Holy High Mileage!

Yikes, can you say, "High Mileage???"

With my half marathon last Sunday, and my long training run this Saturday (six days later), I finished the week with 39 miles, thank you very much. 39 frickin' miles! I'm pretty sure that's a PR. That is major high mileage, especially for this "moderate mileage" gal. Yikes (again).

Here's some of the details on what went down....

Monday, still riding the endorphins from the Quad Cities half marathon, I did a very brief 1-miler before my day started. I have that #nevermissaMonday thing that will drive me bonkers if I do not oblige my commitment.

Never miss a Monday...in my new Quad Cities Marathon shirt

Tuesday, I was able to persuade my friend, Barb, to rise and shine (prior to any trace of sunshine) to join me for some early morning miles. We knocked out five miles in the dark, meeting up at 5:00AM (which required a 4:30AM wake-up). The temps were cool and crisp...it certainly feels like summer has packed up and vacated the area.

No yawning! The last trace of the waning crescent moon lit our way

Wednesday, was pretty low-key. Even though it's an active recovery day for me (with no running on the roster), I was moving in a bit of a slow-mo pace most of the day. I've been doing the 22 daily push-ups challenge, as well as my own daily planking, so I didn't drag my feet the entire day.

Yes, that's a flannel scarf....it got cold in Iowa this week!

Thursday called for another early morning adventure in the running shoes. I had a "caterpillar run" on the calendar...ever done such a thing? Basically, it's a moderate run (I did a total of 6 miles, including warm-up) with periodic surges of speed (every 1/4 mile or so). It certainly made the run go quickly!

Another brisk early morning run with the Knuckle Lights and gloves

Friday was another day of moderate rest and recovery and prep for the long run (happening the following morning). A new thing I've started doing is posting an outfit of the day on Instagram (#ootd, #Fridayfashion)....not because I'm trying to break into the fashion industry, but because I like mixing it up (with my non-running clothes). I seldom ever wear the same exact outfit more than once....I'm always changing the accessories and color combos with what I already have, creating "new" outfits without adding/buying new stuff. It's a fun challenge! Care to join me? (should I make that our October challenge???)

So what if I'm wearing sandals with a bulky sweater? Fashion before function, and don't forget the lipstick!

Saturday, long run day! I had 14 miles on the roster. Although I have run 14 miles (and much farther on different occasions), I was not too excited for this little adventure. I was a bit apprehensive how my calf muscles would do (remember the nasty cramping at the race on Sunday?), nor had I planned out a good route. Thankfully, Barb (who is also training for Route 66) was eager to get some miles done, so we met up around 5:00AM (which translates to a 4:15AM wake-up) and ran two loops of the 5-mile route (that we had run on Tuesday). We did a potty stop at the 5-mile mark before running the second loop. She had to head home after that, but I continued on and finished the remaining four miles on my own. Amazing how, even after 11+ years of running, I forget the simple "trick" of breaking up the long run into smaller segments (so my brain can take a chill). Mission accomplished!

My longest run in the hydration vest and Vizi belt!

And, last of all, Sunday. It was a pretty meek and mild day. My hip flexors felt a bit achy, so I did a short mile to work out the kinks and felt better when I returned home. I have found that short recovery runs (at a very conservative pace) do my body good. Granted, it's only a mile or so, and the distance is nothing spectacular, but the ease of movement helps with some of the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). An added bonus? This was my first run in the sunshine since the race last weekend, since all of my other runs had been done in the pre-dawn hours. That's a win-win!!

Ahhhh, the sunshine on my face felt heavenly...

 With September coming to a close, I looked over my logged stats (disclaimer...these are probably missing a few random numbers because I wasn't too diligent on writing all of these down immediately after completing the tasks). My planking, an everyday occurrence, came in with 132 (possibly more) minutes, and my push-ups were at 489 (that's an approximation as well). I started out the month squatting everyday, but sadly that kind of went to the wayside. I still did numerous squats, just not daily (nor did I take accurate notes on those either). Oh well. I'm not gonna sweat the (missed) details.

But my mileage in the running shoes? I hit the 95 mile mark for my September miles (gulp), and so far everything feels pretty good. The last time I had a similar (high) number like that was back in May, when I cranked out 100 miles...and, subsequently, welcomed in a brief gig of Plantar Fasciitis. I am working with a coach this time around, and she has me doing a myriad of daily stretches, PT, and warm-up routines to combat all the wear and tear of marathon training. So far, so good. And, no, I did not feel the need to lace up and polish off an additional five miles to hit the century mark. The bragging rights are not worth the potential consequences.

And the latest? I caught a glimpse of some of my pics from the Quad Cities (half) Marathon....and, again, I am at a total crossroads on purchasing any. My husband captured some good ones (of myself and the relay team), and those cost me ZERO dollars. Some of the professional pics are nice, and they show the race course....but, Holy Crazy Cash Droppage, Batman!

to buy or not to buy? 

How did your September play out? Any great races or training runs? Any early morning miles? How do you feel about race pics?

I'm linking up with the lovely Holly and Tricia  for their awesome Weekly Wrap linkup. This little linkup has grown to become a major big deal. Head over and check out all the blogs!