Marine Corps Marathon Week 1 Training Recap

It’s officially started. Including this week and recovery weeks, I will be training for one marathon or another until the end of May. Yes, I know I’m crazy but I’m terribly excited about the prospect.

How Week 1 played out… (spoiler alert: a lot changed)

Monday 8 miles w/800m intervals
I broke out the new Triumphs, finally. They helped tremendously with the beginnings of PF I was starting to get in my left foot. (It was past time to retire my old Triumphs.) I felt absolutely fantastic all through this run. I couldn’t remember, at first, at what speed I had been running the intervals so I just kept increasing it. Thus, I shaved a minute off my old time for this work out. Great way to start marathon training!

Tuesday stationary bike + 15 min NTC workout
I absolutely hated this NTC workout. I’m not sure why I thought I would like this when I chose it since it contained 6 minutes worth of pushups, my least favorite exercise. (Okay, just close to my least favorite) After the workout (which I’ll be feeling tomorrow for sure) I almost wanted more, almost. 😉

Wednesday 9 7 miles
This run went well until about the halfway point. Granted, I was already wiping sweat from my forehead (thanks headlamp) but that was okay. Just before my turn around point, I tripped and made contact with the sidewalk. Talk about being rattled. I immediately decided to turn around and cut the run short. (My left arm was covered in grit and my right knee was bleeding.) The one good thing about having another 3.5 miles to run is the mental toughness it builds. I felt okay during the second half and even banged out an 8:34 final mile. My left hip ached a some for a couple days but no bruise developed.

Thursday stationary bike + NTC
Originally the plan was to warm up with half an hour on the stationary bike before completing a 30 minute Nike Training Club workout. Wednesday’s fall changed that. Since I was still sore from the upper body workout Tuesday, have a scraped up knee and slightly sore hip, I figured it would be better to take it easier this morning. The ride went well; I got a lot of reading done.

Friday 5 7 miles
I added the missing two miles to this run. The humidity (93%) nearly did me. Other than copious amounts of forehead sweat and running into spiderwebs, I felt pretty strong throughout the run though it was tinged with a bit of a bummer feeling thanks to the Eugene Marathon date change.

Saturday 13 miles w/8 at race pace
A smart runner pays attention to the weather and makes appropriate changes. 🙂

Sunday rest
As always, greatly appreciated.

Recovery Week 1 Recap

So, one week down, only four weeks to go.

While I still want to run more, I’m content with the lower mileage because that’s what my body needs right now.

Monday 5 miles
It felt absolutely fantastic to run again after a week off. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I could tell though that I still have some recovery work left to do. This was especially clear on the hills.

Tuesday 4 miles
This run was harder than Monday. I don’t know how to explain but I could tell that my legs still aren’t fully recovered from the marathon. On top of that, my left calf was tight again. During the week off I forgot about the calf. Now that I remember I’m making sure to stretch properly plus make use of my “stick.”

Wednesday stationary bike + NTC workout
I don’t remember much of the stationary bike workout because I was too busy getting choked up reading the Boston issue of Runner’s World. I haven’t even gotten to the main articles.
This was my first strength training workout in a couple months. I have got to stop letting that happen. (I’ve already put it on the training plan for MCM.) I’m such a wimp when it comes to strength training, especially after so much time off. A beginner workout felt hard.

Thursday 5 miles
So, the soreness from the NTC workout slowed me down a bit, that and the heavy, thick humidity. I still loved the run though especially since I found my stride quickly and even managed negative splits. (9:57, 9:57, 9:51, 9:49, 9:15)

Friday stationary bike
This wasn’t the best ride but that’s because I stayed up late for Rookie Blue. I felt fairly strong though.

Saturday 6 mile “long” run
I waited too long to write about my run so I don’t remember the details. I’m pretty sure it was a good run made tougher by the humidity. Then again, it is a South Carolina summer so that’s a given.

Sunday rest
Not much to say about a rest day 🙂

San Francisco Marathon Training Week 2 Recap

Only one week of base building remains and then the milage starts going places I’ve never been before.

I’m not quite sure it’s sunk in yet that I’m back in marathon training mode yet. That’ll come soon enough.

Monday 8 miles w/800m intervals
Though this is not the exact speedwork that the Advanced Marathoning plan calls for, I really like it. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to watch Dr. Who. It’s a Monday tradition I’m not ready to give up yet. I forgot to change my alarm back to 6 from 6:30 but somehow managed to make it to the gym only 5 minutes late. The run flew by too. I set the interval speed at 7.5 (8 min mile pace). That was almost too hard but not quite, in other words, perfect! I can’t wait to push it even harder next week.

Tuesday 30 minute NTC workout
I think I’m going to stick with NTC throughout this training cycle. The plan calls for a fifth day of running (yikes!) which I will be adding on Tuesday. I tried to think of ways I could coordinate this extra run around the pump class but it would have taken a lot of work. NTC can be done whenever I finish my run.
I learned Tuesday that taking a break from the NTC workouts makes them seem brand new. That’s definitely a good thing. Also, I passionately dislike all forms of pushups.

Wednesday 8 mile regular run
The cold air is so invigorating! This was one of those runs that went so well I totally zoned out and can’t really remember much about it. Love those. I pushed the pace on the last mile for 8:18. After I finished I could feel some DOMS from Tuesday’s NTC workout.

Thursday stationary bike at gym
This was a good ride. I pushed a little hard this time and got almost a mile farther than last week. If I had started on time I would have gotten past 15 miles.

Friday 5 miles “recovery”
Rain “forced” me inside so I got to watch Dr. Who. Each mile I increased the speed. On the last mile I increased the speed every tenth of a mile finishing with a sprint.

Saturday 13 mile long run
I wimped out and ran on the treadmill but still got a great workout anyway.

Sunday rest
Apparently that 1.5 incline on the treadmill took more out of me than I realized. In the morning I definitely still felt that run and was sure to take it easy throughout the day.

Savannah Rock n Roll — Reboot Week

As I mentioned Saturday I wiped my training plan slate clean and am starting over beginning with today. (Sneak preview…today’s run was awesome!)

Looking back on the past week of training I can see that I was more than ready for a reboot.

Monday 8 4 x hill repeats at 5k-10kpace
These hills were definitely tough! I loved them and wanted to do more but in an effort to keep my weekly mileage increase close to 10% I had to stick with 4 repeats rather than the scheduled 8. (This is the second week I’ve downgraded the number of repeats and then ended up needing those miles by the time the end of the week rolled around.)

Tuesday stationary bike warm up + 30 min Nike Training Club workout
I was nervous to do this workout. After all it was after a similar NTC workout 3 weeks ago (so long?) that my “back saga” started. It took me almost my entire stationary bike warm up to choose a workout. I picked a 30 minute beginner; I’ll work back up to the 45 minute ones soon. I could tell throughout the workout that I’d lost a bit of my fitness in those areas. After all, it had been 3 weeks off. I want to get stronger though so I’ll keep pushing through.

Wednesday 6 miles
I ran inside because weather.com predicted possible lightening. (There wasn’t any.) My glutes and hammies were sore from Tuesday’s NTC workout so my legs felt heavy on the run but I got it done.

Thursday 6 miles
This run was tough. My glutes and hamstrings were very sore (even more than Wednesday) and it felt like it took so much more effort to get up the hills than usual. I’m glad I got out there and ran though. Next on my list of becoming a smarter runner? Figuring out the cause of my fatigue

Friday stationary bike
Nothing extraordinary but at least I didn’t slow down another mile today.

<strongSaturday 16 12 miles
Even though this run was nothing like what I expected I’m still extremely happy with those hot and humid 12 miles.

Sunday rest

What’s up next? The next double digit run I have is the San Francisco 2nd Half Marathon coming up on July 29th. Super excited!

Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon Training Week 3

Step 1 in becoming a smarter runner accomplished.

This past week of training looked rather different than what I had originally written on the schedule. I’m okay with that. I hesitate to say that I’ve completely learned my lesson but I’m definitely on my way.

Monday rest
Technically this was the only day of running that I sacrificed from my schedule. (The other two days I would have run if I had maintained the #RWRunStreak.

Tuesday rest
Even though it wasn’t a schedule run day (usually stationary bike warm up and Nike Training Club workout) I figured it would be better to rest on Tuesday as well.

Wednesday 6 miles
I was a bundle of nerves when I started this run. I spent the first mile overanalyzing how my back felt. I knew that I couldn’t continue that way and prayed for God to take away my fear. Instead of focusing on my back I turned my attention to the run. (My back felt fine, btw.) It really did feel so good to be back. The hills were pretty tough. I’ve probably lost a little bit of hill fitness. No problem. Savannah is pretty flat. I finished with a bit of stretching and foam rolling as part of becoming a smarter runner.

Thursday 6 miles
While my pace isn’t where I ideally would like it to be I don’t really care. This run felt even better than Wednesday because my mind was at ease. The “hills” still took a lot more out of me than I’d like. It’s good to be back.

Friday stationary bike
This was a good, steady ride albeit a mile shorter than when I ran a mile beforehand. I guess warming up does make a difference.

Saturday 12 miles
Despite the heat I actually did really enjoy this run.

Sunday rest
I think having a complete day off is a good thing to incorporate into my training cycle. 🙂 I did start Amanda’s July ab challenge. I think this will be a good way to strengthen my core.

Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon Training Week 1

As I introduced Saturday training has finally officially started for Savannah. It’s kind of crazy to think of how close the marathon really is and how little I’ve done to prepare. (I would love to have my hotel booked already but I’m waiting until July when I have enough hotels.com rewards points.)

This week also marked a fairly rough transition to a new schedule. I think training went well this week and I’m ready to adjust to the new work schedule. 🙂

Monday 6 miles Fartlek (treadmill)
I experimented with the pace (it’s been a while since I did a treadmill fartlek workout) to try to speed it up. I think I can push the pace even faster next time. This run was definitely faster than the last treadmill fartlek I did a couple months ago.

Tuesday 1 mile #RWRunStreak
I squeezed this run in before heading to work the polls for the South Carolina primary. I would have preferred to get an NTC workout in as well but sacrificing another hour of sleep just to get up early enough…nope.

Wednesday 7 miles
Even though I was a little tired (and that likely slowed my pace a bit) I felt strong throughout.

Thursday 6 miles (am) + 45 min Nike Training Club workout
AM–After seeing several flashes of lightening I decided to head inside for safety. The treadmill definitely isn’t my favorite but it got the job done.
PM–I was pretty apathetic about this as I started, kind of sluggish too. I tried to keep pushing but then I got to the pushup. My muscles were just plain tired; my form on the first push up was horrible. I called it quits because I knew I couldn’t maintain proper form. (This is where the rough schedule transition came in but after rest on the weekend I think I’m ready to handle the current week.)

Friday 1 mile + stationary bike
Today’s mile was faster than Tuesday. Love it.
I pushed hard on the bike (a little farther than last week). I wish I could push faster but the bike has a habit of moving backwards if I try to pedal faster than 100 RPM.

Saturday 12 miles
Solid start to training for marathon #3

Sunday 1 mile #RWRunStreak
I think I slept wrong on my back or something because it felt off this morning. It slowed my pace but I got the mile in. It’s feeling better already so hopefully it’s just temporary. (It felt a little off this morning too but did not hinder my speedwork.)

Not the greatest start to a training cycle but solid.

Weekly Roundup–June 3-10

Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon training starts next week! This last “interim” week started off slow but ended on a high note.

Monday 6 miles
It took a little while to get into my stride when I first started but found it after about a quarter mile. The rest of the run felt really good including the hills that slowed me down a little. I even threw in a sprint at the end.

Tuesday 1 mile + stationary bike warm up + 45 min Nike Training Club workout
For Day 9 of the #RWRunStreak I decided to see if I could run the mile faster than last Friday. Mission Accomplished.
I ran out of beginner level 45 minutes so intermediate it was. I definitely felt it on Wednesday.

Wednesday 10 8 miles
If you want to discover every single change in incline on your running route do a 45 minute intermediate Nike Training Club workout the day before. This run was hard; my legs felt like lead. I cut the run down from 10 miles to 8 (and added those two miles to Thursday). I thought about cutting it even shorter but knew I would feel great at the end for having accomplished it. I definitely did. Great way to mark National Running Day.

Thursday 6 8 miles + 45
Nike Training Club workout
I felt so much better on the run than Wednesday. The first four miles were slower than I thought they were (while I was running them) but I picked up speed on the second half.
I was begging for mercy less than 10 minutes in! (not literally of course. 😉 ) This workout kicked my butt but I felt incredibly strong throughout! If only every strength training workout felt like this. I might do it a little more often.

Friday 1 mile + stationary bike
There will come a time when I can’t possibly run this mile any faster. I’m going to keep going until I find it.
I kept pushing when I got onto the stationary bike. Since I cover up the distance while I ride (to keep from obsessing about it) I’m always surprised when look at the final distance, even more so on Friday.

Saturday Sunrise Run 8k
Turns out when I decide to actually race a race I can run pretty fast. 😀

Sunday 1 mile
I can’t believe that I’ve run every day for two weeks! I really like this. I decided to see how fast I could run the mile outside and loved it. (7:16 btw)

Up next? Nothing much. My next race is the Red, White and Blue Shoes 5k on July 4th.

May Monthly Round Up + June’s Goals

I’m a little late. I know. Originally I planned to write the post last Friday but didn’t have a chance. Oh well, I’ve still had attempted to complete the goals listed below.

May was supposed to be a month focused on schoolwork in three different forms.
1. Complete at least an hour of work for the Shakespeare class every day except Sundays and sometimes Saturdays.
This happened except for a couple days when unexpected schedule changes prevented it. While some of the luster has rubbed off (lackluster results on the first test for reasons that were not my fault) I still thoroughly enjoy being able to take the class at my own pace and in my pajamas. (Is it pijamas or pajamas?)

2. Start researching and working on PhD applications.
I have many index cards full of information on PhD programs. I’d say I accomplished that part of the goal. Working on some of the documents for the applications didn’t happen in May. I started yesterday.

3. Start researching thesis topic.
I am so glad that I started early. So far I’ve read two books on the topic and watched one documentary. I’ve always been passionate about my topic (the Armenian Genocide) but so far this research has made me even more so. I know I would have been even if I had no Armenian Heritage.

So, based on the wording of my goals last month I would say that I accomplished my goals. On the flip side I don’t think that I really got that much done in regards to everything else. That’s going to change.

June Goals

1. No more procrastination.
The reminder app on my iPhone is a wonderful feature. I use it every day. However, it has this feature that allows me to change the due date…aka postpone the specified task. Something that I noticed in May was that even if I had time I would postpone certain tasks (not related to my other goals) just because I didn’t feel like doing it. That’s not going to continue, especially since starting next week I have a job. (Yay! I might talk more about it later. I might not.) So, unless there absolutely aren’t enough minutes left in the day I am not going to procrastinate completing the tasks on my to do list.

2. Complete at least 2 Nike Training Club Workouts Weekly
As evidenced by my weekly roundups of late I haven’t gotten in two strength training workouts in a single week since two weeks before the marathon. I can definitely tell a difference. The new job will actually help with this since it will give me more of a schedule.

3. Run at least a mile a day for the #RWRunStreak.
So far I’ve completed 9 days. Since the month of June makes up the bulk of the challenge dates it makes sense to make this one of my goals. I’ve loving it so far.

4. Drink at least 3 full water bottles a day.
I’ve been slacking on this big time. Each time I think I’ve made it a habit, I slip up again. I’ve noticed it more lately due to the lovely humidity we’re blessed with here in South Carolina. I want to stay healthy and being hydrated is a big part of it.

Weird to think that when I revisit these goals it’ll be the second half of 2012. Yikes!

Weekly Roundup May 28-June 3

This week marked the start of my participation in Runner’s World Run Streak (#RWRunStreak) and I’m loving it so far. Even though I officially start marathon training again next week and this challenge is designed as a way to maintain motivation between training cycles I’m still glad I jumped on board.

The only change I’ve made to my training is to add three extra miles to my training in the week. I’ve been getting up a little earlier each day to make adding a mile before Tuesday and Friday’s workouts a little easier. Sunday on the other hand? If I didn’t have this challenge to motivate me I would not have gotten out on the road.

So, how did training go?

Monday 6 miles
The run streak was definitely a motivating factor in completing the run. It was tough. My legs hadn’t fully recovered from Paris Mountain plus the humidity was rough (89%). I still absolutely loved the run. I loved the feeling of just getting out there and running and not worrying about my pace. I finished quite proud of the run. (Side note: my pace would have been under 10 if it hadn’t been for some big dogs. I probably wasn’t in any danger but I really don’t like those dogs so when I came back past them I slowed to a walk. Oh the fun things one discovers when running in a different state.)

Tuesday 1 mile + stationary bike warm up + Nike Training Club
I felt really tired during the mile but was able to complete it before heading into the gym.
Getting in late on Monday definitely affected my workout. I almost considered quitting but pushed through to complete the workout.

Wednesday 6 miles
I felt much better than Monday, nice and strong. I’m still not a fan of humidity but there’s not much I can do about that.

Thursday 6 miles + Nike Training Club
I felt even stronger than Wednesday but curiously my pace was a little slower. Hmm… I loved the run though.
So, the Nike Training Club workout didn’t happen again. My cousins were over so I was helping them with Boy Scout stuff. They didn’t end up leaving until close to supper time. (I will talk about this more tomorrow in my June goals post.)

Friday 1 mile + stationary bike
I ran on the treadmill for this mile (#RWRunStreak Day 5) since I brought my iPad with me. I pushed the speed too and loved it. This shows me I can push faster outside so that’s my goal.
Running before getting on the stationary bike definitely made it feel more like a workout.

Saturday Charity Chase Half Marathon
I love half marathons.

Sunday 1 mile
I waited too late today but since it was just a mile it didn’t matter that much. My legs felt a little heavy during the first half but I really pushed it on the second half and almost finished in under 8 minutes.

Up next? Sunrise 8k, the last of my three consecutive weekends of races. I won’t race again on a weekend until San Francisco on July 29th.

Weekly Roundup–May 21-27

Just a couple more “weekly roundups” remain until training for Savannah starts. I’m definitely excited about that.

Running-wise this week of training wasn’t all that spectacular. It wasn’t bad either…just kind of ho-hum. Somehow I keep forgetting that I get really run down by the heat/humidity that South Carolina is blessed with. Even though I ran last summer, I ran far fewer miles than I plan to run this summer. I definitely need to take that into account.

That being said, how did last week go?

Monday 8 miles
This was probably the last run in my wonderful “PR” shoes. They were likely done a couple runs ago. 😀 I felt a little sluggish at the start of the run but slowly warmed up and felt strong throughout.

Tuesday stationary bike warm up + Nike Training Club
There was nothing unusual about this workout. I pushed it and loved it. (Of course, the run on Wednesday woke up the DOMS in my hips/thighs from all the squats and lunges.)

Wednesday 8 miles
The humidity really took it out of me. I felt really drained throughout but my stride was great and believe it or not I loved the run. It’s definitely the tough runs like this that are the most rewarding.

Thursday 8 miles + Nike Training Club
I had a lot going on in my head that morning and it felt great to work it out through the run. I felt really strong and it definitely showed in my pace. It was the fastest out of my three 8 milers this week.
About that Nike Training Club workout…I definitely planned on going. However, when the time came for me to head over to the gym there were things in the oven. Since no one else was home it wouldn’t have been a wise idea to leave them in there. Next week, for sure.

Friday stationary bike at gym
Yet another ordinary ride to catch up on Running Times

Saturday Paris Mountain 12k
Great reminder of how much I love trails! I definitely felt the soreness Sunday.

Sunday rest!
My last complete Sunday rest day for several weeks. I’ve decided to join the #RWRunStreak challenge. When will I have another opportunity to add a measly 3 miles to my weekly run total?

Up next? Charity Chase Half Marathon this Saturday and Sunrise 8k the next. (Remind me again why I signed up for two races in a row that start at 6:30 in the morning?)