It was another weird week following week 13 and hurricane Irma. Greg left town on Sunday to visit his brother in Colorado.

Monday & Tuesday

Rest days due to single parenting duties, soccer practice, and open house. I was also still recovering from my 22 on Saturday, so I didn’t really mind the two days of rest.

Wednesday

I pushed my 5 mile speed workout to Wednesday after work when Greg got home. The workout was 400 repeats:

1 mile warm up
400m (8:15-8:45)
Recover (90 seconds)
Repeat 8 times
1.2 mile cool down

My 400m splits were 8:18, 8:32, 8:45, 8:30, 8:19, 8:29, 9:43, 9:28. The 9:43 split was only .14 miles which was my own fault for hitting the lap button unintentionally on my watch. Overall, it was a good workout. Afterwards my calf was really bothering me. I spent the rest of the evening rolling it.

Thursday

I woke up with a very sore calf on Thursday so I opted to skip my 6 mile run. There was no need to push it this week. I knew I needed to let it rest and heal.

Friday

Another rest day.

Saturday

Thanks to taper time, we only had 12 miles on Saturday. I ran intervals with Heather during the run which was a great change of pace. My calf hurt afterwards, but I spent the rest of the day moving it to keep it loose. I also got a pedicure and wore my calf sleeve the rest of the day.

Sunday

I went out for my recovery run at 1pm on Sunday. It was hot. I got in 3 miles and felt pretty good. It was good to get my legs moving though I was dying of sweat when I got home.

Two weeks until race day!

Happy Monday!

Hurricane Irma really impacted this week’s runs, but I pieced them together to get as many miles in as I could.

Monday

Rest day/hurricane day. I only left the house to walk around the block and we didn’t have power, so I couldn’t get in a treadmill run.

Tuesday

I skipped the early morning run on Tuesday due to barely sleeping (on the couch). I got in four miles quick miles around my neighborhood with the hopes of trying for speed work the next day. I also checked out the storm damage along the way.

Wednesday

Since we stayed at the hotel on Tuesday night, Heather offered to meet me for a run on Wednesday morning. I realized at 4:45am that I forgot to pack socks, so we settled for 3 miles together (me being sock less). I did some weight training once I got back to the hotel. After we got home, I put on shoes (and socks) and headed out for 5 more miles in the heat.

Thursday

Heather and I did 2 miles on the treadmill before meeting up with the group at 6am for 4 miles outside. The 4 miles were a mix of running and walking and chatting.

Friday

Rest day.

Saturday

We met at 4am to start our longest long run of training. Due to different schedules, there was only 6 of us that ran on Saturday. We had a large loop planned out, but ended up doing 11 miles out and back for our total of 22 miles. It was a hard, but good run. The last 7 miles were directly in the sun between 8am and 9am and it was downright hot. We were all on the struggle bus at that point. Our route ended about a half of a mile short so we got in a little recovery walk after it was over.

This run was a challenge physically, but also mentally and emotionally. We shared stories of how supportive our families have been and how amazing our friends are. We were treated to Starbucks coffees after we returned from our run from our friends, in addition to an onslaught of sweet and encouraging text messages. I teared up just reading through them. I’ve been blessed with such an amazing support system throughout this journey.

Sunday

I was supposed to get in 5 recovery miles on Sunday but I arrived at the Y a little too late for 5 miles. I could only get in 2.5 miles before childcare closed. The miles felt pretty good considering how tired my legs were. 2.5 miles are better than no miles!

Less than 3 weeks until race day. Bring on the taper!

This has felt like the longest week ever as we have prepared for the hurricane to arrive in Florida. I also can’t believe I am less than a month away from race day!

Monday

Rest day!

Tuesday

Tuesday was a nine mile repeat ladder workout with target paces:

1 mile warm up
400m (8:15-8:45)
800m (8:30-9:00)
1600m (8:45-9:15)
x 3
2 mile cool down

I crushed this workout. My ladder times were as follows:

400m (8:22), 800m (8:40), 1600m (9:02)
400m (8:24), 800m (9:01), 1600m (9:00)
400m (8:40), 800m (8:46), 1600m (9:13)

It felt so good to run nine miles before work. I was on a runner’s high most of the day.

Wednesday

I headed to the Y after work and rode on the spin bike.

Thursday

After coughing during the night, I woke up feeling pretty crappy so I skipped my early morning run. We ended up getting out of work early due to hurricane prep and I had every intention going to the Y to get in some treadmill miles, but once I got home, I went right to bed.

Friday

The kids were out of school so we headed to the Y for a little bit. I ran and walked three miles on the treadmill. It was hard and I was really worried about my long run on Friday. However, it was good to sweat a little bit.

Saturday

The training plan called for 18 miles, but we weren’t sure what weather to expect on Saturday morning. We were all okay with trying to get in as many miles as we could and calling it a day if needed. There was a little bit of lightning during the first 8 miles or so. We stopped at Publix at mile 5 to pick up the second group of girls for our run. We figured we had their cars if we needed to stop at 13 miles. We got out to our 9 mile turnaround and it was drizzling a little bit. The rest of the run was great though. We stopped at our usual McDonald’s at refill our Camelbaks between miles 10 and 11. From there it seemed like we were outrunning the dark clouds. It started drizzling a little bit again at mile 17 which was by far the hardest mile. I was mentally and physically done at that point. It was my slowest mile of the day, but I finished all 18!

Afterwards, we headed into the Walmart Neighborhood Market for some last minute “necessities”.

Sunday

I got in 4 recovery miles on the treadmill at home since we weren’t in any position to run outside. Thankfully, I had no excuse but to run since we were cooped up inside.

Hopefully, Irma doesn’t interrupt any runs this week, but only time will tell! One more week until it’s taper time!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as a part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities team. 

I was a slacker this week with my cross training and skipped the gym a couple of times. I felt like I needed the extra sleep in the morning, though I probably didn’t. This coming week will be better in that department.

Tuesday

Our Tuesday run started earlier than normal as we had 8 miles on the plan. The workout was eight 800s with a 90 second recovery in between, including one mile warm up and one mile cool down. My goal pace for each 800m was 8:15-8:45. I hit my goal pace on three of them, I was between 8:45-9:15 on three others, and I was between 9:15-9:30 on the other two. This was a hard workout. My legs felt dead for the first few miles before I actually felt warmed up. I felt really good once it was over though!

Thursday

We had 7 miles on Thursday. My pace ranged from 9:52-10:34 over the course of 7 miles. It was hot and humid.

Saturday

Our Saturday long run was 16 miles through Orange and Seminole counties. I tested out a potential race day outfit, as did a few others. Overall, it was a good long run, which I haven’t had in a while, so I’ll take it! Bonus: we also stopped at two of the three McDonald’s on the route which as become our thing. It’s only appropriate considering we’re running for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Sunday

We were in Sarasota on Sunday so I did my recovery run by myself. I felt pretty good after my long run on Saturday, so I decided to tackle the bridge! I probably went a little faster and harder than I should have for a recovery run, but I still felt good after it was over. The views weren’t bad either!

Five weeks until race day!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as part of team Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Monday

I rode on the recumbent bike at the Y and listened to a podcast. It felt good to get my legs moving.

Tuesday

For the hill workout we ventured out to run an overpass in the area. I did one mile warm up, 4 miles of hills back and forth on the overpass, and one mile cool down. It was a good change up from our normal speed workouts on Tuesday. I felt really good after my run, which was much needed. It had been a while since I had a really good run.

Wednesday

Rest day!

Thursday

Heather and I started early and did 3 miles before meeting up with the group for another 4 miles. 7 miles total at a 10:19 pace.

Friday

Another rest day!

Saturday

We met up at 4:30am for our long run on Saturday. We ran the little loop which is 2 miles, then headed out on the long loop for another 12 miles. The last 3 miles were supposed to be at marathon tempo pace and my last 2 miles were the fastest miles of my run at 10:06 and 9:26. Overall, I felt really good during and after my run. It was also great to see Kayla who I haven’t ran in a long time.

Sunday

I put off my run all day long as I was still trying to recover from my late night on Saturday night. I finally got out the door just after 5pm and got in 5 miles for my recovery run. It felt pretty good but my legs were definitely sore as the night went on.

Six more weeks until race day!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as part of team Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Monday

With the craziness of the first day of school, I scheduled Monday as a rest day.

Tuesday

The plan called for 5 miles of speedwork on Tuesday. Michelle sent out the workout which was 400s, but I failed to realized that the whole workout added up to 5.5 miles. I wondered why I was the last one running after everyone else had finished!

1 mile warm up (10:20)
400m
Recover 90 seconds
Repeat 8 times
1.5 mile cool down (11:15)

My 400m repeats were 8:15, 8:07, 8:20, 8:22, 8:16, 8:28, 8:24, and 8:06; all within my 8:15-8:45 goal pace.

Wednesday

I went to the Y and did some stretching, as well as the recumbent bike. It was a good change of pace and a good workout.

Thursday

The plan called for 6 miles but I ended up running 4. The miles were pretty consistent at 10:10, 10:12, 10:04, and 10:14. The week had taken a lot out of me and I had a headache almost every day, so I didn’t feel bad cutting my run down.

Friday

Rest day!

Saturday

The plan called for 12 miles with the last 3 miles at tempo/marathon pace. Compared to my 20 mile run the week before, this 12 mile run was just as hard. I was thankful it wasn’t any longer, but it still took a lot out of me. My last three miles were 9:42, 9:41, and 9:56 and I pushed it a little too hard.

Though I wasn’t feeling great, we headed to the Y afterwards and I went to piyo. I knew I needed a good stretch and some strength training would be good for me. We ended the class with corpse pose and I could have laid there all day.

Sunday

I slept in before church and did my 3 mile recovery run in the afternoon. It was hot, but Kenley rode her bike with me to keep me company. I had a hard time keeping up with her!

This cutback week was hard! Looking back, it definitely took me a few days to recover from the 20 miler last weekend.

48 days until Chicago!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as part of team Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Monday

Rest day!

Tuesday

I started my run later in the morning due to the amazing weather in Indiana. Tuesday was speed work and my workout included the following.

1.5 mile warm up
1 mile (goal pace 8:45-9:15)
.5 mile recovery
Repeat 2 times
1.5 mile cool down

I started out really well, even with the rolling hills in my parent’s neighborhood. My warm up was pretty quick at a 9:40 pace and my first mile repeat was an 8:40 pace. My recovery run took me to the end of the sidewalk on whatever street I was running on, so I turned around. My second mile repeat was 8:46. I was feeling really good at that point knowing I only had one more left. I ran up a hill during my .5 mile recovery but I was ready to tackle my third mile. During my third mile repeat, I looked down at my watch and it was paused. I was so upset. I have no idea what happened, how long it had been paused, or what my watch was doing at that point. I was so annoyed that I decided to just stop the workout and run. Since I was closer to my parent’s house again, I stopped at 6 miles, though I was supposed to do 7 total. The positives of my run was that I crushed the first five miles of my workout, the weather was amazing, and I saw some good scenery on my run.

Wednesday

I decided to sleep in, so I went to the Y after work for one mile on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the elliptical. I haven’t gotten on the elliptical in a while because it started to hurt my feet. I was definitely feeling it the next day.

Thursday

Unfortunately, I was back in the heat and humidity for Thursday’s run. This run was a true testament that the weather really makes such a difference from one run to the next. Thursday was SO hard. My 6 miles ranged from 9:59-10:21 but I felt like I was running on empty. The run also took a lot out of me. It took me a good couple of hours to recover. I felt completely drained.

Friday

After Thursday’s run, I decided to take another rest day before my long run on Saturday.

Saturday

Leading up to Saturday’s run, I felt the most nervous I have been through training. I’m not sure why 20 miles seemed so much longer than 18 miles which I just ran a couple weekends ago. Either way, it was weighing on my mind. Arriving home from my mini-vacation in Indiana on Tuesday night threw a kink in my week. I wasn’t eating very well and I didn’t do much to really prepare for my run. My alarm went off at 3:10am and it was go time. We started our run at 4:15am and set out to do 20 miles. We stopped to pick up new friends along the way which was super fun. The run was a struggle. It was the hardest run yet, both mentally and physically. I kept thinking about how I could have eaten better, stretched more, rolled my legs, etc. but I didn’t do any of those things. By miles 14-16, everything hurt. I finished. As I continued to think about it the rest of the day, I let up on myself a little bit. I ran 20 miles and that is something to be damn proud of! I now know how to better prepare for my 22 miler in a few weeks, so that’s a win too.

Sunday

Greg and I took the kids to the Y so we could run next to each other on the treadmill. I did my 5 mile recovery run and felt pretty good afterwards. As the evening went on, my legs started to hurt more. I made a point to stretch and roll before bed!

As week 8 comes to an end, I am officially halfway through our training plan! Only 8 more weeks to go!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as part of team Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Monday

After our crazy, busy weekend, I decided to take a rest day on Monday.

Tuesday

The plan called for 7 miles of hills, which meant we needed to find an overpass to run considering there are no real hills in Central Florida. We met at 4:30am for one warm up mile, then 5 miles of hills repeats. The overpass is about .3 miles long so we ran that thing 15 times! We ended with one cool down mile for a total of 7. My stomach was upset majority of the run so it was a struggle. I was so happy to be done!

Wednesday

After sleeping in for the second morning this week, I decided I needed to do something when I got home from work. After the kids were in bed, I did a 25 minute yoga stretch workout from Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. It wasn’t a rigorous workout by any means, but it was better than sitting on the couch AND it forced me to stretch.

Thursday

I always look forward to Thursday runs after my Tuesday runs. This week I did 6 tempo miles and I actually kept them fairly consistent: 10:14, 10:04, 10:17, 10:42, 10:10, 10:09. I think next week I will dedicate my first mile to warm up, then concentrate on keeping the rest of the run consistent.

Friday

Heather and I did our long run on Friday since I was leaving town early on Saturday morning. We ran 5:1 intervals (run for 5 minutes, walk for 1 minute) for the first 8 miles. I had to get back to the house so Greg could go to work, so I ran the last 6 miles on my own. I ran them pretty quick since I was racing against the clock. I felt pretty good afterwards aside from some sore toes.

Saturday

I headed up to Indiana with the kids, so this was another rest day.

Sunday

The temps were much cooler in Indiana than in Florida so there was no rush in getting out the door for my recovery run. I finally got out there around 9am, which is unheard of in August. It was overcast and in the mid 60’s so I wanted to run forever! The rolling hills snuck up on me however and my legs were tired. I stopped after 4 miles though the plan called for 5, and I was perfectly fine with that decision. I am looking for one more cool weather run before I head back to the heat and humidity.

Happy running!

On October 8th, I will be running the 40th Chicago Marathon as part of team Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Monday

After bragging last week about not missing a Monday, I missed a Monday. I traded my rest day for Monday after not sleeping very well and having super sore legs.

Tuesday

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was to only see 4 miles on the schedule this week. My speed workout was 200m fartleks. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what in the world that means. Fartlek is a Swedish term that means “speed play”. Thanks Google. I really liked this workout and it went by so fast!

1 mile warm up
200 meters
30 second recovery
x 12
1 mile cool down

I couldn’t bring myself to put in my target pace as 7:45-8:15 because I didn’t truly believe that I could pull off paces that started with a 7. Once I got out there, I aimed for this pace, but my watch thought I was going for 8-8:30 so I heard the “slow down” beep a few times. My paces ranged from 7:51-8:18. and I only went over 8:15 for two splits. Now I just need to reflect this when planning for my future workouts.

Wednesday

I rode on the spin bike and read for class.

Thursday

This was supposed to be another consistent tempo run and I thought it was going to be easy since it was only 4 miles, but it was the toughest run of the week. My splits were 10:31, 10:05, 10:14, and 10:11 but I struggled through every mile. It was crazy humid and I was spent.

After work, I headed back to the Y for piyo! It felt so good to stretch and get a good strength workout in.

Friday

Rest day!

Saturday

The schedule called for 10 miles on Saturday. It was nice to only run 10 miles which wee joked about it all week. We ran in our neck of the woods again, which meant I could sleep until 4:35am! The run was good, but really humid and then hot once the sun came up. We walked a little bit during the last few times, but we got it done!

Sunday

I slept in on Sunday and put off my run all day since we were hanging out with friends and doing stuff around the house. I was planning to meet some of the girls at 5pm for our run, but of course it was raining. I opted for 4 miles on the treadmill at home. I am usually really bad about working out at home, but I got it done. After dragging all day long, I actually felt so much better.

Since our mileage dropped this week, I went into the week thinking it was going to the easy. I was very wrong. Coming off 18 miles on Saturday was hard and the cutback week was definitely needed. I struggled more this week than I expected.