Sunday, January 18, 2015

It Keeps You Runnin'

So I'm about 8 weeks shy of the Shamrock'n Half, and things are heating up, running-wise. Today my training plan had me running 8 miles, the longest I've run since October. I used the run-walk method, but I'm trying to up the amount of time I run, so I set it to a 3:00/1:00 ratio, and next week, I plan to try 4:00/1:00.

Today's run started off great--it was foggy and cold so when I started out, I was grateful to be warming my body up. The first four miles felt pretty easy. The last half, however, was a bit more difficult. My body was tiring and I had odd bits of discomfort (not all-out pain, thankfully) in my legs and lower back. I soldiered on, and finished the run, averaging a slow 13-minute mile.

Overall, though, I felt pretty good, and while the plan calls for a shorter run next weekend, I want to utilize that time to run 8 miles again, using that 4:00/1:00 ratio. The plan calls for 30 minutes of running on Tuesday and Thursday each week, and cross training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For that, of course, I have the gym. On Tuesdays, I've been running sprints on the track at school to work on my speed, and it's paying off. On my 30-minute run last Thursday, I added about a good .15 mile to my run, so I was pleased.

Also, I advanced my race preparations by ordering this fantastic green sparkle running skirt.

In February, the runs will get even longer--up to 14 miles, which will be a new distance record for me. Who even does this for fun?

Oh. Yeah. I do.

As for marathon plans, the answer remains an emphatic, "Hell no."

No comments: