Marathon training week 4: It's just one of those days

Another great week of training. I thought this was maybe a step down week, since I had that bike ride on Sunday and a rest day on Monday. Think again.

Monday: rest day.

Tuesday: 8 miles at race pace. Actually, Becky didn't specify anything on the plan for this run. I had to get up early to get this one in before work. But once my legs loosened up, I wanted to fly, and fly I did. I was pleased and surprised by this run. What a great way to start the day!

Wednesday: Yoga. Kathy told us we were going to do "shoulder floss". The class was dedicated to opening our shoulders, with Pincha (forearm stand) as our peak pose. Shoulder openers never felt so good.

Thursday: I had speedwork again--mile repeats x 5. My goal is to be faster than the week before. I slept late, and was upset because I didn't beat the heat. Miles 4 and 5 were tough. I stopped for water after mile 4, and an elderly man approached the drinking fountain. We talked briefly, and he told me how he stopped running last year. He told me I looked great and should keep going. Which I did! You can get encouragement from unexpected sources.

Next up was CrossFit with Becky. She had me first pulling the sled, with 40# plates on the back. I pulled for 2 minutes, then did 5 burpees. I did 5 rounds of this. Hello, hamstrings! We headed back inside for kettlebell squats (32kg) x 16 alternating with the evil roller x 8. I sweated so badly, I apologized, and was rewarded with 5 burpees. Ok, then. Repeat x 3 rounds total. Finally, she had me finish with a balancing exercise of forward bends on one leg 10 times x 3 rounds on each side.

Either I'm getting stronger or I've just given in, but I'm hating burpees less and less.

Friday: rest day. I went kayaking with my friends. While it was a blast (I'm recapping it on Tuesday), we did kayak 10 miles for 6 hours. Not sure if it qualifies for rest, but it was all upper body work.

Group workout!

Saturday: I had 5 miles on the plan, and I was more tired than I thought after Friday's adventure. But I didn't want to skip it. Around mile 4, I had thoughts of dropping to a walk. But I heard Becky's voice in my head, telling me to do burpees, so I pushed on. The run turned out well, and I got another RP run out of it. Besides being tired, the heat and humidity were a killer. I didn't feel great after I finished. Since I had to go to work, I made sure to eat well, and I drank water all morning. I took it easy the rest of the day, since I had a long run on the plan for Sunday. With a predicted high of 91, I was going to need every ounce of strength I had.

Sunday: I had a 12 miler on the plan. I woke up early, had my pre-run breakfast of cheerios, orange juice, and coffee, and got ready to run. I checked the thermometer, and it was already 72 degrees and 90% humidity. That got in my head, and from the moment I hit the pavement, I was already done. I tried really hard to refocus myself and get in a positive frame of mind. I watched my pace and tried to keep it around 9:30 min/mile. By mile 3, I needed to stop for water. Some a**hole stuck a stick in the drinking fountain and the water shot straight up in the air. I didn't mind so much, because I was so hot, the spray felt good. But still. I hated on that person for a while as I slogged on down the path. I passed other runners who were as equally as sweaty as me. I kept trying to turn this thing around. But I felt so crappy that it was really tough. Mile 4, there was a portapotty stop. I was ready to call it quits right then and there. But I gave myself a pep talk and I pushed on.  I started sipping my Tailwind around mile 5, hoping for a lift. The Tailwind helped me go farther, but at mile 8, I called it quits. My phone overheated at mile 7, and I had no music. My shorts were dripping with sweat. There was chafing. There was a stone in my shoe. I felt like vomiting. I felt like crying. And I was mad. I called my husband to come pick me up. As I did the walk of shame and waited for him, I reminded myself that I hadn't quit on a run in a very long time. One bad run does not kill marathon training. Next week will be better. This run was so hard, that I made the decision to move Monday's 6 miler to Wednesday, and make Monday a rest day. I think I need it.

Hot, sweaty, and unhappy

God, I hope the weather isn't like this on race day!

There was one song on my playlist that put a smile on my face. It truly summed up this run. Don't worry, it's all in good fun...

Here's the plan for this week:
Monday: 6mile at MP rest day
Tuesday: CrossFit
Wednesday: 6 mile at MP and yoga
Thursday: mile repeats x5 and CrossFit
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 5 miles at MP
Sunday: 14 miles

How was your week? Is the weather affecting your training? What do you do to beat the heat?

I'm linking up with Holly at HoHoRuns and Tricia at MissSippiPiddlin' for their Weekly Recap! Check out what everyone else is up to!