Training Tuesday – Week 10 of 22
So this week marks the end of Week 10 of my training, which means I’m already running week 11 and am almost half-way through this journey! I’m both excited and proud to have made it this far, especially since this week marks only the second time in my running life that I have run over 50km in one week.
My two easy runs went well. On Thursday I got up really early and just pushed myself to get it done as quickly and safely as possible. I picked a new route that was sheltered so I had shade for the run, but I will admit the bushes made me a bit nervous since it was pretty lonely on that path, and very hidden from cars and such, but I guess that’s the price you pay for shade. My Sunday, easy run was on my treadmill, partially because of the heat outside, but also because of my poor feet being hurt by my long run. Figured the belt on the treadmill would be softer than the road outside.
My speed run this week was a challenge. It was crazy hot that day, and while running the first 1 mile speed part I had a very hard time breathing due to the extreme humidity. Now I have to wonder whether the throat/ear thing I was developing had something to do with that too, but at the time I didn’t know what was coming. I find it hard to find a suitably flat area to do my speed and tempo runs in and the one I headed to for this morning is a bushy area, so while there was a nice breeze out, my road was blocked with so many trees, which did not help me in that heat. So as I ran that speed mile I turned around and headed home. I knew I wouldn’t make it through another mile of that, so I figured I could finish the run at home in the basement on the treadmill. I’m glad I did and during a conversation with my coach later she said she approved my decision to do that, and it’s nice to know I always have that option if I need to take it.
My long run on Saturday went very well. Due to my bad ear/throat virus thing, Steve didn’t want me running too far away from the house, so I stashed my food, water and gatorade on the front porch and ran my 5.2km long conservation route 5 times. That meant every 40-42 minutes I was back at the house and could refuel and use the bathroom. I had endless food, water, shirt changes and bathroom breaks while Steve had the peace of mind of knowing I was never more than 2.6km from our house. I think this was the best run to date. I ate extra calories on Friday to fuel me and added protein to my Saturday morning breakfast. I put almond butter into my huge bowl of oatmeal, and added an egg to the side. I ate as much as I could manage before the run, and it worked! Though honestly I had a hard time eating during the run because of how much food was in my belly to begin with. But the end result was worth it. I didn’t pass out or throw up, and my goal pace was 7:40-8:10 and I nailed it with 7:47, and I felt amazing.