July 21, 2014

Weeks 4&5 Marathon Training Recap

Life has been busy with summer travelling, bridal showers, and family time so I'm recapping marathon training weeks 4 & 5 today. Training has been going pretty smoothly-so far so good!



On the Road to 26.2-Weeks 4&5

Long run: Week 4 had a long run of 14 miles, and week 5 was 16 miles (more on that below!). Once I'm starting to run longer than a half marathon each weekend I know that training is getting serious! I ran the 14 miles with my friends from my training group along the latter part of the Baltimore Marathon course. It was the first time I had run that part of the course since the marathon. I remembered how awful I felt at that point of the race as I was running around Lake Montebello, and how I thought I might not make it to the finish! Definitely something to think about as I continue training for #2! The weather ended up being warmer than I expected therefore my friends and I were definitely in need of more water than we had brought with us. I think I'll reluctantly start using my fuel belt with the two mini water bottles again instead of just my little handheld bottle. 

Weekly runs: My training group did some speed work during week 4 and then some hill repeats in week 5. I ended up doing the hill workout by myself last week because I was running late after work and am pleased to say it didn't feel too hard. I managed to get in my hill workout right before a storm hit the city so I was really motivated to get up those hills fast and get home!



Thumbs up: I ran 16 miles by myself on Saturday morning, and I felt SO good when it was finally over! I was nervous about trying to get my run in alone while in New Jersey this weekend but managed to get myself up Saturday morning, follow my pre-long run routine, and head to a local park around 7 AM. The weather was cool and overcast, with the humidity dropping as the morning went on-pretty great running weather. Unfortunately the loop in and around the park only took me about 2.5 miles so it was really a mental game for me to get up to 16 miles by repeating various loops and switching directions.  I listened to music and kept breaking up the distance by figuring out when I had been 1/4, 1/3 or halfway done with my run to motivate myself. I had done my tempo run the day before so my legs were tired, but I managed to get in 3 miles at marathon race pace. 



Thumbs down: I'm still feeling really exhausted, even though I slept in Friday and really late Sunday morning.  I was feeling a little congested and slightly under the weather all weekend which probably contributed to the exhaustion part. My runs got a little shuffled around this week so I ended up taking a rest day Sunday instead of doing my recovery run. I still walked around Artscape, a free arts festival in my neighborhood of Baltimore, which got my legs moving. Listening to your body during training is really important so don't sweat having to tweak your training plan to fit your needs!


Look out for more training updates and thoughts throughout the week by following my hashtag #breathedeeplyandrunchitown on my Twitter


Do you get stressed out when you have to change your training plan? How was your week?

14 comments:

  1. Wow, 16 mile long run on week 5! That is one intense plan - you go girl!

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  2. Great job on your 16 miler! The longest I have ever run is 15...so looking ahead at my training those 15+ miles runs are kind of scary! :)

    I try not to stress too much when I have to change my training plan...but in the back of my head I worry about messing up my training and in turn messing up my race!! But hey...gotta be flexible right?

    WhatTheHeckWhyNot?

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    1. They are scary-once you are out there and realize how long you are running it becomes a mental game. Being flexible is the only way to stay sane!

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  3. nice work, doing that 16 miler alone and away from home!

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    1. Thanks-I was nervous about it because I haven't run more than 13.1 alone before!

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  4. Wow! That is a lot of mental training when you're looping around a 2.5 mile space for 16 miles!! Good for you. I definitely get less stressed then I used to when I have to change up my routine. I've learned that, as long as you get your "key" workouts in, the rest is gravy. You're going to kill it!!!

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    1. Thanks for the support-it was definitely a tougher long run! I keep telling people training for races that if you get those key long runs in, you'll be fine. Too many people sweat missing a shorter run during the week or one long run especially with summer vacations.

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  5. Sounds like a solid couple of weeks for you! Getting that first real long done by yourself is always a huge accomplishment in any marathon training cycle. Congrats!

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm getting into the thick of training now!

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  6. Good for you for sticking with it. You know that marathon training is really about building the mental toughness to make it through. Looks like you're getting ready for the Chicago Marathon. Keep pushing!

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm counting down the days and hoping to show at the start line up strong!

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  7. Running longer than a half-marathon on a Saturday morning always feels soooo weird to me. Glad I'm not alone haha.

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    1. It's the weirdest, haha. I definitely always need a big long nap Saturday afternoons!

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