12 weeks out from my goal race this training cycle. How did *that* happen? I returned to base training at the end of May and I can’t believe it’s already been 8 weeks since my return to 4-5 days of running a week. The 12-week mark creeped up on me!

I’ve been putting in the work. Speed, endurance, and stamina all seem to be improving. I’m excited for the mileage to begin increasing again. I feel stronger now than I did a few months ago and I know that, by the end of this cycle, I’ll be even stronger. Putting in the work!

Putting together weekly training recaps helped me keep perspective while training for Boston so I figure it’s time to pick that up again!

This Week’s Training:

Monday:

Easy 4, 8:18 pace. I was sleepy after the weekend (more mentally than physically) and didn’t feel like battling the heat so I went to the gym for an easy treadmill run. Nice to “set it and forget it” every once in awhile.

Tuesday:

Easy 6, 8:05 average pace. Morning run before work on a much cooler morning. This felt really refreshing. It was slow going the first mile as my legs were forced to wake up but I felt like I found a nice easy rhythm. Great start to the day!

PM- All the CARBZ in Little Italy for the second time in 4 days. Sadly, dinner plans were made with a friend as a goodbye dinner. Delicious food, sad occasion!

Wednesday:

Rest Day & Strength Day. Short strength drill and core circuit while catching up on TV shows after dinner (Newsroom? Pretty boring. Dexter? Interestingggggg.)

Happy to sleep in and have the morning to gently ease into the work day. Went to Fleet Feet in the evening so the Man could pick up his packet for the BTN 5k this weekend and purchase some new shoes (he went with the new Brooks Ghost). I think it was the first time going to a packet pick-up for a race that I am not running. Excited to spectate on Saturday morning after my long run!

Thursday:

8 miles, including 5 mile progressive tempo from 7:15-6:45. Average pace: 7:26 min/mile. When I woke up, the temperature was sixty-freakin-two degrees! I thought my sleepy eyes weren’t seeing clearly but after rubbing them for a solid minute, I realized they didn’t deceive me. It’s amazing what 10 degrees can do for us runners. Ran to the lakefront for my warm-up and focused on pushing each mile. Splits: 7:10, 7:00, 6:58, 6:47, 6:45. DEAD LEGS by the end. The short drill circuit the night before actually made me pretty sore (most likely because I haven’t done side lunges in a few weeks) and it took a lot of energy just to hold it together and keep the legs moving.

The ladies will sympathize with this next part (ahem…stop reading guys!). Cramps started during the warm-up. Yeah, not ideal. Debated between turning around and going home (2 more miles) or sucking it up and committing to the workout. Luckily, there’s a drugstore on the way to the lakefront from my place. Logistics were tough. Bought the essentials, used their restroom (which was graciously allowed by the cashier when she realized what I was buying), and then carried what I had just bought to the lakefront and stashed it in a bush. Pushed my achey body through the miles, recovered my bag of lady products, and took the bus home. The day could really only improve from there…. 

Friday:

Easy 3 miles, 8:34 pace. Legs were still locked up! The first mile felt rough but my muscles gradually relaxed and I felt so much better when I returned home to stretch.

Saturday:

This also happened this week….

I saw a fellow #NuunHTC teammate post a link to their Nuun Ambassador profile on Facebook, clicked over to the website, and was surprised to see my pic! I submitted the information a few weeks ago and totally forgot about it. :LOOK MA, IT’S ME!:

There have been little things happening all week that have made me think more about what happened at Rock ‘n Roll. True, I bonked. But there’s a lesson to be learned in that. On Monday night before bed, I picked up my Kindle and clicked over to the next page in Amby Burfoot’s The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life. (Nice, quick read for anyone looking for a good book on running “philosophy”!)

This chapter was more than appropriate:

My favorite line in the short chapter is:

We equate losing with failure, and we let ourselves be defeated. Instead of becoming experts who bounce back, we become victims who don’t try again…Instead of viewing my losing efforts as dead ends, I turn them into detours, and I keep moving forward.

Little dose of reality and resolve to use in the next 12 weeks of training for Grand Rapids.

If you have 5-10 minutes and a lot of opinions about the running shorts you own or have worn in the past, mind filling out a short survey for a friend of mine? She’s doing a research project and it would help her out a lot. (Feel free to share with other runners who are notoriously opinionated! :))

To everyone who submitted an entry to my Nuun 4-pack Giveaway last week, THANKS!

I was surprised to have so many entries for my first giveaway, but really, who can resist electrolytes? 🙂 The winner is Jesse N. and he’s already chosen the flavor that he will be receiving directly from Nuun. Congrats Jesse!

I placed an order for three flavors of Nuun that I hadn’t yet tried last week: Cherry Limeade, Lemonade (I am on Team Lemonade for Hood to Coast afterall!), and Orange. The fact that Cherry Limeade is “caffeine enhanced” easily makes it the winner out of the three but I like them all! (Citrus Fruit will always have a special place in my heart as my first Nuun Love.)

Another week down, 12 more to go.

Pics o’ the Week:

Infinity scarves. The next big thing in dog fashion, people.

All the CARBZ at Davanti Enoteca.

Picked up a new book.

Runner Fuel. Clearly.

The Man before his PR

– J