I am in Week 5 of Chicago Marathon training.. AGAIN!! EEEEP. And things are FINALLY looking up on the run front. I am SO behind where I was last year in June, but it is what it is. My mental game is firing on all cylinders now, and that is the most important thing I could ask for.
Before we get to the running, though ..
After months of being on the fence about my new job, I think I've turned a corner, and I am really enjoying what I am doing again. The commute makes it tough, but I think I'm going to hang in there and not make any crazy ripples in the calm waters for now. (again)
On the home front, my life is as upside down, topsy turvy as ever. The teens are on auto-pilot at this point, but other factors are keeping me in serious uncharted waters. Changes over the last few months are keep my brain "ON" all. the. time. Great for running .. pretty sure I could think myself right through a one-hundred miler at this point just pondering and daydreaming on topics of personal interest! Of course, I digress, and I don't want to blah, blah, blah about none-run related topics.. I just mention it so that my 'story to myself' is complete. Suffice it to say that while you train, there will be "other stuff," and "OTHER stuff." No pause-for-marathon button on the life controller.
But without further a-do:
Sunday
Distance: 6.22 Peachtree course run, followed by 3.1 on the belt line and to Marta.
Pace: 10:37
4:45 AM on a Sunday selfie. (aka: Before) Mergh!
Nothing helps with a run more than a pod of friends. <3
Happy Judy again at the finish of Peachtree course run. (aka: After)
This went better than expected. Another confidence-building run. Not only is the distance coming back to me without run-walking, but I am seeing signs of life in the pace, too. I was certain I'd have to run/walk, but I didn't find myself needing any recoveries until after our post course run pause. The final 5K felt a little less important, so I kept it super easy. Nothing that would lead me to think I could sub-60 minutes for Peachtree, let alone PR it. But I see that I don't have to fun run PTRR. I can find a purpose in trying for sub-1:05, or a 10:08 pace, or something like that. The cards are stacked differently this year, but that doesn't mean I can't catch up. Time is still in my favor re: CHI.
A lot of this is always mental. And you can't really have a rough run mentally with a pod of friends cracking you up the entire time. Running with faster friends and friends who will push you is key.
Monday
Distance: 4 miles
Pace: 11:30
Its always tricky to decide what to do when I move my long run to Sunday. But Kyle hadn't gotten in Sunday, so I had a willing partner in crime, so might as well. Of course, as soon as we got there, it started rumbling. And by mile 1 ..
Wet cat Judy! LOL.
The legs were for sure tired. But I might have picked it back up if it weren't for: 1. the distraction that was the fact that if my phone got soaping wet, this would be a $200.00 run. (pro tip .. dog poop baggie dispensers on the Greenway!); 2. that I lost Kyle (later we figured out that he'd gone to the bathroom right as I passed .. thank god I didn't wait at 2 mile mark TOO long); 3. that the wire in my bra was trying to kill me, glide or no glide!
Tuesday
Rest/Challenge
4 days in a row of running is enough, even if I don't "feel" as spent as I used to be able to get myself. Saving the legs for speedwork tomorrow anyways.
Wednesday - End of June
Oops! I really did mean to start up with blog to self again, but my brain is just on another cloud at the end of this month!!
Things ended on a really solid note. I checked off most of the training runs for Week 6 and Week 7, I'm down another couple of lbs, and life is amazing. :)
Yey, green. Green = running! :)
Goal for July .. 100!
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