Week 15: Marathon Training

Whew! It’s been a crazy few weeks! I’m going to make this one pretty short and sweet as well, as it’s ten thirty PM and I need to wake up early for my long run!

Last week I was in Colorado and had some AMAZING runs. In fact, every morning I woke up at 6:00am – no alarm clock – and just popped out of bed eager to get out and run! It was nice and cool and the views were amazing. The hills were a different story… but I managed.

If you’re wondering about elevation, I was at about 9,000 ft. where I was running and I didn’t feel like the elevation affected my runs too much. I did feel winded on the first few hikes, though. Rather than the elevation change, I found the inclination change (up-hill) to be the most challenging.

Thanks to my coach, Andrew Simmons for all of my workouts!

[ week 15 / 15 weeks until 26.2 ]

Sunday – Long run in the mountains! 9 miles, 1:25:31, 9:30 min/mile.

Though the last few miles of this run took some mental strength, I really enjoyed this run. I ran as my dad biked (circles around me) and he showed me some great spots to run. The miles flew by… except for the up-hill parts. Up-hill, I was working hard yet doing about 10-12 min miles. Downhill I was doing 7-8 min miles. So, the run wasn’t easy but was just perfect thanks to the scenery.

Also, at this point the front of my shins and the little muscles in my ankles were sore from all the hiking and going up and down hill (which I’m not used to, living in a flat city). But once I warmed up they felt fine.

Monday – 3 easy miles, 28:39, 9:33 min/mile.

Legs even more sore today in weird spots from all the incline. Felt better after about a mile. Also did an 8 mile hike after this run. Enjoyed both thoroughly! Even saw a deer on this run!

Tuesday – 3 easy miles, 27:00, 9:00 min/mile.

Legs still feeling sore in the same spots, better after I got going on my run, but made going up-hill a real struggle today. Also, note to self and others, if running and hiking all day long : REAPPLY SUNSCREEN! Luckily, my burns turn into tans by morning, but it’s still not fun!

Wednesday – 3 miles, 27:43, 9:14 min/mile.

So, slow up-hill (10-12 min/miles) and fast down-hill  (7-8 min/miles) seems to be a reoccurring theme. These short runs have been just lovely. Great views as I can’t mention enough, and SO COOL! I ended some runs completely sweat-less! That’s just unheard of back in the Texas heat.

Thursday – 6 miles, 56:06, 9:21 min/mile.

This run was TOUGH. I did 2:00 hard (8:40-8:15/min. pace), 3:00 easy for 6 miles. What made it difficult, though, is the hills. There were a few times I thought, I just can’t go up any more! It was frustrating at times not having a choice. You have to go-hill up to get to the down-hill parts! Flat was not an option. I wrote in my journal that “there were times my GPS stopped/paused while I was going up-hill I was going so slow. But I did it. And the views were, of course ,totally worth it.”

Also went on a 7-mile hike afterwards – the elevation gain wasn’t too intense and it was really nice. Felt great and really enjoyed the lakes and creeks.

Friday – 4.24 miles, 1 mile easy (8:50 min/mile), 3.24 miles at “easy” 5K pace (8:08 min/mile)

So, I did a mile warm-up because I was supposed to run 4 miles today.

I did 3.2 miles at 5K pace because, I did a 5k! We had to leave Saturday morning, but did the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon 5K on Friday night. I didn’t go too crazy because I didn’t want to hurt myself or anything, but I did 3.24 miles in 26:19 (8:08 pace). I saw someone drop their keys while running so I ran back to get them which may be why the distance is a little more than 3.1. I just signed up for the “fun run” because it was $5 cheaper, but if I had been timed I would’ve placed in my age group! It was a really great run, well organized, and everyone was really kind and encouraging. I will admit, I must be pretty OK at running up-hill because that’s when I’d swoop in and pass people. For a review of the race itself, check out my BibRave review here!

Saturday – 10 “easy” miles! 1:37:22, 9:44 min/mile.

Another long run in the mountains! We left Colorado this morning so I woke up super early to get this run in. Technically, Saturdays are my “off” days so I was scheduled to do this run on Sunday, but 1. I wanted to do as many runs in beautiful, cool Colorado as possible and 2. we’d be driving all night and I wanted to have a rest day before I got back to “real life.” So, I switched Saturday and Sunday.

So, I was out the door by 6:30am and it was chilly! I wore a jacket and shorts (I knew it’d warm up a bit). The run was AMAZING, especially for the first 5-6 miles. After that, I really had to dig deep to finish those last miles. Especially with all the up-hill. It was actually “better than expected,” as I wrote in my log, and I felt great for having done it!

I hope you all had an amazing week and are killing it this week, too!

Where is your favorite place to run?

How often do you travel for runs?

What sport will you be keeping up with in this year’s Olympics?