I truly sincerely miss my Beachbody programs. I miss hanging with my challenge groups and sharing all the inside jokes about the work outs we are doing. I can't wait to do another program again. I was completely unprepared for how sport-specific my training would have to be for this half marathon!
It's taken me ten of the twelve weeks of my training plan plus a couple of months of physical therapy before that to fully appreciate how important REST is.
I was absolutely killed by an 8 mile long run a couple of weeks ago. It was a new long distance for me and it was difficult right from the get go and downright miserable at the end:
I was in so much pain - I had cramps, I had nausea, I had that moment of "I FREAKING HATE THIS" at about the 5 mile mark. In hindsight I'll count that as a victory because for most of my life that "I HATE RUNNING" moment came about 30 seconds into running, haha. I was so sore the next two days that I could barely even walk - my shins hurt again (worse than any time before in my training plan) and my knees swelled up and were so very painful - doing steps was agony. I was scheduled to run on Monday morning. I did drag myself out of bed but I wasn't upset at all when Joe's run took longer than anticipated, leaving me in inadequate time to complete my five miles in time to get the rest of my day happening on time. I changed out of my winter running clothes into shorts and a tank top and hit up my basement gym for my PT strength training and some yoga. I was still way too sore to run anyway. Tuesday I was going to "make up" that five but I did 3.5 instead and headed to PT. The change in my demeanor was pretty obvious. The PT looked me over and declared (unsurprisingly) that all my aches and pains were just related to the increase in miles. It was good to hear that I hadn't seriously injured myself but also a bit disheartening knowing that there was very little rest between me and my half marathon in which to recover. I was prepping for a miserable three weeks but there was no way I was giving up. My five miles that Thursday were comfortable.
Joe and I ran a 10k race in downtown Pittsburgh the following Saturday. This was a taper for me since the previous week had been my disastrous 8 mile break down. The six miles passed with effort but I wasn't too sore after. I was chasing the 10:30 pacer for most of the race but had to let go when my shoelaces came untied around mile 4. I just didn't have it in me to chase her down after that. I was running at the very top of my ability level and my heart rate showed it - I had an average of 168 with more than 70% of the race in my heart rate "red zone", when typically I only hit this zone for 10-20% of any given training run. After seeing my chip time, though, I was pleasantly surprised. I finished in 1:04:45 with a calculated pace of 10:20 min/mi. Apparently the 10:30 pacer finished significantly ahead of her pace - that's why I couldn't keep up with her. I'd honestly rather have it that way than the other way around, so it's all good. As far as being a dry run for the half goes, the clothing (except the dang shoe lace), the fueling, and the tech all cooperated. Overall I called it a huge success!
I was pleasantly surprised at how not-dying I felt even after such a hard effort in that race. I ran five miles on Tuesday and Thursday of this week with one PT strength session on Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the week I rested. I would have liked to have gone to a spin class but they were all on the same days that I ran and I didn't want to overdo it, so I erred on the side of taking more rest. It has paid off in great amounts. Even after my 9 mile run today - I HAVE NO SHIN PAIN!
I've had a really hectic schedule this weekend with Beaver Valley Choral Society concerts and had a very difficult time carving out a 2hr block for this weekend's long run. I managed to do so this morning by foregoing church. When the alarm went off this morning I *almost* didn't get up. I knew that if I ran in the morning, I would be going alone. However, my race will be in the morning, so another chance to practice my morning routine and fueling is invaluable. If I ran in the evening, there was a chance we might be able to find a sitter and run together. I'm so very glad that I got my butt out of bed and went for it. I was mentally hesitant but physically feeling quite well - once again to my surprise. So I checked a route for roundabout mileage and set out. I made a couple of extra laps around a beautiful cemetery in a neighboring town so that I could finish my miles *before* I got back into my own neighborhood. That last mile near my home always seemed to be the ugly one, so I managed to cut it out completely today. I also changed some things about my morning fueling routine that seemed to do the trick in regards to not needing to stop for a potty break. My pace was significantly slower than my "norm" but it's my understanding that a long run should be taken slower anyway. I really reigned it in and found that I never got fully tired. I powered up my arch nemesis hill without walking, even when it came on mile 7.5! I skipped the last three walk breaks and sprinted across my favorite bridge over the Ohio. All in all it was a perfect training run!
I'm now sitting with some ice on my sore knees and readying myself for one last BVCS concert today. The weather today is absolutely beautiful, so we are hoping to loosen up tonight by walking the kids to a nearby playground. Now I'll rest again and look forward to my next five on Tuesday.
Happy weekend, everyone!
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