Week 11 - Marathon Trainin Recap

Have I really been working this hard for 11 straight weeks?  Week 12 will make 3 solid months of running my butt off!  In some ways I think the time has flown by but when I always thought of how far away the marathon was it seemed so long...well not anymore.  3 weeks until the Chicago Marathon.  The weather is turning into fall across the country and I couldn't be happier, I'm just hoping it doesn't decide to revert back to summer or skip into freezing winter anytime soon.  

Week 11 was good, I felt strong and actually looked forward to my runs or exercise after work.

Monday - 5.0 miles SUPER EASY + Yoga - DID IT

Since I could run the 5.0 mile out and back on the Burke Gilman trail with my eyes shut in my sleep I didn't bring my garmin on this run.  Just me and the pup and my legs felt really strong for having run 20 miles only two days before...yeah for ice baths and proper stretching! I followed the run with a 20 minute Exercise On Demand yoga sesh.

Tuesday - 6.0 mile run with repeats x4 - 6.0 mile tempo run

56:00 - 9:24 pace

I was feeling the need for speed on this run so I warmed up for about 2 miles and then picked up the pace and ran miles 3 and 4 at about a 9:00 mile.  Mile 5 was about 9:20 and mile 6 was a little under 10:00.  It felt good to pick up the pace and remind myself that I can run faster than 10:30/miles since I feel like that is all I do with all the mileage associated with long runs.

Wednesday - Personal trainer - DID IT
I made the mistake of telling Sara I didn't have to run an insanely long run this weekend so she kicked my butt with a 12 circuit routine.  1 minute for each exercise, repeat circuit 3 times.  The circuit including horsey which is demonstrated in the video below.  After I did horsey for the first circuit my heart rate was sky high and never went down for the rest of the hour!



Thursday - run with Sonia - 3.25 mile run
33:00 - 10:00 pace
What a random distance you say?  Well my running plans fell through and I really didn't want to run 5 miles on the training plan so I just went out running with no plan in mind and ran 3.25 with the pup.  I finished the evening by making Peas and Thank You Thai Fried Rice which was delicious!

Friday - REST - Body Flow class
I have been meaning to take the Body Flow class at my gym forever and decided to use my lunch break to do it today.  It is a great mix of yoga and pilates and it wasn't too hard but provided some great stretching, hip opening, and core strengthening that I need.

Saturday - 13.1 mile long run - DID IT
2:10:00 - 9:55 pace
In honor of all my bloggy friends running half marathon's this weekend, I decided to run my own half marathon.  In order to truly make it feel "race like" I decided to pick up the pace a bit from my normal long runs and I felt strong the whole way.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a medal or post race food at the end :(.  It also helped that Fall decided to arrive in Seattle over the weekend so it was cool and cloudy the entire time...perfect running weather!

Half marathon runners - go check out their recaps!
Christy at My Dirt Road Anthem
Kerrie at Mom vs. Marathon. She SMOKED her sub-2 hour goal!
Mel at Tall Mom on the Run
Runner's Kitchen 

Sunday - REST - DID IT
Today was me day! I went and got a new haircut, bought some much needed work clothes and met a good friend for a late lunch.

Total Mileage: 27 miles
Total Strength: 1
Total Yoga: 2...woohoo! 

Marathon Training Week 12 - Say It Do It - September 19-25
Monday - 5.0 miles easy!
Tuesday - 6.0 miles - run last half faster than first
Wednesday - Personal Training
Thursday - 5.0 miles moderate
Friday - 12.0 long run
Saturday & Sunday - REST!  I have a friend from Cali coming into town so we are going to play all weekend!

Question: How on earth to do you decide what to pack to wear for a marathon where the weather could potentially be unpredictable?  I'm thinking about just shorts and a tank and I know I'll eventually warm up right?

The 100 Mile Club!

Okay, I just made up that club, but when I realized it was the end of August I took a peek at my Daily Mile stats and WHOA!  125 miles in the month of August!  Far and away my highest mileage month of my life, which clearly makes sense since I'm training for a marathon but it still surprised me.

I officially started training for the Chicago Marathon at the beginning of July, but was in training mode for half marathons since March.  It is really amazing to see my mileage creep and then BAM...over 100! 

You can visit my training page for details on all the marathon training weeks. 

I can honestly say I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life right now and I'm ready to take on this marathon with everything I have!  I guess you could say after realizing that I ran 125 miles in August I had an "a-ha" moment as Oprah says...as in "a-ha, I really can run a marathon".  Something I never dreamed would happen when I began running 4 years ago. 

I just got a mac at work and took some time yesterday to discover the photo features that I'm sure will be useful in my everyday job duties.

This is called "comic book"...I don't know why I decided to be scared about it.

Question: What has been one of your running a-ha moments?

Week 7 - Marathon Trainin Recap

Hello Summer!  Welcome to Seattle, thanks for staying for the entire week!  I don't think the weather could have been more perfect...sunny but not too hot, perfect for perfecting my running tank top tan line.  Sorry for the lack of pics this week...I was too busy soaking up the sun to remember to document it.

Monday - 5.0 mile run- DID IT
51:00 - 10:15 pace
Took the pup on a run and we went north on the Burke Gilman trail for a change.  Took it slow since the pup is starting to show her age and had a hard time making it 5 miles.  Did a yoga on demand quick routine when I got home.

Tuesday - 6.0 miles with 5 - 3 minute pickups - DID IT
59:00 - 9:47 pace
Warmed up for 2 miles then started the 3 minute pickups.  Kept the pickup pace between 8:30-9:00/mile and took a 3 minute rest in between sets.

Wednesday - Personal Training - DID IT
Another hot day!  Sara pushed me as always and we did lots of lunges then about a million step-ups on a bench, pushups and tricep dips.  My shoulders were on FIRE the next day...in a good way of course.

Thursday - 5.0 mile easy to moderate run - DID IT
48:00 - 9:30 pace
Ran around Greenlake before meeting a friend for dinner and decided to push it a bit more than usual.  Pace felt good and I stretched in the park before having some mexican food followed by self serve fro-yo!

Friday - Rest Day - DID IT
Enjoyed happy hour outside in Madison Park followed by a good night's rest to prepare for the big run on Saturday.

Saturday - 16.0 mile long run - DID IT!!!
16.0 miles - 2:47:39 - 10:28 pace
OMG...this run was HARD, but I guess that is why marathons aren't easy.  I ran this alone and it was definitely more of a mentally hard time than physically hard.  I mapped a loop course from my house that had me running through some of my favorite Seattle places like Montlake Park and Lake Union and Gasworks Park.  The great news was that my pace remained pretty consistent and my hips had NO PAIN!  I stopped at Gasworks to refill my water bottles and splash water on my face...the sun was beating down hard and I even have a fun tan line from my Garmin watch to prove it.

The run was so long it wouldn't even fit on my computer screen to get this screen capture!

I can honestly say after this run I feel like I'm really almost ready to run a marathon!  I would have never imagined being able to run this much mileage in one week including an almost 3 hour run a year ago.  It really is amazing what your body will do for you when you treat it right and train smart.  My new marathon fear is now what the weather will be like on race day which I know is silly because it is something I CANNOT control.

Sunday - No Plans - Yoga at the Gym
I realized I didn't plan anything for whatever weekend day I didn't run, but I woke up Sunday morning and hit up my gym for yoga since my personal trainer, Sara, was teaching.  It was the PERFECT thing to do after a long run.  We spent lots of time opening up the hips and stretching hamstrings.  I may have had some influence with the teacher and what she focused on ;).

Total Mileage: 32
Total Strength: 1
Total Yoga:2

ALL goals met for the week!!

Marathon Training Week 8 - Say It Do It - August 22-28
Monday - 5 miles easy - boot camp workout at Element 5 Fitness
Tuesday - 6 miles marathon pace - aim for 10:30
Wednesday - Personal Training
Thursday - 5 miles - run last half faster than first half
Friday - Yoga or rest
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 18 miles! <---swapping weeks for this long run to free up my Labor Day weekend

Question: Do you have any mental "tricks" to help yourself through a long run or race?  I try to break the run into parts, like 3 miles to Montlake Park, another 3 until I go downhill, etc.

Week 5 - Marathon Trainin Recap

It was the first week of August, a milestone birthday for me and summer decided to make it's appearance in Seattle.  I'm pretty sure the temperature hit 70 or higher everyday, hello summer!  Plus...it was my last 4 days of work before being on vacation for a WHOLE WEEK!  

Monday - 5.0 miles in the AM/ Personal training in the PM - DID IT!
51:00 - 10:11 pace
Man running in the morning is both refreshing and hard at the same time.  It felt amazing to be outside in the cool fresh breeze and although I felt like I was sprinting my pace told me otherwise.  Stacey was extra excited for some morning exercise since usually her mornings consist of a quick potty break and back to bed for the day. I was pretty tired when it came to personal training in the afternoon but I powered through and we worked on inner/outer thigh/glutes with some chest and biceps thrown in.  Sara really knows how to combine two exercises to get the most bang for your buck. 

Tuesday - 5.0 mile run - DID IT
51:00 - 10:11 pace
Feeling a little slow this week I guess.  It was pretty H-O-T out and by hot I mean above 70 and sunny.  You won't hear ANY complaining here about the weather from me since this is the first full week of summer weather Seattle has seen!

Wednesday - 6.0 mile run - DID IT
57:00 - 9:30 pace
I met a new friend, Sonia, for this run around Lake Union.  She is new to Seattle so I taught her the secret way to make the 6 mile loop.  We chatted the WHOLE way about everything under the sun and I'm excited to have a new running buddy...you can never have too many! She is a bit faster than me and I was proud I could keep up and chat at the same time.   Did I mention how nice it is in Seattle this week:

Exhibit A:

Thursday -REST - DID IT
Today was a rest day since I have the scary big ol 14 miler tomorrow!  It was also another important day...

My co-workers took me out to lunch for my b-day and spoiled me with decorations, an orchid plants, and gift cards...they rock!  The afternoon consisted of happy hour on the Ivars deck overlooking Lake Union and downtown Seattle. 

Friday -14.0 mile long run - DID IT
2:23:00 - 10:13 pace
Personal distance record baby!  My friend's Stacey and Katie ran their 14 miles the weekend before the Stacey said the feeling of going past 13.1 miles was awesome when you know every step beyond the half marathon is uncharted territory.  I decided to do an out and back on the Burke Gilman Trail taking me through the University of Washington to Gasworks park almost to Ballard...and turn around.  I kept a good pace the entire time and never felt really tired.  My hips were screaming at me the end and I ended up with a 3rd degree chafing burn from my sports bra, but otherwise, I consider this long run a screaming success!  I did a little happy dance when I stopped and walked about a half mile to recover. 

I wonder if my Garmin was as proud of me as I was?

Saturday -REST - DID IT
Rest rest rest after 14 miles and the partying the night away with my friends for my 30th birthday.  Plus, oh yeah, I'm getting on a plane to go see my family in upstate New York.  I wasn't sore at all except a little knee pain when going down stairs.  I can really tell my legs are getting stronger since I managed to dance 2+ hours in heels on top of 14 miles.

Sunday - REST - DID IT
I arrived to see my family in upstate New York today...yeah...vacation!

My cousin Kristin and I cruisin the Hudson River

Total Mileage: 30 miles <---- Definitely the most I've ever run in one week!

Total Strength Sessions: 1 personal training
Total Yoga: NONE again...

Marathon Training Week 6 - Say It Do It - August 8-14
I'm in NY with family this week so I'm not going to STRESS if I don't complete my runs and I will repeat this sentence to myself over and over again when I do start stressing.

Monday - 5.0 mile run
Tuesday - Yoga for runners podcast or rest
Wednesday - 6.0 mile run
Thursday - REST - going to a Yankee game!
Friday -5.0 mile run
Saturday - REST and fly home
Sunday - 8.0 mile long run

Question: Do you have any go-to recovery food or drinks you swear by after a long run?  I really love Muscle Milk even though I know there is an ingredient list about a mile long, but it really works for me so I'm sticking with it.