Countdown to F^3 Lake Half Marathon - 20 days

With the conclusion of the Hansons base building plan I have been writing about for 8 weeks, I picked up with the Hansons Beginner Half plan to continue training for the F^3 Lake Half Marathon that I wrote about back in November. While I am no beginner to the half marathon, the Hansons beginner plan is what I previously used to achieve my 6 min half marathon PR last spring, and there is nothing "beginner" about it. I couldn't have picked a better time to pick up the plan as it aligned with the start of Hansons strength workouts. After doing speedwork for the past 8 weeks, it was perfect timing to stop the speed runs and focus more on strength. I discuss the strength workouts in more detail in my Marathon training post here.

Here is what this week looked like for me:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 6 X 1 mile strength workout, 10 minute Pilates workout

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 5 mile tempo

Friday: 6 miles easy, Jasyoga - Optimal Hip Reset

Saturday: 10 miles long, Jasyoga - Cool It

Sunday: 5 miles easy, 20 minute Iron Strength Core workout

Even though I am no stranger to Hansons strength runs, I was nervous to run 6 miles at a pace that is 10 seconds faster than my race pace. It has been a while since I have run at that pace but I reminded myself that I have been doing speedwork over the past 8 weeks even if at times on the snow it did not feel like it. Despite the rain, I proved to myself that I had it in me and finished this first strength run very strong. 

Hard effort in the rain

Because my race falls on a Saturday, I decided to run my long run on Saturdays instead of Sundays. After my disastrous 8 miler last week, I was hesitant about how the 10 mile long run would go. It was very cold here in IL and I was dreading being out in the cold for so long. But I reminded myself of the last 10 mile long run I did during a snow storm and that gave me the confidence to push myself out the door. I finished the run feeling really good. I made sure to stop and fuel and hydrate at the nature center which also provided a place to warm up every 4 miles. I have talked a lot before about setting yourself up for success, and choosing my route with a "warming center" did just that for this run.

Injinji Snow series socks kept me really warm on my long run

Fatigue Level:

I expected to feel tired after a week of strength, tempo, and long runs, but I feel surprisingly good. I attribute some of this to the new R8 roller I got which is amazing and I plan to dedicate an entire post to this wonderful recovery tool. I know the accumulated fatigue known as Hansons Legs is headed my way, but for now I am enjoying running effortlessly and without heavy legs. 

R8 Roll Recovery

Mental & Emotional Strength:

You may have noticed a general theme in this post of being unsure of myself for some of the runs I had scheduled. I was feeling a bit down between the end of the holidays and job hunting, but I noticed a huge shift in my confidence once I scheduled a phone interview on Tuesday! It may turn out to be nothing, but it felt good to have a step in the right direction. I also got an awesome cut and color done on my hair which left me feeling like a million bucks afterwards. Between this and completing some difficult runs, I am feeling much more confident and have a general boost in spirit.

Next week will be my first 12 mile long run since marathon training, but I am looking forward to it as one last gauge of how my race may go. This will be my last long run before a small taper before race day.