This is week 14 of an 18-week training plan that will hopefully get me to the marathon start line ready to have an amazing race, and maybe even PR!
Monday, January 27
This morning I woke up feeling sad again. Even though I know I’m going home next week, it’s still difficult, and I feel lonely. I wanted to do my speed workout today, but between feeling shitty and the fact that it started drizzling (which I’m fine with) and then truly raining, I didn’t feel like fighting it out. Instead, I switched things around and ran one of my scheduled five mile easy runs for the week. I’ll try the speed workout tomorrow. The silver lining is that I really should take a rest after yesterday’s long run…The five miles felt fine and there were no niggles in my feet or legs, so that’s a plus, at least!
Tuesday, January 28
Today I woke up and felt a lot better! I went to yoga in the morning and then for a run. I was supposed to do a speed workout, but I had zero speed in my legs. Instead, I “just” ran 11.2 miles.
Wednesday, January 29
This afternoon, I ran 11 miles. The run itself went fine, but I iced my right knee/IT band a bit afterwards, because it was sore (no stabbing pain, just sore). I definitely have not felt “zippy” this week during my runs! On the plus side, I’ve completed my longer runs of the week! I think the 6 runs/week is starting to catch up to me. Even though I get lots of rest/time off my feet during the week when I’m not running, the miles/hours really do add up!
Thursday, January 30
I went to yoga and then for a run. My original plan was to break a 10 mile run into two parts–run 4 miles after yoga and then run 10K at a race. However, Lior’s office was having drinks, and since I felt zero speed in my legs, I didn’t feel the urge to race. So I skipped the race. I switched my Thursday and Friday workouts, and ran 5.2 miles today.
Friday, January 31
Since I switched up my runs, it means I now had a 10 mile run to complete today.
Also, today my new running shoes arrived! I’ve logged almost 450 miles in my current shoes, so it was time to purchase a new pair. I’ll slowly start alternating these shoes into my runs during the next month, so they are still fresh and springy for the big day!
Anyway, I did the 10 mile run, and I felt great! My legs didn’t feel zippy, but I had a lot more energy. This could be due to the new shoes, which were nice and springy (without carbon plating), the fact that I’ve adjusted to my new Clif Shot Bloks (I ordered the margarita flavor like always, but the color is lighter and they don’t taste as salty), or all the pizza I ate last night and today. Not sure, and no complaints here.
I’m planning on not using the shoes for the next two weeks–saving them until either Japan or the week before. That way, they have maximum springiness. Also, they are a really nice blue color and since I had a good run in them, they are officially good luck. It’s science!
Saturday, February 1
Today was going to be a rest day, but our schedule tomorrow is a bit more packed, so I went and ran 8 miles today. The weather was AMAZING! 53F and sunny! I ran in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt and it was perfect. After our last brunch at home, we went grocery shopping, to pick up things to bring home, and then packed a bit.
Sunday, February 2
Rest day! Lior and I spent the last day of our last weekend in London having fun–after breakfast we walked around Shoreditch, had coffee at Cereal Killer Cafe, ate the salt beef sandwich, played games at Draughts, and then went to a cute restaurant for dinner. A nice and relaxing way to end the week.
Total Distance: 50.4 miles, 2 yoga classes
Only four weeks left until the marathon! Even though this week had lower mileage than last week, it was challenging because I felt so sluggish most of the time. But now that the marathon isn’t far off in the distance, the excitement is starting to build, and I hope this will help boost me through the next 2.5 weeks of training, before I fly to Japan.