Last week I had 37 miles. This week I had 35. I'm going backwards...
I have not hit any of the recommended weekly mileage since Week 4.
I have been getting SLOWER. My tempo and speed workouts are getting HARDER.
I do not feel strong. I feel weak and sluggish.
Guys, I am being completely honest with you... I cannot imagine running a marathon 9 weeks from now, let alone running a PR marathon, which is my ultimate goal.
Monday- 6 miles (8:55). This was a Garmin-less run due to the fact that I lost my Garmin!!! I timed the run with my mp3 player so I was able to figure out my average pace.
Tuesday- Speed work: 400-800-1200-1600-1200-800 w/ 400 recoveries. I did this workout on the treadmill due to the missing Garmin. It was very, very hard. My heart was beating out of my chest by the third interval and it did stop! 400 was not enough recovery time for me. But I am proud to say I completed every interval @ 6:53 w/ 1% incline. I was so glad to be done.
Wednesday- REST. Lifting back @ home. I wasn't going to do anything today until Paul suggested going out to eat later. Yeah, the weird part of my brain determined I'd better workout if we were going out to eat. Oh well.
Band Asst. Wide Grip Pull Ups- 5x6
Band Asst. Close Grip Pull Ups- 5x6
Row- 5x10x25lb
Bicep Curl- 5x10x15lb
Bicycle crunches- 5x40
Stability ball sit ups- 5x15x10lb
Stability ball knee tuck- 5x15
Plank w/ row-
Stretching, hip and glute exercises.
Band Asst. Wide Grip Pull Ups- 5x6
Band Asst. Close Grip Pull Ups- 5x6
Row- 5x10x25lb
Bicep Curl- 5x10x15lb
Bicycle crunches- 5x40
Stability ball sit ups- 5x15x10lb
Stability ball knee tuck- 5x15
Plank w/ row-
Stretching, hip and glute exercises.
Thursday- 1 mile w/u and c/d, 8 miles @ MP (7:49). This was really freaking hard right from the start. Planet Fitness was so freaking hot I could barely breathe. I had to take a walk break after mile six, but I got it done. I wrote more about this run and how difficult, yet meaningful it was here.
Friday- 6 miles. No clue what my pace was as my Garmin is GONE. I ran three 2 mile loops around my house so I could stop for water and cool off inside each time I passed. It was dangerously hot out, and when it gets like this, I don't mess around. Don't worry, I was never more than 3/4 of a mile from home so I feel like I was being as safe as I could be. I was happy to see that my body held up pretty well from the MP run the day before. My feet and knee felt better than ever. I had a slight PIMA but wasn't too concerned.
Saturday- 6 miles. I could not take another neighborhood run so I ran at Hampden Park while Paul walked out at the gym across the street. Then I lifted chest and did some ab work.
Push Ups- 5x10
Chest Press- 2x8x30lb, 3x10x25lb
Shoulder Press- 5x10x20lb
Tricep Dips- 5x15
Stability ball knee tuck- 5x15
Bicycles- 5x40
Plank- 3x45 seconds
Push Ups- 5x10
Chest Press- 2x8x30lb, 3x10x25lb
Shoulder Press- 5x10x20lb
Tricep Dips- 5x15
Stability ball knee tuck- 5x15
Bicycles- 5x40
Plank- 3x45 seconds
Sunday- Rest. I was supposed to do 15 miles but I had a slight pain in my ass for 3 days. I am not doing any speed work or tempo work until I do my 15 miler!!!!!!!!!
Training Goals:
FUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How were your workouts this week? I hope whatever you are training for is going better than this shit show I am involved in.
Oh man, I'm sorry this has been such a frustrating training cycle for you. On the one hand, I want to tell you to hang in there and keep going because you have done so well with listening to your body and making adjustments. On the other hand, I hate to see that this process is so frustrating for you and training should not be so stressful! So if it makes you feel any better I haven't been training at all...however my foot hasn't been hurting so that's a win! Although I am going to be just as anxious as you when I do start running regularly again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! You totally hit all of my feelings on the head. Hey I am glad to hear your foot isn't hurting! I hate when I rest for an injury yet it continues to hurt. It's like, what's the point? At least your good decision is paying off!
Delete"I have been getting SLOWER. My tempo and speed workouts are getting HARDER." I can relate to this 100%. I guess my endurance is improving since I'm back into double digit runs but it doesn't feel like it AT ALL. Every single run my legs feel like cement and sometimes I wonder if I'm even going to make it back to my car before dying. I am guessing this is cumulative fatigue combined with the bad weather. The heat/humidity is just so awful for everyone on the east coast right now. Just know that when you're out there *feeling* sluggish I am out there literally *being* a slug!
ReplyDeleteWe are both suffering from sluggishness due to the humidity and tired legs, I think! I am glad your endurance is improving! Yesterday (spoiler alert) I did 12 miles which included some moderate hills so now I feel like I at least got one long run in!
Delete:( My thoughts are in the same place. Every morning when I make it through my painful runs I think that I am NEVER going to make it past 10 miles at my marathon. And if I did, it's going to ruin my body for a long time. I'm getting SUPER close to just scrapping the whole thing. I read a blog post the other day about injury and the person said something about, "at my funeral, are people going to remember that I was a great mediocre runner, or that I ran all the miles I was supposed to?" I thought that was very fitting because no one (outside of me) gives any care if I ran 2 miles or 10 miles before work every day. It doesn't define me. The "smart" me would just stop all of this nonsense right now. Unfortunately the "smart" me never listens to the me that wants a good feeling and wants to eat treats and drink beer any time I want :) I hope at least one of us makes that 9/11 goal, because realistically speaking, it probably won't be me!! Hang in there, the weather will get better, and you will be feeling speedy again.
ReplyDeleteOkay, one thing we have to remind ourselves is we can adjust our goals. Run a half instead? Pick a spring marathon? The possibilities are endless!!! (just trying to be positive for us!)
DeleteWhat? There are other options?! :) I pretty much have promised myself I'm not running any marathons in 2017 (well, unless it's Boston!! ***!!). I'd like to focus on shorter distances, maybe a Ragnar relay.. all of those things I feel like I "can't do" because I don't want to mess up my marathon training. Take a new outlook on it all.
DeleteI think you are doing good, but I can feel your frustration through the writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the long "about me" story ahead... A couple of weeks ago when I started having pain in my calves, I got really angry and frustrated with myself. It was hot and my calves were hurting, I started to question everything! am I even a runner? how did I manage a marathon but can't do 6 miles today? how did I get through hill after hill, week after week, but a 10 feet elevation was killing me today? Can I even run anymore? Can I run the coming 2 half marathons? am I a failure? I suck, this sucks, I really suck! I don't have answers, because the pain is still there.
And I stared thinking, "this must be what it feels like for others who are having pain, like Wendy, like Megan... but they are not quitters, they are strong" and that kept me moving! knowing that other strong women have done it, and gotten to the other side of suck.
I hope the PIYA goes away!
THANK you for that story because as I was reading I kept thinking, omg I question myself like that ALL the time. I think we are all strong and we just need to be a little nicer to ourselves.
DeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI know you'll "get it", and you're probably thinking about it, but I say you make a decision on the marathon soon. The race is in September and coming up, and I know the "type" of runner you are. If you're going to race the marathon, you want to excel and run a time you're proud of or at least content with, not just survive. Granted, you have a good fitness base and could probably complete it, but in the end you have to think about the whole experience and the weeks you're using for training. Not to mention, the brutal recovery from running a marathon (and sometimes a slower race or one that doesn't go our way, is actually harder to recover from).
I say this as someone who ran a marathon on very inadequate training in 2013 (I was running ~35-40 mpw and cross training). I wasn't proud of my time at all, and it was my first marathon and an experience I'll never get back. I look back on it and think about how if I'd just put that training toward a half marathon, I would have had a much better race experience, training experience, and recovery.
In the end, there will be other races. Maybe there is one a few weeks later that you could possibly adjust your training for, and switch to the half for this one? I'm not saying you need to do that, but if I were in your shoes, I'd probably be considering options like that right now. It's just the type of runner I am now though, which is way different than 2013 when I just wanted that damn medal and car sticker.
Oh believe me, I am looking at all the alternate possibilities! And I think I am a lot like you that I don't do huge races just for a sticker and medal haha.
DeleteI hate it when things like this happen to us and totally mess up our plans. I say lower the mileage and up the red wine.
ReplyDeleteHaha sounds good to me!
DeleteOh your candidness makes me laugh!
ReplyDeleteSorry things are not going as well as you'd like. Oh, and I've been thinking about the past few post where you said Planet Fitness is so hot. Why is it so hot in there? I think you need to bring your own little clip fan!
I have no clue why it's so hot! Maybe I could convince Paul to stand by the treadmill and squirt water on me. Oh well at least I found my Garmin and now can run outside. :) Not like it's that much cooler but if I REALLY wanted to I could get up early.
DeleteI hate when recovery distance/time doesn't really cut it. I cheat a little on recovery time because if you're supposed to feel RECOVERED then sometimes - especially in summer - I need more time to get my heart rate back down.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you feel so sluggish. Is that normal for Hansons? Is it part of the process? Do you know anyone who's used it and can clue you in to if that feeling is expected? I hate that it's playing with your mind!
I think I will msg my friend Alison who did Hansons... except I remember reading all of her posts and she was like PRing in every distance during her training! Maybe she is the exception and not the rule.
Delete"this running shit is supposed to be fun" <---- RIGHT!!!!
ReplyDeletehAVING A DRINK RIGHT NOW. :) Thanks karen!!!