One day you’re debuting a cute new pair of kicks sans socks, and the next you’re swaddled in wool and sporting Joan of Arctic Sorrels. Helllooooo, March. You vicious Lion.
Get it together, Mother Nature. PICK A DAMN SEASON. I’m ALL for cold temps, but I draw the line with cold temps AND frigid gale force winds. That’s a bit much. Even for me. I shouldn’t really complain, as far as New England winters go, this one has been more kitten than lion. But even still. You know you’re in trouble when you run an out and back and have a bitter cold head wind the whole damn time. How is that even possible? Minus the 3 day chill and wind burn, it was a solid week of training with my beloved Hansons. In case you’ve forgotten, because I sure as shit haven’t, here’s the scoop.
Marathon Goal: 3:45
Marathon Pace/Tempo Run Pace: 8:35
Easy Run Pace: 9:35 to 10:35
Speed Interval Pace: 7:35
Strength Interval Pace: 8:15
Monday: Easy Run, 6 miles total. 9:15 pace. Gotta admit. Kinda tuckered. I had a FANTASTIC, confidence boosting 16 mile run the day before. So I wasn’t expecting unicorns and rainbows here. Just 6 sludgy miles. Gah.
Tuesday: Strength Intervals. 4 x 1.5 mile, 800m recovery. 9 miles total with warm up/cool down. 8:15 pace. Nailed it! YES! Then promptly celebrated by heading to a local Italian joint for “Ladies Night” with my sister and BFFs. Complete with delicious half price apps, copious amounts of half priced wine and a dude in a fedora crooning Sinatra on a keyboard, it was EPIC.
Wednesday: RESTFUCKINGDAY. 0 miles.
Thursday: Tempo Run. 9 miles at 8:35. 11 miles total. I would also like to add that the last two miles were run at 8:15. WHAT. True story, Poodles. Had to be the half price apps.
Friday: Easy Run. 7 miles at 9:20. Treadmill city. And after a long ass day. I was happy to simply be done. And then go home. And eat my face off.
Saturday: Easy Run. 10 miles at 9:00. Bitter. Cold. Wind. However, I’m starting to think my legs like bitter cold wind because I was far zippier than I thought and should be, ATH. (According to Hansons.) I rolled with it. After all, I wanted to hurry up and chill with My Other Half who is also training for Boston with Hansons. He’s SUPER FAST. We still love him though.
Date Night Pizza Fest
Sunday: Easy Run. 10 miles at 9:04. Bitter. Cold. Wind. What is this? Groundhog Day? Pretty much! Afterwards I literally snuggled under blankets on the couch beneath a pile of dogs. Chilled to the bone. I then proceeded to do absolutely nothing. No cleaning. No grocery shopping. No cooking. Zip. It was glorious. ☺
#truth
- Total Number of Miles: 53.
- Number of Half Priced Apps Consumed: 3.
- Days Until I Toe the Line in Boston: 42! Squeeeeee!
Have you completely misjudged your pace, swore you were practically running in reverse then were thrilled when you looked at your watch? Do you run by perceived effort or strictly stick to actual pace? Favorite appetizer. GO!
It's A Marathon AND A Sprint 
Typically I run by perceived effort so I’m always pleasantly surprised when a run that feels like a slog is better pace-wise than I imagined. It’s nice to have those runs! Especially with the seesaw of weather.
Best appetizers? Chips + queso or calamari!
I’m a chips and guac kinda girl. Big time. Shit. I just drooled writing that. I have to be honest with you. I am DYING to ditch the Garmin, hit the trails and run wild. That’s definitely going to be my next act. That and riding my bike. I miss my bike. 🙂
Ditching my Garmin was the best thing I ever did (running related of course…).
I can NOT wait to do the same. I’m all for disciplined training. I secretly even love it. But when that shit is done? IT’S DONE. #goodbyegarmin
At this point, I run whatever pace I am running. I WISH I had any get up and go left in these legs!
Guuuuurrrrrl. You do. You’re just focused on a couple of other important things right now. *crosses paws* xoxoxoxoox
No winter here this year. It’s gonna be a loooooong summer. PS: Barbie camper van rocked.
Oh my goodness. Didn’t it Angela? I ADORED that damn thing. My cousin also had the Barbie Dream House. With elevator. So. Dope. xoxo
Misjudge my pace – Ever? One Christmas Eve I misjudged how long it would take me to assemble Barbie’s Malibu Dream House and Camper ( Skipper not included). Ken was no help. He just sat there. He wasn’t Astronaut Ken or Fireman Ken or Neurosurgeon Ken or Bartender Ken or TV Repairman Ken or Ambassador to Belgium Ken. Happily I crossed the finish line before my daughter woke up. Ken had nothing to say. I made him Christmas Tree ornament Ken – a job he was able to handle. He disappeared several years later. Last I heard he was Russian Fishing Trawler Ken anchored 30 miles off New London intercepting US Navy communications.
That Ken is one sly fox. You’re a good dad.
I love those effortlessly fast runs, but far too often it’s the opposite: I think I’m killing it and low and behold, I’m basically crawling.
I had one run recently wherre I seriously felt like i could NOT move out of my own way. I was tempted to just lay down. And let the elements take me. The struggle is so damn real some times.
Checking in for my weekly preview of what to look forward to next week…where’s the bit where you say it all starts getting easier 🙂 Really thinking I’m making progress though…I ran my half last week at basically tempo pace so as much as I cuss those tempo runs, like you said before they are freakin’ key. I expected to run 8:45’ish towards the end but other than one crappy mile, I ran 8:20-8:40 pretty much the entire race. I like Wednesday, except this week I gotta switch days so no nofuckingrestday till Friday but that’s cool too as that’s designated happy hour at our house! Have a great week, cheers!
So proud of that half of yours!!!! It doesn’t get easier. You just get tougher. And before you know it you’re like. Meh. Tempo-Schmempo. Let’s do this shit. I haate having to switch Rest Days. I aspire strictly to a Thou Shalt Keep the Rest Day Holy atitude. Kills me when I have to switch. Happy Hour at your house????? I’m coming!!!! Cheers, Friend!
Restfucking day and Happy Hour happened…Cheers!!
I’m so behind in reading. Ugh. BUT I see your goal pace in Boston is the same as mine. It would be virtually impossible to run together unless we were in the same wave and corral (I was going to say “bin”, haha), but how kewl would that be?
IT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!!! And I’m behind in writing!
Checking in for my weekly preview of what to look forward to next week…where’s the bit where you say it all starts getting easier 🙂 Really thinking I’m making progress though…I ran my half last week at basically tempo pace so as much as I cuss those tempo runs, like you said before they are freakin’ key. And let the elements take me.
Oh, Friend. I wish it gets easier….
JUST KIDDING! It does! Although I say that as I look through my rear view window. You just can’t see it at the time. You know, when you’re suffering and sweating and swearing like a Pirate. Trust the training. When you toe that line you’ll be stronger than you even realize. 🙂