Half marathon #32!

The number of half marathons I have run is now greater than the number of years I have spent on this earth!  Today's race went spectacularly well considering all my training hiccups lately!  More about the race in a separate post. 

This week : 

M : circuit training 25:45

run 6 / 7:43 / 479 ft

T : yoga 60 min

run 5.7 / 8:07 / 226 ft

(4 x 800)

W : rest

R : TRX 30 min

run 4 / 7:48 / 276 ft

F : run 3.1 / 7:57 / 157 ft

Sa : hike 5.8 / 869 ft

Su : warm up 0.1 / 7:54 / 0 ft

race 13.3 / 6:55 / 495 ft

cool down 1.8:56 / 30 ft

total miles 33.5

I put myself through a great TRX workout on Thursday.  I was still sore on Saturday, so I decided a hike would be better for my muscles than sitting on the couch.  But then I decided to go to Grayson Highlands and hike up and down some mountains, so I'm not sure my plan worked out so well.  It was absolutely gorgeous though, and I had no regrets about my decision. 

Validation

I enjoyed 5 days back home in Abingdon, getting back to my normal fitness routine.  I did my Monday yoga, my Tuesday speedwork, my Wednesday workout, and a Thursday pace run.  Then I got up at 3:45 AM on Saturday to drive to Roanoke for a short hill challenge race.  After the race I headed to Lewisburg to spend a few days with some very good friends before they move away.  It's hard to be on the road again so soon after returning home from a long trip, but I'm grateful for the time to spend with some of my favorite people!

This week : 

 M : yoga/stretching 20 minutes

run 4.1 / 8:18 / 220 ft

T : run hill sprints 5.5 / 8:39 / 551 ft

W : TRX 3x10 @45/15

R : yoga/stretching 40 minutes 

run w/Corey 8 / 7:27 / 377 ft

(6 hard, avg 7:12)

F : rest day

Sa : warm up + strides 2.6 / 8:13 / 430 ft

race 1.8 / 6:40 / 449 ft

cool down 1.1 / 9:51 / 236 ft

Su : group jog 10 / 12:00 / 584 ft

horseback ride 2 hours

total miles run : 33.2

On Monday, I kept the run easy.  I wore my watch, but I did not allow myself to look at it during the run.  I made myself keep the effort easy the whole way.  

On Tuesday, I decided that my speedwork needed to be hill sprints in order to prepare myself for Saturday's race after not having any hills to run for a few weeks.  None of my group showed up to run club so I ran the workout alone.  5 times up a 0.2 mile hill with 112ft of gain.  The last time I did this exact workout was in April.  I hit each sprint a few seconds faster this time. I used my HR as a guide for each recovery, when I couldn't get my HR back below 130 on the jog back to the bottom, I decided to only do one more.  

On Wednesday, I designed a TRX workout to mainly target my arms, but with some exercises for my legs and abs as well. It was hard, as I just took a couple weeks off from TRX after hurting my back.  I was definitely sore the next day!

On Thursday, I did a nice long yoga stretching video to help with the soreness.  I was feeling overdue for a pace run workout, and Corey was up for whatever I needed as he had done his tempo run the day before.  I knew I definitely wanted 6 miles under 7:30, but wasn't sure what pace was realistic for how slack my training had been + my sore legs.  I ended up just pushing the pace to whatever felt hard but not injury-inducing.  All 6 of the pace miles ended up under 7:30, and the last mile was a 6:49.  It was really helpful to have Corey there keeping me to my pace but staying next to or behind me so that I was the one choosing the pace, rather than getting tired out trying to chase his pace.  He did lead me for the last mile to help me push that one faster.  We talked on and off throughout the whole run, and it was really nice for me to discover that my lungs were able to handle the occasional talking even while running at half marathon race effort.  

I wasn't sure what to expect from Saturday's race with my sore legs.  I didn't want to skip the race, but I didn't want to get injured either.  I did a longer warmup than usual, to make sure my legs were ready and as loose as possible.  When the horn went off, I just took off.  I didn't start at full speed, but gave my legs about a minute to settle into the fast pace up a hill, and then I started really pushing.  I moved into 2nd place overall within a few minutes, and held that position for the rest of the race.  I didn't bother looking at my watch, but just pushed hard.  I found that I was able to keep pushing hard the whole way, and that I just felt strong!  My legs and lungs were working together and carrying me up each hill much easier than I was expecting.  After the race, I decided to look up my time from the previous year, and was astounded to see that I had PRd by 34 seconds over last year.  I wouldn't have thought it was possible to take that much time off of a 1.8 mile distance!  It gave me a great feeling of validation for all the speedwork I have been doing!  It's always nice to know that hard work is paying off with results!  

More uphill than down in this race, but here I am coming off of one of the few downs before heading up the final hill. 

King and Queen of the Hill each got a plaque and a stuffed horse. 

(the race benefits a program called Unbridled Change which uses horses for therapy)

On Sunday, I enjoyed a social jog on the Greenbrier River Trail with some people in Lewisburg.  My legs and feet were staring to bother me towards the end from being held to a slow shuffle pace, but other than that it was fine.  I know it's good for me to do the long slow runs occasionally because it gets me miles without much strain.  

Marathon Week!

This week : 

M : 4 / 8:05 / 194 ft

T : track 4.4 / 7:34 / 184 ft

16 x 100m striders

W : 3.2 / 7:20 / 240 ft

R : 20 minute ab workout

20 minute yoga

walk 0.8 miles x2

F : rest

Sa : race 26.2 / 7:51 / 1873 ft

Su : walk 0.8 miles x2

total miles run : 37.8

What a week!  Tried to take it easy leading up to the race, but after the last week or two of taking it easy, restless leg pain was starting to set in.  Monday I did pretty well with keeping it easy, and for Track Tuesday I did striders on the straights and marathon pace on the curves, 1 mile in each direction.  I had planned on running M-T-R this week, but Wednesday was Global Running Day and I couldn't not run!  My legs had been unhappy with the slower paces I'd been inflicting on them, so for Global Running Day I let them pick the pace.  It felt really good to run those short miles at a nice faster pace!  On Thursday, the restless leg pain really set in and was driving me crazy. Usually compression socks help, but they weren't helping this time. I walked back and forth to a friend's house, but the walk hardly helped either.  When I got home I attacked my leg with the roller until it stopped hurting long enough for me to go to bed.  Thankfully on Friday the pain stayed away.  

I was ready when the starting gun finally went off on Saturday, and I had a great race!  Tough for sure, and it was pretty hot out, but I was really proud of my run.  Race recap coming soon! 

I could barely walk on Sunday morning because my hips were so tight and sore, but it loosened a bit after some rolling.  And then I walked back and forth to the brewery for celebratory drinks with my friends, and the walking helped some.  They are still stiff today, and some delayed cramping is setting into my calves, but I'm attacking them with the roller periodically and as long as I can grit my teeth through that extra pain, it helps!  Contemplating a recovery jog today...decisions, decisions.  

In other news, I was looking at my previous marathon stats to compare to this one...

November 2011, Charlotte, NC -- 3:16:11 / 164 ft

November 2013, Richmond, VA -- 3:21: 39 / 245 ft

June 2017, Williamson, WV -- 3:25:36 / 1873 ft

This may have been my slowest of my 3 marathons, but I was more prepared for this one, and ran a much stronger race.  I didn't even hit the "wall" in this one.  Also...check out that huge elevation difference between this one and the previous two!  

Blue Ridge Week

 This week : 

M : run w/Mollie 8.2 / 8:35 / 269 ft

T : group 6.6 / 7:32 / 102 ft

4 x 1600 (6:40, 6:30, 3:30, 6:17)

W : run 4.2 / 7:36 / 230 ft

R : 20 minute yoga for hip flexibility

F : off

Sa : race Blue Ridge 13.1 / 7:33 / 1864 ft

cool down 1 / 9:23 / 0 ft

Su : 40 minute recovery yoga

total miles : 33.2

It's been a good week!  Also, a very rainy week.  Monday Mollie and I were both out of school for Easter, so we got to go for a nice midday run around town.  It felt good for my legs to get some long-er miles in without working too hard.  Tuesday was Track Tuesday of course, and raining, since it does almost every Track Tuesday.  Corey wanted 1600 repeats, and I had been trying to decide between repeats and doing 4 fast miles in a row, so I decided to repeats as well.  I did not try to do them at a normal 1600 repeat pace.  I opted to start slower, and try to make each one a bit faster.  And then of course I did work harder on the last one on purpose... But either way, I was not depleted at the end, which was good.  Didn't want to wear myself out too hard before Blue Ridge!

                                        Monday                                                      Tuesday 

I wanted to do yoga on Wednesday and jog on Thursday, but Spring Program at school was on Thursday evening, and I knew I wouldn't get home til 8 at the earliest.  I thought about running first thing in the morning, but I wasn't sleeping well this week and sleep seemed more important than running.  So, I went for a jog Wednesday and did yoga in my classroom on Thursday in between school and the performance.  Friday was a rest day because I almost always take off the day before a race, but also because there was no time for exercise!  I was at school til 5:30 because my student council was hosting a fundraiser dance so of course I had to be there.  

On Saturday it took me too long to choke down my breakfast so I didn't get to the race in time to do a proper warm up, but in the end I figured that was a good thing since it would force me to use the first mile as a warm up and help keep me from starting too fast.  The race ended up going really well, I didn't let the competition effect my race, and I ran exactly the race I needed to.  I didn't quite negative-split it, but my second half was less than a minute longer than my first half, so I will take it! I feel like the rules for negative-splitting have to be effected by elevation change anyway.  I didn't die until the last mile, and if I'm not dead in the last mile, I'm not working hard enough!  I finished 2 minutes faster than the last year, but still a minute slower than my course PR.   Maybe next year will be my year!  I have very high hopes for improvement in my running as long as I stay injury free!  

I wanted a shake out jog today, but it has been cold and raining all. day. long. My legs are stiff and sore because I was stupid and didn't stretch after the race, and I figured running in the wet cold would not help.  So I just did yoga.  

Star City race week

This week : 

T : Wolf Pack 4.6 /8:37 / 203 ft

W : 5 / 7:35 / 364 ft

R : Wold Pack 4.6 / 8:10 / 177 ft

Sa : warm up w/Corey 1.4 / 7:53 / 43 ft

Star City 13.1 / 6:56 / 262 ft

cool down w/Corey 0.6 / 9:26 / 0 ft

total : 29.4 miles

I took it pretty easy this week, afraid to overdo it before the race, knowing the 12+ mile run last week had gone really well but also tired me out.  I've never been a big fan of tapering, but I'd say this is the closest I've ever come.  I guess it was worth it since I had a great race!  

I'm currently not too happy, because I have tendonitis pain in my right foot.  It's rather baffling, because there was zero foot pain yesterday.  My legs are itching for an easy shakeout jog today to loosen up, but I'm not gonna risk it.  I don't want to play games with this stupid pain.  I've been icing it and massaging it and hopefully it will go away soon!