T-minus 7 weeks until race day! I can’t believe how slowly quickly this training cycle has passed. It seems like just yesterday I was kvetching about how burnt out I was feeling! And now here I am with just six long runs left until the big dance.
After I was done having my marathon training pity-party last week, my runs — while still tough — were much better. I felt very focused last week and I think venting about my exhaustion helped release some of the stress and anxiety I had. I took my own advice and changed up routes and ran with friends. It was a great week! Now I’m beginning to focus on goal pace running which is a nice change for me.
Love Me Some Goal Pace! {Marine Corps Marathon Training: Week 10}
Monday — strength training
I’ve been much, much better about strength training over the last couple of weeks. I’ll always be a work in progress because when given the option between sitting around and doing nothing or working out, I’ll obviously choose the former. But now that I’m back into the swing of things, I’ll be making a hard effort to keep up with strength work.
Tuesday — 10.4 miles
Tuesday was a super grueling workout. The workout I ran is designed to build mental toughness. It’s not fast, per se, but it wears on me mentally. I struggled a bit but hit all my paces which made me very happy. I felt great when I was done!
Wednesday — 6.05 miles+ strength training
Wednesday’s run was such a treat! I ran with a friend I haven’t run with in a while. It was so nice to catch up! We had a minor scare in the 4th mile because we saw a coyote cross our path a couple times. We stood around and debated for a while what to do.
Should we run past it where we saw it darting in and out of the woods and risk becoming breakfast?
Or do we phone-a-friend and get a ride home?
We ultimately chose to be big girls and run by it, but I’m not gonna lie, I was a little freaked out. It wasn’t just that we saw it. It’s that it appeared to be watching us. Eep!
Spoiler alert: we survived.
After our encounter with Wiley Coyote, I went home and completed another strength training workout.
Thursday — 8 miles at goal pace
I’m fairly good at pacing through my workouts so I tend to really enjoy goal pace runs. The problem is, though, that I usually run just a little faster than goal pace. It’s not necessarily a bad thing and my younger, more competitive self would be all “yeah! I nailed that run!” but my older, wiser self continually, in hushed voices says, “slow down, you’re running too fast.”
But honestly, my run on Thursday couldn’t have gone better had I tried. I felt really great. All the pieces just kinda fell into place. I really needed that run, especially going into my long run on Saturday.
Saturday — 19 miles
My plan said 20 miles but my brain said 18. I had emailed with my coach the day prior and he was cool with whatever I felt like giving, so I figured I would see how I felt on the run and go from there. Between the three of us running together on Saturday, we were shooting for 18-20 miles.
I ran solo for most of the run, which I didn’t really mind. Although I would have liked to have had more conversation, just knowing I had company on the route was enough for me. There were a couple times I was running harder than I wanted to and since I had no interest in pushing the pace, I dropped back, turned on some tunes, and ran my goal long run pace.
It ended up being a lovely run. The threat of rain was always near but I was pleasantly surprised when the sun made an appearance through sporadic cloud cover over the three-plus hours we were out running. The temperatures were brisk but not unmanageable.
When we finished, I ended with 19 miles. I could have run another mile to round up to 20, but I felt good when we stopped and didn’t feel the need to press on.
Dirty tree hugging hippie!
Looking Ahead
The theme of goal pace running will continue this week. In addition to changing my routes and running with buddies, having my kids in school has helped immensely with the training. I’ve been able to get a couple more hours of sleep than I had been and it’s been less stressful trying to jam all my workouts in. I’m looking forward to more goal pace work this week!
On a semi-related note, I’d like to mention I’m not really ready for fall yet. I’m not ready for the onslaught of pumpkin spice everything. I’m all for a delicious pumpkin pie but that’s where I draw the line. August was kind of a sham — we never got those really intense, hot August days like we normally do. I know a lot of you are celebrating the cooler temperatures but I miss them! I hope we get a few more days of hot weather before it’s permanently pumpkin season.
xo
Let’s talk!
Do you prefer easy runs or goal pace running?
Pumpkin spice all-the-things: yay or nay?
Linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap, and My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs for Tuesdays on the Run.
