Monday, January 11, 2016

14 Weeks Till Boston

14 weeks or 99 days till the Boston Marathon!! But, who's counting? :)

It has been quite a week - busy, super emotional and also full of promise.

I had a great 14 mile run on Saturday...




It felt like a breakthrough run for me, where the endurance and speed were becoming friends. 7:57 pace and I was tired when I finished, but not exhausted. I am slowly chipping away at building my strength and I can feel it in my running.

Today (Monday) also is the day I am starting the 21 day reset program led by the awesome Laura!
I am excited to clean up my eating and focus on everything that goes into my body being fuel for marathon training. What to eat after a long run, and not necessarily fueling for an early morning shorter run. Taking out excess sugar and leaving my beloved chocolate chips and glass of wine behind for now. After our trip to Montana, as wonderful as it was, I definitely felt like I packed on a few pounds (elk chili, prime rib, bison, wine EVERY night, dessert EVERY night - yep, that'll do it!) even though I was running quite a bit while we were there. I felt it on the long run on Saturday and it wasn't a feeling of vanity (oh gosh - my butt feels bigger! Even though it did!) as much as the feeling of I want to be light on my feet and ready to run fast.
So, I'll definitely be reporting on my food intake and how eliminating added sugar is making me feel for these next 21 days.

My sweet girl always makes me smile! on Friday at school she made the most beautiful arrangement of flowers and brought them home for me. She said: "Mommy, these are for you. I love you da whole wide world!!" I mean seriously - how does it get better that that?!



I wish I had a pair of Tinkerbell socks :)


I needed that smile and those pretty flowers. It was a super, super sad week for me. A friend of mine lost her battle with depression and passed away last week. She left behind a wonderful husband and two sweet little boys. To say it was a shock is an understatement (I didn't know she suffered from depression) and I don't mean to get too heavy, but this is real life. I struggled to breath, I struggled hard all week. She loved running, she loved the Boston Marathon so much. She ran it in 2014 and we talked so much about Boston, how exciting it was... She gave me tons of advice on where to stay, what to do. 

Monday and Tuesday were really hard running days. It poured rain and I ran in it - thankful to have my tears mix with the pouring rain. Wednesday I couldn't do it. I didn't care about running - I just needed a break. Thursday I had to pick myself up and do a hard workout. I thought to myself that I know my friend would want me to keep pushing. She would say - "Don't you dare back off because of me! This is the Boston Marathon!!" So I took a breath and plunged into the workout.
Saturday, I ran an early morning 14 miles - it was a faster pace than my coach had given me, but I couldn't stop running faster. I rushed home to shower and then Jerold and I were off to the memorial service. It was a tough day.

I will be dedicating every step of the race to her memory. I have a new purpose. This race is for you Lesley. I know you are dancing with the angels, We all miss you.

Here is a run down of the week's workouts:

Monday - 6 easy miles

Tuesday - 6 easy miles

Wednesday - Day off

Thursday - Went to PT in the morning and did lots of exercises.
Then hard workout  ---> 2 mile warm up, 8 x 1/2 mile (7:00 - 7:10 pace) with .25 rest in between. 1 mile cool down. 9 miles total. My paces: 7:11, 6:44, 6:47, 6:50, 6:51, 7:12, 7:33, 7:30 - last two straight uphill and in the wind!) 

Friday - 6 easy miles




Saturday - 14 miles at 8:00-8:30 pace. 
My splits: 8:19, 8:03, 7:50, 7:59, 7:48, 7:53, 8:01, 7:49, 7:55, 7:46, 7:39, 7:52, 7:47, 7:49
Average of 7:57 pace

Sunday - 5 easy miles on the treadmill + squats with weights, core workout and dynamic stretching.

Note: Every day I do dynamic stretching before I run. Core, squats and PT exercises I did every day except Wednesday 

Total Miles: 44


Live each day like it's your last. Have fun, laugh, play outside, hug your friends.

Tell me something fun about your weekend!!

Wishing you the start of a great week!

Happiness Is Running Life!!


xo,
Natalie

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