Week 10: Marathon Training

Once again, nobody said it was going to be easy. That’s what I keep telling myself.

So, let’s see how this week went!

[ week 10 / 20 weeks until 26.2 ]

Sunday – Long run – 8 miles, 1:11:09, 8:53 min/mile pace.

I got my run in early today to beat the heat (which makes a HUGE difference) and it worked – it wasn’t too hot yet. Nevertheless, 8 miles was still tough. I kept rationalizing how many miles I had left… in one more mile, I’ll only have one more mile!… point-nine more miles then I’ll only have one more mile! Then, the hills killed me at the end (there are a few unavoidable hills in my area). But! I did it. I gave it my all.

Monday – 3 easy miles and Gold’s Fit (Cross fit) class.

I went all out today! This was by far the toughest workout I’ve had in a while. The Gold’s Fit class that we did was named one of the top 3 “toughest workouts of all time.” I forgot to take a picture of the board that listed everything we did… but it involved not only strength, but endurance. Burpees were involved. I toughed it out to the very end (many of the class members were understandably done about 2/3 of the way through) so I’m proud of myself for that. Very proud.

That made my 3 miles run really fun. Really, though – I wrote down in my journal that “I didn’t think I would make it.” I felt “oober wobbly” from the workout, but I felt capable. I wasn’t to the point where I thought I was going to hurt myself or anything like that, though. I was just to the point where I had to dig deep within myself and pull out the mega-super-motivation! And I did. I managed an easy pace of 9:28 min/mile for 3 miles. Needless to say, I felt like Super Woman after this workout. Completely and utterly exhausted Super Woman.

Tuesday – 4 miles, 37:19, 9:20 min/mile pace.

I was sore/tired from the workout yesterday but running at this pace felt OK. I’m starting to get used to the hot weather. It was 97F, “feels like” 107, on this run but it actually didn’t seem too bad. Sounds suspicious, I know. But really. It wasn’t bad! Until the last mile… it seemed like FOR – EV – ER. But, once again, I made it!

Wednesday – 5 miles, 45:55, 9:11 min/mile pace.

I didn’t think I could do my run today.

I was exhausted, sore, (from strength training on Monday), and did I say exhausted? I’ve been having to get to work super early and work a bit longer lately and just have a lot of life happening in general (like everyone else) and I just did not think I could pull the mega-super-motivation out of me today.

But I did.

And to my surprise, the miles flew by (what?!). Once I got going, I felt good. I waited for the sun to go down a bit and, though it was 95 degrees out, it didn’t feel too bad (I know, I know… just trust me). I felt great after this run and was simply proud that I did it (and even beat my goal of a 9:15min/mile pace!). Whew.

Thursday – Tempo run – 5 miles, 43:31, 8:42 min/mile pace.

For the first time really this week, I was eager to get out there for this run! I added a few songs to my running playlist and was ready to jam out and get my sweat on. I felt great. Especially for the first 2-3 miles. The last mile really got me with my pace being a little faster and the heat really kicking in. Overall, a great run. Coach noted first 2.5 miles easy, last 2.5 hard. My “easy” today was about 9:00-9:15min/mile and my “hard” was about 8:15-9:00min/mile.

Friday – 4 easy miles, 36:08, 9:02min/mile and cross-train (cycle) 45 minutes.

The run felt good – heat got to me on that last mile again but other than that, nothing is currently hurting or aching so life is good. My bigger water bottle is really helping with the heat, too. I went straight to spin class after and was pumped (LOVE my spin classes!!!). I did a 45 min class and it was intense… definitely got my sweat on. It was hard. I did well but my legs felt lethargic (well you did just run..duh!) but for some reason if I cycle then run, I don’t notice any lethargy or feel slow. Today was the first time I did it the other way around (run the bike) and I noticed a huge difference! Has anyone else noticed this? Anyway, I kept reminding myself tomorrow is rest day… tomorrow is rest day… and that helped. I was wiped out after this workout (in a good way). I was more than ready for rest day!

Saturday – Rest day! I did do yoga again this week and it felt great. It was a little more stretch-focused and less flow-focused, which is what I was looking for. Who knows maybe I will be able to touch my toes after a while! (tight hamstrings are something I’ve been used to since… forever). All in all I had a very successful rest day!

Total miles for the week (running only) – 29

I am SO, SO thankful for Coach Andrew Simmons with Lifelong Endurance for planning out my workouts and allowing me to focus on my training while trusting that all the effort I put in is going to get me to my goal (full marathon). I know for a fact that I am in great hands and after working with him now for 10 weeks, would definitely recommend him to runners and athletes of any level. I am not a professional by any means and I think a lot of people (including myself) are intimidated at the thought of reaching out to a coach. You won’t regret it. Training plans are great – but personalized training plans, constant encouragement, and reliable contact you have with a coach is priceless.

 

Do you ever run + bike back-to-back? Do you prefer one first then the other?

What are you reading or watching?

Are you training for an upcoming race? 

 

Thank you all for reading, you are so amazing and encouraging!