This was a very busy week for me with my job and I really did not get much chance to reflect, in a written fashion, on my running at all. I am beginning to wonder if I need to find some kind of physical log book instead of just relying on this on-line journal.
1st does anyone know how to create some sort of table on these things? I was hoping that I could make some kind of template post that would be a simple data entry spot for my posts.
Monday
As stated in my last post was a great 15 mile bike ride and strength training day. Sometimes I feel as if strength training makes me worry and stress that I am going to injure myself because I am pushing my body so hard. I have all these little aches and pains through the week and then I run on top of this which is crazy. But my Saturday run was amazing and all I can think about was that the strength training is really just helping out.
Tuesday – 7.72 miles
- 2.27 mile warm up run @ 10:27 pace.
- 5.45 mile speed work @ 8:20 pace.
- two sets of 7 x 400 @ 5k pace
- Great workout, pushed myself moderate-high
Wednesday – Rest
Unintentional rest day. As I mentioned earlier this was a crazy work week so my Wondering Wednesday did not quite happen. Instead I was at a friend’s middle school working with her orchestra as we are all preparing for performance assessments done by the state.
Thursday – 9.03 miles
- 2.19 mile warm up @ 10:33 pace
- 6.84 mile hill work @ 8:55 pace
- pushed myself high
- Our hill work is about a 3 mile loop and we complete two repeats.
- The group did one set together and then our pace leader said he was going to cut out one of the miles and just hit the hills. I had it all set in my mind that I was going to complete both complete hill loops so I decided to venture out on my own and do just that. When I do this I tend to start doubting myself because I feel as if I am still really new to all of this and that I am not being good to my body. That the coach should be followed completely without deviation or you risk injury. Well, I did just what I had planned and started out on my own! Noticing the time I also amped up my speed! Looking at my splits with the group we were going at about 9:10 pace and then on my own it was about 8:45 pace! When I got finished I just hoped and prayed that I had not over done!
Friday – Rest
and stressing about Saturday’s 18 mile run! Was I injured? I have been feeling just a little knee pain from my right inside knee. It feels more like a muscular thing than anything else…like muscle fatigue. Most everyone in my group was running 5, 10 or 15 miles. I was thinking at this point humm…again, am I pushing my body too hard. I decided, at 15 I would reassess my situation and go from there.
Carb-loading for tomorrow’s run did not happen. Plan was to eat sushi, instead we went to a fast food restaurant (more of a beatnik place…) and I had a turkey wrap and fries.
Saturday – 18.08
- 18.08 long run @ 9:47 pace
- Ate a banana, half a glass of chia gel, and a little chia drink (chia with a dash of lemon and honey) pre run.
- during the run I had one GU chomps (peach tea) every two miles with water.
- at mile 15 I ate a Stinger Waffle with water.
- This run was absolutely amazing! I felt great the entire time! There were some moments around mile 13 when I felt strange and out of bodyesque….but that subsided once I ate a GU. At mile 15 I found that many people who were running were in fact doing all 18 so that made me happy that I had others to run with.
- After the run I came home and drank my endurox recovery drink (orange flavor), made pancakes bacon and eggs and had coffee. I also finished what was left in my support bottles (left over chia drink, nuun, and water). I had tons of energy for the rest of the day. I even cleaned the house.
Where am I going with all of this?
Currently I do not have a full marathon for which I am training. But I did sign up for the Swamphouse Half Marathon, which looks really exciting! The medal is actually a bottle opener! My fiancee, who is now struggling with her own running enjoyment, is going to run with me and I am excited to have gotten her to do this. I don’t know exactly why she is feeling a lack of motivation for running all of a sudden but it is a very big bummer!
My marathonfest training is going to start whittling down, as taper will begin shortly, their weekly long run millage…but I am of the idea I may keep just increasing millage and seeing where that takes me. I am getting more and more of a feeling that I am going to have to start keeping this part of my running a secret. I am getting the feeling that people are going to start to look at me a bit funny when I tell them I am going to run for a certain distance just because. Before saturday, I would tell a few what my plan was and some of them asked why and some asked oh, which race are you training for…both questions don’t really have a good answer. I am even to the point of removing my posts about my distance from Facebook and just having it on Twitter. But I do find a few motivating people who help me get through this when I post too….it is a double edged sword.
Next week is a short base run of 10 miles and then after that is a 22 miler. Id like to get the 22 miler in but that is also the same weekend as the Swamphouse and because my fiancé is running it with me I don’t think I can do any kind of pre or post run to get that milage in….unless I do it when I get home….hum…that might be something I consider.
My Running Journal 