marathon training: week 1
I must say, having a running plan is the best thing ever. There’s absolutely no guesswork — I just do what my little sheet taped to my wall tells me what to do. Anyways, here’s a recap of what went down this week:
Monday: Cannonball warmup, 4 miles (7:54 pace), core
For day one, I was more excited than anything. It was one of the few times I’ve actually “warmed up” before a run (I know…) and this cannonball warmup was really cool. I was a little all over the place since I wasn’t used to the routine yet, and there were many chairs and tables in the way since I was doing it in my apartment. After the run, I less than happily did core work, which is deeeefinitely one of my weakest links. I hate that burn. And six-pack abs. Oy.
Tuesday: Dynamic warmup, 5 miles (7:55 pace), 6 x stride, 30 minute strength train
For whatever reason, I was really tired this morning. When I got up to warmup, it took every ounce of willpower to not hop back into bed as the sun was finally starting to rise. 5 miles at that pace felt SO fast for some reason, which kind of bothered me. Doing strides felt nice and I think finally loosened me up. I almost skipped strength training in the PM, since I was literally falling asleep at work. But, I got to the gym and did pushups, squats, core, lunges, aaaand lots of nice stretching and foam rolling.
Wednesday: Optional rest or yoga.
I went with Jocelyn to Yoga Vida to take a class with Hilaria, Alec Baldwin’s wife. (Check em outtttt.) The class was SUPER crowded, and for whatever reason I was squished between the only two guys who were breathing awkwardly heavily and flinging their sweat on me. The class felt more like a boot camp, and at once point we did “ABS!” for 10 minutes. I almost died. Not zen. However, any fitness outing with Jocelyn warms my heart, and apparently Alec even walked into the class. I missed it, though, probably more concerned that the guy to my left might collapse… on me.
Thursday: Dynamic warmup, 6 miles (7:49 pace), 8 x 100.
This run was great. My legs felt fresh and it was warm out. I did 100’s on the track in a tank top and shorts in JANUARY (!!!), yet the tricky part about doing speedwork after runs is the track is about a mile from my apartment. I allot myself about 15-20 extra minutes so I can walk home, yet I still end up rushing every single morning so I’m not late for work. To save time, I eat breakfast and drink water in the shower, which is something I do pretty regularly. Aaand it’s also something I recently learned is a weird thing to do. Now I’m really scared that the other “normal” things I do are actually quite strange. (I’ll just keep my day-to-day habits to myself…) In any case, here is the shelf where I can keep my oatmeal nice and dry.
Friday: Dynamic warmup, 4 miles recovery (8:13 pace), core
This run felt nice and relaxed, and was a good way to kick off Friday. Especially since later in the night meant tacos and tequila (and wine…and guac…).
Saturday: Rest or optional lift. I chose rest. So exciting! I just did work, laundry, trip planning, bar with friends, and a (relatively) early bedtime. Perfect Saturday.
Sunday: Dynamic warmup, 13.1 miles (7:49 pace), IT Rehab Routine
This run was awesome and hilarious. Awesome for the fact that it’s the longest I’ve run since October, I was wearing shorts, and ran a new route which I love. Hilarious for the fact that I PR’d in the half-marathon, technically. I woke up so excited to run (mainly because of the weather) and decided to try going over the Pulaski bridge to Queens, the Queensborough bridge to Manhattan, down 1st avenue from 59th street to the east river path, then the Williamsburg bridge back home. It was magical. I definitely was feeling it by mile nine — at that point my legs were super tired and probably confused as to why I was running for so long. Buuuut I thought about the brownies I’m making for a dinner I’m going to tonight, which carried me happily home.
One week down, 15 to go. It’s like I’m practically there!….
Posted on January 13, 2013, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
I have to admit, I’ve never eaten in the shower! Back in college I used to drink beer while showering before going out though… I think that’s a thing people do?
Your Pulaski-Queensborough-First Ave-Williamsburg route used to be my go-to when I lived there! I’d say it’s definitely easier to do it in that direction (but still challenging! I just mean that First Ave is a gradual uphill in the uptown direction, something I never realized while walking it) Bridges were always my favorite places to run in New York.
Haha I also am a fan of the beer showers (: And yes, I was wondering if I should switch it up and do that route the opposite way next weekend, but I enjoyed that downhill on 1st ave too much! It’s no fun ending over the Williamsburg bridge though..
Lol about the yoga class! I definitely have had similar experiences of ‘bubble space’ intrusion and worry about the person next to me…Also not a fan of ‘boot camp’ type yoga classes since I’m there for the mind and body part, not just the body part…The 10 min ab workout reminded me of one instructor who literally had us holding wide squats for minutes on end…couldn’t walk the next day.
Yay week 1 is over, phew!
OOF. Yeah, I feel you. I need yoga teachers who tell me “life is beautiful.” And stuff (:
Um, looking at your 13.1 mile run time, I am going to have unfortunately have to rescind my earlier offer to run the last half of Eugene with you. Not gonna happen. 😦
Noooo don’t say that! You have so many months to train. Besides, isn’t that your PR?
Uh, no. That is faster than my PR. And I am supposed to help YOU keep going, not the other way around….I would be dying at that pace, if I could even get back there- ha ha! But I do need to get back to that mileage. My goal is to do a half-iron triathlon in September. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. The challenge is finding the hours in the week to train.
a PR in the 1/2! perfect 🙂 super fast training times that are easy. can’t wait to see what this brings you!!
The links that you gave for dynamic warmups are great! I normally do leg swings, and form drills (like A skips, B skips) but nothing as comprehensive as the cannonball warmup. I’m definitely going to give it a go!
that’s awesome! I had never done anything like that either but I already feel a difference. Do let me know how it works out for ya!