A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Monday, July 4, 2016

Via Marathon Training: Week 8

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Wow, it is so much more fun to write this training log when I actually feel like I trained! That being said, I don't feel prepared at ALL to run a marathon. Luckily I have 10 weeks left. But still. It sounds so soon. And I'm not even in shape to PR in the half at this point let alone a full.

So the goal for this week was to run around 30-35 miles without my PF coming back. I ended up with 37 and all is well in the foot area. (Knock on wood.) I shaved off some mileage here and there so I didn't have too much of a dramatic change in mileage from last week (only 23 miles) to this week.

Here is how it all panned out...

Monday- 6 miles (8:52). Paul and I had our first disc golf/running date of the summer at Middlesex Park. It was hard. The humidity was crazy, there were hills, and my knee was bothering me. My reward for just making it through the run was to cool off in the park's splash pad. This park may be my new favorite disc golf/running date location due to the splash pad! Yes, there were kids playing in it. Yes, I was the only adult cooling off. No, I didn't care.


Tuesday- Speed work: 4x1200 with 400 recoveries. A one mile warm up and cool down brought me to 6 miles total. I hadn't done speed work since Week 4. I carefully read the workouts I missed and what I was technically supposed to do today and decided I should do Week 5's workout. I shortened the warm up and cool down in my efforts to shave down my mileage for this week. What made this workout hard was having only 1/4 mile to recover! It was not enough for me to recover! My pace was to be 6:51-7:10. I was pleased that my first interval was a 7:00 (due to a hill right at the end) and the last three intervals were all 6:52. I know 7:10 would have technically been acceptable, but in my mind, it wasn't acceptable. I was running my speed work in the low 6:50s before this PF shit, and I was determined to prove I hadn't lost any fitness in the interim. I don't know if I proved I didn't lose fitness, but I did prove I could endure those paces on that day!

Wednesday- REST. Lifting chest @ Planet Fitness. I was feeling a little mopey today because I was convinced at some point my feet were going to start hurting from my speed work the day before but they didn't. I broke the rules and this was not a complete rest day, but it was rest for my legs and feet. I am not perfect. (Not that you thought I was!)

Chest Press- 1x10x25lb, 3x10x30lb!!! ***There is no reason I shouldn't be doing all of my chest presses at 30lb right now!***

Shoulder Press- 5x10x25lb

Push Ups- 5x15 ***Omg normally I do these before shoulder press and it is so much easier!***

Tricep Push Downs- 5x10x40lb ***Paul just informed me just because I was on Plate 4 doesn't mean it's 40lb. So I have no clue how many pounds it is.***

Stability Ball Knee Tuck- 5x15
Captain's Chair- 5x20
Planks- 4x30sec, 2x60sec

Hip/Glute exercises
Lots of stretching!

I wanted to try 35lb chest press and asked Paul to spot me, but I realized I would need two spotters. I don't think I would be able to lean back and get into position holding the dumbbells on my own. I think I need to lay down and then have someone hand me the dumbbells... but probably I need to be handed them both at the same time so that means two people. It's so complicated. Who wants to come to Planet Fitness with me and Paul sometime and hand me a 35lb dumbbell???

Thursday- 7 miles w/ 5 @ race pace (7:49). The workout was supposed to be 10 miles w/ 7 @ race pace, so here is another example how I am modifying the mileage for now. This is only my fifth tempo run and it is still very hard for me to find a 7:49 pace. I am all out of whack. I'll be in the 7:10s, then the 8:20s, then the 6:50s... it is not even at all. But by the end of the five miles I averaged a 7:47. I really hope I soon fall into the groove where I can just cruise in the 7:40s without looking at my watch. Also, this workout was my first run that felt EASY in a very, very long time. For instance, on Monday, trying to run 6 miles at a nine minute pace was very hard. But today, I felt GREAT! I think it helped that I got this run done early and it wasn't humid at all. Boy does that make a difference!

Friday- 6 miles (8:54). Another disc golf/running date! Paul played at a course near the apartment complex in which I used to live. I ran the exact running route I used to run every. damn. day. Oh, the memories! Oh, the hills! Yeah, the neighborhood was way more hilly than I thought! My legs were quite tired the whole run.

Saturday- 8 miles (8:56). The plan called for 10 miles but here is another example of where I shaved a couple miles off. My knee felt a little weak but my feet felt fine. Unfortunately I got my period that morning so this whole run was sucky. Any run I do on Day #1 of my period always sucks!

Sunday- 4 miles(8:15). A little too fast. I was supposed to do 10 miles but shaved some off. Part of this run I did on the road and part I did at the gym. Then I lifted upper body, did all my stretching and hip/glute stuff. I did minimal core. I was tired! Running and lifting on the same day is just not my cup of tea but I don't have much of an option right now!

Chest Press- 3x10x25lb, 2x10x30lb
Asst. Pull Ups- 3x8x16lb asst, 2x10x22lb asst.
Inverted Row- 5x10
Push Ups- 5x15
Bicycles- 5x40
Capt. Chair- 1x20
Shoulder Press- 5x10x20lb (should have done 22.5)
Cable Row- 5x50lb
Bicep Curls- 5x10x15lb
Tricep Dips- 5x15


Training Goals:

1. Rest days = complete rest! Well, since there's only one rest day and I lifted instead of rested, that's an automatic F!
2. Walk 1 min per mile run. B
3. Stretch after each run. A
4. Foam roll when needed. A
5. Glute/hip exercises 5 days per week. B
6. Stick to the prescribed paces. A
7. Practice proper hydration and fueling. Read as much as I can on the topic. F
8. Alter training if I feel potential for injury. A
How were your workouts this week?

23 comments:

  1. I like to run in a place that I haven't ran in a long time. It certainly does bring back memories and keeps my mind of how hard running is!

    Glad that your foot is holding up!

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    1. Yeah anything to get my mind of running these days, I'm with ya!

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  2. I need to write up my weekly recap. On paper it looks good, physically it feels like crap. But today is sports PT/massage visit day. Should be interesting! Good that you have modified your workouts to keep problems away. 10 weeks is a long time. You will do great! Keep training smart :)

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    1. Oh I hope your appointment goes well today girl!

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  3. Way to go, Megan! Awesome that you are back to it and feeling great. I would love to run my old running route when Rick and I lived in our other house. Maybe I will have to do that, since I am always looking for new routes.

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    1. You should definitely do that and take a trip down memory lane!

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    2. My old loop was 6 miles. Now I do a 5K. Maybe I can make it a "long run" -- LOL.

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    3. Or walk some of it with Macy Girl!

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  4. I've missed you! I'm so glad to come back and read that your PF is gone! WOOHOOO! Nice job listening to and taking care of your hot bod, Meg!

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  5. I think you did a great job, personally. You still have 10 weeks until the marathon and you're being smart to modify due to injury and NOT run the full mileage. Nothing wrong with shaving a few miles off to ensure you are running this upcoming week, and the next week, oh and the actual RACE in 10 weeks. Because what good is perfect training if you get injured and can't run the marathon?

    Looks like you had a lot of lifting this week too! I wish I knew how to do more in the gym. I mostly just do BodyPump with the occasional leg workouts thrown in but my upper body is ridiculously weak...

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    1. Thanks girl! Yesterday I said to myself, what's the use of running 10 miles if I potentially have to pay for it next week??? I am hoping to do a double digit run or two this week!

      Besides my floor work for glute and hip stuff, I don't do any lower body anymore because unfortunately it bothers my ITB way too much. I used to be able to squat, lunge, leg press, all that good stuff, but not anymore. It's just not worth it to be in pain later. Luckily the floor stuff is SOMETHING.

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  6. Looks like a great week to me. I always console myself after a bad training run by reminding myself that there are a lot of built in safety nets to a training plan. So many of us runners feel like we have to hit every single workout perfectly, don't we?

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    1. Yah. I just wish my easy runs felt easy but they feel like sludge. Oh well. I will plow through!

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  7. That cat gif is giving me life!!!!

    I'm glad you got a solid week and training in. I know that will definitely help your confidence. I think the reason training plans are so long is so that you can have plenty of time to take time off for injury if necessary. 10 weeks is plenty of time for you to get back into marathon shape!

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  8. DAMN what a week! I am a little fatigued just reading the recap!

    Running + lifting on the same day is not my cup of tea either. It's impossible to try to make any types of gains when you are starting out so tired already.

    Does your gym have a bar you can use for chest press? That would make it easier for just Paul to spot you. When I was lifting heavier that's what I used to use so that Adam could spot me. Also, does your gym have a cage? If so you could drag a bench under the cage, place the bar across the cage and then set yourself under it. Paul could/should still spot you, but I prefer getting the bar that way. Even though Adam is a million times stronger than me I just wouldn't have felt totally in control waiting for him to put the bar in my hands.

    These days I just do chest press with 20lb dumbbells or 25 max so this isn't an issue for me. All the running just tires me out too much to lift anything heavier. You are my idol!

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    1. You are one of the only people I know who understand my running/lifting dichotomy! Okay, so our gym has smith machines so the bar weighs 15lb, so I would basically have to put like 25-30lb on each side of the bar and I would get what I want.... BUT it is so much harder doing dumbbells than a bar, you know? I like the idea of doing it with dumbbells. :) So yes, technically I could do it with a bar, and maybe that is my only option at this point.

      Like I said, my upper body strength + your lower body strength = a FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!!!!

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    2. I totally understand, I prefer using dumbbells as well. The bar is the tradeoff for getting to move up to higher weights. What about alternating between higher reps with dumbbells somedays, and higher weight with the bar other days?

      To be honest, I think combined we would win every olympic sport.

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  9. They clearly don't know that you are a freaking beast in the weight room! They see your lovely smile and sweet face and they underestimate what you are capable of! :)

    I have an F because I am not grading myself on how much water I am drinking. I am grading myself on learning about why I am getting calf cramps in all my races, how to prevent them, and practice proper hydration during my runs. The only run this week I took water on was my speed work. I stopped for a sip of water on my front stoop ONCE during that workout. That's why I graded myself an F!

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  10. I would offer Roger to spot you, because I know he has done chest press with dumbbells before, but he might get mad at me for offering his muscles like a piece of meat.... or he might love the attention, I don't know!

    Is Disc golf a new hobby? Adventure Park behind Wegmans has disc golf nets (or whatever they are called), but you might already know that.

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    1. I bet he would love the attention. I would!! :)

      Disc golf is not a new hobby of Paul's, he has liked it for several years now. However, we just found out about the course at Adventure Park this past weekend!! We are going to try it out. He can DG and I can run on the path. :)

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