Week 14
Intro: I’m going home to Greenville on Wednesday night for Thanksgiving. I’m probably going to have to adjust my schedule a little bit to account for a Thanksgiving 8k on Thursday and the Clemson-USC game on Saturday.
I have a 17-18 miler scheduled for this week—nervous, excited, terrified!
Monday: 4.5 miles.
Tuesday: 8 miles.
Wednesday: Rest.
FOUR DAY WEEKEND.
Thursday: 5 miles.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
There’s no better way to start off a holiday devoted to eating than with a Turkey Trot. My sister Sarah and I ran in TreeGreenville’s Turkey Day 8K. We did it last year for this first time and were both hoping to improve our times. Sarah is actually training for her first half-marathon in Kiawah on December 8. I’m so proud of her!
I’ll be running in Kiawah, as well. My brother Ryan registered me as my Christmas gift last year—can you think of a better gift for a runner? To get in mileage, however, I’m probably going to have to run a little extra after the finish line. Ryan, a two-time IronMan, has agreed to join me for the first 13. It would be so awesome if all three of us ran together!
Anyway, I ran the 8K at a 7:30 average pace, cutting a little over four minutes off of last year’s time. Sarah was the real star, however, cutting more than 10 minutes off of her time—so inspiring!
Friday: 18 miles.
Today really tested my running routine. I’m still in Greenville for the holidays, but I left my Gu and handheld water bottle in Charlotte—noooo!
I improvised, however, by carrying a honey and banana sandwich with me instead and putting honey in a water bottle, which I left on a fence that I pass a few times on my loop. It seemed to work pretty well.
I’m having a nagging pain in my foot, so I’m looking forward to taking tomorrow off and resting it.
Saturday: Rest.
So much for resting—feels like I walked a marathon at the Clemson-USC game today! ;)
Sunday: 8 miles.
Today was one of those runs that seemed to go by far too quickly (these can be few and far between, so I try to enjoy them). I was lost in thought, and, before I knew it, I was back at home.
Total: 43.5 miles.
Conclusion: I’m still very excited and optimistic about the race, but I am starting to feel the mental strain of marathon training. Physically I feel strong, and I think that my body will be able to handle it when race day comes, but I need to find a way to seek mental strength. With running, mentality and attitude are just as important as physical (if not more, at times!)
Next week is a step-back week, with a long run of just 13 miles. (Never thought the words “just 13 miles” would ever escape my mouth.) Following that is an 18-19 miler at Kiawah, which will provide a nice change of scenery. Every other week is a step-back week from now until tapering begins.