Jun 23, 2014

Another Week of Training and a Half Marathon

Whatever happened to June gloom? The heat has really picked up this week and it has been 90-95 degrees every single day! The only bad thing about running a fall marathon is training through the summer heat. My long runs must start around 6:00 am or else I am in big trouble.  I can't stress over it. It is what it is and the weather is completely out of my control. 

Here is what my training looked like last week.

Monday: 4.1 Miles@9:54 / I wanted to take things easy so I ran 2 miles uphill and two miles downhill at a controlled pace. This has become one of my favorite places to run since it is shaded and I can run outdoors even if it's really hot. I also did some strength training when I got home.

Tuesday: 6 Miles@8:19/This run was tough. After the first mile, I was exhausted. I kept telling myself that I was going to just run one more mile and then stop. I did not stop and every mile was a huge struggle. I always feel so good after finishing these tough runs because they teach you how to be tough and push through those rough moments.

Wednesday:Rest Day from running but did some strength training.

Thursday: 5.5 Miles@8:26

Friday: 7 Miles@8:07/One things that I love about going to the gym on a Friday night is that it is completely empty. I wanted to get a tempo run in for the week so I forced myself to step it up a bit. I did a 2 mile warm up, followed by 8:00, 8:00, 7:53, 7:47 and then a 1 mile cool down. It wasn't that bad and I felt like I had a really good run when I was done.

Saturday: Rest Day from running but did some strength training.

Sunday: 13 Miles@8:29/I ran the first half easy and then I picked up the pace the last half. Finding the strength to finish my runs strong is something that I am always working on.
Total Miles: 35.5 


This weekend I will be running the Zooma Valley Half Marathon. I have already checked the weather and it looks like it is going to be a warm day in Napa. The race starts a little late so hopefully we will miss the heat. I don't have a race day plan and almost never do for half marathons. I pretty much run them and see what happens.

Anyone else running a race this weekend?

12 comments:

  1. Great week of training. Nice and speedy! No races for me until August.

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    1. Thank You! No big race for me until September. I am thinking of some shorter distance in the summer but I haven't signed up for anything yet.

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  2. Good luck with your half this weekend. I usually just try to go out easy and finish strong with a negative split, not much of a plan but it is better than what I did my first half when I went out strong and practically crawled in!!

    Looks like a great week of training!

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    1. I like that idea! I have been focusing on that same concept during my long runs. I start out conservatively and try to run the second half a little bit stronger. I am getting better about not going out to fast and dying but it is always tempting!

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  3. Great week lady!!! Have a blast in Napa! These hot summer halfs are killer but at least ZOOMA is a blast!

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    1. Thank You! I am looking forward to the trip up to Napa! I think it is going to be fun.

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  4. Nice week of training, Sandy! Running in the heat is always a struggle for me too. I must have stopped at least 20 times yesterday to re-fill my bottle and walk off dehydration cramps!

    No race for me until August!

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    1. Thank You! I think you can handle any kind of weather after watching you train through the crazy, cold ,snowy weather conditions in Canada. I used to just read your posts and wonder how in the heck you did it!

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  5. Good luck with your race! You had a great training week so I hope you're going into it confident and you have a great time. I don't have any races on the calendar until the Santa Rosa Marathon in August, which is actually coming up pretty quickly it seems to me! :)

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    1. Thank You! I am so used to using my half marathons for marathon training that I have not attempted to PR this distance in almost 2 years. I love the distance but need to get braver about going out there and really pushing myself. We will see what happens.

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  6. Great job this week! That shady spot to run looks like a dream come true. The humidity here has been brutal.

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    1. Thank You! I am not sure how you can run in the humidity. I can even stand the heat and humidity is so much worse.

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