Last week at the beach, I took the week off from technology – which I will explain in a post to come up in a week or two – and thus did not write a weekly recap. Thus, another double entry.
Week 10
Monday 40 minutes easy with 10 minutes hard effort near the end
My legs felt heavy at the start of this run but I pushed through it until I warmed up. I felt decent, not super peppy, throughout but strong on the finish which I loved.
Tuesday stationary bike
I could not get motivated for a run, again. I did have the wrong workout in mind. (I thought that the workout I was supposed to due Thursday, I was supposed to do Tuesday.) I did, however, convince myself to get out of bed and to the gym for some stationary bike. While there, I knew that I could have probably convinced myself to do the run any way but pushed hard on the bike, sweat a lot and read about running.
Wednesday Tempo run with warm up
I warmed up well, determined not to give up on the tempo. I felt solid throughout, physically and mentally. By the time I finished I felt strong and accomplished.
Thursday rearranged the schedule
Originally I wanted to do strength training since we normally do it Wednesday but Ellis goes to a spin class on Thursdays so we did it Friday instead. Since I did not want to put two speedwork sessions back to back, I made Thursday my rest day and planned the speedwork session for Saturday morning before we left for the beach.
Friday strength training
We worked longer since I did not have to be in at school as early. Hallelujah! I felt tired at the start but I kept pushing and hope to see the difference this training will make.
Saturday Intervals with short recovery
The intervals felt tough. Before the run I figured out what the total mileage would be for all the intervals so that I would not have to count and likely lose track. I focused on each individual interval to get through and feel proud for completing this run.
Sunday 185 minutes easy
It was slow getting going in the morning after the day of travel before, and accidentally falling asleep on the couch rather than my bed. I did two miles before Mom joined me. Those two miles felt awful. I wondered how I would possibly get the rest done. After Mom joined, I felt much better about the run. Company makes a big difference. I tried out a few new things on this run to hopefully help combat the heat and humidity drain. I wore a different shirt with a lighter color than my all Navy blue Oiselle singlet. I also wore my double barrel OrangeMud vest for the first time. Hydration definitely was much better although I could use some more work. However, I failed to account for the different shirt style and the increased exposure of skin on my back which lead to some pretty serious chafing on my back, chafing that actually kept me out of the ocean for the rest of the week. When Mom finished her portion, it was hard to get motivated to finish, especially with the sun so high in the sky. I made it through though.
Week 11
Monday 50 minutes easy
This run felt surprisingly good considering the 19 miles the day before. I focused on keeping the pace easy. The chafing did not bother me. Obviously, I did not wear the vest.
Tuesday bike
I ended up not doing anything due to the bikes not arriving early in the morning and family arriving in the afternoon. I enjoyed the rest day.
Wednesday 5k as workout
See post.
Thursday 50 minutes easy
My legs felt really tired at the start of this run. Plus, my calves felt super tight. I focused on my form, settled in and enjoyed. After the run, I tried to stretch a lot and wished that I had brought my foam roller with me to the beach. My calves remained tight the rest of the day and I wondered if I would be able to complete the speedwork the next day in good form.
Friday bike
When I woke up and my calves still felt iffy, I texted my coach and asked if I could cycle instead, explaining about my calves and the fact that this run would make this week a 5 run week when I have been running 4 days a week for a couple years now. He agreed and I ended up riding the bike which I enjoyed. Well, I enjoyed all but the part where I nearly collided with someone riding the other way. She veered towards the middle and I called out, thankfully in enough time that she pulled out of the way. The man riding behind her declared that there was a bald eagle, as if that justified the near collision. I responded that I still did not want to run into her. Oh well. I pushed hard and really enjoyed it.
Saturday nothing – travel
Sunday 160 minutes with hard effort intervals near end
Switching out Friday’s run with cycling was definitely the right call. The switch gave my body time to recover and rebuild from the work I put it through. We started fairly early this morning, early than we normally do when we have to run on Sunday since Mom needed to get back and make a delicious cherry pie for Grandpa for Father’s Day. (It was delicious!) That helped but we still could have started earlier. In the first couple miles, I made sure to drink before the mile mark and to drink a couple times each mile for the first few miles and whenever I even got an inkling that I was thirsty. That made a huge difference. I remembered over an hour in that if you swish the sports drink around in your mouth you get even more of a boost. I forget the reasoning behind that but after I started doing that, I noticed a big difference. I even managed to complete the hard effort intervals feeling remotely human! I really enjoyed this run.
It’s time to put the pedal to the medal! One thing is for sure. I knew that training for a marathon in the South Carolina summer would be difficult. I’m not doing it again. I forgot that the last time I ran the San Francisco Marathon, they held it in June. Big difference.