Last week I was reeling off the good vibes from my 7 mile run the Saturday before, so I came into this past week of training with a renewed sense of accomplishment and appreciation. My training schedule for this week was pretty standard:
Tuesday: 30 minute run/walk
Thursday: 30 minute run/walk
Saturday: 8 mile long run (again, my longest distance)
The wet and rainy weather really moved into the Seattle area this past week and it made its presence noticed. The Tuesday I was set for a run, the rain was so significant that most roadways and sidewalks were overrun with huge puddles and "land lakes" that it was just not safe to be out on the streets until the drains were cleared up and the water had gone down.
Wednesday was looking more promising and surprisingly dry in the morning, so I jumped on the chance to take a noon time run. I suited up and went out for a good 30 minute run. I was happy to be out of the office and let my legs stretch a bit. I was reveling in the fact that I was now able to cover longer distances in the same amount of time I had previously, it was such a great feeling...until my shins started screaming at me!!
It was so painful to the point that I HAD to walk, running just wasn't an option and walking was a bit of a chore. I was so disappointed. I really wanted to have a good run and was poised to do so. Stupid shins! So I finished out my run and got it done in the prescribed amount of time, showered and got back to work. I felt good about getting my run done and all before the rain started up again. WOOHOO!
Thursday I was meeting up with my friend Danielle to do a track workout. This would be my first time doing this type of running workout, so I had no idea what to expect. The intervals she had us running at were ones that she had learned from a speed work class she had taken a few months ago. Man did it ever push the boundaries of my lungs and legs! Whew!!! It was a 3 mile workout, but boy did I ever earn the sweat I was covered in! We did series of sprints and faster running sections and then another series of sprints and more faster running sections. It wasn't until the second set of sprints that my legs really started to stretch out. I had a bigger lung capacity and my strides were long and quick. It was fun actually. But boy did I feel it the next day, phew!
Saturday I got together with friend Danielle again for a long run. I had 8 miles planned and she had 6 miles, so I was going to drive over to her place, run two miles on my own and then do a 6 mile loop together because I knew I would need the encouragement of another runner during my last couple of miles. Only, I woke up not feeling well AT ALL! My tummy was upset and I was feeling SUPER sluggish, almost like I was coming down with something. I contemplated calling in on the run and doing it on Sunday, but I was meeting with someone and I'd eaten almost half of my pre-long run breakfast, so I decided to just do 6 miles and make up the other two later.
When we set out on the run, it wasn't so bad, well other than it was really breezy, cold and starting to rain. Yay...or something. So we mostly ran to keep warm. The miles started going by pretty quickly and before I knew it, we were half way through the 6 miles and I was feeling great! My body had fought off whatever yuckiness I had going on in the morning and was really taking to my run. At that point I made the decision that I was going to continue on with the extra two miles after Danielle had finished with her six. So I began fueling accordingly during the rest of the run so that I had plenty of energy to make it through the last few miles.
When it was time to finish the last two miles the rain really started coming down, but I didn't stop, I didn't turn back, I kept going. Kept the legs churning and getting that mileage. It was tough, my legs were toast and my body was just done with the run. My form was slipping and I was getting really cold from being soaked. I finally finished and felt this amazing feeling of "badass-ness", I had kicked those 8 miles and I was still standing. A bit water logged, but still standing!
And of course, just as I was finishing, the damn sun came out and it stopped raining. Figures.
Sported my new baby blue argyle pro compression socks. So stylin'! Loving my baby blues!
It was an amazing feeling getting through those 8 miles. I had never run that far before in my life and I was amazed I was able to do it. The body is quite an amazing thing. The rest of the day I took great care on hydrating and fueling myself accordingly so that I didn't have issues like I had the weekend before with my 7 mile run.
Now my sights are set on a different goal this week, my raceversary is on Sunday with the Jingle Bell 5K in Seattle. I'm so excited to be running this again (and this time I'll be chipped for timing!) and see how I do compared to my first time last year. Considering that was the first race I had ever ran and I had trained for only 7 weeks beforehand, I hope it's a better showing this time! :) Good thing my schedule calls for only 3 miles this weekend because I'm going to make every single one of those miles count with extra exertion! OH! Did I mention that I was going to debut a new Team Sparkle skirt? I'm so excited to add some extra sparkle to a fun race!
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