Hansons Week 12

This was my highest mileage week so far and it really brought the cumulative fatigue! Here was my plan for the week:

Monday: 5 miles easy

Tuesday: Strength - 4 X 1.5 miles with 800m recovery

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 9 8 miles tempo

Friday: 5 miles easy

Saturday: 8 miles easy

Sunday: 10 miles long

This felt like the first week in so long where I was able to get every workout in, hence being the highest mileage week so far. The only adjustment I made this week was running an 8 mile tempo instead of 9, and that was due to missing the tempo run the previous week. With strength workouts increasing at the same time as the tempos, this made for an exhausting week of running. Thankfully the hot temperatures that started the week ended up with a cool weekend that made the long run feel easier than the past several.

Tempo:

It always felt like the weather wanted to throw the hottest temps at me on Thursdays and I was nervous moving up to 9 miles because I had not run one really great tempo. I wanted one last chance to prove to myself that I could handle the pace and that it was the weather that was effecting me each week and not my inability to handle the run. While it was still quite hot, I went out and gave it my all and met my prescribed pace each mile. It is often really easy to get overwhelmed in a tempo run and I find that I do best when I only live in that mile and do not think about the next. It is easy then to find the right pace and let your body settle in to holding that pace and if you do it right, you will finish feeling like you could keep going. This is really why I believe the tempo runs are the most important runs in the Hansons plan and once you can "feel" your pace, you are less likely to go out too fast or fade during the marathon.

Interestingly enough, this was a hot topic with the women's Olympic marathon. The announcers during the race often commented on Desi Linden, one of Hansons-Brooks elites, and how she seemed to speed up and fall back often during the race. In reality, she was running a well paced race and her mile times were even compared to many of the other women who were running too fast or slow. Hansons sent out an email that provided the following article about pacing here that explains this further. As someone who notoriously went out too fast in races and would struggle in the later miles, I can attest to the importance of the tempo runs and how my first race racing using the Hansons plan was the first race that I got stronger as the miles wore on because I maintained an even pace. It is hard to watch people pass you early on in the race, but it is the best feeling to pass them later in the race when their fast start catches up with them. I definitely went out too fast in my first marathon and I am really looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish during my next race now that I have really worked on proper pacing thanks to these tempo runs.

Easy:

Normally I do not have much to say about my easy runs, but Saturday was a rough day for me. I was up at 5 am with a dog who was skunked and spent the better part of my day cleaning the house and getting my dog de-skunked. The last thing I felt like doing was running 8 miles on little sleep, but I am proud that I went out and put in the work. Despite some storm clouds, the cooler weather had rolled in and I was alone out on the trail and felt like I had it all to myself. Instead of letting the exhaustion of the day rule me, I used it to fuel my run and it ended up being a great outlet for all the day's stress. I know that I ran those "easy" miles too fast as I paid for it a bit when I headed out for my long run today, but it was one of those runs that felt so great that it was hard to reign myself in. 

Fatigue Level:

It would seem obvious that my fatigue level would be at an all time high after the mileage of the week and I ended my long run completely exhausted. Yet it was another win for me as I was tired and sore when I started the 10 miles but I finished them nevertheless. Those 10 miles truly did feel like the last 10 of the marathon, but it proved to me that I can run when I am this fatigued and this will be a great mental training moment for me to reference during the marathon. My sleep was definitely impacted this weekend and I know that has contributed to my higher level of fatigue. I have been trying to work in some short yoga sessions where I can to help flush out some of the heaviness in my legs and I know I will need to take my next run very slow.

Mental and Emotional Strength:

Emotionally this was another hard week, what with my company being a complete toxic environment with the highest level of paranoia circulating the office and the skunk incident with my dog. Ironically I felt very mentally strong this week. During my tempo run I had a moment of clarity regarding my job situation and I believe that I came to peace with whatever the future may hold. I realized that I am more than my job and it does not define me as a person. Thankfully I have not been someone who makes work their whole life, and when this job is gone I will be fine. My mental strength was definitely tested in terms of motivation Saturday and Sunday, but I forced myself to get out and run when it seemed hard, and found both runs to be enjoyable. 

I also continued to be so inspired by many of the Olympic athletes this week and plan to write another post about some of my favorite moments but one of them was cheering Kate Grace on in the finals of the 800m race. Kate was Oiselle's first signed elite and she has represented the brand (even if she could not wear it during the Olympics) well. I was so proud watching her and she really inspired me to keep pushing this week when it was hard. Next week I have the second 16 mile run of the plan and I will need this mental strength more than ever!

Cheering on my Oiselle teammate Kate Grace!