2017 Week 10 Recap-6 week before Boston Marathon!

This was a tough week.  Not because of the workouts, or mileage.  It was tough because it took me the whole week to recover from last week’s 10k race.  I shouldn’t be terribly surprised, I seem to recover slower than most of my running buddies. The fatigue and soreness will hang around an extra day or two.  I got a bit overly excited after my 10k PR, I couldn’t wait to race again.  So after the race I reached out to my coach and asked him if we could fit in an upcoming race this Saturday. I got the green light, and he suggested I stick to the 5k.  (There was a 5k and 12K option) So glad he did, because it was a struggle.

Here is my weekly recap

Monday- Double Dip 5.04 miles at 8:39 pace, total time 43:35

               4.03 miles at 8:22 pace, total time 33:44

I woke up feeling dead today, legs were super heavy and they did not want to run.  I slogged through both runs.  Nothing terrible or hurting, just no juice left in the legs today.

Tuesday- Double Dip 3.02 miles at 8:32 pace, total time 25:43

               5.05 miles at 7:59 pace, total time 40:20

My morning run, down-right sucked.   Things hurt, and bad. I wasn’t concerned with injury, the soreness had just hit maximum level ouchie. I walked up a hill, by my house. Magically though, the afternoon run felt easier.  The soreness was clearing out but I still felt like I had heavy legs and my breathing labored more than usual at that pace.  I slowed down at the end to keep the run feeling easy.

Wednesday- 10.2 miles at 7:51 pace, total time 1:20:00

                              6×30 second surges through the middle

Coach gave me two options, depending on how my recovery was going.  After seeing how my runs went the last two days, he suggested I take the lighter option.  This allowed me to continue recovering from this weekend’s race and also get some mileage in.  I felt good as the run started, but around mile 7 I felt tired again. I was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed getting small bursts of speed mixed in to my run today.

Thursday-8.01 miles @ 7:52 pace, total time 1:03:03

Almost all of the soreness was gone at this point, just some lingering hamstring tightness.  The legs felt a bit tired before, but nothing out of the norm for a marathon training cycle.

Friday- 4.09 miles @ 8:26 pace, total time 34:26

               4×10 strides at the end

Super easy run, to keep things loose and get ready for my 5k tomorrow. I really blasted out some of the 10 second strides just to help open my stride more.

Saturday- Big 12 5k race

2.25 miles warm-up @8:06 pace (4×10 second strides)

               5k race, finishing time 18:10

               5 miles cool down, 8:00 pace completed on treadmill

  This was a tough race for me. It was freezing and snowy. The course was pretty hilly and my legs still felt heavy. As the race started one of the other female runners, gapped me by a good 20 meters within the first quarter mile. I maintained that distance until the first mile marker.  I picked up the pace and spent most of the second mile trying to close the gap.  I was completely unfamiliar with the course, and was surprised by the mostly uphill third mile.  I manage to keep close to the other girl until the final half quarter mile.  I decided to make a final push as we topped the hill, I didn’t want to wait until the last 100m to try and beat her in a sprint with my legs feeling so dead. During the final push, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my leg, limiting how much I could open up my stride. It was a touch race the whole way, but I am glad I was able to get the overall female for the day, with a finishing time of 18:10.  There was a pretty awesome prize included in this race, $750 in gas cards, and tickets to the Men’s Big 12 Basketball Championship game.  As I walked down with one of the race officials, to get my prize, my leg continued to tighten and became really painful.  I decided to hit the gym nearby, hoping the warmer temperatures would allow me to finish my run and keep my muscles from tightening up if I need to slow down.  I walked about 10 minute and was able to jog after that.  I got in 4 miles before my leg started tightening up again, so I finished out 5 miles and called it a day.

My husband loves basketball and it was a great opportunity to get out and enjoy a child free night, thanks to my mom and sister.  They annouced the winners of the race, during one of the commercial breaks and had us receive our prizes on the court.  That was pretty embarrassing for me.

 

Sunday- 15.1 miles at 7:46 pace, total time 1:56:51

I woke up feeling pretty good.  No fatigue or soreness.  I was almost as if, I didn’t run a race yesterday. I joined a couple of guys on a super flat, gravel trail for some easy miles.

 

That’s it, no more racing for me until after the marathon.  I’m ready to get in some more long runs and ready to get a couple more solid speed workouts in before coach starts my taper. Boston released our bib numbers and wave/corral assignments.  It’s one more step until race day! Only 5 more weeks to go! HOLY COW

 

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