Wednesday, December 28
I am getting to the end of my difficult, long workouts in my 20 week training plan and the legs are definately feeling the workouts. Fortunately, the mind is the one part of the bod that you can control but if you are not careful, the mind can control you. Waking up everyday and remembering how hard I have worked to earn the right to run at the Olympic Trials is just one thing that gets me pumped to lace up the shoes and hit the street.
I ran my last run in Charles City with a little wind and off-and-on sunshine. Justin finished my workout with me, the last 7 miles of my 14 mile run was to be at "moderate pace" which is between 6:30-6:50 minutes per mile. We drove back to West Des Moines later that day and settled back in to the apartment.
Thursday, December 29
Just one year ago to the day, Justin proposed to me while we were on a ski trip in Keystone, CO. It is crazy to think that was one year ago, already!
We celebrated by going to the Iowa State Women's basketball game in Ames. We relived our "proposal dinner" by sampling some seasonal brews and dinner at Olde Main brewery before the game.
Today's workout was a 10 miler with the last 5 miles at moderate pace. The training purposes during this last, hard week of higher mileage is work the legs when they are especially fatigued or tired. This will prep the legs to be able to keep working when that same fatigue sets in during the 26.2 ... it is hard to know when the fatigue will set in on race day, it can really vary among runners and even within a runner and each race he or she runs. The most important thing is to keep the mind relaxed and to let the legs recognize that same fatigue experienced during the workouts, while keeping the faith and trust in your training and workouts leading up to race day. I fit a nice 40 minute swim in at our YMCA, in the afternoon, and rewarded myself with nice 10 minute sit in the hot tub. I argue that sitting in the hot tub is a necessary supplement to my training. Getting a good stretch of the hamstrings and glutes, while they are nice and warm, and relaxed.
Friday, December 30
2 mile warm up, 10 miles at marathon pace (~6:12 minutes per mile), 2 mile cool down.
My marathon pace did not go as planned, as I ventured to a local gravel-footing 5k loop park and attempted the workout in the ~17 MPH wind. I tried to keep it all in perspective, realizing the more I pushed it, into the wind, the better the strength workout. Who knows what the wind reading will be in Houston on Jan. 14! It wasn't the ideal pace for the goal of the workout, but some days you just have to do what you can to make the most of the conditions and your body. I hit up the YMCA for a Friday evening swim, followed by stretching in the hot tub and moist sauna.
Justin and I had a relaxing Friday evening, making soup, homemade cornbread and a "marathon" of Modern Family episodes. Thanks to my best friend, and made of honor- Lindsy, Season 1 on DVD is a great item to have during Justin and I's Christmas break! My oldest brother, Aaron, recently gave us a 2012 calendar with this image on the cover. If you haven't seen an episode and enjoy a laugh, I highly recommend (Wednesdays, 8pm CST)!
No comments:
Post a Comment