Let’s talk training, shall we? 

Week 2

The second week of training was a good one. I kept up with my 4 days/week of running and got 2 strength workouts in. I didn’t do yoga which, while it’s not the end of the world, was probably a mistake. In retrospect, I can tell how much better I feel when I take the time to stretch out my muscles–especially right before a long run. And realistically, it’s the only time during the week that I really stretch like I should, so I need to make the time to do it! No excuses!

This week, I did get to do some speedwork, which is by far my favorite. I hit up the treadmill for 6 miles with 3×1 mile repeats @7:13 pace and 1/2 mile jogs in between each one with a warm up and cool down of 1 mile each. I learned 2 things: Eminem is seriously motivating for me when I need to run fast, and speedwork makes me feel like a badass. As corny as it sounds, I had some swagger going on all day after busting out that workout. Loved it.

OK, this has nothing to do with anything, but I think it’s adorable and hilarious.

My 12 miler during week 2 . . . well, that wasn’t quite as nice. Essentially, I felt like warmed over death for most of it. No matter how humid it was in Richmond or even Ann Arbor last summer, the DC humidity is just of a different breed. More on that in week 3 . . . 

Lessons learned: 

1. I love speedwork

2. Yoga is non-negotiable

Week 3

Ah, week 3. Get ready for some excuses. I did do all of my runs, but my strength training and yoga routine suffered. 

The excuses:

I was traveling.

I was sick.

I did new exercises at PT, and they seriously kicked my butt. 

Sunday is traditionally a strength day for me, but spending most of the day on a plane put a damper on that. And if I’m being honest, I have to have some angry-ish muscle woman yelling at me from the TV to get motivated to lift weights. Without my beloved Jackie or Jillian DVDs, I didn’t stand a chance of strength training on my own. Instead, I took a walk and ate dessert. Twice. OK, maybe 3 times . . . 

Monday and Tuesday, I used the hotel treadmill (which, it should be noted, was seriously crappy) to do an easy 5 and then a tempo run. Tempo this week was tough for some reason. Probably all that dessert . . . anyway, it was 6 miles with 4 @7:36. I watched the Olympic athletes on the Today Show during it, and that helped me suck it up. Slightly.

Then, there was PT. I think my therapist enjoys torturing me because there were upward of 100 squats on each leg and something called monkey walking, which nearly killed me. I did come home and do some core and upper body work, but my usual strength routine didn’t happen. Oh, and I was sick that day. 

And the next day, but I did run on Friday. I usually take the day off before a long run, but I didn’t want to slack on my mileage since I had obviously slacked on the weights. But that meant that I skipped yoga. Vicious cycle, much???

Which brings us to the moment you’ve all been waiting for . . . last week’s 14 miler!!! 

I woke up at 5:30AM on Saturday. I decided it wouldn’t be that much hotter if I started my run at 6:30 instead, so I dozed for a bit. The first 7 miles, I felt great, but by the time I stopped for water and a Gu, the sun was fully up, and it was hella-humid. You heard me.

I downed nearly my entire giant water bottle with my Gu and set out for the final 7. Being the smart girl that I am, I decided to try a new path for this leg that took me uphill and then uphill some more and then really vertical around the 10th mile for about 1/2 a mile straight. And I could not breathe. And I needed a bathroom. And I wanted to lie down on the ground and magically teleport myself home. Instead, I stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom and wring myself out. Yes, wring myself out. Because it looked as though I had been swimming. Every inch of me, including my hair and clothes, was sopping wet. I don’t think I have ever sweat that much. EVER. You.are.welcome.

So I spent the rest of Saturday laying on the couch watching Lifetime movies and wishing someone would bring me Gatorade. Life is hard. 

Lessons learned: 

1. Do not neglect the yoga.

2. Hydrate like your life depends on it.

3. Yes, you really do need to get out of bed at 5:30AM on a Saturday. Maybe even earlier. Just do it. Nap later.

So, weeks 2 and 3 were a little rough, but I can already tell you that week 4 is going wonderfully so far, and I have no intention of derailing! 

What lessons have you learned from training for a race?