It's almost Taper Time!

Yes, another week done and another week closer to my marathon. Have I mentioned that I have a marathon happening in less than a month?

Of course, I'm joking. No self-respecting runner trains for a marathon and keeps it a secret.

It was another week of crazy high mileage. How I am doong all of this (and not sleeping 12 hours a day) is blowing my mind. I'm not too disciplined about my sleep schedule, and I am finally starting to feel the effects of all those early morning runs following late-night bed times. But, somehow, I'm surviving.

Here's what went down this past week:

Following my 16-miler on Sunday, there was nothing specific on the training plan other than an active recovery day on Monday. Of course, being it was Monday, I couldn't let the running shoes sit idle. I went out (after work) for an easy mile...and it certainly was not a fast one either. That's all well and good...recovery miles are not supposed to be fast, nor are they supposed to be plentiful. Mission accomplished.

#nevermissaMonday

Tuesday, time to kick-start the miles for the week.....I met up with my friend, Barb, for our weekly "Five-at-5" run (#5at5AM). The temps said 46-degrees, but it felt a lot warmer. I had two light layers under a fleece jacket and I was definitely over-dressed. There was a breeze, so I kept the jacket on...but the gloves only lasted maybe 10 minutes.

Another run in the wee dark hours

Wednesday, the run got postponed until after work due to the rain coming down. Now, I don't mind rain, but in the early morning (with no natural light), I just was not feeling it. Although there was no rain when I finally got outside later, the air was cool and damp. I had approximately four miles of speed ladders to do (after a 1-mile warm-up). I'm not a huge fan of "timed" workouts (starting and stopping the timer on my watch feels like a constant distraction from the running), but I do see the value in doing them and I do like the challenge of hitting the prescribed pace for each segment. Another mission accomplished.

Thursday was another active recovery day. Also, I jumped the gun (a bit) on my #Fridayfashion post, and shared a #Halloweenfashion post. I have really gotten lax about Halloween decorating. I love the holiday (despite the dark themes often times associated with it), but since the kids have gotten older, no one cares if there are seasonal decorations scattered about the house...and no one else (most likely) will lift a hand to help take everything down or assist me in putting things away. SO, with the lack of Halloween decor, I often forget about the few pieces of Halloween attire hibernating in the back of my closet. Fortunately, I remembered this spiderweb shirt....I made it several years ago and just can't seem to part with it (even though it only gets worn once every 52 weeks).

My DIY spiderweb shirt...from the back of my closet

Friday. Oh, let's talk about Friday. The temps took an abrupt upswing, late in the week. Also, my body has been feeling a tad bit sleepy, so I decided (again) to postpone the run until after work (notice that's been happening more frequently in these final weeks of training?). I had a busy morning, but got everything finished up at work so my weekend started around 12:15PM.

Once I got home, I took Max out for a  (very leisurely) walk around the block. Took my time eating lunch, did a few blogging things, and finally changed into the running clothes. The temps were now sitting at 75-degrees...yes, 75-degrees in Iowa...at the end of October. Did I mention there also was a fierce S/SE wind? Even the side-wind was vicious and made it difficult to stay upright.

After my 1-mile warm-up, I headed out on my 6-mile route. Hoping to hit my targeted foundation pace (9:30), I kept my head down, fought the wind, and hoped my visor wouldn't go sailing. Ugh. I knew this was gonna be a tough cookie to swallow. The first mile clocked in faster than it felt (8:45ish). I was shooting for a 9:00 pace for the final five miles....and that %$#& wind felt like a total smack-down. The next two miles were 9:50 and 9:35...not ideal, but given the 100mph wind, I'm glad I was able to hold my own. I made the turn-around, the next two miles (with somewhat of a diagonal tailwind to push me) were at 9:20 and 9:05. The final mile clocked it at 8:44. So, yeah. Kind of all over the place with my pace, but I was happy that I was able to progressively up the speed with each mile, though there was nothing consistent going on.

Yowza. That was tough!

This run was not an all-out-sprint-to-the-finish effort, but the wind really made it feel like I was doing a tempo run. Fighting the wind (in those hot temps) required a lot more effort than running on a calm, cool day. I would have had better conditions 12 hours prior, but I really didn't want to deal with monitoring  my watch in the dark. Also, the 6-mile route I used for this was perfect in that it was an out-and-back with a few gradual hills...but it also was a pretty busy road that took me farther out from my house than I prefer to go in the dark all alone. None the less, I battled through another tough run, and am happy with my efforts. I might very well have less-than-ideal conditions on race day, after all; it's best to train in them and be prepared.

Saturday's run was another of my favorites....three easy miles. I headed back to the lake (like I had done a week earlier) and ran three loops on the trail. Autumn is such a pretty time of year, I honestly cannot imagine running inside and not witnessing the seasonal beauty first-hand.

I love all the colors, critters, and calmness of the lake

I had 18 miles on the roster for Sunday, something I was both looking forward to conquering and dreading at the same time. The temps were showing 50-degrees, and it was windy. Not my favorite scenario, especially for three hours of running. Long story short, the run went well. My friend, Barb, ran with me. We left my house around 5:30, ran the first nine miles and stopped back at my house for a potty break & refueled. The remaining nine miles went well, too. Funny how these 18 miles in adverse conditions felt easier than those 16 miles a week ago.

So, that's my week in miles. That's a 40-mile week, ladies and gentlemen. I think that's a new weekly mileage PR. My October miles are sitting at 168, and will top off at 169 after I do my #nevermissaMonday run on Monday (rest-assured, that will be the minimum 1-mile...and I will be quite content with that). 169 monthly miles is, hands-down, a huge PR for monthly mileage...and not something I plan to meet and beat anytime soon (if at all) in the future.

In other news:

My #Fridayfashion post on My Instagram was well-received. Should I keep this up? It's kind of fun posting my outfits, but I have no desire to do it daily (at this point in time). I used to do fashion consulting (many, many moons ago) and I have always had an interest in making do with what I have and mixing in funky accessories and/or color combinations (rather than constantly be buying new stuff).

Yes, you can dress up a Halloween shirt with a little jewelry and a sparkly watch

Also, in keeping with Halloween, the husband and I went to a Halloween party to watch the World Series. Boo to all of the party poopers who showed up in street clothes. Really? Not even Cubs or Braves attire? (#lame)

No, that's not my real buttcrack...but the jersey does say "Team Buttcrack"

Look at the size of this perfect maple leaf...it's almost bigger than my size 9-1/2 feet (translation: 10-1/2 size running shoes)!

It's huge!

And, last of all, Max. Isn't he just the cutest little dog ever?

Someone wants a treat

Tell me about your week...high mileage, moderate activity, or rest? Did you dress up for Halloween?  Have the leaves started changing (and falling) in your area?

As usual, I'm linking up with the lovely Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Head over and check out their blogs, and all the other blogs linked there as well.