Chicago Marathon Training Week 6

Finally a "normal" training week. I almost forgot what one of those feels like! I am still enjoying the McMillan custom plan that I have been following, and while the mileage is still a bit low, the speed workouts and actual long run this week were challenging.


Here was how my week went:

Sunday: Speed run - 4 X 800m with 400m recovery + 3 X 200m with 200m recovery, with a warm-up and cool down, Jasyoga - Preventative Medicine for your Lower legs and Feet
Monday: Cross training
Tuesday: Cross training, 3+ mile easy run
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 4 miles easy
Friday: Jasyoga - Flexible running hamstrings
Saturday: 14 miles long
Total: 26.45 miles

I found the speed run very challenging. 800 meters is a long way to hold a fast pace. However, I chose to run this specific workout on Sunday when I had more time and didn't feel rushed, and I was thrilled when I finished and was able to meet the targeted paces for each repeat. I even extended my cool down just a bit to get to 5 miles even. That is apparently the OCD runner in me.

My Tuesday midweek run was a nice break in the week as it was with some my Oiselle IL team, and it's always a nice break to run with others. It was pretty miserably hot that day, but when you have shared suffering, it doesn't seem so bad. Plus the cold margaritas and tacos afterwards made everything better!



The long run was rough. I haven't run a long run on a road in a long time, and my body definitely felt it. I know I need more time on my feet on pavement vs the trails but it was challenging. The weather was hot and steamy, and by the last few miles I had to dig deep to finish the run. I was using all of the positive mantras I could to force myself to keep running when all I could think about was how hot I felt. Physically I could have run additional miles, but I was sunburned and my body temp overheated, so I was glad to be finished.


Unfortunately the heat took away my appetite and I didn't fuel as much as I should have, and I over drank. I had 3 cups of ice cold water at the water station setup by a local bicycle group, and I had a lot of water sloshing in my stomach for most of the run which concerned me. I woke up on Sunday very dehydrated, so I know despite the extra water, I did not hydrate enough after the run.


I did find a new use for the bottle water fountains - they are great for sticking your head under to cool off! I am sure I looked pretty silly, but at that point I would have done anything to cool myself down. After I had soaked my head, I ran into the wind and I felt pretty cool for a mile or 2 before I was hot again. I would definitely do this again in the future!


This coming week will be a challenge since I have three days of training for work that will mean 14 hour days with little time to run or do much else. Thankfully this is a cut back week in the plan, so I intent to enjoy the lower mileage.

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