This week marks the second monster week of running for me. It will end in a 20 mile run... the 2nd 20 miler of the training plan. I did 45.24 miles of running this week and most of them were really, really hard!
As most of you know, my 1/2 marathon went great last week. I felt great during the race and right after the race..... However, payback was coming. I guess I can't expect to run like that and go right into the hardest week of training I have had thus far.
SO here is how payback goes in my world of running!
It looks like sore muscles, stomach issues, tiredness, and lack of motivation!
Beware, this post isn't for the faint of heart. ;0)
Monday was 10 miles, 6 of it at tempo pace.
Michelle and I started out the run. I was going to run a 2 mile warm up, 6 miles at tempo pace, then 2 mile cool down. But my legs were tired! I was having trouble with my left leg feeling tight and turning over. Payback!
So at mile 2, I decided to do 1 more mile of warm up.... even though it was actually hot outside.
As soon as I finished my "warm up", I started into the faster miles. Goal was to maintain between a 7:43-8:03 pace. I ran the 1st mile, feeling good! 2nd mile, on pace but feeling a bit weird in the tummy. By mile 3, I knew I was having some serious stomach issues. OOOOHH NOT GOOD!
Payback!
Just in case you don't know, I have stomach problems sometimes. The proper name is IBS and it never turns out well. Especially when I am out on the trail with no bathroom in sight. So I made the decision to try to finish what I started and try to hang onto some sort of pace. Not the smartest plan....but hey, at this point I only had 4 more miles to go! Four miles never felt so long. I am sure I was a sight but at this point, I didn't care. I painfully finished the run, kept the pace under an 8:00 minute mile for the tempo part, and mostly walked about a mile back to my car. Then I was sick the rest of the day. UGGG!
So Tuesday rolled around!
I met Bree at the NOMAD for a dreaded swim. I was NOT feeling it today. Was tired and sore from head to toe.
Payback!
I swam 2000 meters in the cold pool. I don't think I ever warmed up. However, at the end of the swim, I did feel a bit better.
That night, we got the terrible news that a student in our church's youth group had been hit by a car... and it didn't look good. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. My girls are in the youth group with her and many tears were shed and many prayers were said for her that night into the wee hours of the morning. There was not much sleep.
Wednesday morning rolled in and the news did not get better. We got the call that Brittney (the student) did not make it. As my children woke up, they asked about her and we had to tell them the news. Brittney was in 12th grade... with her whole life ahead of her....and the first friend that was close to the age of my children to die. What do you do when you pray and the prayer is not answered how you thought it should be? You trust that God is in control.
We continued to pray for the family and started our day. I saw a few clients then in my "lunch break" I went to do the circuit. This is done at the gym and incorporates 1/2 mile repeats with strength training. Needless to say, I did not want to do it. But Boston is coming in about a month, and I have to finish this training. So I started. My quads were screaming at me and I actually had to slow down my speed repeats to a 7:17 pace, then I had to hold onto the treadmill as not to fly off the back.
Payback for the race!
After the 1st 2 repeats, I almost quit... but I decided to do 1 more and take them 1 at a time. I did finish the workout with 5 miles and lots of strength training, but I was wiped at the end.
Thursday was a rest day from training. I knew I would have to take it easy if I was going to finish my last 30 miles of the week!
Friday was a 10 mile pace run!
I was physically feeling a bit better. Matt and Bree volunteered to go downtown with me for this run. Matt and I drove to the DOWD YMCA and met Bree. They both were doing 6 miles and I had 10 so we started together then split up. All in all, this run went pretty good. I was able to see both Bree and Matt at different spots on the run and when I finished, they were waiting for me. My average pace for this hilly run was 8:26. I tried to let the down hills pull me and keep the effort the same on the up hills. It seemed to work.
Saturday was 20 miles!
I started this run at 0600. I did what we call the BiLo loop. This is about 5 miles. My stomach was acting up a bit again so I decides to go to the bathroom and take a gel before meeting the rest of the group.
Then I met up with all my UCRR buddies and we started running. The miles ticked off quickly and I was able to learn a lot of useful Baseball Stats from Jason and Troy! Then Michelle chimed in! WOW! I was clueless in this conversation but it was entertaining.
At mile 17, Michelle left and Troy said he would run me in. I knew we were pushing the pace, but I was just hanging on wanting to get it done. Troy, on the other hand, was chatting and singing "The Climb" as we ran up the last hill! When we finished, I looked to see the average pace was an 8:32 pace! And the temperature was 71 degrees!
I quickly ate a protein bar because my blood sugar was low and I was shaking. I knew I had to wait until it stabilized before I drove home. So I stood around chatting with everyone until I could safely operate a motor vehicle.
Then I took a shower, got my girls, and we went to Brittney's funeral. It was sad for all of us, but I know that she is with Jesus and would not want to come back.... So, as a believer in Christ, I find comfort in the fact that she is happy and I will see her again someday.
And Sunday is The Big Attic..... and I wake up to find my Abigayle is sick with some kind of bad cold/fever thing..... Oh NO!
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