Sunday, August 3, 2014

Marathon training week 3--finding my mojo


This week was all about getting back on track after a rough week 2. My goals for this week were to focus on pacing and getting my timing under control and to get my head in the game. I don't know how well I succeeded at either goal, but at least I'm aware that I need to continually work on both! I did get to run in a beautiful place, and that is always satisfying.

Monday: Crossfit/Tabata with Becky: As usual, I warmed up on the rower, then she had me do Tabata intervals (20 seconds of activity--as many as possible (AMRAP)-- with 10 seconds rest x 8 reps)--burpees, slam balls, step-ups (on a box), and air squats. Then I did supermans, holding each side for 20 seconds.  At the time, it didn't feel like a super tough workout (except for the burpees), but ha! fooled me. I was really feeling it the next day. My youngest son and I drove up to northern Wisconsin to spend a few nights with my parents, and the 5 hour car ride probably didn't do my hammies any favors. I packed my foam roller and did some work on that before I went to bed.



Tuesday: 5 miles at race pace. I was excited to run to the county park which overlooks the waters of Green Bay. Fortunately, I was able to get a signal on my Garmin and I headed off. There is a very steep hill I have to climb at the start of the run, and I have yet to make it to the top without stopping to catch my breath. After that, the run is pretty flat and very scenic. The entire route ended up being pretty close to 6 miles and my average pace was 9:07min/mi. A little faster than race pace, but much more consistent.

This was the destination...

Wednesday: yoga. I went to a yoga class with my mom and her friend. I've taken yoga from this instructor before, and normally I like a little more flow than she does. But lately I've been doing more asana and holding the poses longer to stretch and release my muscles. This class was perfect, and I left feeling really good. Later that night, tho, I had some pain in my lower back, my L sacroiliac joint. I don't know if I did something at the yoga class to aggravate it. I had pain there last week too. Luckily, it was gone the next morning.

Thursday: Speedwork--mile repeats x 5. I had to find a flat, straight road and I did. I fired up the Garmin, and about 1/4 mile into my first mile, I noticed that it had stopped recording. Ugh. I based the first mile on time, about 8:15, and stopped to walk and restart the Garmin at that point. You can see the first mile below, and no, really, it wasn't 14 min/mile. The rest of my miles were uneventful and fairly consistent! I was really happy with this session. Because I was away from home, Becky gave me some homework to do: 50 lunge steps, 50 good mornings (forward bends with a bar behind my shoulders), and 50 sumo deadlifts--all, as she requested, slow and controlled. Since I didn't have exercise equipment, I used a pool cue for a bar and a bottle of laundry detergent for my kettlebell. 'Cause that's how I roll...

Ignore mile 1--it's when my Garmin quit on me.

No, this isn't where I did my speedwork! 

Friday: back to work--rest day

Saturday: Zooma half marathon--which I planned to use as a training run. You can read all about it here. All I can say about that is that it is really challenging to do a training run in a race environment. But I'm glad I did it and finished, all with a lot of help from some awesome running friends! I was really tired that night and sore. I did some stretching and foam rolling, and went to bed early.

Mile 13! Just 200 yards to go...

Sunday: recovery bike ride. I was really dreading this, after that tough run! But Becky had told me to take it easy and I was more than happy to do that. The first mile or 2 was tough, but once my legs loosened up, I felt really good. I love riding my bike and was happy that this was my recovery activity. I did 16 1/4 miles in 1:08. Not that slow, but I felt great after. Later, I rewarded my feet with a pedicure.

Coming up this week: increasing running miles. I'm glad because I'm ready to get some long runs under my belt. The race on Saturday showed me that I need it. All the while working on pacing and toughness.


14 comments :

  1. Awesome runs! I'm sorry your Garmin crapped out on you--I've been there and it's no fun. Sounds like you've set yourself up nicely for next week. Good luck with training!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm hoping to reel it in this week...get myself under control.

      Delete
  2. Wow you had a tough week! And a bike ride after a half marathon-impressive

    ReplyDelete
  3. Big week and you smashed it! I agree…it is tough to run easy in a race. Which is why I rarely do it! But it can be great training. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I wish I had done better at my race. But I learned that there's a lot to work on, so that is a good thing. Plus it was fun (when it was all over!).

      Delete
  4. Great week! You're taking each workout as it comes and killing it. Confidence will come from that. I agree, it's hard not to race in a race. : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now if I could put it all together and pull out a great marathon...that is what I need to work on. :)

      Delete
  5. Wow, I am tired just reading this post! GREAT job, Wendy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great picture of the lake! Bike rides are the best for recovery. I should throw in one or two in the next few weeks, especially after my long runs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Overall it sounds like a good week! That scenery up in WI is beautiful!! Sorry about the Zooma experience, gotta love running, you can just pick up and try again :) You are killing those mile repeats! I'm impressed. I'm not sure I could do those, my plan only calls for a few 3 x 1600's the entire plan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to say I enjoy those mile repeats--it's fun to run fast and get to rest in between miles!

      Delete