Sunday, May 14, 2017

Miles, miles, and more miles


The training continues.

May is already almost halfway over (how did that happen?) and my training is approaching its peak in regards to mileage. I received an email from Grandma's Marathon...saying that race day is five weeks away. YIKES!


Here's what went down this past week....

I did a quick recovery mile Monday morning (recovering from the pretty awesome Des Moines Womens Half Marathon the day prior). I know the race went well when my finish time was legit, the race felt pretty effortless, and the body bounced back within 24 hours.

Back in the training grind, I headed out early Tuesday morning for a solo #5at5 in the pre-sunshine hours. Actually, it was more like pre-sunshine minutes...I had "slight" darkness when I left the house, but had substantial natural light within 15 minutes, and almost total daylight by 5:30. Life is good!

Nothing major on Wednesday, but a definite recovery/rest day. We all know rest and recovery are necessary components to a successful training cycle, and I totally respect them and embrace their arrival. Oh, and it was my little furry grandbaby's first birthday. Isn't Lola just the cutest?

I met up with Barb (my main running partner-in-crime) on Thursday for a (somewhat) fast and furious #5at5. Seriously, these early morning runs are such a fantastic way to start the day! Especially now that the days are getting longer, it's awesome to get an early start to my day and have the entire evening completely open.

I spent all of Friday morning with our son, being his escort to the oral surgeon to have his wisdom teeth extracted. Fun times (don't be jealous)! Although I had worked late on Thursday, a lot of stuff had come in that evening and Friday morning, so I camped out at work until closing time.

Saturday was a long day, full of fun and adventure. A team of us from work had a relay team of runners, and we were on the road by 5:00 (do you see a pattern here?), headed to Jefferson, IA (just over 2-hours down the road) for the Market to Market relay. Our wave didn't start until 8:15, and we arrived there with ample time to for me to get ready for the start line (I was the first runner). We had near-perfect weather (though it did get a bit warm later on), and finished the 76-mile course in 11:35:59. I contributed about 15 total miles (over the span of three legs of the relay). Stay tuned, there's a recap in the works with a lot more details.
The ASI Running Team
I felt pretty good, though very fatigued, Sunday morning. No alarm was set, and I woke up at 8:05...that goes to show I really was legitimately tired. I did a short 1-mile recovery run before we headed to church. My afternoon was spent outside...garden-squatting and lunging.

Oh, and it was Mother's Day! Although the oldest daughter is out in Pennsylvania, I'm thankful we can stay in pretty close contact with her. The son is home for the summer from college, and the younger daughter is still in high school. Look closely, there's a turtle in the pic (we've been babysitting him since the older daughter went off to college)...and you all know Max. He got distracted by the sound of another dog...so, yeah. Smiling for the camera was NOT a priority.

Over all, it was a solid week of training. My mileage (Monday-Sunday) came in at 27. I have three more weeks of increasing (long run) mileage, then I'll be entering Taper Town with open arms. My long runs probably should be an itsy-bit longer at this point, but I am not worried. As I have said, this is not my first merry-go-round. If I don't get my long runs to the 20-mile mark, the world will not come to a crashing halt. I have a solid endurance base, and that will carry me through to the finish line reguardless. I'd rather approach the start line slightly under-trained (and eager) than over-trained (and injured).

In other news:
My May goals are going well! I've been knocking out the 5-minute planks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and am still alive (and able to talk about it). I don't love them, and they don't happen without a bit of extra effort, but they are possible.

And that little Max. Someone left the spare bedroom slightly ajar, and he made his way in there and had some fun with my left-over prom decorations.Can you say excess glitter and icicles everywhere?


In case you missed them, last week's posts:



Des Moines Women's 13.1:Balancing Racing with Training


So, talk to me! How was your week? Any races coming up? Have you noticed the days getting longer (in the morning and evening)?

 As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Please join us! 

49 comments:

  1. Wow - you had a busy week, but a usual, you rocked it! I love the photo from the dog's birthday - that is just behind cute! Great job on the relay race yesterday - that looked like fun!

    I hope that you had an awesome Mother's Day!

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  2. You are going to rock your marathon.

    And You are one busy lady.

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  3. Oh no, Max has been naughty...lol
    Looks like a productive week. Hope your son is recovering well.
    Will you be recapping the relay? I hope to do a few of them this year.

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  4. I don't think you have anything to worry about, marathon-wise. I think Grandma's should be worried...:p

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  5. Oh my gosh, that tinsel seems to get everywhere - I guess he wanted to give you more of a Mother's Day party?! Love the family picture! You could be one of the kids!

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    1. I noticed the door was partway open...and just had a hunch that I better check it out...

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  6. My college son is home right now...with a new puppy. We've got loads of doggie shenanigans going on. I hope to be training for a marathon in the fall. Your training has been going so well, you'll crush Grandma. (That's sounds funny!). Thanks for linking, Kim.

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  7. I love relay races! Sounds like you had a fun time - I wish we had more of the shorter ones around here.

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    1. Well, I wish I had a Ragnar closer than Chicago LOL It's kinda slim pickins in my part of the universe for unique events.

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  8. I bet it feels good to have your son home for the summer! I'm a fan of early morning runs too. Never liked having it hang over me at the end of a long day.

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    1. Agreed! There have been times when I've been at work, watching the clock and wondering when I'd get home to get my run done LOL Getting the miles done early is such a win-win for me ;-)

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  9. Looks like a great week! That really sounds like fun, but Im sure it was exhausting!

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    1. I was dead tired Saturday night when I finally got home (around 11:00). The miles were as tough as the long day with constant action.

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  10. Lola is adorable! For a sec I thought that was broken glass. So glad it's only decorations. 5 weeks sounds like alot to me but when I think that 2-3 of that is taper, YIKES!

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  11. Getting in early morning runs was something I used to do in the summer . . . unfortunately even if I'm tired, I don't sleep in -- sleeping in would be like to 6 am for me. I was exhausted yesterday & still up at 4 am this morning.

    Kind of throws the animals into a tizzy when I alter routine. I wonder how Bandit would feel about an early morning run in the summer?

    You are absolutely right -- if you get to a 20 miler, good, and if not, you'll be fine. It might even be beneficial not to do one!

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    1. I'm certainly not sweating the 20-miler issue. I ran Grandma's in 2015 with 15-miles being my longest run (due to a crazier than normal spring, unexpected stuff, and a surprise visit from Plantar Fasciitis). ;-)

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  12. The party hat on the dog!! Too cute. Your relay looked like a blast sort of like a mini Ragnar. Tiring but lots of fun memories

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    1. It's exactly like a mini Ragnar...only one vehicle and a smaller team ;-)

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  13. I've definitely noticed the day getting longer, especially in the morning when it's so bright out at 6 am! I need to start doing some pre-work runs soon!

    I didn't know you were doing a relay - congrats on your race! Looking forward to the recap!

    I feel like we're barely into May and the June races are just getting so much closer!

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  14. That's great that you bounced back so quickly after your half! Lola is the cutest!! And a 5 minute plank?? Wow. You amaze me!!

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    1. The half was pretty epic in that it felt good and the recovery was pretty easy. I wish all races would be like that!

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  15. You are incredible! I'm floundering big time with training. No bueno!!

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    1. I've been lucky with this training cycle...the weather has been ideal (so far!), and I've been taking this easy. The races I've done have all fit perfectly into my mileage for my long runs.

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  16. I can't wait to hear about that relay! Your family is also so cute.

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  17. I love how you said, "I'd rather approach the start line slightly under-trained (and eager) than over-trained (and injured)." There's a lot of truth in that, especially with your solid base.

    I can't wait to read your relay recap!

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    1. Thanks, Deb! I've done this 26.2 thing both ways...under-trained, and over-trained...and I know which method works better for me LOL

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  18. You have been rocking your training! And that 5 minute plank?! What? Looking forward to your relay recap!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I've been enjoying this training...I've had a lot of races filtered in to keep it interesting ;-)

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  19. What a great week! You've reminded me to check in on my May goals which I have forgotten about already. And Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. I hope your Mother's Day was great, too! My May goals are a little different this month because they are not part of my weekend...so I feel a little guilty NOT doing them on Saturdays or Sundays.

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  20. Great training week!!!
    My training week was good but crazy otherwise! Cant wait for summer vacations soon!

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    1. There's always a little bit of crazy in my mix, too LOL "Normal" is so over-rated...

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  21. The relay was fun, but it did make for a long day! It would be so much fun to do this a bunch of my blogging gals (ahem!). ;-)

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  22. I am so incredibly thankful for the longer days. It makes it so much easier to fit all of the workouts in!

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    1. Exactly! It seems like the days just got longer in the past couple weeks....I can see a difference almost every day ;-)

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  23. 5 weeks until the marathon!!!! time is flying by!!!
    you had a great week, I don't know how you do it... though I seem to also pack in a lot of stuff in the same 24 hours... (I don't know how I do it either haha).

    Nice going on the relay! And glad you had a nice mother's day even though the oldest is away at the moment!

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    1. IT's crazy what we can done in those 24 hours if we're determined LOL

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  24. Definitely have noticed the days getting longer- when I go to Kentucky in a few weeks I looked it up and the sun will be still up at 9pm! It's crazy! Around here it sets just after 8- which is still late, but 9 just seems insane! And its crazy that you're getting sun at 5:30 am! The sun rises around 6:45 here now. The nice part is that I'm getting some really great sunset pictures now where in the fall/winter most of my evening runs are done when its already dark.

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    1. I don't quite have sunshine at 5:30, but it's definitely full-on daylight.

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  25. I am 4 weeks out to Utah! Time is flying and I feel like I am running a lot of miles too! I thought of you this morning when I went out at 5! #8at5 for me! :-)

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    1. Alright! Another early morning runner ;-) I like our little exclusive club ;-)

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