Earth Day 50k Training Update 3

This past week was the first time I felt challenged beyond what my body was capable of. I started out the week feeling great after the long run, but by the end of the week I was exhausted. This week's lesson was in rest and recovery.

Here was my schedule for the week:

Monday: Speed: 7 X 5 min on, 1 min rest, with a 5 min warm up and cool down, Jasyoga - Train your core, For Crunch Junkies

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 5 miles easy

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 5 miles

On Thursday I had my monthly sports massage and the therapist told me that she noticed how tight my muscles were. She spent a lot of time scraping me instead of actually using her hands in order to break up the fascia better. I felt a lot better afterwards, but it was a humbling experience to know that someone could tell by my body what I have been putting it through. I started to get a headache that night, which lasted into Friday. When I woke up for my run on Friday, it was raining and I told myself I could skip the run because I had a big one on Saturday and sleep was needed more than one run. By Friday night I was exhausted. When I woke up on Saturday, I knew there was no way I could get my run in. I had the chills, a severe headache, and felt incredibly weak. I spent the day laying around napping. 

I was scheduled to run 5 miles on Friday, and 22 on Saturday. While I do feel "guilty", I also have enough sense to know that my body needed rest and was yelling at me to take it. I am disappointed in my mileage. Of course I worry that I will not be prepared for the race. But I also know that missing two runs is not going to be the end of the world. The time I take now for rest will help me in the coming weeks.

Yeah..I am tired of doing speedwork in the snow

I could tell a huge difference during my run on Sunday. With the extra rest, I was able to run 5 miles easily at race pace. I was so inspired by runners doing a half marathon in my backyard! I was mindful to stay out the way, and I loved watching those at the front of the pack as well as the back. Hearing one girl say that she didn't know if she could finish broke my heart because I know that feeling, and I wanted to badly to let her know she could do it but it wasn't my place as a non-runner. Next year I'll have to either run the race or work as a volunteer because it was so fun.

Impromptu race bandit

Highlights/Observations of the Week

• This was the highest number of repetitions for speedwork I will have to do!!! Seven was incredibly hard to do at 5 minutes each, and I was proud of myself for completing the run
• I was nervous about moving up to a 5 mile run before work due to the time it would take but I proved that it was doable and even though I had to complete it right after the snowstorm we had, I still got up and got it done
• Sports massages are the best and if you don't get one regularly, you need to
• My weight loss continues. It was 3 pounds this week. Needless to say, I am eating as much as possible because I dont want to keep dropping so much weight every week. I am sure after the extra rest days this weekend I will be able to put some of that one again
• Watching a race as an observer is fun, motivating, and heartbreaking all at one time

Thankfully next week is a recovery week, and I can do the 22 mile run next Saturday instead. In a sense, my body needed this week for recovery, and I am glad I listened. I am looking forward to the coming week of some lighter workouts and cross training during the weekdays and getting that 22 mile run in on Saturday.