Week 1 Training Recap

Well folks the first week of my multiple marathon training plan is complete! Here's how it went:

Monday's 4 miler was followed by 5 miles along the river Tuesday. On Wednesday I decided to do NMTZ instead of the 4 miles I had planned. Since my plan calls for 6 days of running, I've delegated Wednesday as interchangeable with cross-training like NMTZ, yoga, etc. Since it's a short run day anyway, it makes for a nice midweek change from running. And man alive that Jillian Michael's sure kicks your butt! It felt a tad easier the second time around but I still felt it for days. Thursday I didn't get out until it was almost dark and then to make matters worse, when I put my Garmin on it beeped then went dead! I plugged it in immediately and waited til it was charged about 20%, figuring I'd see where that got me. The plan called for 3xhill, with the hill being approximately .25 mile long. However the hill I decided to use, the overpass near my house, only ended up being about .1 mile long, so I had to double the number of repeats. Since I was racing my low battery I did a quick mile warm-up around my neighborhood then went up and down the overpass 6x, then added on a little more to round out the workout to an even 4 miles. It was quick, hard, and exhilarating! Friday was a rest day of course which I spent trying to get psyched up for Saturday's long run...

I was a little nervous about my long run this morning. Last weekend's 11 miler was pretty challenging for me and this week called for a pretty big increase, 15 miles. I even dreamed about it last night and woke up several times feeling very anxious! I woke up and got going much earlier than last weekend which really helped save me from some of the intense heat. I actually went the same basic route with a few adjustments and detours. When I got to McKinley Park in East Sac, I decided to get more of my mileage done there since it has a nice, soft, shady trail along the perimeter, is very runner-friendly (so many out there today!), and has a lot to look at, including a rose garden and duck pond. Plus, one loop is just under a mile so it didn't feel like I was just running in circles! I got to 12 miles before I headed back toward the American River bike trail.

The beautiful rose garden!

Flowers!

Perfect, shady path for running : )

Duck pond! Beware of the geese!

 

Since I did so many laps at McKinley I ended up reaching 15 miles much earlier than planned (~2 miles from my house) so I had my dad come pick me up. This run definitely went better than before, although the last few miles were still a bit of a challenge. I carried Nuun with me this time in my handheld and also substituted a usual Gu for a bag of Chomps I ate intermittently every few miles or so. I think both of these things really worked for me, and I plan to test them further in the future (hopefully will review Nuun soon!). For some reason Gu has been sitting weird in my stomach lately...maybe it's the heat? The chomps were an easier to stomach alternative. I also made new playlists the night before which made for some great entertainment during the run. I actually surprised myself with the pace I maintained (10:36 avg.), however I did take several quick breaks here and there to fuel, refill my handheld, stretch, etc. and stopped my watch. Looking at the overall time compared to how long I was actually running, those little breaks sure add up! So the plan for next weekend is to still allow myself breaks if I really need them, but I need to at least be walking during them and no stopping my watch! I'm sure this will cause a slight increase in my pace, but it also simulates a race much better. Although tomorrow calls for 3 recovery miles I'm going to take a rest day to enjoy my 4th of July with wonderful friends and family : )

Sac State Bridge

American River with 'J' Street Bridge in background.

No that's not a tan line, it's dirt!

 My relaxing view after finishing the run!

 

So overall I think week 1 was a success! I actually think I'm enjoying having a schedule to follow, while still being able to be flexible when necessary. Let's see how I do next week!