Week 1 of marathon training is officially in the books. It was a wonky week plagued by illness (my daughter and myself) but I recuperated and came back strong.
Marine Corps Marathon Training: Week 1
Tuesday — 4.1 miles
Tuesday was a perfect morning for a run. The temperatures were in the low 60s and the humidity in the mid 80s. I know for some people the high humidity doesn’t work so well, but for me it was just perfect. I really enjoyed Tuesday’s run.
Unfortunately I was derailed by illness later in the day Tuesday (a really awful cold started brewing) so I took Wednesday and Thursday off to rest.
Friday — 6.02 miles
Friday was crazy! It was my last run with Noemi (seriously this time) and Julie. We saw a ton of wildlife. First we saw four deer. That was around mile 2. Then we saw another two deer. And within feet of seeing them, we saw a coyote!
Moments before the coyote sighting. Also, “do not look at the deer!”
It was maybe 500 – 700 feet from us. It was really close. It was my first time seeing a coyote. I was surprised by how big it was. Everyone’s always telling me they’re really small and scraggly looking but I must say, this guy looked about the size of my lab/husky mix and quite bushy. Like a small wolf almost. What made the coyote sighting so amazing was that we saw him in the middle of an urban park during daylight. It’s rare to see coyotes out during the day, and especially in this location. I was really grateful to be with two other people or else I would have been scared to death!
We stood around for a few minutes kind of hoping in a weird voyeur kind of way to see if the coyote was going in for the kill of the two deer just down the path from it. We never heard or saw anything so we went on our way.
Next up we saw a frog that I lovingly moved to the grass where he wouldn’t get run over by a bike.
All in all, it was a fun run on Friday. So much wildlife, such little time! A memorable last run for Noemi in Cleveland, I’m sure.
To make Friday even better than it already was, Julie registered for MCM with a charity. Come October, Julie, Noemi, and I will be descending on the DC area. I’m so excited!
Saturday — 12 miles
My long run on Saturday was less eventful but still fun. I woke up early with every intention of meeting Julie and our other friend, Eric, for a run, but when I realized I would be going the longest distance and the slowest, I opted to run my home turf. Running long solo can be lonely and I didn’t much feel like running in unfamiliar territory, too.
My route took me through neighborhood roads, on somewhat groomed trail, on a paved trail, and ended at the high school track. I ran my last mile with my son.
It was the first time he had ever run a mile and he was so elated and so proud of himself. It made my heart full. I love that little man. Everything happens for a reason. Had I met up with my friends like originally planned, he never would have accomplished this goal. I’m grateful I made the decision to run near home.
Sunday — 3 miles + strength
Sunday was a planned 6 mile tempo run. I quickly realized how foolish I was to even consider such a workout, so I ran a few slow recovery miles and did some bodyweight strength work when I got home. I started off feeling lousy but felt great at the end.
This week I’ll be working on building a good mileage base. In two weeks is when the real fun begins with some serious long runs plus tempo runs. Marathon training is real!
xo
TALK TO ME!
Have you seen a coyote before up close?
What’s the strangest wildlife you’ve seen in person on a run? Trail runners, don’t answer this!
Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs for Tuesdays on the Run, and HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap. Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.
