Week 14- almost easy street

It's hard to believe that race day is less than 30 days away. Eek! As it gets closer, I am a mixture of emotions. I am definitely going to have to start focusing on the mental aspect of training. I think my legs are ready just not sure about my mind. Here's to getting mentally tough in the next few weeks. 

Monday was a solo five mile run! There's just something relaxing about losing yourself in the music with the beautiful Fall colors. This is truly my favorite time of the year to run! The temperature is just about right, and the leaves are gorgeous! 

Tuesday was a rest day, but I did walk the 1.5 miles home after dropping the car off to Jadynn. Usually it's not a big deal for that walk, but I was still rocking my dress and dress boots. I'm sure people were wondering what was going on with me. Yeah, I am that girl!

Wednesday my girls, Monica and Kristin, joined me for a five mile jaunt. I truly appreciate all of the miles that I've shared with these two. There's just something about girl time while getting in some miles that makes my heart full. 

I really wasn't feeling my five mile run on Thursday because I was tired, and it was raining. I absolutely loathe running in the rain. I was complaining to my sil, Abby, about it, and she made me realize that running is a blessing. I was getting to the point where I was thinking of it as a curse. I decided that I was going to run five miles in the rain for those who cannot run. Talk about a change in perspective.

Friday was a rest day before my long run on Saturday. 19 miles was on the agenda. Kristin agreed to do 10 miles with me, so I decided to run the nine miles from my house to hers. I foucsed on maintaining a pace between 10:30-11:00 because I'm thinking that will be an ideal pace come race day. Once I met up with Kristin, her fresh legs started pushing the pace. I was ok with going a little faster but knew I'd have to slow down to be able to finish. I knew there would be a few small hills at the end. We were able to finish with negative splits, so I will call that a victory. Somehow I managed to trip and fall when I was paying attention to the traffic instead of the sidewalk! Oops! 

For cross training this week, Kevin and I ran the Buckeye 4 miler. I wasn't sure how the race was going to go after 19 miles on Saturday! My hips were a little sore and my body felt exhausted. He told me that he was going to stay with me for the whole race. This is something that doesn't happen very often. I told him that I was going to run how my body felt. Our first mile was at a 9:30 pace, and I felt good. The second mile was 8:59, so I knew that I needed to slow down a little bit. I have five miles penciled in for tomorrow. We ended up finishing at a 9:18! Not bad for tired legs. Just hoping my body doesn't hate me tomorrow. At this point, I'm not sore. Guess I'm in better shape than I realize.

One more long run and two weeks of tapering stands between me and race day! I think I'm ready. My goal is just to finish and take in the whole experience. I've been following my plan, so it should get me through. Right?!? I got this! I need to post that everywhere, so I really start believing it! 

Week 13: keeping the luck

This week started with a five mile run with my BF. We hadn't ran together in forever, so it was nice to get in some miles and catch up on life. She helped push the pace and reminded me that I can still run fast. I am truly blessed to have her in my life. 

Tuesday was a rest day before my 8.5 miles on Wednesday. I decided to run home from work again since it would be my last 8 miler during the week. I got lost in the music and was home before I knew it! It's hard to believe that running 8.5 miles is like a walk in the park. Once upon a time, anything over 3 miles was a struggle. It's amazing how far I've come as a runner. 

Thursday was a rest day because I was doing my long run on Friday. Somehow I convinced Meissa, Monica, and Kristin to run 12 miles after working all day. I wasn't sure how the run was going to go because I was tired and the forecast was calling for cold and rain. I was determined to get it in no matter what because I didn't have time the rest of the weekend to fit it in. Luckily, we only got a few sprinkles and was able to maintain a decent pace even though we were all a little tired. Loved sharing the miles with the three of them. Nothing makes the miles go faster than getting lost in conversation with good friends.

I had one more run to get in on Saturday, so I had to squeeze it in between Jadynn's game and a wedding. The temperature was cool once again, so I ended up running in pants, long sleeves, and gloves! I'm not sure that I'm ready for the cooler temps!

For cross training this week, I biked while Kevin got in his run. Luckily we only had to do 13 this week because it was cold! I was prepared with my gloves and ear warmer, but my poor little toes froze. I can only imagine how cold it will be on race day! Maybe a late Novmeber race wasn't the best idea. 

Looking forward to shorter miles during the week and surviving the longer runs on the weekends for the next two weeks. Then it will be time to taper! 

Week 12: almost perfection

Have you ever had one of those weeks when the stars seemed to align and all of your runs/workouts went off without a hitch?!? I had one of those this week. I started off the week with a solo five mile run. I had no intentions of pushing myself because I did my long run on Sunday. I simply got lost in the music and set out. I chose an unknown route, so I did encounter a big hill! My hips needed some love, so I decided to walk it. Good thing I did since it was .5 miles to the top. After cresting the hill, it was all downhill! I ended the run under a 10 minute pace, so I was happy! 

On Tuesday, Kristin and I met up for a five mile jaunt. We got caught up in the conversation, and our legs just did their thing. We were off to the races and finished under a 10 minute pace. A perfect run with perfect company. 

Wednesday was a rest day due to conferences at school. On Thursday, I had an 8 mile run, so I decided to run home from work. It's along a pretty busy road, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go with traffic. It was a warm, humid day, but I was determined to make the most of my run. I had my hydrate and fuel with me, so I knew that I was as prepared as I could get. I laced up my shoes and turned on my tunes. I was pleased with my pace. I got in 8.5 miles at a 10:15 pace. 

 Friday was another rest day before my 18 miles on Saturday. I was really dreading this run. My long runs had been less than stellar, and we were running at 6 AM. I'm usually still sleeping at that time. The only positive was that I was going to finally getting to run with Abby. When we started, it was dark. The sky was beautiful with the stars and a slice of the moon. It was amazing to watch the sun rise as we ran down the trail. After running 8 miles, we met up with some of Abby's friends from the local running group. We ran the last 10 miles with them. It was a beautiful Fall day, and my body felt great. We finished the last two miles under a 10 minute pace. The best part was the fact that I finally got to run with Abby on a picture perfect day. 

For cross training, I biked with Kevin while he got in his 22 miles. I wasn't sure how it was going to go after running 18 miles. It was another beautiful day, and I enjoyed the time we got to spend together. The only bad part was when I had a small crash. I misjudged getting back on the sidewalk. Luckily, I wasn't seriously hurt and could continue on our journey. 

This week was exactly what I needed. I was starting to doubt myself and wasn't sure if I would be able to finish come race day. I felt amazing after my 18 miler and know I can add on another 8 miles if I slow down my pace. It's hard to believe that in six weeks I'll be sitting here writing a recap of the race. Time is starting to fly by. Looking forward to three more long runs then tapering. The key is going to be  staying on track and taking it one training run at a time. 

Week eleven: hoping to shake it off

Once again, this was a week of ups and downs. I took an extra day of rest hoping it would help my hips. It seems to be an ongoing struggle. I guess I'll be seeing my chiropractor a little more frequently in the last few weeks of training. I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about running on Monday after doing 17 on Sunday. My schedule was jammed packed this week, so it was run or miss a run. I decided before I went out that I wasn't going to worry about pace, and I would walk any hill that I encountered. This run gave me a chance to reflect on my journey as a runner and remember why I started running in the first place. It was a way to start getting healthier, and it became my way to deal with stress and take time for myself. That was my focus for this run. And it worked! I enjoyed my run for the first time in a long time! 

Tuesday was a rest day due to my busy schedule. Plus I've been resting before my long run during the week.

On Wednesday, I met Kristin for an 8 mile run. It was a little chillier than it had been, so I was looking forward to running In cooler temperatures. We decided to go with the hillier of the two routes! I was hoping that my hips were up for the challenge. They felt good for most of the run. I decided it was best to walk up the big hill that we encountered. This enabled me to finish the run strong. 

Thursday ended up being a rest day due to conferences and housework that needed to be completed when I got home. Friday was my scheduled rest day before my long run on Saturday. I woke up Saturday to rain and a bitter 40 degrees. Kristin and I decided to get in our 5 mile run in instead of 13. I forgot how much I hated running in the cold rain. 

We decided to sleep in on Sunday since it wasn't supposed to be too hot. Our run started off great. We ran the first five miles under a ten minute pace. Rookie mistake. We decided to slow our pace down, so we would be able to finish. About mile 10, the ole hips started protesting. I knew I was going to have to slow down a little bit more because of the incline in the last mile. When we got to mile 11, I decided I needed to walk. Somehow I dug deep and finished. We were 5 minutes faster than our last 13, so I'll take it. 

After our runs today, Kevin and I did t25 stretch together. I forgot how much I miss Shaun T! There's nothing like a good stretch after a long run. Hoping it helps my hips, calves, and glutes.

It's hard to believe I only have 6 more long runs before race day. This makes me both excited and anxious. I'm hoping I can find that peace and joy in running again this week. At this point, I feel like it's a job! I need to shake that feeling. Here's to another busy week with trying to get all of my runs in. Looking forward to getting in my long run with Abby this week. It's been way too long.