Hansons Week 13
Lucky number 13...well not exactly, but it was a good training week overall. It was another high volume week with the tempo run going up to 9 miles as well as my second 16 mile long run. Here was the plan for the week:
Monday:7 miles easy Rest
Tuesday: Strength - 3 X 2 miles with 800m recovery
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 9 miles Tempo
Friday: 6 miles easy
Saturday: 6 miles easy
Sunday: 16 miles long
The only day I missed this week was Monday, and that was due to working a half a day and heading downtown to catch my favorite band Pearl Jam play at Wrigley field. While the walking I did around Chicago was hardly 7 miles, at least my rest day was spent being active and having fun. The day off was a nice break and I felt great on Tuesday for my strength workout. I could have very easily taken Tuesday off as well due to poor sleep and nutrition, but while my husband came home and slept for several hours, I headed off to do my strength workout. Now if that is not dedication, I don't know what is!
Tempo:
I was slightly nervous moving up from an 8 mile tempo to 9 miles, but I surprised myself in how well the run went. I held to my proper pace and stayed relaxed and found the run to go by quickly. Knowing that I had to complete this run after work and still have dinner on the table had caused me some anxiety over the week, but I pulled out my trusty crockpot and had some chipotle lentil soup cooking all day and ready for me when I came home. I think this helped to keep me relaxed during the run as I was focused solely on the mile I was running and not rushing myself to come home and have dinner made. This is ultimately one of the major challenges of marathon training. Training is like having a second job, and having to balance work and running and other household responsibilities can be overwhelming. My husband is great at helping out for meals and other household chores, but it still causes me some anxiety at times thinking of all the things I need to accomplish in a day. Thankfully I set myself up to succeed at this run and it paid off.
Long Run:
This was my second 16 miler in the Hansons plan and I was definitely feeling the week's accumulated fatigue by Sunday. Typically I try to run my long run on pavement as this simulates the conditions of race day, however I planned to meet some Oiselle teammates in a local forest preserve. I knew that the run would be slower paced due to the terrain but I figured that having company for more than half of the run (the trail is a 9.5 mile loop) would be a nice distraction. Unfortunately only one person showed up but I enjoyed the company for the mile she ran with me. It would have been easy to be disappointed that I would have to run the majority of the miles by myself after different expectations, but the trail was calm and peaceful and I found myself running the entire loop without my headphones. I finished the 9.5 mile loop and headed to my car for a change of clothes and to fill up my water bottles. The 98% humidity was brutal and my clothes were soaked, so the fresh shirt felt amazing and I was glad to have some water waiting for me. Unfortunately I had to carry water with me on a hydration belt which I am not a fan of, but was necessary in this situation. I spent a lot of last year wearing the belt and got used to it, but this year I have planned most of my routes by water fountains and this meant I spent most of today's run fussing over the belt and dreaming of the time I could take it off. By mile 12 I was pretty exhausted. The temps had already reached in the 80's and the hills had taken a toll on my legs. I was regretting the run on the trail at that point, but I accepted it for what it was and kept on. It was not the grand finish I had hoped for, but it was still an accomplishment. I can't help but be nervous at the fact that 16 miles has been so difficult when last year I was running 18 and 20 before the marathon, but I try to remind myself that I was running far, far less during the week and would often take a day off before the long run.
Fatigue Level:
I felt strong this week and while part of this likely was the cooler weather, it was one of the first times in several weeks where I could feel how far I have come on this plan. I could noticeably feel a difference in my performance and with hard strength and tempo runs, I seemed to recover well after both. I did not do any cross training workouts this week, but I did do a lot of short yoga sessions which I truly believe helped manage some of the aches and pains in my legs. While I did lose some sleep rocking out to Pearl Jam on Monday, I think I was able to catch up enough during the week to support my workouts and it was reflected in my performance.
Nutrition:
Nutrition at the start of the week was poor due to eating out before and after the concert, but thankfully it is not difficult for me to focus on eating to sustain my running and with some careful meal prep this week, I was able to fuel myself appropriately. I was listening to a podcast that was discussing insulin resistance and how it is important to teach your body to burn fat as fuel instead of the carbs stored from the last meal, and I have really been thinking about this before and after my workouts. It is easy to reach for a bowl of cereal or bagel before a run, but I have been consciously trying to switch up my "go- to's" in favor of more protein. After my long run I made an omelet with avocado and veggies that tasted like heaven, and was a change from my usual bowl of cereal.
Mental & Emotional Strength:
Having a little fun this week with friends made a huge difference in how I felt emotionally. While I am still very nervous about things at work, pleasant distractions have helped me focus on other areas of my life that will still be there no matter what happens with my job. Running gives me a lot of time to think and see things in a different light, and thankfully I have been able to emotionally deal with work struggles better than most would. While physically I felt very strong this week, I did mentally as well. My body and mind were where they should be during each training run and it is a great feeling when you can see all the pieces coming together.
Monday:
Tuesday: Strength - 3 X 2 miles with 800m recovery
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 9 miles Tempo
Friday: 6 miles easy
Saturday: 6 miles easy
Sunday: 16 miles long
The only day I missed this week was Monday, and that was due to working a half a day and heading downtown to catch my favorite band Pearl Jam play at Wrigley field. While the walking I did around Chicago was hardly 7 miles, at least my rest day was spent being active and having fun. The day off was a nice break and I felt great on Tuesday for my strength workout. I could have very easily taken Tuesday off as well due to poor sleep and nutrition, but while my husband came home and slept for several hours, I headed off to do my strength workout. Now if that is not dedication, I don't know what is!
 |
| Pearl Jam! |
Tempo:
I was slightly nervous moving up from an 8 mile tempo to 9 miles, but I surprised myself in how well the run went. I held to my proper pace and stayed relaxed and found the run to go by quickly. Knowing that I had to complete this run after work and still have dinner on the table had caused me some anxiety over the week, but I pulled out my trusty crockpot and had some chipotle lentil soup cooking all day and ready for me when I came home. I think this helped to keep me relaxed during the run as I was focused solely on the mile I was running and not rushing myself to come home and have dinner made. This is ultimately one of the major challenges of marathon training. Training is like having a second job, and having to balance work and running and other household responsibilities can be overwhelming. My husband is great at helping out for meals and other household chores, but it still causes me some anxiety at times thinking of all the things I need to accomplish in a day. Thankfully I set myself up to succeed at this run and it paid off.
Long Run:
This was my second 16 miler in the Hansons plan and I was definitely feeling the week's accumulated fatigue by Sunday. Typically I try to run my long run on pavement as this simulates the conditions of race day, however I planned to meet some Oiselle teammates in a local forest preserve. I knew that the run would be slower paced due to the terrain but I figured that having company for more than half of the run (the trail is a 9.5 mile loop) would be a nice distraction. Unfortunately only one person showed up but I enjoyed the company for the mile she ran with me. It would have been easy to be disappointed that I would have to run the majority of the miles by myself after different expectations, but the trail was calm and peaceful and I found myself running the entire loop without my headphones. I finished the 9.5 mile loop and headed to my car for a change of clothes and to fill up my water bottles. The 98% humidity was brutal and my clothes were soaked, so the fresh shirt felt amazing and I was glad to have some water waiting for me. Unfortunately I had to carry water with me on a hydration belt which I am not a fan of, but was necessary in this situation. I spent a lot of last year wearing the belt and got used to it, but this year I have planned most of my routes by water fountains and this meant I spent most of today's run fussing over the belt and dreaming of the time I could take it off. By mile 12 I was pretty exhausted. The temps had already reached in the 80's and the hills had taken a toll on my legs. I was regretting the run on the trail at that point, but I accepted it for what it was and kept on. It was not the grand finish I had hoped for, but it was still an accomplishment. I can't help but be nervous at the fact that 16 miles has been so difficult when last year I was running 18 and 20 before the marathon, but I try to remind myself that I was running far, far less during the week and would often take a day off before the long run.
Fatigue Level:
I felt strong this week and while part of this likely was the cooler weather, it was one of the first times in several weeks where I could feel how far I have come on this plan. I could noticeably feel a difference in my performance and with hard strength and tempo runs, I seemed to recover well after both. I did not do any cross training workouts this week, but I did do a lot of short yoga sessions which I truly believe helped manage some of the aches and pains in my legs. While I did lose some sleep rocking out to Pearl Jam on Monday, I think I was able to catch up enough during the week to support my workouts and it was reflected in my performance.
Nutrition:
Nutrition at the start of the week was poor due to eating out before and after the concert, but thankfully it is not difficult for me to focus on eating to sustain my running and with some careful meal prep this week, I was able to fuel myself appropriately. I was listening to a podcast that was discussing insulin resistance and how it is important to teach your body to burn fat as fuel instead of the carbs stored from the last meal, and I have really been thinking about this before and after my workouts. It is easy to reach for a bowl of cereal or bagel before a run, but I have been consciously trying to switch up my "go- to's" in favor of more protein. After my long run I made an omelet with avocado and veggies that tasted like heaven, and was a change from my usual bowl of cereal.
Mental & Emotional Strength:
Having a little fun this week with friends made a huge difference in how I felt emotionally. While I am still very nervous about things at work, pleasant distractions have helped me focus on other areas of my life that will still be there no matter what happens with my job. Running gives me a lot of time to think and see things in a different light, and thankfully I have been able to emotionally deal with work struggles better than most would. While physically I felt very strong this week, I did mentally as well. My body and mind were where they should be during each training run and it is a great feeling when you can see all the pieces coming together.
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