Let’s Do This!

Hey friends! Two posts in one day. I’m on a roll! Ha.

Last week was the first week of the marathon specific phase of my training for the First Light Marathon. I did a 9 week fundamental phase and I have a 10 week specific phase (including the taper weeks). Also, I am pacing a marathon in just 4 short weeks (gulp … cue minor freak out).

Here is what my training looked like the week of 11.06.17 – 11.12.17:

Monday AM – Easy: 8 miles (8:11 pace) + PM – Easy: 5 miles (8:12 pace)

Daniel and I got in a solid 8 miles Monday morning. The temperature was nice and it was SO MUCH brighter out! We both felt good and our easy pace was a little quicker than what it has been here recently, which was nice to see. I hope that means that my fitness is actually improving. I never want to force an “easy” pace, but it’s really nice when it happens naturally.

We did our first “dark” evening run after work Monday evening and boy was I decked out in reflective gear. For whatever reason, I don’t wear reflective gear in the mornings when we run, but when we run in the evenings, I want all the lights. I’m usually not a fan of the time change, but I gotta admit, I’m kind of digging it this year. I used to feel guilty for wanting to go to bed before it was dark, but now … I got nothing to feel bad about! It’s 7 p.m.? Yes. It’s dark? Yes. It’s perfectly acceptable to go to bed? In my opinion … Yes!

Tuesday AM – Easy: 5 miles (8:50 pace) + PM – Easy: GOTR Practice 5K 

We did an easy, uneventful loop with Young Daniel Tuesday morning.

The Girls on the Run practice 5K was Tuesday afternoon. The girls did great and I really think they had fun. We tried to make it a big deal for them with signs, music, medals, treats, etc. Several of them didn’t think they would be able to complete the distance, but they did … that was so cool to see!

Wednesday AM – Tempo: 12.75 miles (7:12 pace) + PM – Easy: 3 miles (8:56 pace)

Wednesday morning my training plan called for 3 X 3 mile repeats at aerobic threshold pace with a 3:00 jog recovery in between sets. You know things are getting real when you see a 3 X 3 mile workout appear on the schedule. Holy Moses. That’s a long workout! I’ve done this workout at least once before, but this was actually my first time doing it outside, as opposed to on the treadmill. I actually used to do 75% or more of my workouts on the treadmill. While it is certainly a great tool to use, I think that doing my workouts on the roads (or track in this case) has been much better.

I hit the track fairly early (definitely earlier than normal since this was such a long workout). I did a mile and a half warm up and then it was time to get going. My goal pace range for the repeats was 6:35 to 6:45 with a slight negative split. My actual paces were 6:45, 6:45, 6:50 (6:46 avg), 6:49, 6:41, 6:44 (6:44 avg), and 6:35, 6:39, 6:31 (6:35 avg). I was very happy with how this one went. It was a confidence building workout for sure! I had to stay engaged mentally and really focus on the mile I was in and I think this was great mental practice for the marathon. It’s really easy to let your mind wander and think about how many miles or laps you have left, which can be totally overwhelming at times. It’s always best to stay focused and take things one mile (or one lap) at a time.

Daniel wanted to run Wednesday evening and I thought it might be nice to shake my legs out with an easy run, but no. Definitely not. My legs were having no part of it. I let him finish the loop on his own and I called it a day at 3 miles.

Thursday – Easy: 8 miles (8:53 pace) 

I ran a loop with Daniel and headed back out for 3 more miles after the loop. Have I mentioned how much I am enjoying the extra light in the mornings?! Yep. Just wanted to make sure.

Non-running related side note: We went to see Elf the Musical at the Saenger Theater in Pensacola Thursday evening and it was fabulous! The story line follows the movie, but it is not the same as watching the movie (which we will definitely still be doing). The songs were all different and the scenes varied a good bit. It was hilarious and very entertaining.

Friday – Easy: 9 miles (8:35 pace)

We didn’t get home until way past my normal bedtime, so I slept in a bit Friday and headed out to run around 8:30 or 9 a.m., which was lovely! I got to listen to Lindsey Hein’s interview with Allie Kieffer (5th place finisher at NYC) on my run Friday morning. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I love her outlook on life and training … very inspiring.

Saturday – Easy: 6 miles (8:57 pace)

Saturday morning I ran a few miles with the Daniels and Cody and finished up the run with Jessica (and Olivia!). We kept the pace pretty chill and enjoyed a beautiful fall morning.

I had a gift certificate for a pair of shoes from Running Wild from a race I did a few months ago and I finally cashed that bad boy in Saturday! I wanted to try something new and fun, so I went with the Altra Torin. I wore them around the house Saturday and made the executive decision to wear them for my race Sunday, violating one of the main rules of racing … nothing new on race day. I’m quite the rebel.

Sunday – RACE: Battleship 12K

Race recap is here!

Total – 72.8 miles

That’s all I’ve got for today. Talk to you guys soon!

3 thoughts on “Let’s Do This!

  • I like the new shoes! I tried on a pair of Altras but couldn’t see myself running in zero drop shoes. I think I would wear them for lifting though, they seem to make my heels sink down and would work well for squats. You had a really great week of training with a new balance of easy and hard and races- good luck with the marathon pacing in a few weeks as well, that will be an awesome long run to prep for your own marathon!

  • How are you liking the altras? I have only been wearing brooks pureflows recently but I’m considering mixing it up a bit.

    • I’ve only run in them one time so far, but I liked them. I got a tiny blister on the outside of my pinky toe, likely because the toe box is a little too wide, but also could be because I ran 13 miles in them without really breaking them in beforehand. I have run in the pureflows for years for speed work and races. The altras have more cushioning, which I like. I’ll have to run in them some more to truly decide though! If I hadn’t had the gift certificate, I likely would’ve stuck to something that I knew, but it’s fun to try something new sometimes too!

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