Carmel Marathon Training: Week 10

This week went well. I think. Maybe. Probably. It's been a while so whatever explicit thoughts I had concerning this week have now faded into a vague fog. I should have gotten started writing this recap on Sunday or Monday- but by Tuesday and with Tuesday's awful events, there were way more important things on my mind.

Looking back at my workouts and lack of notes, I had a great 8x800's and a shitty 13 miler. The rest of the runs/rides were just par for the course and textbook. I didn't cycle as much, but I still ran a lot.

On Sunday morning the bottom outside of my foot had some pain (scale 2 of 10) annoying but not severe. It's definitely not Plantar Fasciitis since the location and symptoms don't line up. Nor do I think it's a stress fracture since I'm healthy and also taking supplements like vitamin D (and most importantly, those symptoms aren't present) It feels like I stepped on it weird in my unsupportive flat shoes and possibly bruised it.

Thoughts about Carmel 4 weeks out:

I feel underprepared. I have low expectations for race day. I also know at this point that nothing I do now will significantly impact my fitness going into the race. The hay is mostly in the barn at this point and I'm just left sweeping up some stray pieces before I shut the doors. Had I written this on Sunday I might have had a slightly more positive outlook, but not by much. I just feel different now than I did for the 3 marathons I busted my ass for, but perhaps it's just my perception being off.

Workouts:

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 10 mile cycle

Wednesday: 9 mile run- 8x800's

Thursday:12 mile cycle, 2 mile run (BRICK)

Friday: 6 mile run

Saturday: 13 mile run

Sunday: 10 mile run, 15 mile cycle

Total: 77 miles for 8:12:07

Run: 40 miles for 5:27:37
Cycle: 37 miles for 2:44:30

Snapshots:
The plan was to do 10 miles on Saturday. It was cold and I felt kind of crappy running. The effort was too much for the pace basically- If someone had asked me my pace I would have said 8:20's when in reality I was barely breaking 9:30's. I did manage a few miles at GMP once I turned around and despite feeling overly shitty, I added 3 miles to the run on purpose. I woke up extra early to consume more calories (2 crumpets and jam) pre run, but my stomach just felt off from the time I woke up. I didn't take water with me since I knew i'd be out there for just over an hour and dont feel lack of liquids contributed to feeling like crap. I ate a bananinha around mile 5. Bananinhas are a sweet Brasilian treat- I would describe it as a dried overripe banana coated in sugar- it has the consistency of solid GU, or a thick paste. They are natural and have a lot of carbs- perfect for running fuel.For Sunday I ran 10 miles indoors because I refuse to run/see no value running in extra crappy conditions if it is not for a race. Sunday was cold and rainy- full of nope for me. I dont need to "practice" running in shit weather- been there done that plenty of times in races. Plus, I dont want to get used to running in cold weather in case race day is on the warm side. Always a possibility this time of year.  The run itself was uneventful and I felt good.
Looking forward:
One last long run on deck for week 11 and one last significant speed sesh before taper. I plan to figure out my race day outfit so I can wear the bottoms for my last long run to ensure they wont take chunks out of my legs- either my nike shorts or my Lulu skirt.  I already know I'll wear one of my MRC shirts. I also need to nail down my fueling for race day and will practice that again this weekend. 
-Xaarlin