I feel like I keep repeating myself, but I truly don’t understand the way time works. How can we be here? A mere month before the biggest race I’ve ever run, the race that is, for me, somewhat of a pilgrimage and is definitely a defining moment. The first time I watched The Spirit of The Marathon I never would have dreamed that I would ever even be a spectator for Chicago, let alone be running it myself. I am so grateful to God and feel so blessed that he’s giving me the gift of running. As I’ve said for years, I realize it could be a fleeting thing but it gives me a lot of joy and allows me to feel centered in a way I never have which makes me a better wife, a better mom and a better pastor.
Watched a great movie last night that I think most of us who are doing things that seem impossible would enjoy. It’s kind of sad but gorgeous and inspiring, too. It’s called The Way and follows a father (Martin Sheen) as he walks the El Camino pilgrimage through France and Spain which ends at the cathedral that houses the remains of St. James, the apostle. I liked the characters quite a bit and the way everyone was there for each other reminded me of how people are in a distance race. One of the things I MOST look forward to in any race is the interesting, supportive and amazing camaraderie that exists between marathoners. No matter how fast or how slow, EVERYONE shows up to the starting line at a marathon having sacrificed to be there and we all share the common experience (or maybe common sickness;) of giving something everything we have and living to tell the tale. I heard long ago that the race is really just the big party to celebrate all the hours of training and I like that mentality – if you allow it to be, it’s truly a lot of fun and you meet some amazing people!
Speaking of a party, Amazon delivered new gear yesterday and I used it this morning. Love it!
New water bottle with elastic so you don’t really have to hold onto it, just sort of grip it lightly, and it holds 22 ounces. And bonus it has a zipper pocket big enough for my iphone. Woohoo!! It’s the Nathan Quickdraw Plus and it did great for 8 miles this morning. Because it holds so much, I didn’t have to do a pit stop at my house and could just turn where I felt like it and not worry about hydration. Loved it.
OK, so here’s what the second to last week before taper looked like:
(my mileage was down this week as I’m having some wonky pain behind my right knee. Responds great to ice and Advil so I’m thinking it’s just a transition/over-use deal but skipped one day this week because of it. Too close to the race to take a chance and one missed run is unlikely to matter in the long run, pun intended;)
Monday – 4.6 miles, easy pace, 10:52
Thursday – HIIT workout on the treadmill, 3.04 miles, 9:52 average pace (was doing intervals of 5.5 mph with bursts of between 8 and 8.5 mph – 2 minutes slow, 30 seconds fast, 5 min warm up and cool down)
Saturday – 8 miles, 10:59 pace. VERY excited about this as I really focused today. No music, really listened to my breathing and tried to stay in my body and not let my mind wonder. It happened a couple of times and usually I’m OK with that because I literally loose track of time but today I wanted to push my speed a little and focus was key. The weather was GORGEOUS and just what I needed. Awesome, awesome run. (can you tell I’m still running on the endorphins?? I’m pathetic;)
Next Saturday will be my last very long run at 20 miles. I’m actually really excited as I feel strong and ready for it. Hoping that the weather is nice like today! Oh, and no speed work this week – just 2 or 3 medium intensity runs. No need to push it when there’s 20 miles coming Saturday!!
Oh, and made delicious vegan pancakes (from the cookbook Chloe’s Kitchen my friend, Jodie, gave me for my birthday) for my post-run meal. They were really, really good!! I haven’t talked much about my eating habits, but I have managed to stay vegan about 95% of the time and am feeling amazing. My energy is better than it’s ever been, honestly, and I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my performance. How much of that is the diet and how much is just my consistency in training I couldn’t really say but I’ve avoided gaining any weight and truly feel wonderful so I’ll stick with what’s working! Have a great week, Everyone, and happy running!!