In week 6 I got things back on track and even added a few miles.  After this week I will be traveling again, this time to St. Thomas for vacation!  I’m looking forward to it, but in this week I need to focus on training!

Monday:  3 Miles (Pace 8:09)

This evening the air was still and thick, my legs felt like logs after putting in 10 miles yesterday.  My cadence seemed like it took forever to complete one rotation.  As I started running I thought about cutting the run short, then I realized a marathon is about fighting through being tired and finishing the race.  As I completed the first mile, my Garmin 220 beeped 8:47 a bit slower than I wanted to but I wasn’t sure how the next 2 would go.  I took off my tank top, not because of the heat because yesterday I forgot to put on some ‘protection’ when I ran, so my chest was a little sore (get the point?).  My pace started to pick up a bit.  Then came the gnats, swarms of them.  Since the air wasn’t moving, they seemed to be everywhere.  My Garmin 220 beeped 7:57 for mile 2, much better even though my legs were tired.  As I ran I think I swallowed a gnat, I know one landed on my lips.  I looked down and my chest was covered in gnats, I tried to wipe them off as I ran, but  they kept piling on…I clocked my third mile at 7:40!  Negative splits.  I felt like I was pushing much harder and I hope that feeling will pay off when it comes time to tackle 26.2!

Tuesday:  3 Miles (Pace 6:31); 1 Mile Pace (9:41)

Conditions this evening were less than ideal for speed work, lets be honest they were down right brutal!  The heat index was 94 with 60% humidity, yeah it sucked!  Yesterday, I agreed to meet two of my running friends to do interval training, we were texting throughout the day and everyone knew it was going to suck tonight!  We did 6 x 800 repeats.  After the first repeat my throat felt like a desert, I didn’t think I had 1 more in me, let alone 5 more.  We took quick breaks in between intervals, but they didn’t seem long enough.  After 3 intervals I looked at my watch, 9:56.  I remarked I could remember 10 years ago I could run that same distance 4 seconds faster without stopping.  Elizabeth quickly reminded me I probably had rested legs as well, very good point!  After the 4th interval I was sure I was done, but Cat talked me into another and then I talked her into one more.  We all got our 6 x 800s in.  I was spent, I thought about running home, we were in Patterson Park, it is about a 4 mile run.  After a mile I decided to stop and get a veggie pita from Samos in Canton and call it a night.  The mile after the intervals was rough.  I have been streching more frequently and noticed a big difference the next day, so when I got home I made sure to strech.  My legs were tired and sore, but I know putting in the work now will pay off come race day, and it is always better to put in the hard work with two great friends!

Wednesday:  1 Mile (Pace 8:30)

Anguish, it’s the only way to describe the pain I had when I woke up around 0400 hrs to use the bathroom.  I thought I was going to have to crawl to my bathroom.  I stretched after running, but my heels were still throbbing in pain when they touched the floor.  I hobbled to the bathroom and back to the bed.  When I woke up in the morning I knew I had to stretch more.  I hobbled to my guest bedroom and spent some time stretching which helped.  I find it odd my heels hurt so much, I am more of a toe to mid-foot striker when I run.  The intervals yesterday had really done me in.  I was thinking today was going to be the day the streak ended.  After spending most of the day stretching and hobbling, I decided I would try to run a mile just to keep the streak alive.  I was a painful start and the rest of the run felt less than comfortable but I got the mile in to keep the run streak going!  Day #277 in the books!

Thursday:  1 Mile (Pace 8:06)

Today I did something I haven’t done in a while, ran only a mile back to back.  My legs were still sore from the interval workout.  As I started my quads felt like they were going to fall off my legs, but I got into the groove.  Even though I wanted to run more, I knew to stay healthy I shouldn’t risk it.  I was surprised at my pace when I finished.

Friday:  5 Miles (Pace 8:32)

Finally my legs were starting to feel normal, I wanted to get up early and run before the heat set in but I hit the snooze to many times.  I ran in the middle of the day and while it was hot, it was much less humid.  I thought about running a bit further, but my plan is to run 20 miles tomorrow so I didn’t want to push it to much.  I ran around my neighborhood, and had two dogs run up to me because they weren’t on leashes.  That caused me to stop and pet (hold) the dogs while their owners came to get them.  I didn’t want the dogs to keep running because I run in the street and I was worried they might get hit by a car.  I don’t understand why people don’t use leashes, especially if their yard doesn’t have a fence.  Overall a good run today!

Saturday: 19 Miles (Pace 9:38)

After hitting the snooze once I was up and moving around.  I was dreading the miles I was about to put in.  I met my friend Elizabeth around 0630 hrs.  I took an Uber to her place, my driver told me I look to heavy to be a marathon runner (we were chatting).  I don’t think he meant to be rude.  He quickly said most are really skinny.  I know I’m not really skinny, but when I weighed myself this morning I was 146, I think I’m okay.  Although my plan is to lose 10 more lbs. before the marathon so I am a little lighter.  Anyway, when I got to Elizabeth’s she looked about as enthused as I was to log the miles.  First thing I said, “I don’t wanna be a runner anymore, I wanna be a sleeper!”  We both laughed and off we were.  Around mile 8 or 9 we stopped for water, between mile 12-13 I was feeling really bad.  Things wouldn’t stop shaking and I almost told Elizabeth I think I was going down, but I figured she would notice me missing after a few strides, haha.  Fortunately, I didn’t pass out but I knew I needed some electrolytes.  Around mile 15 we stopped for more water and I got a gatorade.  I told Elizabeth I wasn’t feeling well and to push ahead if she wanted.  The next 4 miles were slow for me.  I wound up doing 19 and she was probably a little over 20. When we finished, we both sat, actually I laid on the ground for a few minutes.  Ugh, another run in the books and I know what I need to work on.  Oh, and I lost 6 lbs. on the run, where’s that Uber driver???

Sunday:  3.1 Miles (Pace 8:30)

Surprisingly I did not feel as bad as I thought I was going to today.  I was sore, but not in pain.  Throughout the day I did have some aches and pains that came and went but nothing intolerable.  I did feel more tired than usual which I attributed to running 19 miles yesterday.  It took me almost a mile to loosen up and feel like I could get into my stride.  After that I felt pretty good and was happy with how I ran today.  Overall, I think I had a good week, but the toughest one yet in the training!

Total Miles:  36.1

-Veggie Fueled Runner