Chicago Week Five

8/22-8/28

Yet another week gone by. Once again I tweaked some of the mileage (mostly cutting back a couple miles here and there), but had some really great runs, including a solid 10 miles at marathon pace, a 10 miler with some fast repeats that I nailed, and a new half marathon PR at the Giants Race in San Francisco over the weekend. I was a bit disappointed at first for not hitting the 48 miles that my training plan had scheduled, but now that I'm writing this recap it's clear I still had a very successful week and mileage is not everything! Besides a fleeting IT band issue, it was a solid week that gave me a nice little confidence boost looking ahead to Chicago.

Monday
rest.

Tuesday

run: 5 mi, 9:20 avg pace.

Easy out-and-back in the am before work!

Wednesday

run: 10 mi, 9:02 avg pace.

Once again I got my medium-long mileage in by running to work. I actually felt surprisingly good, with the majority of the run around marathon pace, and the last four miles at sub-9 pace. I've found on these runs that I get faster toward the end, so I think it just takes me a few miles to get warmed up and into a rhythm. Note to self: warm-up before races! I'd left my stuff to get ready at work the night before, but I somehow forgot shoes... It actually worked out in my favor though since I'd been meaning to order some new shoes, and we just happened to have 3 pairs in stock in my size : ) When I put them on for work, I couldn't believe the difference from my old ones! I guess I just didn't realize how worn down they'd become, but these new ones felt like heaven, and I was so excited to start running in them!

Thursday

run: 10 mi, 8:55 avg pace.

I was extremely nervous about this workout: 10 miles with 5x1000m @ 5k pace. Both the overall distance (plus speedwork thrown in there!) as well as the longer intervals were a bit intimidating. I decided earlier in the week to save it for a day off. I find that I do better (or at least enjoy more) doing my faster runs in the evening, which isn't really possible on days when I work. It was another hot day, so I was happy to wait til evening to head out. I may have waited a bit too long though because just a few miles into my run the sun was already starting to set, and I ended up doing my repeats in the dark : ) It was a hot August night, but I started out feeling good. I had my new shoes on and the fresh cushioning felt ah-mazing! A few miles in, however, I got a really intense pain in what felt like my left IT band, up toward my hip. I'd rolled before my run so it seemed odd for this to flare up, but I had to stop and stretch. I tried to massage it, too, but later discovered a bruise so I think I was a little overzealous! I managed to continue to the track and once I was moving my leg didn't feel as bad.

 my beloved Scotts ♥

When I got to the Sac State track my worries were confirmed - it was already locked up for the night. Not to be turned away so easily, I managed to hop the fence (in the meantime discovering that it could be pulled forward enough to slip through, negating the need for potentially dangerous fence hopping) and brake into the track! I was worried I would get caught, and had my excuses all rehearsed, but no one ever came (part way through another runner actually joined me, which made me worry a bit less). With a nice 4.5 mile warm-up I got started, a bit nervous about my IT band, but was happy to find that it actually felt better running fast! My goal was 4:40 for each 1000m (a 7:30 pace), and I nailed each one! I felt smooth and strong on every repeat, although I welcomed the 400m recovery lap between each one : ) Here are the stats:

4:25 (7:08)

4:31 (7:18)

4:30 (7:17)

4:37 (7:27)

4:33 (7:22)

Afterward I realized I only had a little over a mile left for a cool-down to get to 10 miles, so I did a final lap around the track then decided to run to my aunt's house, just under a mile from the track, rather than the 2 miles back home. It was pretty dark by then (9pm!), and I didn't want to be out on my own longer than necessary. That last mile dragged on, but I was happy to be done and called for a ride home. As much as I dread them, I love that feeling after kicking butt in a tough workout : )

Friday
rest.
My body was feeling the effects of two back-to-back 10 milers, and with my half marathon the next day rest was much needed and appreciated.

Saturday

run: 13.1 mi, 8:50 avg pace.

The Giants Race Half Marathon!
My plan called for 15 miles with 12 at marathon pace, so I planned running the race at MP and adding a couple more with a warm-up and cool-down. I ended up running the race a bit harder than planned (and PRing!), so they extra miles just didn't happen, but I was more than ok with that : )

Sunday

run: 4 mi, 9:38 avg pace.

My plan called for 6 recovery miles, and while I did slow my pace, I hit snooze one too many times and had to cut the run short to get to work on time. Whoops!

Totals:
swim - 0 yards
bike - 0 miles
run - 42.1 miles