Training: Weeks 4-5

Getting back my mojo with a beach run, hitting the treadmill for speed work and running with a good friend in Rock Creek Park. 

I started out my training for week four (Sunday 1/14) with a yoga session on Sunday.  My Monday run was supposed to be a short easy run with 8-12 striders, but I substituted in a spin class and strength.  I often feel that spin class is just as good if not better than doing a short easy run since it is more interval based and I really push myself and my heart rate.  Tuesday, I rested as my plan gives me option of rest or cross train.  Weds was supposed to be an 8 mile run that I missed.  I didn't get out until later in the day and it was starting to get dark.  I ran one mile and just realized I just didn't have it in me that day.  I really have never done that.  I was dealing with some stressful situations outside of my running and I think it was affecting it big time.  Thursday was supposed to be another short run with striders and I didn't get out there.  I was feeling like I had lost my running mojo and I was stressing about it big time.  A friend in San Diego, Jess Tobin, suggested on the blog's facebook page to go for a destination run to get my mojo back and so Jim and I decided to head to Rehoboth Beach that following weekend.  Fridays are set to be rest days, but since I had been such a sloth all week I headed to spin class to make up for it.

Saturday we headed to the Delaware shore and it could not have been a better day!  60s and sunny and perfect for running.  I did a ten mile run along the boardwalk, coastal neighborhoods and headed into the Gordon Pond Nature Preserve.  It was so beautiful in there and I was able to run through maritime forests which are my favorite.  The sun and the salt air did wonders for me and I was flying through my splits (running in the low 9s for the 10 mile duration).  I planned to actually run more since I missed my midweek medium run, but my calf got really tight and I decided not to push it.  I came back to my daughter enjoying her time at the beach with daddy while I ran.   We followed that up and enjoyed the beautiful weather sitting outside with some coffee.
 I came back from that trip feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to get after my training!  But of course, immediately following that, the BIG CHILL hit D.C.  It got cold, really, really cold.  It was tough to get up the motivation to get out there.  I actually took the next three days off.  Weds which was supposed to be a 7 mile run, I chose instead to run 4 miles worth of some pretty fast intervals on the treadmill to compensate.  I find some treadmills it can be hard to determine what your pace is since it gives you the treadmill speed, so here's a handy conversion chart.  I did .5 mile high intensity (7:04 miles) followed by .5 mile at an 8:34 pace and alternated that for the four miles, which will be faster than my marathon race pace.  I have to be better about running higher intensity intervals since I still do have shorter races spattered in with my marathon training.  I have an 8k race with DC Roadrunners coming up in two weeks. 

I took Thursday off and on Friday headed to Yoga at the gym with my friend Ryan who was in town visiting.  On Saturday, my super speedy Boston Qualifying friend Anna Savage came over and we ran 9 miles together in Rock Creek Park.  (Sticking to my plan, I was supposed to run 18 miles that day but flip flopped it with my upcoming Weds run since the weather will be much better and we won't have visitors in town since it is so time consuming).  It started to get really icy on the trail as the temps began to drop and in our final mile, it began to snow flurry!  Not my favorite way to run, but we did it and I had great company!  Sunday I took as a rest day and on Monday, my friend Ryan and I did a spin class together again instead of my short easy run.  Tuesday, I headed to the gym for boot camp class followed by a yoga class for my rest or cross train day....I chose to cross train.

Looking ahead the weather should be great tomorrow for my 18 miler....still have to wrap my head around that sometimes...EIGHTEEN MILES!  Holy cow.