It's Time 2 Run

This is an exciting time for me for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve survived Winter and Spring is upon us. The weather is finally staying consistently warm which means I can enjoy being outside more. Secondly, It’s Race season! I’ve got races planned every weekend leading up to the marathon on April 30th. This is a fun time because I get to see now how all this hard work is paying off.

Training continues to go well. After an easy week last week with reduced mileage, I moved back up in mileage. The easy week helped me recover and I was able to actually do more miles than what the training plan required. I’m sore but not injured. The long run of 18 miles on Sunday was easier than the previous 18 miler I did a few weeks ago. I’ve recovered really well. This week is lighter week as far as mileage but I have a difficult race planned for Saturday. So, the focus is on fine-tuning my race preparation and raising the intensity.

Speaking of races… I ran the Papa John’s 10 miler Saturday. It’s one of my favorite races! The course is challenging and fast at the same time. The hill work at Iroquois Park definitely helped me as I was able to get through those inclines without much fatigue. Overall, I ran over 3 minutes faster than last year but was disappointed still. I’m too hard on myself at times. I got to the race later than I should have and ended up in the back of the pack. That’s where the walkers are. So, I spent the first 3 miles weaving through them. I estimate that mistake cost me about a minute and half off my time. I guess I can still be pleased with the effort though. I ran the second half of the race faster than the first.

Next up is the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon. This is by far one of the most difficult races I’ve ever done. Hills are everywhere! It’s a well ran race and so much fun though! All the hill training I’ve done this Winter has been in preparation for this race. This should be a gauge to see where my fitness level really is over last year.

Wish me luck!

Onward to week 13..

After looking at my training calendar, I realized that being in week 11 of my training program puts me 5 weeks out from race day. Oh boy! The anxiety is building up! I am still very much excited though. I guess entering into unknown territory with this challenge is giving me new energy and focus. I’m not so intimidated of the distance anymore. Let’s go!

Well, here’s a review of last weeks training. The program had me reduce my mileage after topping out with my longest run of the program so far. My long run was only 10 miles instead of the 18 miles the week before. I appreciated the drop in mileage. The rest was needed for sure. My hips and lower legs were beginning to bother me.

I have been doing my long runs at Cherokee Park throughout my training but Sunday I decided on a change of scenery. It’s been over a year since I’ve ran at Iroquois Park. I was highly impressed with the work they have done here. The roads are all newly paved with asphalt which is softer than running on concrete. There are new structures and play areas and the amphitheater looks awesome now. Even though it is further out from where I live,maybe , I’ll continue to do my long runs there instead.

I’m on to week 12!

Last week was the most difficult training weeks I could remember. Yes, I had the incredible 10k performance that beat my personal record by 2 minutes. But I quit during my long run the next day. I quit mentally and physically. It was the equivalent of a boxer throwing in the towel. Like Duran vs. Leonard… I didn’t want anymore. That week had me contemplating whether I should ever run again. It was that bad.

This week was a different story. I was still recovering from the weekend on Tuesday’s run. My knees were still sore. It was tough but I began to feel better as the run went along. The 9 mile run became basically a delayed extended recovery run. I felt great the next day. I’m glad I didn’t give up days before.

Thursday was back on the treadmill for some speed work. The workout required doing 5 repeat miles with a 2 minute break between them after doing a 2 mile warm up. I felt fast again! My knee soreness was almost gone and I was able to run almost fatigue or pain free. I guess what doesn’t kill you…

Now it’s time for the long run. This run was 18 miles. Last week’s long run broke me at a little over 15 miles so I was very scared. I had only attempted a run at this length one other time. So, although this isn’t necessarily uncharted territory, I’m still very new to this length of a run. It was a test and I passed with flying colors! I felt so good I ran 18.5 miles and stopped only because I ran out of fluids. The pace I ran was the most impressive thing about the run. If I had kept that pace I would’ve finished a marathon under 3 hours and 29 minutes. That’s Crazy! This has me excited again!

My anxiety is at an all time high! I feel just flat out overwhelmed. Besides the increasing mileage of my training program, Tomorrow is my first race of the year and it’s going to rain. Not just drizzle but rain the whole race. It’s a 10k but my plan was to use this race as a fitness test. I wan’t to see the benefits of all this training in a shorter race. Kentucky weather in the Ohio River Valley has struck again! The weather outlook was mid 40’s at race time 2 days ago to torrential downpour the night before. Here’s the kicker. It snowed in between then as well. It’s becoming frustrating. Now I’m wanting to go to sleep but can’t. Anxiety has got me all jacked up about this race in the stupid rain. Wasn’t March about the wind coming in like a lion and going  out like a lamb? I am not ready for April showers.