Week 4 kinda blew. It happens. As I mentioned in my very first post about the marathon, I have a plan. And I’m super Type A so that means I really really really like to try to stick to my plan. However, life happens. Sometimes you just need to pivot and make the best of the situation.
My strength training went off without a hitch. Rarely do I have hiccups when it comes to my at-home workouts because I have control over that. The only issues I run into are when my kids wake up halfway through it and whine for the last 15 minutes about being hungry. Other than that, the only way I’ll miss a workout is if I oversleep. And that rarely happens because my body is so used to waking up early. (The power of habits!)
As for my runs, I only ran twice last week and they were shorter runs– 4.2 miles and 5.1 miles. Those used to be middle distance runs for me but when you’re training for a marathon, those are short. Thursday’s run was in 12 degree weather so to say it was a good one would be a lie. I don’t think I’ll ever love running in the cold. But on the bright side, if I can run in 12 degree weather, you certainly won’t hear me bitching about the weather when it’s 30 degrees. Friday’s run was a bit better- I don’t remember the temperature but it was warmer than 12 degrees. Then we had a blizzard on Saturday which led to a snowed-in weekend and therefore, no run. But 2 runs is better than 0 runs. And with that, we move on.
I’ve established a “starting loop” now. It’s the first leg of my runs where I go about 2 miles out and then branch off depending on the number of miles I plan to run. 95% of my runs start off with my starting loop. I like it. It’s my little thing.
We’re down to 17 weeks until the marathon. I’ve built out my training schedule for the next 6 weeks. I know that things won’t go exactly as planned, but I’m going to try to stick to the schedule as much as possible. I’ve scheduled in 3 runs per week but if I can get at least 2 in each week, 1 being a long run, I think I’ll be OK. My long run is scheduled for Saturday morning and I plan to run 11 miles. I am going to force myself to run slower than I am used to- about 9:30-10:00/mile pace. The one thing about running outside is that it’s hard to gauge how fast (or slow) you’re going. I appreciate running on a treadmill for the simple fact that you can force yourself to run slower by adjusting the speed of the machine. Running outside is different- having a the Apple Watch helps but it’s not the same as a treadmill.
Wish me luck as I embark on my longest run in about 2 months… (-:
lauren goodman 