I’ve decided that Thanksgiving break and peak marathon training week make an excellent combination. I didn’t plan it this way but it really was the best week of the year for getting in a lot of miles not to mention the abundance of delicious food! I only worked one day (and even then it was part-time) so I had the time flexibility for running and cooking. My kids had no complaints! How could I turn down my son’s request for…
This is it. Just a couple more days until I head to San Francisco to put months of training into one race! I know I’ve done my best and I’m anxious to put it to the test Sunday morning. I think no matter how long I’ve been running I am constantly learning about the sport. This summer I’ve experienced and learned more than I ever imagined I would preparing for the San Francisco Marathon. Every training cycle is different and…
I had some questions about how I handled marathon recovery, training, and tapering in between Chicago and Wynne. If you were one of those people- this post is for you! First, don’t underestimate marathon recovery and rest! Some marathons require more rest than others. Fortunately, Chicago was a fairly easy one to recover from and I felt ready to run after four rest days. I didn’t have any injuries going into Chicago so I’m sure that helped. I have run…
In the spring it is very easy for me to get caught up in racing. There seems to be an abundance of local races and I have a very hard time resisting the urge to run every single one of them. Last year at this time I think I did race just about all of them (including double races two weekends in a row) which may have contributed to my injury. This year I’m trying to be a little more…
Last week was peak mileage week for me. It’s actually the highest mileage week I’ve had in 10 months. So why did I decide to donate blood smack in the middle of the week- just two and a half weeks before my marathon? I work part-time on a University campus and on Monday there were two American Red cross blood-mobiles parked near my office. They had signs posted that they would be there Monday through Wednesday. I’ve always wanted to…
I’m back! It’s been a while since my last post and I’m not sure why. I just haven’t been very motivated to write. I’ve been back in training mode for two weeks or so now. As I mentioned in an earlier post my right foot was giving me some grief so I took some time off so it could heal. It took a little longer than I thought it would. I mixed in some cross training (biking at the gym)…
Happy Thanksgiving week!! I’m enjoying a week home with all the kiddos and a more relaxed schedule. Let’s just say we had quite a few Thanksgiving/ Pilgrim & Native American events last week. I’m very thankful for a quiet week home because I know the next few weeks leading up to Christmas are going to be busy! Hangin with my boys Lunch with my girls Marathon recovery this time around has gone very well. After Springfield I took 5…
The 5K distance is by FAR my most raced distance. I’ve been racing them since I was a kid and on through college. When I got back into running a few years ago and I started training for longer distances like the marathon and the half marathon I still couldn’t resist sprinkling in a few 5K’s here and there. I just love this distance. It’s hard and fast but I love the challenge of putting it all out there. Still,…
I guess you might have guessed from my lack of posting that I did not run in the Arkansas Race for the Cure Saturday. Since Friday morning my little running world has once again been rocked upside down- a simple reminder to me that there are many more important things in life than running and I guess I needed that reminder. Why do I tend to get these reminders right before a big race?? Friday morning all I had on…
How do you survive the hardest training week of a marathon cycle? One day at a time. Last week was hard. I knew going into it that it would be but I had to get through it and remind myself that it would all be worth it. Peak week is the week with a lot of miles and some killer workouts. It all builds up to this and then… hello taper. Going into last week I was already sore. I…