A Week's Worth...Again

I was on such a roll with my excessive posts last week, one might have thought I was b-a-c-k.  And then I fell off the wagon, this week.  Almost quite literally, as I'm blaming my lack of posts on my Irishness and needing to celebrate it in full force um... most of the week.

Monday I was loving the fact that it was still light out at 6pm when I hit the trails for my run.  However, I was not loving the extreme flooding of my bike trail.  Talk about rerouting my run.  Looking at my route on Garmin Connect looks somewhat like a Family Circus cartoon.
I did my 6 miles in 56:48 for a pace of 9:28.

Tuesday I had myself sliiiiightly freaked out about my run.  Given that my 1600 m intervals were so horribly hard for my first cycle of HM training, that I omitted them from my second cycle of HM training.  Uh.  Yikes.  I had 7 miles total, one mile warm up and cool down, 2 x 1600 @ 7:57 with 800 meter jogs after each mile.  Instead I did a 2 mile warm up, intervals, and 1 mile cool down.  The last thing I want to do after running hard and fast is run slooooooooow for a long time.  No thanks.

I hit up the gym in shorts and a barely there running top, again to minimize sweatage, and was ready to go.  The run went awesome.  It was definitely just as tough as I expected, but I think I was a little mentally tougher than the last time I attempted.  I know what my body is capable of, so I'm not as willing to let myself "quit."  I did give myself .1 of each 1/2 mile to walk after each 1600 which I think helped tremendously.  I think next time I would only do .05.  I was pretty recovered by the end of each 1/2 mile jog/recovery.

I did 7 miles in 1:05:44 for a pace of 9:24.  My interval pace was 7:51.

You'd best believe I left that treadmill a soaking sweaty mess.  So sorry gym. :(

Wednesday was conveniently my rest day and my favorite holiday ever ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!  Not to be confused with MARATHON TRAINING!!!!  I somehow convinced myself to get up out of bed early to do some yoga for runners podcast which focused a lot on loosening up my oh so tight hippies.  Let me tell you how not flexible I am first thing in the morning, the day after speed work.  Answer:  Not flexible.  It did feel good to start the day somewhat loosened up.

As soon as I was off work it was out on the town with some friends.  I've really become a bit of a homebody since I started training.  I'm either hanging out with the boy, visiting the boy, running, or eating.  Doesn't leave much time for boozin' it up with the compadres.  I think we made up for it on ST. PATRICK'S DAY!! Don't you worry. :)

By the Luck 'o the Irish, I felt 100% fine Thursday morning (not working til 11am didn't hurt) a fact I bragged about throughout most of the day.  Until I got to the gym.  Holy crap, my body did not want to run.  That's what you get for celebrating your little heart out I guess.  After the first mile my legs and lungs did loosen up, but you can tell my lungs were NOT pleased with the 2nd hand smoke they had to inhale.  I felt like it was the first mile I had ever run in my life.  [P.S.  Please remind me to never quit running so I don't have to feel that horrible chest pain EVER.]

I managed to eek out 5.75 of my 6 miles before the gym closed in 54:18 for a pace of 9:27.

Tonight is going to be spent attempting my culinary hand at homemade margherita pizza to inhale as fuel for 20 miles tomorrow.  EEEEEEEEEEK!  20 #1, you're about to be my B!

Best of luck to Heather and Glenn as they take on their own marathons this weekend.  Make Jerbear proud kiddos. :p