Week 12... why do 12 miles when you can do 14?
Week 12 already! Hard to believe nearly 3 months of training have passed already.
This morning the weather called for cold and WIND. Lots and lots of wind. We were under an wind advisory, actually. People who are familiar with my running habits know that I really don't like running in strong wind - it takes so much more energy, and sometimes I can barely move forward (see last week's blog entry!). But I hoped that by running in Peoria Heights, there would be plenty of trees and buildings to shield me from the wind.
As I was driving over to Peoria Heights, I kept thinking about something a friend had told me yesterday. She told me "Good luck on your 14 mile run". She had messed up - meant to say 12 miles, but said 14. Just joking, I told her "Maybe I'll run 14 for the fun of it!" And as I was driving, I thought "maybe I will run 14 for the fun of it" So when I got to the team meeting point, I asked my coach if it was alright with him if I ran 14. He didn't have any problems with that, and helped me plan the best route. Then, off I went - on my longest continuous running journey to date.
I ran at a very easy pace. Easy is just a nice word for slow. ;-) I didn't want to tire out too early in my run, and I didn't want to risk injury. Slow and steady doesn't really win the race, but at least it keeps you feeling pretty good during the race. And since this wasn't even a race, there was definitely no reason to push myself. The wind was not nearly as bad as I expected. There were a few rough patches, but for the most part, it was a perfect morning for running. The time passed surprisingly fast. My coach ran with me for about 2 miles, and then he got in his car and was driving around, so I saw him a few more times (I asked him to go get me some Starbucks but no dice ;-) ). By the last 3 miles, my legs were feeling pretty tired, but cardiovascularly, I felt great. I finished my run strong and smiling, and got a big high five from the coach. 14 miles! Wow!
I've decided to continue with the extra mileage in my training, so that if the schedule calls for 14 miles, I'll do 16, and so on. By doing this, I'll be able to do two 20-mile runs, which should better prepare me for the marathon. My coach tolkd me this would be fine, and that I picked the perfect time to adjust the training schedule because the mileage starts to ramp up sharply from here on out. Next week is a recovery week, which will be much needed after today's excursion. I will still run, but "only" for 80 minutes, which will probably get me about 7 miles. Kind of funny to think that a 7 mile run is "recovery". :) Until next week, happy running!
This morning the weather called for cold and WIND. Lots and lots of wind. We were under an wind advisory, actually. People who are familiar with my running habits know that I really don't like running in strong wind - it takes so much more energy, and sometimes I can barely move forward (see last week's blog entry!). But I hoped that by running in Peoria Heights, there would be plenty of trees and buildings to shield me from the wind.
As I was driving over to Peoria Heights, I kept thinking about something a friend had told me yesterday. She told me "Good luck on your 14 mile run". She had messed up - meant to say 12 miles, but said 14. Just joking, I told her "Maybe I'll run 14 for the fun of it!" And as I was driving, I thought "maybe I will run 14 for the fun of it" So when I got to the team meeting point, I asked my coach if it was alright with him if I ran 14. He didn't have any problems with that, and helped me plan the best route. Then, off I went - on my longest continuous running journey to date.
I ran at a very easy pace. Easy is just a nice word for slow. ;-) I didn't want to tire out too early in my run, and I didn't want to risk injury. Slow and steady doesn't really win the race, but at least it keeps you feeling pretty good during the race. And since this wasn't even a race, there was definitely no reason to push myself. The wind was not nearly as bad as I expected. There were a few rough patches, but for the most part, it was a perfect morning for running. The time passed surprisingly fast. My coach ran with me for about 2 miles, and then he got in his car and was driving around, so I saw him a few more times (I asked him to go get me some Starbucks but no dice ;-) ). By the last 3 miles, my legs were feeling pretty tired, but cardiovascularly, I felt great. I finished my run strong and smiling, and got a big high five from the coach. 14 miles! Wow!
I've decided to continue with the extra mileage in my training, so that if the schedule calls for 14 miles, I'll do 16, and so on. By doing this, I'll be able to do two 20-mile runs, which should better prepare me for the marathon. My coach tolkd me this would be fine, and that I picked the perfect time to adjust the training schedule because the mileage starts to ramp up sharply from here on out. Next week is a recovery week, which will be much needed after today's excursion. I will still run, but "only" for 80 minutes, which will probably get me about 7 miles. Kind of funny to think that a 7 mile run is "recovery". :) Until next week, happy running!
posted by Emily at
3:00 PM
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