Hartford Marathon Training Week 10

Last week – was a tough week. As I mentioned in my previous recap (yawn anyone still reading? I swear a “real” post will be coming your way any day now!) last Tuesday our network finally “launched” LIVE NEWS now! Survived it all! 

But – that also meant I shuffled a lot around last week and honestly, was just brutally beat. 

By Thursday I felt like crap and was never more ready for a weekend that wasn’t going to be consumed by work.

Work is still busy now, but it appears a lot more normalcy can return.

Main goals this week are to get back to my normal eating patterns (assisted by a major Fresh Direct haul on Saturday morning!), complete workouts on prescribed days instead of scrambling them (since you know, they are laid out that way for a reason) and trying to get more sleep (haha…wish me luck!).

But here is Week 10:

Monday: 20 mins xtrain / 4 miles / 20 mins strength

Tuesday: 7 mile progression run

Wednesday: Rest day – was “beat” aka slightly hungover after Launch Festivities. Oops.

Thursday: 1.5 mile repeats for 11.5 total miles. These hurt.

Friday: 6 mile tempo – my legs took forever to warm up – instead of .5 w/u 5 tempo .5 c/d I tempo’d 3 miles.

Saturday: 90 mins xtrain + strength

Sunday: 18 miles. I don’t even want to talk about these miles. My head was out of it the second I stepped outside. I thought of every excuse to pause, shoe laces, stretch you name it I used it. But when running was running ~10:00 or under.

So there we have it.

My biggest focus is getting that long run in on Saturday since my goal race is on a Saturday. 

So I need to prepare for that.

It is scary though when I look at how few weeks between now and taper. My stomach is in knots.

And I am kind of having a love/hate affair with marathoning, but that is a different story.

And it’s Labor Day already this weekend? Holy moly.

On another front..I can’t wait to share how the fall is shaping up for me.

How is everyone elses training going? Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with marathon training? It feels eternal yet also I feel like I need so much more time.

Hartford Marathon Training Week 9

So this is going to be a quick one but I wanted to get it in before it was the next week!!

If you follow me at all on social media, you probably know that my life has been pure chaos. 

But proud to say that this week - labor of the past several months has come to fruition. 

Al Jazeera America is officially LIVE!  It is crazy to think that it is finally a live news station. This has consumed my life for the past 6 months (in the most awesome way) but in reality now that we are live and official the real work is just beginning.

Oh and I am famous. Kind of ;-)

They did a promo spot for the first hour - a documentary - and I had a lovely interview. First time on air FTW! Next up News Anchor? 

So any ways - here is how last week shook out...among 12+ hour days, no days off (I am seriously BEAT I have worked I think 20 days straight at this point or something?) and a minor catastrophe that struck on Friday in the office 4 days before launch. I am shocked I actually get training in some days (not to toot my own horn but some days I do not know how I got out of bed at 4 dark thirty in the morning). 

This has definitely been a challenge of keeping goals in focus.

Monday: Cross train 60 mins in the morning + lifting / 3 mile shake out at night

Tuesday: 7 miles with miles 4/5 at MRP + 10 mins core

Wednesday: Morning 5 mile progression / Evening 6 @ 8:55 avg pace

Thursday: REST baby!

Friday: 5 mile tempo - .5 warmup 8:57, 8:53, 8:45, 8:38, .5 cool down

Saturday: unexpected rest - worked until 8pm and stupidly had gone to work thinking I would be there for 2 hours - FAIL

Sunday: 14 miles - no Garmin I just ran a route (needed to decompress + oh yeah Garmin was dead. oops).

Total mileage = 40

Last week was a step back week - and still getting in 40 miles = pretty awesome. 

And my legs were feeling good all week long which makes me happy. Anywhere from 35-50 is happy mileage for me it seems. 

So this week has been crazy but maybe, just maybe next week I will get some days off and sleep.

One can wish :)

Hartford Marathon Training Week 8

Week 8?!?! Hey now.

Another week down. 

Would life please slow down? Where has summer gone? 

So here is how it all shook out. 

Monday: 5 miles with 6  x 1 min striders + core - legs were heavy on this run - I did it about 12 hours after my 15

Tuesday: 75 mins xtrain + 20 mins weights

Wednesday: SPEED DAY! 

True story I love to hate Wednesdays. Always a tough workout but boy do I finish feeling so accomplished. 

Thursday: 6 miles: 1 easy/1 @ MGP + core

Friday: REST DAY. And damn deserved. 

Saturday: again switched out my long run day I was doing work all damn day 

40 mins xtrain + 3 miles @ 9:15

Sunday: 17 miles: 2:48:36

Splits: 9:44, 8:50, 10:07, 10:17, 10:22, 9:54, 10:02, 9:53, 9:57, 9:49, 9:47, 10:04, 10:09, 10:01, 9:49, 9:45, 9:51

This run. Man. I try to ignore pace and figure out what is super easy based on feel. If we look at mile 2 we see what can accidentally happen. Trying to differentiate between normal "easy" and marathon easy. 

Also a fueling fail. I ran down through Jersey City and to Liberty State Park and not a SINGLE water fountain was on! 

Thankful for these views to take my mind off rampant thirst: 

I have issues with fueling in general upsetting my stomach but without water oyyyy I found a magical vending machine at miles 12/13 and was SO DAMN HAPPY 

Hi new friend! But then I was so thirsty I chugged the bottle in about 2 seconds so was left with water sloshing around for the remainder. And by this time was too late and was feeling nauseous. 

Also in the name of recovery (I started this run at about 4:30pm) I took my first ice bath in a really long time. 

Overall pretty satisfied with how this week went. Especially since I am in the office 10-12 hours a day...and emails never end. It does feel like it is coming together but I still have my moments of holy crap it is so close am I really going to do it?!

HALF WAY!!!!!

How's everyone else's training going? Any big races/goals for this fall?

Hartford Marathon Training Week 7

Wow.

What a difference a week can make. Weeks 5 & 6 were really brutal and killed my confidence immensely. I started to doubt any ability, my goals and why I run in the first place.

Motivation was lacking and I got to the point where I was dreading workouts. Pretty much every run felt HARD. It wasn't that enjoyable.

My coach was great, I let her know just how down I was and she gave me a bunch of questions and helped me analyze it. So anyway. I tried to start off this week with a different mental attitude. It was going to be a higher mileage week and I knew I had to be focused.

What I think about when it comes to marathon training.

Without further ado:

Monday: Cross train: 60 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minute full body strength circuit

Tuesday: 8 miles - Splits: 9:40, 8:57, 8:49, 9:20, 9:05, 8:57, 8:49, 8:57

Wednesday: Speedwork! 11 miles total: w/u 2.5 miles @ 9:45 6 x 1 Mile: 8:34, 8:34, 8:30, 8:27, 8:23, 8:23 c/d 2.5 miles @ 10:00

Thursday: DAY OF REST. Woo to the Hoo.

Friday: 6 Miles - 1 mile easy, 1 mile at MGP Splits: 9:50, 9:05, 9:40, 9:05, 9:40, 8:57

Saturday: I was mentally exhausted and knew my long run would be torture so I swapped out my Saturday and Sunday workouts: Cross train 90 minutes + 20 minutes of lifting.

Sunday: Long run - 15 Miles + Core work - Splits: 9:56, 9:49, 10:04, 10:02, 10:03, 9:56, 10:00, 9:46, 9:43, 9:41, 9:28, 9:38, 9:19, 9:20, 9:12

Here's looking at you NYC.

 

This. Run. Amazing.

Even though I only ran 4 days this week - I still hit 40 miles.

Basically, every workout this week was executed perfectly. Running once again didn't feel impossible. And the workouts that were supposed to be hard, yes were HARD, but in a good way. Hard as in get out of your comfort zone. I am going to make a cognizant effort to stop running what feels comfortable and push myself a little bit more.

After that first run that went well this week, it was all I needed for a confidence boost and to readjust my attitude.

So another week down, and here we are coming up on the half way point.

Please slow down time, PLEASE!