Half Marathon Training, Between Week 9 and 10

If you’ve been following me here this shouldn’t be any surprise, but for the rest of you and for my posterity, here is how last week went.

Monday: 15k race (unofficial)

Check.  Since I had Memorial Day off, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a long run not end in a mad rush to get me off to work.  Sadly, that also meant I slept in ’til almost 10 and got on the road running at a fairly hot part of the day.  While it was a pretty miserable run and I wasn’t thrilled with the pace (I really wanted 10 min miles and it was more like 10:30), I got through it and happily stretched, showered, and lazed around on the couch for 2 hours before BBQ time.

Tuesday: 50 mins DDR and yoga

Check and check.  Since I was an idiot and stayed up WAY too late and drank WAY too much Monday at various parties and outings, it was definitely a cross training day.  But – I got through it and actually felt better after.  I love that.

Wednesday: 5 mile run and weights at the gym

Check and check.  Nothing much to report except this ends up being a REALLY LONG FREAKING WORKOUT – over 2 hours with warmup/cooldown/stretching.

Thursday: 9×400 track intervals (1 lap at 2:00 or less pace, 1 lap jog, repeat) and yoga

Check and check.  Did the yoga in the morning.  Just as I got out that evening to run the sun went behind the clouds and trees so it was actually quite nice, which was a nice surprise.  I was glad I stuck to my guns and didn’t do this inside on the treaddy.  However, I went out a little too fast and eager (my second lap, I did 1:41 which is a 6:44 mile if I could keep that up 3 more times) and got tired enough that lap 7 and 8 were over 2 mins.  But – I made it through.  4.5 miles of intervals is a lot of freaking interval work.

Friday: 5 mile run and weights at home

Check and check.  I did the weights in the morning because I slept in, and then after getting home from work I really had to talk myself into this run.  But I did it.  What made me go?  When I skip a workout due to the “I don’t wanna”, I always feel worse, guilty, and regret it for way longer than it would have taken me to do it.  When I do a workout that “I didn’t wanna”, I usually feel better after and there’s no evil voice in my head telling me I suck.

Weekend: Rest

Week 10’s long run was Sunday, so Saturday I sat on my hiney all day and made necklaces and fixed my sweater, and other domestically inclined and completely out-of-character things for myself.

Total week 9 mileage 24.3 (running):   (plus 1-2 miles of walking)

Week 10 – Two more weeks ’til taper.

Sunday: 11 mile race

Monday: 2.7 mile run and yoga (yes, this is a wussy workout but I have plans)

Tuesday: 60 mins DDR and weights at home (here is the 5000 hour workout to make up for it)

Wednesday: 45 minute tempo run and yoga (that is – 35 mins at race pace/5 mins warmup and cooldown…youch)

Thursday: 5 mile run and weights at the gym.

Weekend: Maybe an easy neighborhood lap run to make up for missing a lap today.  Or maybe not.  I have friends in town staying with me, and I don’t think missing 2.5 miles is going to really break me.

Things I learned last week:

1.  I know I’ve said this before, but I am so ready to be done and run this race.  I’ve resigned myself that I am going to spend the majority of the next 2 weeks with sore muscles, just due to the sheer amount of mileage/time I need to put in.   I am crunching last week’s and this weeks workouts together a bit though because of friends coming into town Thursday afternoon and leaving Sunday – so maybe that 3 days off will be just the break I need to be energized and ready to go jumping into Week 11 (the last real week of training).

2.  I really dread the long runs, for some reason.  They are just daunting.  However, once I get into them, they feel good, I’m comfortable running for 2 hours straight now, and I feel great after (sore legs, yeah, but I’m not wiped).   I measure how I feel by whether I can kick at the end.  If I’m worn out, I ran too hard.  If I can speed up the last 2 miles and really speed up about half a mile out, I ran just right and I’m confident for the next week’s run.

3.  Five miles now feels like a pretty short run.  Three months ago, I had run six miles MAX and that was stretching it.  I’m really happy I did this to stretch my comfort zone.  If I would have kept increasing my mileage at the previous pace, I would have been at half marathon length in October.  And I really don’t think one is supposed to do a long, long run once a week for that long.  I still feel great body-wise now, and that makes me confident cause I don’t have that much to go, but I can see that I’d be suceptable to injury if I kept this up much longer.

4. So this endeavour has put about 2-3 lbs on me.  I’m weighing in regularly at about 152-153 something.  Zliten, however, seems to think I look significantly more muscular now, so maybe that’s it.  I hope that is, because muscles rock!  I’ll have to find a good before picture from the end of March and see how I compare now.  I said and I will maintain that I will eat in a way that keeps me fueled and comfortable for the race, no matter what happens with the weight – but it doesn’t mean that I want to keep creeping up towards 155 and leave it unchecked after I cross the finish line.

5.  Still trying to decide what I want for my post race meal.  Considering I’ve had lisence for at least the last 6 weeks to eat whatever I want (sorta) because of all the training, it’s not as special as it was in my head when I first started.  I do believe there will be some sort of a milkshake/frosty/frozen blendy treat though.