Marathon Training: Week 8

Since this week of training was pretty uneventful (eh-hem, four rest days and no races to serve as good excuses), I'll start off by linking to some of my favorite running blogs. I looove reading about others' training and races! These blogs inspire me to keep up with my training and help get me excited to run my first marathon.

• Ali on the Run: Ali lives in NYC and is preparing for her first marathon — the Hamptons Marathon next weekend. She's spunky, hilarious and totally going to rock the race despite the challenges her Crohn's disease can give her. I always look forward to her posts each morning!

• Sweat Once a Day: Emily is a total badass. She is fast (has qualified for and run Boston a bunch of times) and just became an Ironman. She's also hilarious and makes no secret of her love for bagels, beer and sweat.

• MegaNerd Runs: Megan is my age and I really identify with her. She had some challenges finding a job after college, but she finally did and I cheered her along as she moved to a new state and settled into her new "grown-up" life. She's currently training for her second marathon.

• Healthy Tipping Point: Caitlin typically posts three times a day, so there's always something new to read! She has run 40 races, including everything from 5Ks to marathons to triathlons. I always check out her race recaps before I tackle a new distance. She now focuses more on triathlons, and I've gotten tons of helpful tips from her, like all the advice she provides in her essential sprint triathlon packing list.

• Meals and Miles: Meghann is another very experienced racer with a wealth of race recaps that I like to peruse. She's currently training for her first half Ironman, which is in just a few weeks! Is it weird how excited I get to follow along with these training cycles? Hmm, don't answer that.

• Losing Weight in the City: Theodora is another NYC runner, and she originally started her blog to chronicle her weight loss. She lost 50 pounds and became a runner in the process, and now she's training for her second marathon — the New York City Marathon.

• Daily Garnish: Emily doesn't write about running so much right now, but for good reason — she's 9 months pregnant! She has completed several marathons and other races, and I'll be interested to see how her running journey evolves as she becomes a new mom. Fun fact: She actually lives right near me, and I ride the same bus as her husband. I was that creepy person who went up to him and said, "Hey, you don't know me, but I read your wife's blog!" Not weird at all.

Now for Week 8 of marathon training! Get excited.


WEEK 8


Monday: Rest

I believe I came home from work and crawled into bed on Monday, and that was that.


Tuesday: Rest

See: Monday.

I spent the evening putting together my Week 7 recap and I wrote that I was feeling exhausted and scrambling for motivation to train for a race that is still months away. However, I vowed to jump back in and start kicking some training butt!


Wednesday: 6 miles

This was a good, solid run (9:17 average pace). As always, it felt great to be running again after a few days off, and I was delighted to find tons of fallen leaves on my path — a sure sign that autumn is almost here!

Fall is my favorite season, and I'm excited to be able to run in cooler temperatures and not have to worry about getting up so early for weekend long runs to beat the heat. Also, I need to start thinking about what I'm going to be for Halloween (my favorite holiday). Is there any way for me to top the lobster costume??


Thursday: 3 miles + power flow yoga

My friend and running buddy Carly just joined my gym, and she's loving all the classes it offers. She invited me to a power flow yoga class on Thursday, so I snuck in a three-miler that ended at the gym just in time for the class.

Some types of yoga leave me feeling like I didn't get a workout, but that was not the case with this class! Since I was already warmed up (read: sweaty) from my run, the 75-minute class was extra-intense. My quads burned throughout, and my face literally dripped sweat. And that's how yoga is done, my friends.


Friday: Rest

Friday was actually a scheduled rest day, so I felt no guilt for this one. My quads continued to burn, and my arms started feeling sore from the yoga class because we did a lot of this. Chaturanga is no joke!

My back and neck tend to get pretty tight throughout the week, and on Friday, I just couldn't take it anymore. I headed straight to Brookstone after work and picked up this iNeed Lumbar Massage Cushion. So far, I've used it on my upper and lower back, shoulders, quads and feet. It was a very good purchase!

I planned to spend Friday night relaxing, but my roommate felt like going out dancing and I got into the spirit, too. Let's see how this decision affected my Saturday-morning 12-miler, shall we?


Saturday: 12 miles

This run wasn't pretty, but I did it. I had to do a bit of walking in the beginning due to some stomach/side pain, but after a few rough miles, Carly and I fell into a great long-run pace. She ran one loop of Lake Union with me (about 6 miles), and then I continued on by myself to complete the rest of the 12 miles. I was hurting by the end, but I figured that's about how I'll feel when I try to run 26.2 miles, so maybe it's good practice? : D

I spent the rest of the day hydrating, foam-rolling, icing my knees and napping. Then four of my best friends and I did a delicious make-your-own-pizza night, during which we gossiped and watched the movie Country Strong. I ate my entire pizza, plus a salad, and was still kind of hungry afterward. Ohhh, marathon training.


Sunday: Rest

I had planned to go for a bike ride with a friend, but we were rained out by the first of what will be many (...many, many) gray Seattle days this fall and winter. To be honest, I was perfectly fine with that outcome, since I actually got to sleep in. I often have trouble sleeping in past 8 a.m. on the weekends even if I want to, but on Sunday, I had no problem. It was glorious.


WEEK 8 TOTALS

Miles run: 21
Miles biked: 0
Swims: 0
Yoga sessions: 1
Strength-training sessions: 0
Rest days: 4
Pairs of shoes retired: 1 — you've done me right, Ghost 3
Pairs of shoes to continue breaking in before the marathon: 1 — let's do this, Ghost 4


MARATHON TRAINING TO DATE

Miles run: 134.2
Miles biked: 67.5
Swims: 7
Yoga sessions: 1
Strength-training sessions: 10 + 1 shower scrubbing


PREVIOUS TRAINING RECAPS

Weeks 1-4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7

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