Carmel Marathon Training: Week 9

9 weeks down, 5 to go! Time has been flying through this cycle. Crazy to think i've only got 2 more long runs left before I head into a 2 week taper and then finally the main event. I'm getting excited for Carmel little by little. With each successful workout, confidence in my abilities and training grows which is making me happier about running this race. Winter makes it really challenging for me to train- especially for the long runs since I can't handle the cold at all- but thankfully this week went according to plan and the weather was agreeable.

Highlights of the week:

• My second outdoor speed sesh this year, 6x800's + 5x1:00. I did it after work and wore shorts and a Tshirt and felt hot. I went into this workout with a lot of anxiety because I like running on the treadmill- a much more controlled environment for intervals (as opposed to dodging people, wind, and uneven sidewalks outside especially at night). But I nailed my paces and surpassed my expectations for that workout. 

• Wearing my new shoes!

• Saturday's long run was another high point of the week- more on that below.

Lowlights:

• Feeling really sleepy the first half of the week- seemed to be a common theme with folks at work too. Chalk that one up to the batshit weather we've had this week. High of 70 on Tuesday and back into the 30's by Thursday.

• Dealing with a weird pain in my calf for a few days. Nothing to sideline me, but certainly something to keep an eye on. Brought my TP ball and stick to work and gave it some TLC. Currently it's barely noticeable.

• Wearing new shoes for workouts and feeling the beginnings of potential hotspots. I'm hoping it was just the adjustment for wearing fresh out of the box shoes- but could also have been the new socks (different brand than my usual) I wore too. Too many variables!

Workouts:

Monday: 20 mile cycle

Tuesday: 8 mile run- 6x800's w/ 5x 1:00 Splits: 3:28,3:30, 3:21, 3:22, 3:31, 3:19.  Easy to see which 800's were into the wind! 6:4x pace for the 1:00 intervals at the end. 

Wednesday: 14 mile cycle, 2 mile run (brick)

Thursday: 14 mile cycle

Friday: 8 mile run- progressive

Saturday: 17 mile long run w/ 8.5 @ GMP, 10 mile cycle

Sunday: 12 mile cycle, 5 mile recovery run

10:22:49 for 107 miles total

5:31:32 for 40 miles running

4:51:17 for 67 miles cycled

Highest volume week yet and I'm feeling really good.

Snapshots:
At the end of Tuesday's speed sesh, I took a photo to document the occasion once I was on my cool down headed back home. I rarely do speedwork outside, especially at night so this was a big deal for me. The skyline was shining bright. It was a fantastic night to enjoy outside.
I took the Churro Dog for a nice walk on Wednesday. It was not as warm as Tuesday, but we had a nice time sniffing poles and looking for critters.
Saturday was my planned 16 miler. I wanted to incorporate at least 4 miles at GMP near the end  because i'm a big fan of finish fast long runs. The first half of the run I felt heavy and sluggish (the point of running a hard 8 the day before, yay cumulative fatigue yay) and wondered if I would be able to throw down any miles at GMP. Once I got to mile 8 I took off and started pushing a GMP of 7:5x-low 8:00's. The first one wasn't super pleasant, but the second mile (#9) and half of the 3rd GMP mile (#10) I was starting to feel springy. I saw one of my MRC friends running the Get Lucky half and we ran together and chatted for a few min (mile 10) and then I continued on hitting miles at GMP. I kept deciding to extend the GMP mile after mile because I did feel so good. I considered extending the run to 18 miles, but my feet wanted out of that discussion due to the hotspots.
I stopped at Northerly Island at the last mile of the run for a minute to stretch my calf and to take a few pics before trotting home (the reflection on the calm water was so pretty). It was a solid run and I was very happy.  Ate a Belvita biscuit 2:30 before the run. Drank 24oz of Osmo during. Took a GU at mile 8. Dressed to be overly warm on purpose. Felt a bit dehydrated once I got home. Sunday I stayed inside pretty much all day due to the crappy weather. Wind, rain, and cold. No thanks!

Looking forward:

• Continue to eat nutritious food but more importantly eat appropriate portions so the last 4-7lbs get lost.
• Continue to refrain from alcohol- this past week I had 1 whisky neat on Saturday evening, that was it for alcohol.
• Experiment with sock/shoe combos to eliminate any more issues.
• Stick to my workout schedule when L returns home. 
• Experiment with pre long run fueling. (Eat more things)
• More arms/legs/core work post workouts. 
• Swim, maybe.

-Xaarlin