Being that this last weekend was Valentine's weekend, my hubby had Saturday all planned out for us. I thought we were somehow magically NOT tackling our long runs, but alas, that was scheduled in. This week's run was 5 miles, and to be honest, it scared me more than the 4 miler from last weekend. Something about the number and how it is starting to creep up. I know a half marathon is 13.1 miles, I realize 5 miles is a little under 40 percent of the total mileage I will run in 7 weeks (run and hide right now)....but for some reason, 5 miles just seemed daunting.
I woke up 2 hours before my run, made coffee, had a light breakfast of 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, 1 T almond butter, and a half of a banana. I squeezed a little honey on there because, hey, it's honey, it's sweet, and it's deliciousness in a bottle. Followed that all up with a huge glass of water, must. stay. hydrated....
I ran slow (10.5 min mile pace) - at this point I am still nervous and wanted to get my mileage under my belt, rather than focus on my mile pace. The first 3 miles felt a little rough, but I was trying to focus on my breathing and form, keeping my heart rate down. Anyone out there train with a HR monitor? I used to hate them, but now it makes training so much simpler. It is also nice to compare what the monitor says to my actual perceived exertion. Sometimes I can push myself a little more, or back down accordingly.
So - I took my towel off after 44 minutes and saw I had......1 mile go!!! Wahoo! I felt pretty nice, so I cranked up my speed to a 9 min mile, and polished it off! It was lovely, the best Valentine's gift ever! Happy V-Day to my cardiovascular system!!!
I did feel a little shaky after my cool-down, so I supplemented with a banana and a light lunch. I also was a lucky lady this past weekend, as my hubby treated me to a post-run massage. Positive reinforcement! Run 5 miles, get to eat a yummy lunch, and get a massage = one happy lady. : )
The mileage this week starts to creep up across the board. Today is 4 miles, which I will try to do as 2x2 mile runs at a slightly faster pace, a 10 min break in between. My sched is as follows:
Tuesday: 45 min cross train
Wed: 4 miles
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 45-60 min cross train
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: yoga
I have a distinct feeling that once I get through the 6 miler on the calendar for 2/27, I will feel much, much better about the April Half Marathon....we'll see!
Until then - off to hydrate and prep for this pm's run!
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