Tuesday, 12/31 → 6 mile run (treadmill) + phase 3 lift
Wednesday, 1/1 → Rest
Thursday, 1/2 → Rest
Friday, 1/3 → 6 mile run (treadmill)
Saturday, 1/4 → 3 mile run (elliptical) + phase 3 lift
Sunday, 1/5 → 18 mile run
Sunday, 1/5 → 18 mile run
I think it's safe to say I'm back on the horse. Motivation is still a bit of a struggle (maybe it will always be for me!) but my workouts are feeling good and challenging - right where I need them to be. It is noticeably more packed in the gym these days which makes me feel happy that so many people are getting out and moving their bodies, but equally a little stressed because it's not as easy to do my workouts the way I would like to. On Saturday all the treadmills were taken so I rocked my 3 miles out on the elliptical. 😂 Not *technically* the same thing but it got the job done. I've also started phase 3 of my strength training and it's KICKING MY ASS.
It's a circuit where I need to move around the gym a little bit to get all of my exercises in, so I'm always slightly concerned that someone is going to see an unattended stability ball and take it to use on their own. 😂 This circuit is super tough but I'm actually really loving it! I feel like I'm getting an amazing workout and I feel like it does a lot to strengthen my lower body.
I've been doing my short and mid-distance runs at 10min/mi pace this week and I feel like with quicker paced short runs + my strength training, I really saw results on my long run yesterday! I really tried to focus on my fueling and hydration plan on this run. I pre-gamed with a salt tablet (these have honestly been a game changer for my long runs), English muffin with chocolate hummus, and a banana. I then made sure to hydrate every mile, took a gel or blocks every 45 minutes, and a salt tablet every hour. It was actually nice to have something to remember to do at certain times of my run and it made the miles go by faster, and I felt great for most of the run! I will say that I didn't take in any fuel for the last hour or so of the run (just water) and I was definitely feeling it at the end. Just goes to show, fueling is important, y'all!
In addition to my fueling/hydration plan, I tried to really focus on maintaining a good pace. In order to hit sub-5 on race day, I need to maintain an 11:26/mi pace, so on this run I tried to keep myself slower than a 10:15 and faster than a 11:26. I'm still getting the hang of pacing and I still feel like I my splits were a little all over the place. However, focusing on my pacing made my run enjoyable and I felt pretty strong nearly all the way through! You'll see I get pretty tired for the last 3 miles but hopefully that's to be expected when you run that far. 😂 I am THRILLED with the pace I ended up with (10:42/mi!) and am so proud with my ability to maintain for the entire run!
I always always always get the long-run-scaries these days. I always doubt myself for some reason and I have a long way to go with my mental game (it's an every day battle!). Saturday night before this run I felt really bad and my nerves were going crazy, so to be able to perform the way I did yesterday makes me feel really great. I have my 20 mile long run this weekend and I hope that I can remember how good this 18 miler felt and bring a little bit of confidence into my longest run of this cycle. Fingers crossed that I can duplicate these efforts! 🤞
I basically spent the rest of the day yesterday in bed because (fun stuff) I ended up chafing THE FUCK out of my thighs on this run. I was wearing a pair of fleece-lined leggings for the first time (since it was windy and in the 30s!) and I have lived to regret that decision greatly. I'll get some thigh chafing on most of my long runs but this was next fucking level. 😭 So I'm on the mend for the next few days while I shop for much better leggings. Luckily Brett is the sweetest guy and was nice enough to make me some post-run food and deliver it to me in bed while I was in agony. 😂 Lessons learned, people!
Week 12 is PEAK WEEK! I have a 4 miler, two 5 milers, and a 20 miler to get under my belt, plus two phase 3 lifts. Then it's time to taper! I really need to start stretching and/or foam rolling (both if we're being honest with ourselves here) so I'm going to challenge myself to work in one or both every day for the rest of training. I need to make sure my legs are at their best so they can perform their best on race day. I leave for New Orleans a month from tomorrow - SO CRAZY!!!
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