Training Update: Week 14 (September 14-September 20)

This week was a tough one and all of my runs seemed harder than they should have been. I felt very fatigued after the Ventura Half Marathon last Sunday and did not have much energy at all this week. My IT bands were sore for a few days which was very odd. I have never experienced that before especially after a race that I did not give 100%. I did not even make it to the gym all week and did all of my strength training at home. I tried to stay positive and thankfully things came together at the end of the week.

Here is a recap of Week Fourteen:

Monday: Strength Training: I have all of the tools that I need at home so when I don't feel like driving to the gym I have no excuse!

Tuesday: 3.25 Miles with 30 second pickups: Thankfully this was a short run because I was just not feeling it. I fought through it and got it done.

Wednesday: Strength Training: I did not make it to the gym again and did my strength training at home.

Thursday: 6.23 Miles: This was my toughest run of the week. I had the day off so I went to the track early and had the toughest time hitting my goal paces. I stopped a few times because I was so frustrated. I finally pulled it together and finished it because quitting was not an option.

Friday: REST DAY: I really needed this day off. I felt like my body needed a day to recover and get back on track.

Saturday: 17.25 Miles: After having such a bad week, the negative thoughts were already stuck in my mind. I also knew it was going to be a hot day so that was not helping my negative thoughts. I started while it was still dark out and finished before the heat set in. This run turned out better than expected and the last three miles were the fastest. I needed that!

Sunday:  REST DAY: Definitely needed this day to relax and that is what I did. We went to the beach and enjoyed the day. I also worked on my compression sock tan which is much needed. I know..it's pretty bad! I am working on it.

TOTAL MILES: 26.73

2015 MILES: 941

This week I really need to focus on getting my mind back in the game. Thankfully it is a easier week and my long run is only ten miles at marathon goal pace. I think I can handle that but if the heat would let up that would make it that much better.

Training Update: Week Eleven (August 24-30)

Another week of pain free running in the books! I have been trying something different this week that I wanted to share. I have been setting up all of my runs in Garmin Connect and then transferring them to my Garmin 620 because it really helps me hit my target paces and I don't have to keep staring at my watch. I seem to do much better with the help of Garmin beeping and screaming at me when I am running too fast or too slow. It also stops me from throwing in the towel and just going for a run versus finishing the planned workout!

Here is a recap of Week Eleven:

Monday: Strength Training: I love squats..they are my favorite!

Tuesday: 5.5 Mile Threshold Run: I went to the track at my regular time but noticed that it is starting to get dark a little earlier. I try to get there as late as possible to avoid the heat so a break from the heat is much needed if I am going to have to start getting there a little earlier.

Wednesday: Muscle Imbalance Strength Training: Buster kept me company while I squatted my life away. I am getting better with the Bosu Ball so I am excited to see some progress here.

Thursday: 4.35 Miles: I took this run to the track because I didn't feel like dealing with all of the traffic lights and extra stops. My runs seems to go a lot better without all of the unnecessary stops.

Friday: REST DAY:  This was a working Friday for me so it was nice to come home from work to relax and prepare for my long run in the morning.

Saturday: 20.15 Miles: This was a tough one because of the heat. The last three miles were really ugly and I took way too many breaks! It started out great but at the temperature rose I wasn't feeling so great. I have not been feeling too positive about my long runs lately.

Sunday: Strength Training: My legs were feeling great after my 20 mile run so I decided to go ahead with my strength training. I was finally able to handle some 45's on the leg press so I was pretty happy about that! 

TOTAL MILES: 30

2015 MILES: 865

Training Update: Week 10 (August 17-August 23)

The heat has been so horrible for the past few weeks but the positive thing is that I have not had any hip pain for ten weeks! That is truly a blessing and when I think about that, the heat really doesn't bother me anymore. There is always something to be thankful for and life is so much better when we try to see the good in everything. 

Here is a recap of Week Ten:

Monday: Strength Training: My day started out with Jury Duty. I seriously don't think I would be good on a jury so I spent most of the day praying that I would be excused and I finally was!

I wore my Mountains 2 Beach shirt to celebrate the fact that I just signed up to run the marathon again in 2016. I love this race. If I ever BQ, I would love for it to happen on this course because I love it that much.

Tuesday: 6 Miles: Speedwork: This one did not seem too bad until it ended with two miles at tempo pace instead of a nice and easy cool down. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it but somehow I did.

Wednesday: Muscle Imbalance Strength Training: I felt a little better on the Bosu ball this week. I was sore from all of the body squats so I guess it is working!

Thursday: 7 Miles@8:21: This was a really tough day for me because I could not sleep. I ended up getting three hours of sleep and then going to an all day training for work. I could barely stay awake and had already decided to put my run off until the next day. Once I got home and rested for a couple of hours I decided to go to the gym and run on the treadmill. I haven't done any of my runs on a treadmill unless my coach actually tells me to so it was a good change. I did take two breaks because my IT band started hurting a little bit and I had to stretch it out.

Friday: REST DAY: It is always nice when my Off-Friday and Rest Day fall on the same day. I slept in until 7:30 am, spent some quality time with the furkids and ran some errands.

Saturday: 15 Miles:  The weather was perfect but my energy level was low. I am getting so used to slowing these long runs down that when I have to run at endurance pace it seems hard. That is the only thing that scares me about running my long runs at a much slower pace.

Sunday: Strength Training: I didn't feel like driving to the gym so I decided to get my sweat on at home with my Bosu Ball and other tools that I have at home.

TOTAL MILES: 28

2015 MILES: 835

Training Recap: Week Nine: (August 10-August 16)

Marathon training in the heat is no joke! We experienced some record setting temperatures in Southern California this week and it was a tough week. Things are cooling down this week so I am looking forward to my runs being a bit more tolerable.

 Here is a recap of Week Nine:

Monday: Strength Training: Today we celebrated my Grandma's 88th birthday. We took her a delicious cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and spent some time with her. She was happy and we talked and laughed a lot.  After eating all of that cake, I somehow went home and forced myself to do 30 minutes of strength training.

Tuesday: 3.73 Miles: Speedwork: This was a short workout but there were no breaks between the intervals so it was still a tough one for me. I hit a couple of new records on my Garmin 620 so I was excited about that!

Wednesday:  Strength Training: After my usual strength training routine at the gym, I decided to try the Bosu ball for the first time. I have concluded that I need to work at this one a little bit more. You use so many different muscles to maintain your balance so it is great for your core but takes some practice.

Thursday: 3.25 Miles: Skilled Run: I was really thankful that I had just a few miles because it was still 90 degrees at almost 8:00 p.m.

Friday: Strength Training: Muscle Imbalance: I invested in a Bosu Ball so that I can get some more practice and have the option of doing this workout at home. I was supposed to run a mile before this workout but I skipped that part of it. I made up for it by adding a few extras into the workout.

 

Saturday: 18.1 Miles:  I really wanted to run this one with my running club but they started at 8am and it was going to be in the 80's when they started so I decided to get up early and tackle it on my own. By the time I was finished, it was 88 degrees out and I was feeling it. I saved myself by running with a Chill Towel around my neck and keeping my head wet.

Sunday:REST DAY: We had another birthday party for my Grandma. My mom and dad also came over to celebrate with us and we had a lot of fun. My parents are divorced so it is not often that I get to be in the same room with both of them.

TOTAL MILES: 25.08

2015 MILES: 807 

This week is kind of a cut back week for my long run but I have two tough runs this week in the form of speedwork and a tempo run. Thank God the weather is going to give us a break from the triple digits this week. I really need a little break!