Sunday, August 17, 2014

Marathon training week 5--What doesn't kill me is going to make me stronger...

This week was much less lower on the drama-o-meter. But still not drama free as my youngest son continues to give me a run for my money, I continued to push towards my marathon goal and away from being sucked into that parenting black hole. Thankfully school is back in session this week. 

Here's how it all shook out:

Monday: Becky had me do intervals on the rower alternating with (gulp!) burpees.
-First set was 1500m=100m all out, 100m rest followed by 15 burpees over the rower.
-Second set was 1000m-=200m all out, 200m rest followed by 10 burpees over the rower.
-Final set was 500m-=250m rest, 250m all out followed by 5 burpees.
Yep. Thought I was going to vomit when it was all over. Sweated all over the floor during my burpees. I mean, I left seriously deep puddles. And I didn't care. I got through it and even though I hated it while I was doing it, I knew it would be worth it. I didn't stick around to chit-chat when I was done. I said goodbye and quickly scooted out the door. And no recovery. I had to go to work after that and staff the sick clinic. I pushed through the first couple of hours. About 10am, I started to feel better. Luckily, it was a half day for me and when I got home, I had lunch and hit the couch for the afternoon.


Tuesday: I had 6 miles on the plan. Even though I set my Garmin to pace, I pretty much ignored it. I don't know what got into me, but I just wanted to run. And as a result of that, my splits were all over the place. First 2 miles were 8:38, yeah, but last 2 miles were 9:03 and 9:18. Not at all what I'm looking for. Ok, so I got that out of my system. And now we get back on task. Pace and consistency. That's what's going to get me across the finish line. But in the plus column, I finally got the Swirlgear top I ordered back in April and wore it for this run. Red is my favorite color, and this top was most certainly worth the wait!



Wednesday: I finally got back to the yoga studio for my favorite class with my favorite instructor. I've been carpooling my son and his friend to football all summer and wasn't able to make it to my class until this week. I put my mat down in my usual spot, the back corner of the room. We worked on back bending and it felt great. It would have been perfect, except for the guy next to me who took his ujjayi breathing to the next level--it sounded like Darth Vader was next to me. He also let out a few bodily noises, which never fail to make me chuckle. Because inside, I'm really an adolescent boy. But overall, it was a wonderful class. 

Thursday: Once again, I had mile repeats x 5 on the plan. I dropped the boys off at football and headed over to the retention pond for my workout. I just wasn't feeling it, but after the first mile, my legs loosened up and I really kicked this one out. I finished strong, with that 8:02 split! This was definitely a confidence builder!


Then I headed over to CrossFit for my weekly weight workout with Becky. She had me do deadlifts, 120# x5, 5 sets. After that I did front squats, 55# x 1 minute, alternating with pistol squats x1 minute, 3 sets. My pistols were pretty pathetic, but I got it done. What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right? And faster? I do think CrossFit is making me both! 

And I did!

Friday: rest day. And as much as I hate rest day, I needed it. My glutes and hammies talked to me all day. Luckily my job has me on my feet most of the day, so I didn't get stuck in one position for too long. Getting in and out of my chair was a challenge though! A mother of siblings I was seeing told me she was training for the Chicago marathon. She had all kinds of questions for me, and I came to the realization that she has no clue what she's in for. Maybe that's a good thing! I think about how seriously most of us take this training, and how hard it is to run 26.2. It will be interesting to hear how she does.

Saturday: I had 5 miles on the plan, and I made it a tempo run. I was thrilled with the outcome: 


After that, I went to work for the morning, and then headed up to Wisconsin for some fun in the sun. Tired from my tempo run, and knowing that I had a long run scheduled for the morning, I wasn't going to go waterskiing, but the lure of the lake was too hard to pass up!


Sunday: I set the alarm for 5:30 (ugh) and after a restless night's sleep, got myself ready for the 14 miler that is on my marathon training schedule. It was cool, cloudy, and breezy, and since I had eaten shortly before I went out, I used that as my excuse to start out slowly. Pacing has been an issue for me, but today could not have gone better. My first 3 miles were sub-10s, and then as my legs loosened up (I'm still sore!), my pace increased moderately. The first 5 miles or so were rolling hills, but between miles 6 and 10, I encountered some really steep inclines. I felt my glutes and hammies engage and pushed up those hills without too much trouble. I only had to stop once at the top, to catch my breath. I've been reading about hills, and the key is to run by effort, not pace. I have to remember that, since here in Illinois, I don't get a whole lot of opportunity to practice hill running! I stopped once to gel, about mile 8, walking as I choked it down. My last 3 miles were sub-9, with my last mile being my fastest at 8:51. I could not have been more pleased with this run. I'm hoping that my efforts to work on pacing are paying off!



In addition to this, I discovered that a fellow FB page owner, Ashtyn from Fit Life with Ashtyn was planning on running--get this--22 miles on the local high school track in the town where we were staying. She invited me come over and meet her, and when I did, I walked a mile with her. She is training for a 100 mile race in January, and has a 50 miler coming up this fall. It was fun to talk with her and learn about her motivation for running. I was so impressed at how far she's come after running her first race only 1 year ago! We talked about our training as well--mine is so different, with the emphasis on cross training and endurance activities, while hers is lots of miles. Although she tells me she's not running as many miles as other ultra runners! It was great meeting her, and I hope we can connect again. 

Ashtyn and me! She's so young...

Overall, it was a great training week for me. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how this training plan was going to work out. But looking back on the last 2 weeks, it seems like it is all coming together. Pacing is improving, and I feel strong! The weather is supposed to warm up this week, so it will be interesting to see if the heat affects me as much as usual. 

Trust the plan, indeed!




22 comments :

  1. Waterskiing! Haven't done that since I was a kid looks like so much fun. :)

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    1. You should try it again! So fun! And every year that I can still get out of the water on one ski is a victory!

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  2. Awesome training week! Looks like everything is going great!

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  3. That sounds like an amazing training week!!! Good luck this week!

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  4. Oh - the rowing machine and burpees! I used to take a class at Equinox called Shockwave that was competitive intervals of rowing machines and other strength stations (burpees included)...it was brutal!
    Your training sounds like it's going very well - congratulations on your pacing!

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  5. I forgot everything I was going to comment on. I'm still thinking of 22 miles on a track. It sounds like my worst nightmare!

    Great week in training lady!

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  6. Way to go on your workouts this week, Wendy; you are a ROCK STAR!! I had to laugh out loud when I read your description of "Darth Vader" on the yoga mat - brought back memories of a guy I was in class with once - ha! SO funny!! I hope you have an excellent week this week and that your workouts continue going well; I'll be watching out! Thank you so much for linking up again this week!

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    1. Thanks Tara! As long as Becky keeps bringing it, and I see results, I feel motivated. Love your link up!

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  7. Wow your training is going great and your runs have been really strong! Great job!

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  8. I think I felt the puke rising just reading about your burpees/rowing. Girl you are killing it! Do I say that every week?

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    1. As long as I can bring that killer instinct to the marathon, it will be all worth it! I do like this training, tho!

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  9. OMG, rowing and burpees?? I would have barfed. That is a seriously impressive workout Wendy! Nice week of training and awesome job on those mile repeats!! YEAH!!!

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    1. Thanks! High praise from my favorite triathlete! I'm pretty happy with how this unconventional training is going!!!

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  10. Your runs are looking great!! And man, your trainer is no joke! LOL. Loving the red top, I considered getting that one..I may have to to wear for MCM!

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    1. Thanks! No, she's hard core! I didn't even realize it until we started marathon training! And yes, you have to get that top. I'm seriously considering buying the long sleeve too!

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  11. Whoa! You really killed it this week. I am so impressed!!!

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    1. Thanks! It was a confidence building week for sure!! I hope to keep drawing on that as I move forward...

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