Vermont City Marathon Training – Week 7

This was kind of a weird week in marathon training land for me. All my workouts for the week went much better than expected, but my confidence level was way down. Maybe it was because I was shaking off the cold that I almost caught but managed to fight off, so I was feeling lethargic all week. Maybe I just hit that point in a training plan where you start wondering if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. 

In any event, this is one of those training weeks I’ll be able to look back at and say, yes, I’m ready, I’m prepared, because the stats were great!

Current Goal: 

My goal last week was to negative split my long run. I didn’t make that goal, but I was only off by 2 minutes, which I’m very happy about. The hill I incorporate into every long run was in mile 14 and that mile was a minute and 20 seconds slower than my overall pace. I’d say given that factor, I conserved my energy pretty well.

The goal this week is to get more strength training done – I did one measly session at home this week and it wasn’t particularly enthusiastic.

Long Run:

I was so nervous before my long run. I had the afternoon on Friday to get it done and I just felt like my stomach was in knots all morning. It was partially because it was 16 miles, the longest I’d run in this training cycle (and since I was pregnant with Tanner). It was also because a friend of mine was having pretty serious surgery that day and I told her I would dedicate my long run to sending her strength. I kept checking her Facebook page all day to see the updates (her mother was updating as the surgery progressed) and thinking about her.

And of course just as I was about to leave, I realized I probably needed water and fuel. I swear, I am so disorganized for this marathon. I had to scour the cupboards and made do with a snack box of raisins. Then half a mile down the road I noticed I was not carrying my water bottle…so the first mile was a quick out and back to get my water. Once I got into my rhythm and relaxed a bit, it felt good. Once I got to the lake it was ridiculously windy – I’d put my earphones in once I got there, but gave up after about 20 minutes since I couldn’t hear over the wind and the waves. 

Despite my nerves about it, it went much better than my 14 miles from two weeks ago and my pace was faster, too. Feeling good about this milestone! And p.s. my friend is doing great!

Speed Workout:

This was such a fun one! 2 miles warm up, 1 mile marathon pace, 2 miles of doing 1 min fast, 1 min regular pace, 2 miles cool down. My splits for the interval miles were 8:32 and 8:44 – not blazing fast, but I definitely was feeling like I was pushing in the 1 minute kicks.

Regular Run:

I forgot my watch. I realized this fact moments before being dropped off for this run. Now, in hindsight, this wasn’t a big deal. It’s a regular/recovery run, just a chance for me to build some endurance and loosen up a bit. 

I had my phone with me, so I figured I’d just look at the time when I started, then map it when I got home. (Yes, I’m addicted to my running stats. I’m at peace with it.) Then I remembered I had the RunKeeper app, so I started the running timer on it, popped my phone in my pocket and ran. 

I’ve been making a concerted effort lately to look at my watch less when I run, so not knowing my pace wasn’t too much of a struggle. However, not knowing the mileage felt weird. If I was in Brooklyn I could tell you to the tenth of a mile the running distance from A to B, but I’m not familiar enough with the running routes up here yet. I made a guess at a turnaround point to get 7 miles done, but I was a little off. 

Turns out running by feel and effort actually works wonders…It was my fastest run to date. Also, the hill involved (my nemesis, aka mile 15 of the upcoming marathon) only slowed my pace to 10:00 for that mile. The fastest I’ve taken on the hill mile before has been 10:32. BOOM.

Other Workouts:

One short and not so sweet strength workout, but for the most part I felt like my body was fighting something, so I let myself rest. Except that Baby T has started crawling in earnest, so much of my day is spent chasing and/or fetching him. (Which is definitely more active for me than nursing him and having him nap on me). 😉

Notes From the Week:

Lots of stretching and foam rolling happened this week – my calves are feeling tight, so I’ve been paying more attention to them. I think my takeaway from the week is to be a little more methodical and prepared about my runs, especially the long run – I already have Gummi bears on my shopping list! 😉

Weekly Mileage:

29.6 miles

Total Mileage:

119.84

Have you ever done a naked run? (In either sense of the phrase?)

Do you get nervous before a long run?