work out since I had to be at the precinct minimum from 6am-7:30pm.
Wednesday 80 minutes easy pace
I felt good on this run. I focused on keeping the pace easy but for some reason my actual pace felt faster than it actually was. My average pace on this run barely topped 10 minutes per mile. I would ascribe that to the fact that it’s dark in the morning but during the summer only the first half hour or so of the run takes place in the dark. I did enjoy the run though and felt good throughout.
Thursday 20 minute warmup, 800m intervals with 400m jogs, 10 minute cool down
These intervals felt challenging, very challenging, although in a good way. I wondered if I would be able to make it through all 8 of the intervals but determined that I would since I am focusing on building mental stamina. They got increasingly difficult throughout the run but I made it.
Friday strength training
I really enjoyed the workout, which sounds strange coming from me. During this workout, I realized (well, part of this realization came earlier but it coalesced during the workout) that I have reached a plateau of sorts. I think I am still making progress but it has slowed beyond the point that I want. I actually think that adding in another session would be beneficial and talked about that with Ellis. After the marathon, we’re going to do some brainstorming about how to possibly fit in a little bit more, not for the sake of adding more, but adding more that would specifically help my overall fitness and my running fitness.
Saturday 160 minutes with 3 x 8 minutes hard near end
I felt pretty good throughout this entire run, much different than other longs runs I have had this cycle. I did try the double barrel vest again with a singlet to see if I could make some adjustments, tighten the straps, etc, but, alas, I now have a minimum of 6 chafing spots of varying sizes on my back. Either I do not have that vest properly adjusted or I will simply need to wear a full shirt, not a singlet with it from now on. I do not think that I will use the double barrel for the marathon. We finished the outdoor portion just as the sun reached the point of no return. (Yes that’s dramatic but when you run in South Carolina in the summer and the temperatures start out at 75 degrees at 7 in the morning…) When I ran the final portion inside, after a complete change of soaked clothes, I focused on mental toughness and refused to give myself any excuses. I did not need them. I felt great and rocked the last portion with the hard effort intervals.
Sunday 20 minutes recovery
It felt a bit odd to tack on this short recovery run at the end of the week but the run itself went well, nothing extraordinary.