Hansons Week 16

Two weeks until race day!!!! At times I felt like the weeks were going by really quickly, but now that we are so close to the marathon I don't think it can get here fast enough. While most runners using traditional training plans have already started their taper, Hansons still keeps you on your feet..literally.

Yup that is pretty much how I feel this week. Last week I was fatigued but mostly felt great. This week all I could think about was tapering. Secretly I typically hate the taper part of any plan, but this week I was envious of those who are already decreasing their mileage.

Here was my plan for the week:

Monday: 5 miles easy
Tuesday: Strength 4 X 1.5 miles with 800m recovery
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 10 miles Tempo
Friday: 5 miles easy
Saturday: 8 miles easy
Sunday: 10 miles long

First, I am giving myself a pat on the back for completing every single workout this week (on the correct day, no less!). I thought last week was tough in that I had my first 10 mile tempo and last 16 mile long run, but I actually found this week to be more exhausting coming off week 15. It did not help that the weather was hot again (please please cool off before race day!) and by Friday my legs were lead.

This is what I think of 10 mile tempo runs in 86 degree heat

Easy Runs:

I think I despise Friday runs more than any other run as the week's accumulated fatigue is starting to reach the point of no return and my motivation starts to drop. I actually walked a few times on Friday just because my legs felt so heavy. On Saturday I headed to an Oiselle team group run at a local trail and was open to running whatever mileage the group was doing. I was nervous that what I have been calling my "Hansons legs" would slow everyone down, but I put aside my pride and went to the meet-up anyways. Only one teammate showed up but we adventured out on the trail and it ended up being a great run. The trail was challenging at times but scenic, and the company was even better. The miles went by fast, even if our pace wasn't, and it was just the change that I needed to get out of my mental and physical rut. We rewarded ourselves with ice cream at the best ice cream place in the Chicago suburbs, so I would call our meet-up of two a success.

Just doing it for the ice cream

Long Run:

I was really dreading the long run not only because of the desire to already be tapering and my "Hansons" legs, but I also developed hives all over my body Saturday night. I have never had hives before and I still do not know what caused the reaction, but I woke up today swollen and on fire, with no motivation to run. I told myself to get out and run and I could turn around if I felt like it. I started off at what felt like a really slow pace, but ended up being faster than expected. The miles passed by and while my body felt tired, it knew what it was doing and held to a consistent pace that got me home just as the heat was approaching 89 degrees. While stopping at a water fountain, I noticed that many of the hives on my legs were gone so I should market running as the cure for hives! While many of them have appeared again since then, it is noticeably better than earlier today. All in all, my last "long run" of the plan is over and done with, and I can officially start my taper!!

Fatigue Level:

If it isn't already obvious, I think this week's fatigue level is at a new all time high. I have officially reached the point in the plan where I hit the point of complete exhaustion and my body is ready for a break, if you can call the remaining two weeks of the plan a "break". I did incorporate a lot of yoga this week as I stopped all strength training workouts and I think this helped rest my body a bit in between runs.

Mental & Emotional Strength:

Mentally I am feeling better than I was last week. While I am still distracted by losing my job, my excitement for the marathon has hit and I feel more focused. Emotionally I have days where I feel depressed or angry, but I have been able to channel that into my runs. During my tempo run I reached what Matt Fitzgerald calls "sweet anger" where the anger you feel actually helps you through the run. I ran my 10th mile of the tempo run at the fastest pace of all 10 miles because I finally just got angry. Angry at my former employer, angry at my body for feeling tired, and angry at former co-workers. That anger got me home from my run and I felt cleansed. The yoga has also helped. In addition to many of the videos I do that are focused on specific body parts that are ailing me, I started to do some morning meditation videos which really help relax me as I force myself to get through another day of unemployment.

Nutrition:

My nutrition this week could have been better. A few times I chose foods that sounded good rather than focusing on whether or not I was getting enough protein or healthy fats. After my experience last week with dehydration I did make sure to drink more water and get additional electrolytes after some of my hot runs, but my post run snacks were not always the best choices. With the race just two weeks away, my typical plan to begin to cut out alcohol and sugar is my main focus and I think with the mileage ramping down I can focus more on my pre-race nutrition.