2015 Half Marathon Training: Week 6

Happy Tuesday! I’m a bundle of nerves lately. There are officially 16 days left until we move. And 19 days left until my first half marathon since fall of 2014. I’m both excited and nervous. I think I’m nervous for the move and excited for the race, but it could very well be flip-flopped. My brain isn’t really sure which event to process first, if either at all.

This week I’m focusing on some crazy workouts. My coach is a nut job. He’s got me running intervals and THEN a tempo run. What IS that?! Just kidding. He’s actually one of the coolest cats I know. He’s very wise, he’s very fast, and he’s been a phenomenal coach to me. I’m very grateful for his guidance this training cycle.

Before I get too far ahead of myself and talk about this week, let me recap last week. It was a fun week. I’m really enjoying this training cycle. I feel like I’m finally back after the marathon debacle.

Tuesday — 5 miles

It was humid out. I met up with Julie for our usual 4-mile route and I added on a mile at the end. My IT band started talking so I was happy to be done when I was.

Wednesday — 6.22 miles (tempo run)

Wednesday was interesting. I had a 6-miler on the schedule. The goal was 2 easy miles, 3 tempo miles, and 1 easy mile. I ran 2 miles to the track (my easy miles), and met Noemi for 2 quick miles while her daughter played on the football field (so freaking cute, OMG), and then I ran the remaining two miles home. The first one was a tempo, and I dialed it back and ran the last one easy.

Track day!

I really thought this was going to be harder, so while I was running I think I was kind of psyching myself out. But it actually wasn’t that hard to maintain pace once I got it. The first tempo mile was kind of a trial by fire, but once I got it I felt good.

Thursday — 4.01 miles

On Thursday I met up with Julie again for 4 easy miles. It was a nice morning, a solid run, and no ITB issues.

Saturday — 9 miles

Saturday started off bright and early at 5:45 am. I drove my dad to the airport and then met up with Julie at the park at 7:30 for 6 miles. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Unfortunately by 7:30 it was already pretty darn hot. We somehow managed a decent pace, though, which was a pleasant surprise.

Gorgeous sunrise.

I tried Tailwind in my vest which was awesome. I still had to stop at a water fountain twice because I was parched. But I didn’t need to take in any fuel, and I never felt any type of bonk whatsoever. After 6 miles, Julie made the hand-off to a new friend, Tali. Tali is an avid runner (20 years!) but was recently diagnosed with asthma, so she has been taking some time off and resting. Our run on Saturday was her first run in 6 weeks. I’m honored that she chose to run with me for those 3 miles. 🙂 It was great fun getting to know someone new and I look forward to running with her again soon.

Me, Tali, and Julie. We Run CLE!

By the time all was said and done, it was quite hot so I definitely felt like I was dragging ass. But overall it was a good, solid run. No IT band pain (hallelujah!).

As I mentioned above / / /, this week will be tough. But I’m ready. I need tough. I love speedwork and I love building mental toughness. We shall see how I feel at the end of this week. 😉