Marathon Training: Week 7

I am officially on the downside of training. Only 35 days until CIM. I know that I am going to blink and 12.4 will be here. By 12.4, I will almost have had 11 months of training invested into this race. Prior to January 2011, I had been a couch potato since the Boston Marathon. I went from like (gasp!) an 11 minute mile and being out of breath to a sub 7 minute mile in 11 months. INSANE. It proves that with hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude YOU can accomplish anything.

Monday: OFF
Tuesday: SJ Class
Wednesday: Intervals!

20 minute warm up (2.13 miles)
1000- 3:45 (6:02/mile pace)
400 Recovery
2000- 7:25 (5:58/mile pace)
400 Recovery
1000- 3: 38 (5:50/mile pace)
400 Recovery
1600- 5:49 (WHOA, where did that come from?!)
10 minute cool down (1.12 miles)

I felt like I redeemed myself from last week. I felt strong, awesome & fast. I felt like I could have ran even more even though my legs felt like complete mush. I went home with a definite smile on my face and fell asleep dreaming of crossing the finish line at CIM. Everyday, I visualize this race. I think about it constantly. I think about both failure and success. Of course I hope its successful, but I know that anything can happen during a marathon, ANYTHING. It worries me that something might happen...what if I can't finish? what if I cramp up? what if I don't get my BQ? UGH. Must stop thinking of CIM.....

Thursday: I was feeling a massive amount of lactic acid in my legs when I woke up at the crack of dawn (4:30 am). Decided to head to the club earlier than usual and hit it up the Precor machine before class. Completed 20 minutes on the Precor (1.76 miles) and then did some stretching before SJ class. Class was good, it was hard. Each leg felt like they weighed 1000 lbs. and I felt like I was either going to pass out or throw up. You would think that after almost 1 year of Skinny Jeans, I would be a trained professional, but I am not. It never gets easier. I was so beat afterwards that it hurt to take my shirt off. How does that happen?

Friday: Tempo day! This is where I really fell apart last week so I was hoping this week wouldn't be a repeat. The night before I made sure to go to bed extra early (around 9PM). I was up and ready to kick some miles at 4:30AM.
WU- 2 miles
Tempo- 6 miles at 6:55/mile. YAY!!!!!!
CD- 1 mile

I felt GREAT!!!! This workout was a nice way to begin my weekend. :-)

Saturday: OFF. Went to the EWU game and a Halloween party with good friends. It was a fun day!

Tailgating!

Lady bug!

Sunday: I ran 22 miles! This is the longest training run that I have ever ran before, so I felt pretty good about. My left calf still feels really tight and it is super frustrating. It bothered me for about the first 10 miles and then it slowly eased up. I actually stopped once to try and stretch it out, but it didn't do much for it.

I technically only had 20 miles to run, but I felt like pushing it a bit more because I felt good and wanted to see what 22 miles would feel like. Cam had a flag football game at 12PM so I left the house around 9AM and ran up to his game at Dwight Merckle. The weather was a little on the chilly side. I even got rained on a few times, but other than that it was a good run. I know that I have said this before, but fall is seriously the best time for running. I wished that I would have taken some pictures on my cell phone because the colors along the Spokane River and through the historic Browne's Addition were stunning.

Looking ahead....I only have one more 20 mile run before CIM. I really plan on pushing the pace on this run and trying to run consistently at a sub 7:20/pace. Tapering has always been a challenge for me so I am not looking forward to it. However, I am so excited for CIM and I am thrilled that my parents are going with me. I know that it will be a short trip (I fly down Saturday and come back Sunday night), but I know that it will be a great weekend. My parents have had such a huge impact on my life and are such amazing people. They have been to more races of mine that I can even count. They were at my first marathon in Portland when I qualified for Boston so I am hoping that I can qualify again in Sacramento with them there. :-)

Total Weekly Mileage: 37.75


--Tasha