2017 Week 2 Recap-14 weeks Before Boston Marathon

2017 Week 2 Recap-14 weeks Until Boston Marathon!

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

This week was a lot better compared to week 1.  I am ending the week feeling stronger and much more confident.  I was really excited to get my marathon training cycle started and begin working with my new coach.  (You can read about my decision to use a running coach here).

The “bright side” to small set-backs, such as minor injuries and illnesses. It reminds you how much you love to run.  “I don’t have to run, I get too!” Normally, I may find myself a bit whiny about running in the cold and icy conditions.  This week, I was just super excited to be healthy enough to get out and run, the conditions didn’t bother.  I actually enjoyed them. Here is my recap for the week.

*If you missed my week 1 recap, you can read it here.  Not much to read, I was pretty ill and missed a large chunk of running.

• Monday-Treadmill 5.17 miles @ 8:27 pace (43:41)
  • Met up with some awesome friends for a 5 am run. Thank goodness, because I am not a fan of treadmills. I wanted to be able to hop on and off if I was having any breathing issues. I had a bit of a lingering cough and needed stop and use the inhaler.  Overall I still felt very tired but I was happy to be feeling well enough to run again.

• Tuesday- Road Run around the neighborhood.5.25 miles @ 7:38 pace (40:01)
  • Oh man, what a difference a day makes. This was really a day and a half because I ran in the evening.  I felt so much better.  I was able to run comfortable after pre-treating with my inhaler.  I was pretty sad when the run was over. Normally, I would keeping going but I knew my coach wants me to keep the runs easy so I can push on my speed work/quality runs.

 

• Wednesday-My first workout, woohoo! 2 miles warm up, 6 x mile repeats with 1 minute rest, 4x200m sprints and cool down. (Repeats 6:02,6:11,6:05,6:06,6:02,6:11)
• • Started out feeling pretty iffy, I was pretty drained through out the work day. I was coughing a lot during and after the warm up. A cough drop from a friend helped out tremendously.  Wednesdays I like to join KC Running Company, group runs.  I asked some of the regulars to tag along, and I am so thankful they did. I was able to hit my paces, and the company made the workout a lot more enjoyable. I was a tad bit ahead of my target paces for this workout. I am thinking, it was partly because my legs felt fresh after the time off.  I like doing workouts in groups, I usually suffer less and perform better. I will need to get some of my speed workouts in also, but I enjoy the company and extra push when I can get it.

• Thursday-6.05 miles @ 8:06 pace(49:05)
  • Working on following my own advice and slowing doing my easy runs. (read about it here) I had to slow myself down a few times, but I felt great. I didn’t need to use my inhaler at all and was feeling like myself again.  Yippee!

• Friday – 12 miles @ 7:59 pace (1:35:45)
  • We had an ice storm moving in, and schools let out two hours early. Since I am a teacher, I got to leave early too. I decided to meet up with a friend at a park close by.  We wanted to try and squeeze some miles in before the ice storm came in.  I just wasn’t sure how this ice storm would affect my weekend running.  We ended up getting 12 miles in, felt really good, no problems with ice. I definitely enjoyed the extra time off.

 

• Saturday-8.12 miles @ 7:56 pace (1:04:25)
  • We woke up with a thin layer of ice on the ground.  Most of the roads were okay to travel on, the sidewalks were a solid sheet of ice.  We had a group of runners that met at one of our local trails (non-technical). My friend added screws to my shoes (you can read about screwing your shoes here), which made a huge difference.  I am surprised we were able to run so comfortably. My favorite part was breakfast after!

• Sunday- Treadmill 6 miles 7:50 pace (47:00)
  • I wasn’t sure if the ice conditions would get worse. So I met up with a couple friends at the gym and we were able to enjoy coffee after.  I may enjoy eating breakfast and coffee after my weekend runs just a tad more than the runs themselves. I hate the treadmill, so while my pace looks like I kept it in the “easy” range I didn’t do so well the last two miles.  I kept cranking the pace lower and lower to help get it over with. I have some sort of mental block with treadmills. I just don’t like them.

 

I am a very anxious person, and that transfers into my running a lot.  Normally, an illness or set back sends me spiraling because I am too much of a control freak.  Having a coach, really helped me keep my cool this week.  It’s week 2 of training and I am feeling pretty confident that I made the right decision. I can’t wait to see what next week brings!

Today is 91 days until Boston Marathon, 13 Weeks.  I’d say overall my training is on the right track.  I haven’t set any goals yet, I want to see how my training cycle goes.  How about you? How was your week? Do you have any big goals or races coming up?

Please like, comment and subscribe.  Feel free to share, I love connecting, sharing and following other runners along the journey.

 

Previous posts.

Screw your running shoes!

Why you should become a runner, and how

Planning my 2017 Race Calendar

Why I have decided to work with a running coach

Running in 2017- I love New Years

Slow Down! Running Your Easy Run, Easier.

RUNspiration: Motivating your run

A single step….

 

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