Sunday, August 11, 2013

Chicago Marathon Training Recap - Week 10

Monday

I did NOT want to run today.  For a brief moment I thought about switching my rest days from Tues to Mon.  But then I knew that when tomorrow got here I would wish I hadn't.

I should have gotten up to run this morning, it was glorious out.  But no.  I stayed in bed.  I had a gym day today too, so that was really my reasoning.  Just do it all at the gym after work.  I was actually glad for the gym because damn it was hooooooooooooot out today!  Damn weather is so wishy washy here in the Summer.

Blah.

So here is what I ended up doing:
30 min treadmill
1 mile on the elliptical Precor (the one with the moving arms too)
Then I did a HIIT:
10 rounds of:
100m sprint row
10 burpees
100m sprint

Lord.  By the 5th round I was dripping sweat and dying!  LOL

After I fiiiinally finished that I ended the workout of the day with 100 weighted (10lbs) of butterfly situps.

Tuesday
Rest 
Wednesday

Lordy lordy.  To be honest I didn't know if I was actually going to get up and get 7 miles in before work.  When the alarm went off at 5am I was like 'ugh'.  How about we just put it off until this evening...and then I knew better.  It would suck much worse if I waited.  Besides I had the morning clear at work so I could get here past 8 and it would be fine.  AND the weather was awesome because a cool front came through last night (with 75mph winds thank you very much! and I lost power for about 1/2 hour).

So I got up, took my EnergyBits, and drank 1/2 cup of coffee, grabbed my water bottle full of Nuun, and I was out the door and on the road by 5:30.  It was a beautiful morning, but still my legs felt a bit sore.  At one point I thought oh just do 5.  You can do 2 tonight after work.  I had placed my water bottle on the loop that I do, and knew after 2 loops, if I headed back it would be just at 5 miles.  Another loop and it gives me 7.  I looked at my watch after 5 miles and knew I just needed to finish and be done with it!  So thats what I did. 

So glad too.  Why get up at that hour, have the luxury of time on my side and NOT finish?  That would just be dumb.  So off I went..

SO happy that I followed through on the plan.

Its been a while since I've done mid-week mileage of anything of that distance AND to get it done before work?

Priceless.

Thursday
5K after work.  Literally 3.1 on the dot on a random route that I threw together.  I ran 2 miles, came back by the house for water, then took off again.  I will have to remember this one!
Friday
Rest day
Saturday
 17 miles
Up at 4am, running by about 5:15.  I've been lucky with light winds on Saturday mornings, but this past Saturday it was quite strong.  Not tooooo strong, but coming from the South and the last thing I wanted to do was fight the wind every other mile on my loop.  So I drove over to the fairgrounds where Deadwood Trail ends, and decided to do a 2.25 loop from there running E to W.  The other good thing about this route is its off the main road of 10th and 13th where everyone and their brother sees me over and over again.  This time I was running in more of a residential area and with it being so early, I had very little traffic; none prior to 6:30.

After about 4 loops I guess I decided to fight the wind coming off the bluffs and run out on Deadwood, turn around and head back.  Just to get off the boring street and for something different.

Then after that I headed off E to W again but it was really starting to suck because the sun was up and running into it was killing me.  It was still cool, 60ish, but I hate the sun beating down on me unless its below 50 :)

So after 15 miles, I was getting water from my ice chest and decided to drive back to the house and finish up there.  At least I could run with some shade ever so often (S to N) and just would fight the wind coming back uphill.  It wasnt for long and I could come by the house and get water.  Did 1 mile.  Drink.  Another mile.  Done.

If ever I doubted it before I now know FOR CERTAIN that for as long as I am still here in Nebraska, this will be my last marathon I train for.  The boredom out there in beyond exhausting.  My legs are in the game, but I struggle  mostly from the boredom of it all, get discouraged, walk a time or two that I wouldnt otherwise..blah blah blah.

After this, it'll be half marathons only until ... well like I said, for as long as I am here.

I wish I could say I could drive somewhere else to run, but um, yeah.  No.  There isn't anywhere else TO run.  Sidney is literally in the middle of nowhere!

So for now, I will do the long miles on the boring boring boring same streets over and over until its time to run Chicago.

Hell if I thought I could manage training for a marathon on a treadmill I'd do that.  At least I'd have Netflix :)   But I am not one to be crazy enough to think I could do 26.2 on the roads with treadmill training.

6 weeks to taper!  I CAN DO THIS!
Sunday 
I had a 'maybe' to do 3 miles today depending on how I felt after yesterdays 17 but when I woke up this morning, after a somewhat broken sleep kinda night (BAD storms kept waking me up with the horrendous thunder and lightning), AND that my body felt a bit 'sore', I knew I needed the rest day after all.  Spending it doing food prep for the week, enjoying some Track and Field, and some more of Orange is the New Black!  LOVE that show and now I'm on the last episode of season 1 and I'm SAD!!!

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