Time for a training update!

Training is going well! 

Week 12 to go:
120 miles!  Woot, woot!  Best part?  I nailed my workouts (and they were tough!) – first one here and the second one was:

1 mile T – 5:47

I was super pumped with both of them!  I also felt like I was recovering well in between workouts – not really run down by mileage like I have been before. What do you know, extra sleep and recovery does work!  Plus, I can tell I’m just getting a little (still so far to go) stronger and am benefiting from a little more balance and plyo/hoppy type work.

Nate and I helped move his sister and husband into their new home Sunday.  Super cute house!!  It was nice to have time to help (two days worth) (this would have stressed me out while working and put me super behind with work and life stuff!).  I ran 15 miles Sunday before helping them, noting that my legs were trashed (normal, since Saturday was the above tempo workout).  I only mention this because I think helping move really put too much stress on the legs – and especially since Sunday was supposed to be the “easiest” day of the week (no double, lower mileage than any of the other days, no strength, plyos or striders).

Week 11 to go (last week): 
This week was more challenging.  It started off and Monday and Tuesday I found myself needing TWELVE hours of sleep.  Now, I’m normally a sleep monster, but this is on the brink of ridiculous, even for me.  I knew something was up – I’m able to monitor my sleep now, and anything more than about 9.5 is a sign that something is up.  I blame it on the “move” – I was absolutely wiped Sunday night after finishing help and the legs felt terrible for the majority of the week.  Good thing no one else is scheduled to buy/close on a house in the near future!!

I moved my harder workout to Wednesday in hopes that the extra day might help, but alas, no luck.  Major stomach issues to boot.  So instead of a key 22 mile workout, I did about 8.  4 of those were up tempo (continuous) but even then I struggled to 6:10s. The next half an hour I tried to get myself to run more than a half mile without desperately looking for a bathroom.  My stomach was SO upset.  Usually I can run through stomach trouble, but this time it was puffed out like I was a little pregnant (no, I am not) and just hurt. I called it quits.  No use in trying to push your body when it’s just not having it.  I felt sick to my stomach the rest of the evening.

2nd key workout for the week was 1000s at Carleton.  Times here were also slower, and I could tell I just need a rest day!  I’ll post times here once I find them :).  Think they ranged from 3:22-3:26.  400s afterwards, super ugly.

Week 10 to go (this week): I’m only 2 days into it – but I was able to hit a really key workout today (yeah taking a rest day, even when not scheduled, when you need it! It was exactly what I needed)  so I’m pumped.  It’s all about expectations.  Going into it I was hoping to do 3×3 miles at 6 min pace, but quickly realized I was working WAAY too hard to hold that pace for the full 3 miles.  Options, then?  Either slow down the pace, or break up the segments with small breaks.  Since my focus now is entirely on running FASTER (vs. building long run/tempo strength), I opted for short breaks.  So – workout became 6×1.5 miles, and I was able to nail them in just a hair under 6 minute pace.  Initially, I was a little disappointed, but after reviewing my logs before Grandma’s in 2011 (where I ran 2:44), I realized that almost all of my tempos up until 4 weeks to go were at 6:05 pace, and typically only 4×10 minutes – the longest was 8×1 mile at T.  So to have done 9 TOTAL MILES about 10 weeks out is great.  I do have to work to get those paces closer to 5:50 or below, but I know that will come.  I’m running tired right now (as I want to!), and will only get stronger every day.

More updates coming, including nutrition, coaching updates, shadowing experiences, the strength and plyo stuff I’m adding to my routine and thoughts on that, and just general life updates.
Most of the time I think about this… then think: oh man!  I
have too much to recap, I’ll just wait until I can find more time… or
I think… It’s been a while… has there even been anything
interesting(by then I’ve forgotten anything interesting anyway so then you
get boring updates like this!)?

My goal is to do a quick post daily going forward – even if it’s just pictures of my mailman or the SUN! because spring is coming! I’d love for this blog to be a place to think about things, have people comment/add thoughts/etc, very much a community-type blog  – not just something that once a week or two says, “Here’s what I’ve done!”… guess I’ll see if I can actually write well enough/be interesting enough/have stuff to say to make that happen!)… wish me luck with that :). 

So yeah, in case you wanted to read more
about my ever-so-exciting life as a professional runner, well, you’re
in luck :).