I’m now officially on the other side of halfway to race day. Talk about lump in your throat. Just thinking about toeing the line gives me butterflies. But I’ve only got one direction to go now, and that’s forward. Each week presents a new set of challenges and this week was no exception. From the challenges of heat and humidity to the fun of stroller running and “sleeping in,” week 9 turned out pretty great.
Marine Corps Marathon Training: Week 9
Monday — yoga
Mondays I’ve begun to reserve for yoga days. Sundays would probably be better for stretching purposes but Mondays seem to work better for my schedule. Despite my kids being in bed when I do yoga on Monday evenings, I still get interrupted sometimes…
Tuesday — 5.3 miles + strength
I took my daughter out for a 5-miler on Tuesday. I wasn’t sure how long she’d last but she did just fine and I had a phenomenal run. The humidity was down at a normal level so we listened to music and enjoyed the scenery. Afterward, she played on the playground and I took care of some bodyweight strength training.
Wednesday — 7 miles + strength
Wednesday was another fabulous run. It was a touch more humid than Tuesday but it wasn’t unmanageable. I was pleasantly surprised that my daughter sat still for 7 miles in the stroller. She did a great job and had fun, too! We finished off at the playground again where I proceeded to do some new bodyweight exercises and was sore for days afterward.
Thursday — 5.65 miles
Thursday was a bit of a mess. I was supposed to meet Carole for an 8-mile run. I tossed and turned all night Wednesday because I kept dreaming about our run — either waking up late and missing it, or not showing up at all. As it turns out, I should have checked my phone during the one of many times I woke up tossing and turning because as it happened, Carole wasn’t able to meet for our run. She had texted me at 10:30 pm but I didn’t receive it until 5:00 am the next day.
My daughter woke up early that day, though, so I came up with a plan. I would take my daughter for 3-4 miles and then head home, where I would then pick up my dog and run for another 3 miles. It was a great plan. In theory. The humidity was back up around the 95% mark, however, which made running outside just about unbearable. I was exhausted from not having slept the night before, I was cranky because it was so humid, and it just wasn’t an awesome run. I ended up making it three miles with my daughter, one mile on the treadmill, and one mile with the dog.
Saturday — 16.05 miles
Long run this week was surprisingly fun.
Carole had told me about a training run for the Akron Marathon earlier in the week but she was only running 12 miles and I had 16 on my plan. I decided not to go. I was then going to be running with my client who also had 12 miles on her plan but we would be running in my area so I was comfortable running alone for a few miles.
The Akron Marathon training course came up again in a different conversation on Friday, this time with Sara. I don’t like running in unfamiliar territory on my own and Akron is a place I’m not familiar with at all. I somehow convinced Carole to run 16 miles with me, and all original plans for Saturday’s run fell apart.
Saturday morning arrived and I met Julie, Sara, and Carole for the Akron Marathon training run. It ended up being awesome. I’m so glad we made the switch. Just the change in scenery helped to rejuvenate my brain. Yes, I was still dragging a$$ at the end of the run and yes I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep, but the company was great and the new roads and views were fantastic. Plus, it kinda made me want to run the upcoming Akron Marathon (which is not going to happen, by the way)!
Week 10 will be interesting as it’s my daughter’s first week of school. I’m hoping to get my runs in mid-morning so I can enjoy the daylight hours while she’s at school and not have to wake up in the dark. But if I have to run before school, that works, too.
xo
TALK TO ME!
Are you a morning or evening runner?
What’s your favorite bodyweight move that really gets you sore (the good kind of sore)?
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.
