MCM Training Week 8

Saturday, June 21: 12 miles (treadmill)

I gave myself a pass on the 4:30am wake-up call for the 5:30am group run this morning. I had plans on Friday and Saturday nights, and I didn't want to be super cranky on Saturday without much sleep. And, my running buddy was still out of town, so she wasn't counting on me to be at the morning group run. So, I slept in and ran on the treadmill instead. I needed a break from that damn morning humidity, too. I probably had a better run than I would have had if I had dealt with the morning weather conditions. So, it was good for my confidence, too. But, I didn't quite learn my lesson from last Saturday's morning run about bringing my hydration mix for my 2nd water bottle during the second half of the run. Get it together, mel!

Sunday, June 22: 3 miles (treadmill)

Easy 3 mile recovery run at the gym.

Monday, June 23: 5 miles (treadmill)

Today marked the start of a recovery week (Monday-Sunday of the upcoming week, which is a little off from how I am recording my weeks here starting on Saturday). Easy 5 mile run at the gym. More than anything, the "recovery week" gave my mental focus a bit of a break with the shorter mileage so that was appreciated.

Tuesday, June 24: OFF

Today was scheduled as a cross-training day, which I usually enjoy using for weight-training. But, I slept terribly last night and was exhausted after a long day of work. Since it's a recovery week anyway, I took today off and tried not to feel too guilty about it.

Wednesday, June 25: 5 miles (road)

1.25 mile warm-up + cool down and 2.5 (or 3?) miles of Straights and Curves around a neighborhood block in West Austin. I was happy that Angela was back today, so I ran the workout with her.

The group resting in between 2 sets of 6 laps

3 down, 3 to go. Right, Bobby?

 Thursday, June 26: 5 miles (treadmill)

Today was supposed to only be 2-3 miles, but I opted for 5 because I'm nervous about the time off that I will be taking while we're on vacation next month. My lower legs felt super achy all day - not sure if it was because of the fast pace from last night's workout and/or because it had been my first road run in a week. So, I was prepared to only do the recovery mileage posted if my legs didn't feel up to it. But, my legs felt fine, so off I went for 5 miles.

Friday, June 27: OFF

Week 8 Total: 30 miles

MCM Training Week 7

Saturday, June 14: 10 miles (road)

Angela and I took off from Rogue a few minutes before the pack at the lovely hour of 5:30am. She was pressed for time because she was heading out of town after the run, so we started out on our own for the first mile or so before we were overtaken by the fast club. The route was hilly, which I think is supposed to be a given, and I struggled with the humidity again in the last few miles...which I am also worried is becoming a given for this time of year. I let Angela go at the halfway turnaround point since she was worried about time, and I was just worried about finishing in that awful humidity. I learned that when I am running over an hour on those Saturday morning runs, I need to bring some additional Tailwind mix with me to use after my first bottle is gone. I had to switch to pure water at mile 6 and it did not sit well in my tummy at that point. I was guilty of waterboarding myself though at that point.

Sunday, June 15: 3 miles (treadmill)

Easy 3 mile recovery run at the gym.

Monday, June 16: 6 miles (treadmill)

I had initially planned to do 7 today, but I got a later start than I had hoped so went with 6 because of time purposes.

Tuesday, June 17: Cross-training

Weights at the gym. No cardio tonight...again, mostly because of time constraints.

Wednesday, June 18: 6.5 miles (road)

Tonight's quality workout consisted of a 1.25 mile warm-up followed by 4 mile repeats at tempo pace (with 3-minute recovery between them) then 1.25 mile cooldown back to Rogue + 4 strides. Bobby had sent out a pace calculator earlier in the week based on our marathon goal time so that we could get an idea of times for the mile repeats tonight. He put us in small groups based on estimated pace. I ended up running each mile in the 8:20-8:30 range. The route included some gradual uphill and downhill, but nothing too severe. My mile splits were way faster than I needed to be running for my marathon goal time, but were fairly comfortable (even in the heat) so I'll just work on being grateful for it.

Thursday, June 19: 4.5 miles (treadmill)

Note to self - don't eat a bunch of chips and salsa before running. My stomach was not happy with me, hence not making it to 5 miles.

Friday, June 20: OFF

Massage. Tight calves as usual. Tight left hamstring, which is somewhat unusual. 

Week 7 Total: 30 miles + 1 Cross-training workout

This is the week where I noticed a huge increase in appetite. I was constantly hungry all week, even after only a short period following a meal or snack. I felt like I was eating everything in sight.

MCM Training Week 6

Saturday, June 7: 8 miles (road)

This weekend was scheduled for recovery on the training plan. So, we had the option to run 4-8 miles today. Angela and I opted to run the full 8 miles. The route was fairly flat (hallelujah!), but man I struggled with the humidity during the second half of this run. I repeatedly doused myself with cold water at the final water stop two miles out from the end. I had a much easier time on the Wednesday night workout with the heat and all those hills. Humidity + mel = no bueno.

Sunday, June 8: Cross-training

Today was scheduled to be an off day, but I opted to do weights at the gym.

Monday, June 9: 7 miles (treadmill)

I upped my Monday long run to 7 miles in an effort to boost the overall weekly mileage. Good easy run.

Tuesday, June 10: Cross-training

Weights + 30 minutes elliptical.

Wednesday, June 11: 7 miles (road)

We got to run the fartlek tonight that was originally on last week's schedule. But, the location was changed from Zilker to the hills in West Austin due to Blues on the Green over at Zilker. I think this was the third time that we've run a similar route - just bigger hills (hello, Scenic) and more miles this time. Even with the heat in the mid 90's, I noticed that I ran the warm-up much easier and stronger than I seemed to the last time. Once we hit the water stop at mile 2, then it was 1 minute hard followed by 1 minute recovery for 8 sets. As I was running my "hard" efforts for only a minute, all I was thinking about was how difficult running a 5k at a "hard" effort will be tomorrow night. Running hard in this heat is just plain hard. But, I got through it in a respectable manner and made another deposit in my training bank.

Thursday, June 12: 4 miles (road)

K and I ran Maudie's Margarita Run 5k for the first time tonight. I had originally planned to use this as a substitute workout for a time-trial that I thought was scheduled for this week. But, after last night's workout, I intended for this to just be a fun run...as much fun as you can have running a 5k in the evening in June in Austin. We parked near Rogue and ran a short warm-up to the start area by the Rock. It was only a little over a half mile run, but I was already drenched in sweat when this photo was taken. 

Before the race at the start/finish area by the Rock

The race started at 8pm and off we went. I didn't look at my Garmin until we approached the first mile marker, which had a clock with the gun time. I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't really see what it said until I was right up on it. But, I could tell that it was a few seconds past...something. So, I assumed it was just after 9 minutes. Um, wrong. It was a few seconds past 8 minutes. Well, I sure wasn't expecting that! Anybody else see a problem with the fact that I can't tell a difference in perceived effort between an 8 and 9 minute mile? I credit the heat for that - just running at all in these temps feels hard. So, I can't differentiate levels of hardness. Anyway, I decided to go ahead with my plan to get an idea of a time for 2 miles then relax for mile 3. I don't think I could have sustained 3 miles of hard effort anyway. I was pleasantly surprised with my 2-mile time estimate, and, heck, even my overall time (which included several bursts of walking in that last mile). First time in a long time that I finished in the top 25% of a race (and would have been higher if I had held it together into mile 3).


Friday, June 13: OFF

Week 6 Total: 26 miles + 2 cross-training workouts

MCM Training Week 5

Saturday, May 31: 9 miles (road)

Angela and I started a few minutes before the rest of the pack in the footsteps of a few others from our group. We ran an out and back route from Rogue that had some long, gradual uphills and downhills, but nothing as severe as our Wednesday night workout. Overall, I felt pretty good, and I think we ran pretty strong, even unintentionally dropping our pace faster than expected at times. This was my first long run using Tailwind for my hydration and I loved it. No tummy issues whatsoever. The humidity didn't seem too bad, which I think also helped me feel pretty strong. No soreness afterwards.

Sunday, June 1: OFF

I had planned to run an easy 3 miles in the evening after we got back from our quick trip to Burnet for the last of the Rogue trail series races. But, I felt super light-headed (maybe too much fun in the sun earlier) and crashed when we got home. No running for me today.

Monday, June 2: 6 miles (treadmill)

Easy 6 miles at the gym.

Tuesday, June 3: Cross-training

Weights + 35 minutes on the stationary bike - I have been doing the Stairmaster a lot over the past few months, so I thought I would do something different today.

Wednesday, June 4: 7 miles (road)

I was expecting our first speed workout tonight - a fartlek. But, when I got to Rogue and saw the route, it was not what I expected and I had to get my head in the game for what was to come. It turned out to be another hot and hilly workout with the Sole Survivors. I definitely sense a pattern here. Although, this one included 5 strides uphill after about 2 miles in. Yes, this was a tough run, but really no more challenging than what we've been doing in my opinion. I did leave the workout with my left leg quivering while I was driving home though, so I guess that says something. Getting stronger with each hill! I commented to K later in the week that I couldn't imagine hauling an extra 20 pounds up all these hills. I'm so glad I started my "marathon training" back in February to get all that extra weight off!

Post-workout

Thursday, June 5: 5 miles (treadmill)

Easy 5 miles at the gym. I was expecting to feel tired or sore after last night's workout, but I felt okay. I am taking these easy days though EASY.

Friday, June 6: OFF

Massage. Right quad and calf tight...as usual.

Week 5 Total: 27 miles + 1 cross-training workout