I promised training recaps. I'm already 5 days into Week 4 so I suppose I need to get on it. As I had mentioned in my last post, I was pretty intimidated by the first two weeks of work Nora gave me. It was a combination of "oh shit I did nothing in December," the fact that I wasn't logging mileage like that during my peak summer/fall months last year, and the doubt that my body could hold up. That boils down to being too lazy in my off month, being afraid of something new, and not believing in my own ability. Just because I have not done something before does not mean that I am not capable of doing it. Suck on that, inner critic.
Week 1 went by quickly, no specific workouts or paces to hit, just easy miles. The run that stood out for me was the 8 miles on Saturday with Rose on the ATT. Despite it being a brisk 8 degrees, she showed up and let me stare at her ass for a while. This was my first time wearing a hydration pack in such cold temps so it did not occur to me that the hose would freeze. D'oh. Choking down a gel without water is not something I was interested in doing, so we stopped to work the problem. I decided to take off my outermost layer, put the pack on, and then zip that outer layer back on over it. Not the most attractive look but it solved my problem quickly. Hooray, water! No matter how long you've been in this sport, there will always be something new to learn. Like the temperature at which water freezes...
Week 1 summary:
Miles scheduled: 27
Miles ran: 24 (I opted for a 45 minute easy spin in lieu of 3 recovery miles on Sunday)
Time on my feet: 4:11:37 (does not include time spent on my bike)
so pretty. so cold.
Week 2. This one was a challenge. I was travelling most of the week, both for work and to see family. From NC to DC back to NC and on to NY and back to NC in 6 days. Tired doesn't begin to describe it. I got the first 2 runs done in DC (oh hey, stoplights every 10 feet), one at home in NC after my flight home that evening, and another in NY on a 2 mile stretch of rail trail. Being flexible was the name of the game, as was being prepared as possible. If I have a run scheduled, its happening. So I packed and managed my time accordingly. Unfortunately, the airlines were not nearly as accommodating. Long horrid travel story on Saturday meant that I arrived at my parents in NY at 7:30 pm rather than 12 noon. The rest of the day was spent in the Philly airport (fuck you so much). That bumped the 9 mile long run to Sunday and the recovery miles to the bin. I got the long run done but I hated missing mileage and jacking up my recovery level for the week ahead. Proud of myself for getting done everything I could given the circumstances, despite the level of fatigue I carried into week 3.
Week 2 summary:
Miles scheduled: 27
Miles ran: 24
Time on my feet: 4:37:12 (too bad traversing every damn terminal of the Philly airport 100 times doesn't count)
never too old to make snow angels with your mom
Week 3. This week hurt. I was feeling a lot of fatigue from last week's travels and most of my runs reflected that. My first workout with pace goals (what I would have consider really easy) were a struggle. Going outside to do a few recovery miles mid-snowstorm was ill advised, 6 inches of snow on unplowed paths and roads made for a lot of work. It all came to a head on Thursday when said storm forced me to the treadmill for a 7 mile workout w 5 miles at a set pace. I was pausing and stretching by the half mile, and every few minutes after that. I sent a few SOS texts to Nora, and then Rose. Everything was tight and sore and I was fed up that my body wouldn't shut the fuck up and do what it was told. I think it was hoping I would do the same thing. After crying for a few minutes, I restarted the treadmill and tried to just gut it out. Nope. Called it at 5.5 miles. It is so early in this training cycle, I do not need to be forcing workouts when I'm in pain. I needed to be talked off the ledge a little bit, and listen to my body instead of forcing it to adhere to some numbers on a spreadsheet. Why I need this reminder at least 5 times a training cycle, EVERY training cycle, is beyond me.
Week 3 summary:
Miles scheduled: 28
Miles ran: 27.5 (so close to plan!)
Time on my feet: 5:22:01
long run lovahhhhhhh
The first three weeks have been challenging, but overall solid, and I'm pleased with how training is going so far. Only 5 more months to go until race day. Dear Lord, that is a long time from now...