Last time I left off, I admitted that running doesn’t seem to be a big priority in my life right now.
I can’t say that conditions have improved drastically since Friday.
For example, we did treadmill miles yesterday since the Giants game took up Aaron’s evening (we don’t want to talk about it), and I literally put it off until 9:30 (I like to be in bed by 10). I ran 1 mile and hopped off to “grab some water (aka plop on the couch)” but Aaron ordered me back into the exercise room to finish out the last 2.
We DID however get our 9 mile long run in while we were in Phoenix.
I love Phoenix (well, Scottsdale at least). One of the biggest reasons is because it was about 58-60 degrees out (PERFECT running weather), and everyone was bundled up like they were expecting a snow storm!
We did our run along The Green Belt which is a stretch of beautifully landscaped grass. It was a great trail, utilized by a lot of people. However, it was entirely concrete which is noticeably hard on the legs. And I got a mosquito bite.
Photo by Jason Franz via blogs.phoenixnewstimes.com
I also have this weird quirk where I judge my speed improvement by how fast I can run 7 miles. I try to get my 7 mile split in as close to under 1 hour as possible. The last two long runs it has been between 1:0:30 and 1:0:52. This time I was able to get down to 59:18, so I consider improvement to have been made!
Overall, this was a great long run. I finished in 1:17:23 for about an 8:33 pace. Most of my miles were pretty close to that 8:30. I don’t usually start packing gels or worrying about water until I get into the 11 mile range, so 9 miles was fine without any of that, but we were pretty thirsty afterwards.
We’d forgotten our Nuun (ALSO just found out a few days ago that it is pronounced NOON. We’ve been saying it very wrong) and the Whole Foods we went to didn’t have any, so we settled for some weird substitute.
WHAT I’VE OBSERVED THIS WEEK:
1) I ran with my compression socks for the 9 miler, and I had no calf tightness/annoyance. I’ve been having this calf annoyance since even BEFORE the marathon two months ago but for the first time since then, I had no calf issues during or after. I think this means I’m going to have to buy another pair.
2) I’m training faster than I ever have. Typically I use speed work for fastness and run the rest of the runs at a really comfortable recovery pace. But even yesterday on the treadmill I averaged about 8:03 per mile for 3 miles. I pushed myself a bit, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. For our fartlek (hehe) run last Friday morning, I kept a good pace in between sprints (usually I go unnecessarily slow in between). I don’t know if this will help or not come race day since it is a different approach than I’ve ever taken, but I am a bit excited that I’m a faster overall runner if not a faster overall racer.
3) The thought of cross-training doesn’t seem to make me any more likely to get myself moving. I’ve been wanting to incorporate more swim/spinning/yoga/weight lifting into my routine and I haven’t.
4) I need to do more upper back exercises like rows. I did these all through marathon training and I didn’t have any of the shoulder tightness that I normally have for the race. It’s back.
5) I kind of wish I hadn’t said I was doing this tri on Saturday. Getting to the gym to learn to swim isn’t going to be easy this week with lots of evening commitments, I haven’t been on a spin bike in weeks, and I still don’t have a swimsuit. I know I need to do it otherwise it’ll keep getting pushed back, but I’m not at all confident going in. I’ve never felt more unprepared for anything in my life.
So, in sum, still not 100% into this training, but getting faster and finally (after 2 months) feeling completely recovered from the marathon!
Also, just one last push to enter the Sunglasses Shop Sunglasses giveaway! I’ve actually been wearing my North Beach shades a lot recently and I like them more everyday! I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning!
