[S]he Conquers Who Endures

Could not run today. Left quad hurts too bad, can hardly walk. Tried 20 mins on the bike, which was pain-free at first but then my hip flexors tightened up and my quad started huritng. Pain 7/10

Rest; quad pain 5/10

Rest and massage; Therapist said my QL on the left (same side as hurt quad) was really tight and thinks the problem is with my vastus medialis muscle. Pain later in the day after massage: 2/10. The pain is going away, but at this point I think the pounding from running will lock it up. I see the PT early in the am tomorrow.

Rest and saw PT. PT said hip was out of alignment (one leg was longer than the other) from QL being tight. She gave me exercises to do before working out to realign and set the hip, and said I am okay to run.

full rest day

30 mins easy with 4x100m strides

0.28 mi in 2:42, 9:39 min/mi AP. My hip is jacked. It feels like it's not even in the socket. Need to see a chiro!
 

Chiro did a bunch of manipulations, loosened SI joint on both sides. It helped temporarily although I noticed after the session my quad felt tight again. I think my quad is just too tight and pulling things out of wack. I plan on going to Bikram yoga tomorrow. I used to go to Bikram 1x/week when training for Disney and that seemed to keep my body balanced.

Woke up with my hip finally feeling like it's in the socket. Went to Bikram and realized my glute med is super tight as well as my knees and lower back. Squatting didn't hurt and I felt quite a bit looser after class. My hip felt like it was in the socket the rest of the day, just the quad felt a bit tight.

Light core work, arms, and calves in the morning. Chiro worked more on loosening up adhesions in the left glute, did scraping on quad, and loosened SI joints. Had 90 min massage later which was useless because the guy didn't even know what the TFL is. Quad is loosening, sometimes there was no tightness.

15 mins elliptical then 15 mins treadmill @ 3.5 mph and 7% incline. This was to check where my hip/quad is at. If I couldn't do this, definitely would not be able to run. Elliptical felt fine, but my feet always go numb ~ 10 mins in so switched to treadmill, where I figured the incline would be harder cardio and also took a bit of tension off the quad muscle. Did body weight lunges and step up with 0 pain 0 tightness. Also did calves and core and threw in a few pushups. Finished up with stretching and worked the trigger point ball deep in the piriformis attachments. I'm beginning to forget about my quad, but notice tightness every once in a while especially after sitting or standing for a while.

0.25 mile walking wu, then 6x[3 mins run easy, 2 mins walk], then 0.25 mile walking cd. Paces for runs were: 9:53, 9:22, 9:50, 8:44, 9:16, 9:15. Running felt so weird! But my quad felt pretty decent. 4th interval felt completely normal, 5th interval quad felt the most tight. Stretched and foam rolled after. Then went to Bikram. I noticed a big improvement in my flexibility today. I'm starting to feel strong again. My quad and hip felt really good on the walk home, then later in the day I forgot I was injured! :)

30 mins easy with 4x100m strides; 2.7 mi at 9:12 min/mi AP then stride paces were: 6:21, 6:00, 5:59, 5:48 min/mi. 3.24 mi total in 31:32. My quad felt better as the run went on. I was scared to do strides, but the last stride felt somewhat normal. I did feel like I lost some aerobic base though. Hopped on the bike for 15 mins and focused on maintained 90 cadence. Then did minor hip strengthening work and core. Biking felt 100% good and my quad felt the most normal yet after!

30:11 running for 3.23 mi at 9:20 min/mi pace then 15 mins biking @ 125 bpm avg hr. I didn't know if I should shut the run down early my quad was feeling pretty tight. I kept going thinking the quad would loosen up - it did and felt fine on the bike

90 mins of bikram.

45 mins on the bike @ 127 bpm avg hr. My quad hurt too bad to run. Worried something is seriously wrong. Bike felt fine. Saw ortho today. He couldn't rule out a stress fracture in the femur until I get an MRI. x-rays were fine, he thinks it's muscular so we just have to see if the pain goes away before the MRI.

40 mins on the bike @ 125 bpm avg hr. Saw PT today, she's beginning to think all the problems I've been having with my hips is stemming from a weak core. My left psoas was extremely tight and she tried to release it, then showed me lower ab stability/strengthening exercises. She said my hips are rotated because I'm not activating my core which makes one leg longer than the other.

5 mins walking warm up then 7x[4 min run @ 6.5 mph, 1 min walk] @ 1% incline then 20 mins walking at 8% incline and 3.5 mph. 142 bpm avg hr. This felt pretty good!

1:40 walking on the treadmill. Intervals @ 8% incline with recoveries at -4%. This felt completely fine on my hip. 140 bpm avg hr.

5 min walking warmup then 30 mins run @ 6.5 mph then 20 mins walk @ 8% incline and 3.5 mph and 5 min walking cool down. Avg hr 149 bpm, 81% max. Quad felt fine. I think it's helping to try to activate my lower abs and lock my core in place. Will take tomorrow off running even though I think I can run just to build momentum

Flywheel spin class feeling out of shape. Avg hr 142 bpm, 77% max

41:39 running 4.54 mi outside @ 9:15 min/mi avg pace even though I was slowing down a lot to dodge the ice and try to keep my hr below 74% max (recovery). Avg hr 140 bpm (76% max - shoot!)

15 min w.u. 3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min, 1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins fartlek with equal rest. (Paces between mararthon-10k) 15 min c.d. Treadmill @ 1% incline. 3 mins @ 7 mph, 2 mins @ 7.4 mph, 1 min @ 7.8 mph. Easy was at 6 mph. Used my new treadmill, don't think it's calibrated correctly so just ran based on effort. Quad felt fine as in zero pain. It got a little wonky after 45 mins but pain was 1-2. 6.18 miles in 54:00. Avg HR 155 bpm 82% max.

40-45 mins easy

45:03 on the treadmill for 4.61 mi. Ran miles 10-14.61 of the Boston Marathon course (ifit). Tried to keep hr around 75% or less for easy pace. Spot on at 75%! Quad felt fine.

8-10 miles easy

Chicago lakefront path. 10 miles in 1:33:23, 9:20 min/mi AP. I tried to keep my hr around 74-84% max so it helped to just have my watch show hr not pace. I averaged 81% max hr, and was pretty surprised I wasn't running closer to 9:45s, which is what the effort felt like. My quad hit a level 1 pain early on, then for some reason around mile 4 it felt 100% for the rest of the run. My legs felt shaky towards the end though so I think I lost a bit of strength. I'm very happy I was able to run double digits!

35-45 mins easy with 4-6x100m strides

Run on the treadmill through Washington DC route! 47:18 to run 4.54 mi. Easy pace was 6 mph, then 4 strides were at 8, 9, 9, 9 mph. Quad pain reached a 2. Strides felt fine!

40 mins easy

40 mins on the treadmill running miles 1-4 of the Big Sur course at 6 mph. Avg hr 78% max. Quad reached a pain of 1, the run felt good! 4 miles.

50 mins easy on the bike

15 min w.u. 5-6 x 4 mins @MP effort with 1 min rest. 15 min c.d.

Treadmill in Bethesda, MD at 1% incline. Easy paces were 5.8 mph, MP effort was 6.5 mph. I think I nailed the effort. The MP efforts felt comfortably hard. I felt like I could have done more intervals, so I think I'm coming back! No pain in quad. 6.11 miles in 60 mins.

12 miles out and back on the Boston Marathon course starting at the finish. AP 8:44 min/mi, elevation gain 254 ft. MY QUAD FELT 10000%!!! If anything hurt it was my hammies probably from going out too fast (ran with my group) and because of the elevation change. It was so motivating to run on the course especially as you get closer to heartbreak hill, it's a running party out there with all the runners and water stations. 12 miles on a harder course at a faster pace was easier than 10 miles last week. I'm happy. 1:44:49

Off or 30 mins easy

Cambridge Charles River trying to hit as much dirt as possible; 3.23 mi in 30:21, 9:24 min/mi AP. Everything felt fine after the long run yesterday, legs just felt heavy in a good way. Hopped on the bike for 30 mins on an easy gear and averaged a cadence of 89 rpm. Avg speed 12.8 mph for 6.39 mi.

Boston Charles River. Easy pace at 9:21 min/mi AP. Stride paces were: 6:04, 6:37, 6:21, 6:16, 6:11, 5:59 min/mi. Woa!! A bit slower than before. I think I'm guarding though. 4.96 mi total in 48:14. Hopped on the bike for 30 mins on an easy gear and averaged a cadence of 89 rpm for 6.35 mi at 12.7 mph. I think the bike is evening me out. I'm getting a lot of imbalances but then feel like I didn't even run after I get off the bike. Quad is still feeling good!

15 min w.u. 8-10 x 1 min on, 1 min off @ 10k effort 10 min c.d.

Cambridge treadmill at 1% incline. wu and recoveries @ 6.3 mph. on's at 8 mph, cd @ 6.5 mph. 5.6 miles in 50:06. This felt good. The first couple were weird but then settled into a rythm. Finished feeling like I could have done more or could have run the ons faster. Then did some light strength work.

Boston Charles River run in snow; 4.13 mi in 41:28, 10:03 min/mi AP. Then hopped on the bike for 30 mins easy. 6.59 mi at 13.2 mph and 92 rpm cadence. Everything is feeling good.

Treadmill in Cambridge at 1% incline; 15 min wu at 6.3 mph then 6 intervals @ 7.3 mph for MP and 6.3 mph for recoveries, 15 min cd @ 6.5 mph. 7.52 mi in 1:06:30. Then 40 mins of body weight strength work. My left adductor was a little tight, but didn't bother me too much on my run. My quad was great. I felt like I hadn't run at all after I finished with strength work. I think dropping back the intensity and amount of strength and adding the bike is helping me recover faster.

30-35 mins easy

Snowy and icy run along the Charles River in Boston, 3.76 mi in 36:14, 9:38 min/mi avg pace then 23 min on the bike @ 13 mph and 91 avg cadence for 5 mi.

12-14 miles easy

Out and back on the Boston Marathon course from Cambridge. 14.22 mi in 2:05:46, 8:51 min/mi AP. The first few miles made me question my fitness, once I got to heartbreak hill, my confidence came back and I was pleasantly surprised how strong my legs felt. 381 ft elevation gain. I didn't even think about my quad, I think it's no longer an issue! Walked a bit and stretched to cool down. Then took an ice bath. Eek!

36:08 easy on the bike. 89 rmp, 7.67 miles, 12.7 mph. My legs felt heavy and a little tight after I woke up. When I got off the bike, they felt great!

40-45 mins easy w 4-6x100m strides

Charles River Boston; 4.06 mi easy in the snow and ice at 9:33 min/mi AP for 38:44, then 6 strides on the treadmil. First was at 9.7 mph because my shoes were wet, the rest were at 10 mph. 10 mph felt really nice! 4.84 mi total in 47:08. Then 30:03 on the bike at 91 rmp for 6.53 mi at 13.0 mph.

15 min w.u. 6-8 x 400 @10k pace with 90 secs rest 15 min c.d.

Treadmill Cambridge all at 1% incline; 15 min wu @ 6.3 mph, 400s @ 8.1 mph (7:24 min/mi), rests @ 6.3 mph. Cd @ 6.5-6.6 mph. 6.36 mi in 56:00. My right piriformis was flaring up on this run, but my quad felt fine. Then 30 mins strength work followed by foam rolling (focusing on my glutes).

OFF or 45-55 mins easy

Boston Charles River. 6.12 miles in 56:43, 9:16 min/mi AP. Everything felt great!! It was so cold, I could not feel my glutes when I was done. Hopped on the bike for an easy ride at 90 rpm, 12.9 mph for 6.47 mi in 30:02.

15 min w.u. 2 x 2 mile @MP effort with 3 mins rest 10 min c.d.

Treadmill in Cambridge all at 1% incline; 15 min wu @ 6.3 mph then MP was at 7.3 mph with rest at 6.3 mph. cd was at 6.5 mph. I was really tired going into this because of work stress from yesterday. My first set of MP miles went better than expected and felt kind of easy. I kept the pace the same for the second set and was glad I didn't try to drop the pace because my legs felt pretty fatigued and shaky towards the end. My cardio felt fine. I think the treadmill irritates my piriformis. It was bothering me again today. 7.57 mi in 1:06:29. Then 30 mins of strength.

30-35 mins easy

Hana run on my ifit treadmill in Chicago that's not calibrated correctly. 3.5 mi at 6mph for 35 mins, 139 ft elevation gain.

15-16 miles easy

Barrington, IL hilly long run. This was mostly just mentally tough. I ran with a group training for Boston and was one of the slowest ones of a large group. The course was a lot harder than the Boston course and I was surprised I maintained a consistent pace throughout the run. I was also pleasantly surprised that this felt hard on my muscles, not my bones and joints. The elevation was similar to the half Merrython I ran back in December, but my body felt a lot better at handling the hills than it did in December. I think I'm finally recovering at a more normal rate! 594 ft elevation gain over 16.01 mi in 2:22:32 for 8:54 min/mi AP. After 3 weeks of long runs on hilly course, I think I should go flat next weekend?

40-45 mins easy with 4-6x100m strides

Ifit treadmill workout in Chicago. First 4.7 mi of the Boston Marathon course @ 6 mph, 206 ft elevation gain, 47:05. Then 6 strides: -2% 8.5 mph, -1% 9 mph, -1% 9 mph, 0% 10 mph, 0% 10 mph, 0% 10 mph. 5.5 mi total in 55:20. Then 30 min walk through the Acadia National Park for 1.82 mi and 323 ft elevation gain.

15 min w.u. 8-10 x 2 min on, 1 min off @10k effort 15 min c.d.

ift treadmill in Chicago. Wu @ 6 mph, first 8 ons were @ 7.5 mph, with recoveries @ 6 mph, the last 2 were at 7 mph with recoveries @ 3 mph. Cd was at 6 mph. This was completely based off effort since my treadmill is so off calibration. I thought the ons were comfortably hard, but maybe they were more like 5k effort. I couldn't catch my breath to run the last 2 at 7.5 mph. When I was done, I had to lay on the floor for a few mins because I was so beat. Then did my strength work on wobbly legs. 6.5 mi in 1:02:00

OFF or 50-55 mins

Chicago lakefront path. It was finally a really nice day out to run! There was a few black ice patches and thank goodness for the plows on the path getting things nice and shoveled up. My legs were feeling pretty heavy from yesterday, but felt a bit more energized towards the end. 7 mi in 1:05:09, 9:18 min/mi AP. Finished up with 30 mins on the bike.

15 min w.u. 4 x 1200 @half mar pace with 90 secs rest. 4 x 800 @10k pace with 90 secs rest

ifit treadmill in Chicago. Wu, recoveries and cd were at 6 mph. Recoveries were also at -2%. 1200s were at 6.9 mph, 800s were at 7.2 mph. 9.25 mi in 1:25:10. I think I figured out my paces for this workout. Since the calibration is so off, I have to go by feel. This felt comfortably hard. I was scared to do the 800s because my legs were starting to feel fatigued, but if I didn't look at where I was at in the interval until a song was over I did so much better than staring at the screen! I finished up with 30 mins of strength after laying on the floor for 5 mins. What an intense workout! I think the calibration is off 1 min/mi on pace. If that's right, I really ran 0.84 mi for 1200s and 0.56 mi for 800s.

30-35 mins easy

Boston Charles River. 3.83 mi in 36:05, 9:25 min/mi AP. Legs feeling heavy from yesterday. Then 25 mins easy on the bike.

15-16 miles easy

Boston Charles River trying to dodge the black ice that was EVERYWHERE! I felt really good the first 5 miles or so and was surprised at my pace (8:45s) when the effort felt so easy. By mile 8 I felt really bad like my entire body hurt. Luckily I met up with a friend around mile 12 and ran a little slower with her. Then felt a bit better the rest of the run. I think I was not fueling enough on this one. I was drinking about 3.5 oz of gatorade every 3 miles. Then before the last 2 miles I drank 7 miles and felt way better on those last 2 miles. My pee was really dark when I was done. 17.01 mi in 2:31:47, 8:55 min/mi AP

40-45 mins easy with 4-6x100m strides

5.66 mi @ 9:23 min/mi AP; 6 strides @ 5:51 min/mi AP. Total: 6.7 mi in 1:05:01

Boston Charles River. Didn't do the math correctly so ended up running longer than planned. Strides felt awkward, gotta get my body used to running faster again. 32 mins easy waterjogging after. My legs felt really good and refreshed after coming out of the water.

15 min w.u. 6-7 x 800 @10k pace effort with 2 mins rest 15 min c.d.

800s @ 7:41 min/mi, wu and recoveries @ 9:30 min/mi, cd @ 9:14 min/mi. Total: 8.16 mi in 1:11:03

Cambridge treadmill @ 1% incline. I didn't want to blow up on this one and 7:30s felt too hard. My legs felt slow but able to sustain 7:41s so I think I nailed the pace. Probably too much work yesterday, and not enough recovery. Nothing feels strained at least. :) 30 mins of strength work after. Tried new am drinking suggestion: 8-16 oz water immediately after waking and no juice. So far I like it!

45-55 mins easy

6 mi in 55:20, 9:13 min/mi AP

Chicago lakefront path. I have a really, really bad, huge blister on the side of my big toe. It hurt quite a bit on this run. Everything else felt really good.

15 min w.u. 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile @ MP effort with 90 secs rest. 15 min c.d.

3 mi @ 8:00 min/mi; 2 mi @ 8:02 min/mi; 1 mi @ 8:00 min/mi. 9.82 mi total in 1:23:06, 8:28 min/mi AP for entire run

Chicago lakefront path massive headwind 2nd half of run (23 mph) and so cold! I got desperate and tried new shoes on this run. I've been running in the Nike Pegasus and have been feeling like my body is being jarred on a lot of the runs. I especially noticed the ball of my foot would start hurting on long runs like there is not enough cushion. I picked up some Nike Zoom Elite 6 yesterday which felt like they had a ton more cushion under the forefoot/midfoot (apparently the Pegasus has an air pocket under the heel and the Zoom Elite's have an air pocket under the midfoot). My body felt so, so good on this run. I usually feel straining in my glutes and hips on the cool down - none today! I also felt like I didn't even run when I finished. I wanted to go back out and do the workout again! I'm definitely using these on my long run Saturday!

35-40 mins easy

4.49 mi in 40:04, 8:55 min/mi AP

Chicago. Cold and windy. My body felt good running wise.

17-18 miles with middle 4 miles @ MP effort

18.27 mi in 2:40:36, 8:47 min/mi AP, 799 ft elevation gain. MP miles: 8:32, 8:12, 8:29, 8:07 (8:20 min/mi AP)

Barrington, IL. Hilly run in 0.5-1" snow. I'm surprised by my pace because running uphill with the conditions. I felt really crappy by mile 4, but then once I hit MP effort I felt a lot better. I wore my new Nike Zoom Elite and I noticed a HUGE difference on the hills and distance with not feeling so much jarring on my body. I was sore in my muscles towards the end, but felt a ton better finishing then I've felt in a lot of my long runs. I'm feeling very accomplished after this run and like this course will really get me ready for Boston!

First time breaking 50 miles per week post-stress fracture!! It's about time. :)

40-45 mins easy with 4-6x100m strides

4 mi @ 6 mph then 6 strides between 8-10 mph (depending on elevation). Total: 4.78 mi in 49:45

Ifit treadmill in Chicago running the first few miles of Big Sur Marathon. Legs felt strong and I didn't want this run to end.

15 min w.u. 3 sets of 300, 200, 100 @ 5k effort with 200 jog between reps, 2 mins between sets. 10 min c.d.

Wu @ 6.3 mph (9:31 min/mi), 1st set @ 8.6 mph (6:59 min/mi), 2nd set @ 8.7 mph (6:54 min/mi), 3rd set @ 8.8 mph (6:49 min/mi), rests @ 6.3 mph, cd @ 6.6 mph (9:05 min/mi)

Treadmill in Cambridge, 1% incline. 5.66 mi in 50:15. I felt really good and this workout felt easy. Jammed out to a great song on the last set. :)

50-55 mins easy

8:38 min/mi AP, 6.96 mi in 1:00:11

Charles River. I'm feeling so, so good! Hopped on the bike after for an easy 15 mins averaging 92 rpm.

15 min w.u. 6-7 x mile @MP with 1 min rest 10 min c.d.

wu @ 6.3 mph, MP @ 7.5 mph (8:00 min/mi), recoveries @ 6.3 mph, cd @ 6.6 mph, 11.01 mi total in 1:33:47

Cambridge treadmill 1% incline. A lesson on patience. I think I hit the correct pace. My breathing felt easy, my legs felt fatigued by the last interval. Happy about this run and now a week of all good runs!

35-40 mins easy

4.36 mi @ 9:15 min/mi AP for 40:21

Charles River. Legs feel dead and energy felt low. Must've been a great workout yesterday!!

20 miles on Boston Marathon course

20 miles @ 8:30 min/mi AP, 2:50:09

Boston course miles 23 to 13 to 23. I wasn't paying attention to my watch and ran an effort that was similar to last week (minus MP effort). I was really surprised this was such a faster pace. The Barrington hills (outside Chicago) are definitely harder than the course. I hit heartbreak hill around mile 18 of my run and it really was not that bad!! I finished feeling like I could have run a few more miles. :)

40-45 mins easy with 4-6x100m strides

4.23 mi @ 9:21 min/mi AP then 1 stride @ 9 mph and 5 strides @ 10 mph. 5.01 mi total in 47:17

Charles river for easy then treadmill @ 1% incline for strides. My legs felt heavy but nothing felt sore! Hopped on the bike after for 30 mins @ 91 rpm. No headphones for this workout. I just found out they are not allowed at the half this weekend!

45-50 mins easy

5.88 mi @ 8:40 min/mi AP in 51:00

Charles River Cambridge. My legs still felt heavy but maybe this time it was because of my pace. I felt like I went out the same effort as yesterday. Hopped on the bike for an easy 30 mins @ 91 rpm. No headphones again. I seem to replay songs in my head today it was Disney songs: Zippedeedodah and Aladdin. Not sure what that's about, haha.

15 min w.u 2 sets of (1 mile @10kpace, (3min rec) 8x200 @5kpace w/30 sec rec. (3 min rec after last 200))

1 mi @ 10k were both @ 8.3 mph (7:15 min/mi); first round of 8-200s @ 8.7 mph (6:55 min/mi); 2nd round 1st 200 @ 8.6 mph (7:00 min/mi) last 7 rounds @ 8.5 mph (7:05 min/mi). 9.12 mi total in 1:18:00

Cambridge treadmill @ 1% incline. 30 sec recoveries on the treadmill was hard. I may have pushed the pace a llittle too hard on the 10k pace. The first 1 mile felt fine aerobicly my legs felt a little fatigued towards the end. The 2nd 1 mile was a bit more of an effort and I had to jump off the treadmill for a recovery. I think I also need to rebuild some mental callousness for longer efforts. Perfect opportunity to work on this on Sunday!

OFF or 45-55 mins easy

5.61 mi in 50:32, 9:01 min/mi AP

Chicago lakefront, feeling tired heading out and a little more energized coming back. Although it was still sooo cold, it was a gorgeous morning. I though I had 50mins max, which was the only reason I cut the run short.

30-35 mins easy

3.77 mi in 35:29, 9:24 min/mi AP

Chicago lakefront, snowy

20-25mins easy + 4x100m strides

3.4 mi in 31:35 with 4 strides @ 5:29 min/mi AP

Chicago lakefront, enjoying some sunshine and a little bit of warmth. Legs felt heavy, but was really surprised by my paces on the strides.

1.14 mi wu w 3 strides, 13.23 mi in 1:46:53 (1:47:25 (8:12 pace) official, not chip timed), 1.03 mi cd @ 9:50 min/mi pace. 15.4 mi total

20 mph winds, neg wind chill, flurries, gatorade ice chunks, and challenging hills. This race is dubbed one of the toughest half marathons in Illinois. Wind was worse than the hills. Legs felt dead the first 3 miles which was mostly downhill. My right hamstring felt really tight most of the race. My legs finally felt more in sync by mile 9 through the end. I was passing people the entire second half of the race. I finished feeling strong and my last mile was my fastest split (7:43). My goal was to go out at desired MP and see how it felt with the hills. I'm not sure how this would translate to Boston. The hills were worse than Boston and hopefully I won't be battling that much wind. I finished feeling like I could have sustained that pace for longer, but not for another 13.1.

30 mins easy

Crosstrained instead of ran. 30 mins easy on the bike. I feel okay - a little sore after yesterday, but very injury prone. Got the blood flowing and stretched a bit after. Legs felt a lot better after.

45-50 mins easy

6.6 mi @ 9:09 min/mi AP in 1:00:28

Chicago lakefront. My legs are sore and fatigued but I got in a groove and running just felt so nice and detached. I've finally learned to run without headphones and love listening to the birds chirping in the morning! Soon it will be listening to the waves IF the lake ever thaws. :) Did some light upper body and core work after.

15 min w.u. 3 mins, 2 mins, 1 min, 1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins fartlek with equal reovery. (Paces between mararthon-10k) 15 min c.d.

3 mins @ 6.7mph, 2 mins @ 6.9mph, 1 mins @ 7.2mph

ifit treadmill that's not calibrated.This workout felt great, a lot of fun and easy. I'm not sure what pace I actually ran things at, pretty sure my treadmill is off by ~1:00 min/mi. I probably could not have done a harder workout. My muscles are still a little tight from the half on Sunday. Finished up with strength work on my legs and core. Lunges seemed to loosen up muscles in the glutes nicely. My quads are bulging.

50-55 mins easy

6.83 mi @ 8:49 min/mi AP in 1:00:15

Chicago lakefront path. I had back spasms on the right side of my back all night so had poor sleep. I eased into the run and everything calmed down. Adductors were sore and tight from strength yesterday. Running through large snowflakes never gets old even on the first day of Spring! Finished up with some upper body strength and core work.

35-40 mins easy

4.4 mi @ 9:07 min/mi AP in 40:08

Chicago lakefront path. Holy adductors - so sore and tight from strength work on Wednesday. At least my hamstrings feel like a million bucks after my massage yesterday.

20-22 miles easy

20.09 mi @ 9:18 min/mi AP in 3:06:52

Northern Chicago suburbs craptastic run. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I went into the run with lingering soreness in my adductors from Wednesday's strength workout - really? Wearing all my fuel didn't help. I hit up a really nice path, only to find out there were sections of really deep snow and ice every quarter mile. My energy plummeted around mile 9 or 10. Not sure how much is because of recovery from last week's half and the last 3 weeks of running long runs on hills. I wanted to hit 22 miles, but was worried about injury and had the pressure of getting the car back on time. Later in the day through Sunday I thought I had strained my quad again. Just gonna remember the good runs and be grateful to get in a craptastic run before the marathon (and hopefully not on marathon day). In hindsight, 20 miles of crappy running never felt easier! I think I'm mentally ready for the distance now. :)

45-50 mins easy

5.59 mi @ 8:59 min/mi AP in 50:17

Chicago lakefront. YES!! My quad is fine!! My watch was really off on this run so just went by feel. After mapping it later, I'm wondering how accurate it was on my run on Saturday, the effort felt the same. Tops of hammies and glutes felt really tight/strained. Still in the game for B2B! :)

15 min w.u. 8-10 x 400 @10k pace with 90 secs rest 15 min c.d.

10k pace @ 7.2 mph, 7.4 mi in 1:10:00

ifit treadmill. Legs started feeling fatigued by 7th interval and tight by 9th interval but form held. 7.2 mph is what I had used for 10k pace before since I have no idea what pace my treadmill is actually going at, it felt easier than it used to! Finished up with some strength work and NO air squats, don't want too sore adductors again!

OFF or 45-55 mins easy

6.56 mi @ 8:59 min/mi AP in 58:58

Chicago lakefront. Finally hear the waves - Spring thaw! My body and running are finally feeling so good pretty consistently. This is all I wanted. I don't care about pace (well, not that much). Just wanted this feeling back. Hopped on the bike for an easy 20mins. The treadmill irritates my piriformis and the bike seems to work it out. Looks like it will be another treadmill run tomorrow so gotta keep on top of it.

15 min w.u. 3-4 mile tempo 15 min c.d.

4 mi progressive tempo: 6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1 mph, 8 mi total in 1:13:50

ifit treadmill, normally on this treadmill 7.2 mph feels like 10k pace, 6.9 mph - hmp, 6.6 mp, but 6.8 mph felt maybe too comfortable so decided to bump up the speed every mile. This run felt great. Did strength work after.

35-40 mins easy

4.36 mi @ 9:18 min/mi AP

Chicago lakefront path. My legs felt dead and hammies were hurtin'. Good workout yesterday and/or massage therapist went too deep yesterday. Hoping things feel better for my run on the Boston Marathon course tomorrow!

21 miles easy on the Boston Marathon course

22 mi @ 8:44 min/mi AP in 3:11:59

Mile 0-21 then back to 20 on the Boston Marathon course. This was so fun. My hamstrings bothered me really bad again, but I think it's because my massage therapist is going too deep on Thursday evening. I'll go to someone who works lighter and hope for the best. It will not be a comfortable marathon (or 2) if this persists.

45-50 mins easy

5.6 mi @ 8:49 min/mi AP in 49:27

Chicago lakefront, body feels great! Kinda surprised how good I feel after 22 miles on the Boston Marathon course on Saturday!

15 min w.u. 3 sets of 400, 200, 200 with 200 jog between. 3 mins between sets. 10 min c.d.

400s avg: 1:37 (6:28 min/mi), 200s avg: 46s (6:23 min/mi). 5.8 mi total in 50:13

Chicago lakefront WINDY! This was just as bad as the March Madness Half, but not as cold and at least I had a nice tailwind heading back. I've been running a lot of my speedwork on my treadmill that's not calibrated so wasn't sure where my fitness is at. I ran these at 5k effort. If I could run a 5k at these paces that would be a huge PR! Finished with some strength work and feeling pretty rad.

OFF or 45 to 55 mins easy

6.3 mi @ 8:34 min/mi AP in 54:00

Chicago lakefront gorgeous morning. Legs felt great and my stride was opening up more.

15 min w.u. 5-6 x mile @ half MP with 1 min rest 10 min c.d.

1-3 @ 7 mph, 4 @ 7.1, 5 @ 7.2, 6 @ 7.3 mph. 9.1 mi total in 1:21:55

ifit treadmill. I'm not sure what pace this treadmill is really going. I think I could have done all 6 repeats @ 7.2 mph feeling like HMP effort. Felt strong. My only complaint is pain on the top of my left foot. I'm hoping that was just from my shoe digging weirdly. 30 mins strength work after.

35 - 40 mins easy

4.36 mi @ 9:05 min/mi AP in 39:38

Chicago lakefront path. Legs feeling dead from yesterday. April showers bring May flowers. And I can't wait to run in high humidity, high 60s tomorrow, and sunshine! FL, here I come, bring it!

16 miles easy

16.01 mi @ 8:28 min/mi AP in 2:15:40

Ringling bridge in FL. 68F and 95% humidity at start, 80F and 60% humidity at finish. HOT, HOT, HOT! My legs felt great and I took off more quickly than normal. I hydrated with 7oz gatorade every 2 mi, and then every mi for the last couple of miles. This should be hotter than Boston, fingers crossed.

45-50 mins easy

5.22 mi @ 8:38 min/mi AP in 45:03

Charles River in Boston. Feeling good.

15 min w.u. 8-10 x 1 min on, 1 min off @ 10k effort 10 min c.d.

10 ons @ 8.5 mph. 5.2 mi in 45:00

Cambridge treadmill, wishing I didn't have offs :) Finished up with strength work after.

OFF or 45-55 mins easy

5.41 mi @ 8:21 min/mi AP in 45:08

Charles River in Cambridge. I think I got a little carried away. Maybe need to slow the pace a bit on easy. Feeling good.

15 min w.u. 6 x 800 @10k pace effort with 2 mins rest 15 min c.d.

800s @ 7:03, 6:57, 7:02, 7:05, 7:12, 6:55 min/mi paces. 7.4 mi total in 1:00:37

Charles River loop. I didn't feel like I was running that fast! Strength work after dropping down to 2 sets each for taper.

35-40 mins easy

4.04 mi @ 8:53 min/mi AP in 35:50

Charles River Cambridge. I felt weird half way through like dizzy vertigo. Maybe from the pollen? Felt good towards the end.

12 miles with 6 miles easy, 6 miles @MP

MP @ 7:56 min/mi miles 5-11. 12 mi total in 1:43:39

Chicago lakefront. 60F at start, 68F at finish. Legs felt dead on warmup, but was running out against a headwind and wearing 21 oz of fuel. MP miles felt good at first, but then hammies started bothering me especially the right one. Hammies were hurting really bad after slowing up for the cd. Took an icebath after.

40 mins easy

40 mins @ 6 mph for 4 miles

Uncalibrated ifit treadmill. Miles 17-21 of the Boston Marathon course. Oh, I wish it will feel this easy next week, but I know it won't!!

I'm struggling with inner dialogue. I am not as fit as I was last year after succumbing to injury after injury. I don't know where my fitness is truly at because of sticking with a completely different style of training than what I'm used to. So, I have no idea how to not go out too fast at Boston. This is where my inner dialogue wrecks havoc on my brain as I argue with myself that I should just go out and enjoy this run, make it a celebration...no wait, I need to see where my fitness is out...wait, but what pace should I target??

15 min w.u. 3 mile tempo, 3 mins rest 4 x 30 secs on, 1 min off 15 min c.d.

3 mi tempo @ 7:31 min/mi AP, 30sec @ 6:40, 6:36, 6:30, 6:41 min/mi pace. 7.27 mi total in 1:00:54

Chicago lakefront. Legs felt fresh first half, then when I turned around with 1 mi left of tempo, the wind crushed me. I was surprised by my pace though. I kept trying to slow it down the first 2 miles. My legs wanted to go. Felt really tired and dead running against the wind. My hamstrings were great in the beginning and okay at the end.

OFF or 40 mins easy

OFF

Feeling fine, just think the extra rest will help. I have a conference today so am anticipating a lot of walking anyway.

15 min w.u. 3-4 x 1000@MP with 1 min rest. 15 min c.d.

1000s @ 8:11, 7:56, 7:47, 7:46 min/mi paces. 6.23 mi total in 53:52

Chicago lakefront path. First 2 intervals headwind, 2nd 2 tailwind. The 1st interval felt forced, I was in a groove for the last 3. This is such a teaser, the workout was over before I knew it!

35-40 mins easy

4.02 mi @ 8:58 min/mi AP in 35:59

Charles River loop with all the other Boston Marathon runners. Went out nice and easy and kept pulling back the pace. 30 min massage later today.

20-30 mins easy + 4x100m strides

2.78 mi @ 8:54 min/mi AP then 4 strides @ 6:36, 6:45, 5:11, 5:39 min/mi pace. 3.32 mi total in 30:52.

Charles River Boston. So many runners out! And a gorgeous day. My sleep has been poor all week. I really want to run this thing, but I don't want to not have it on the calendar anymore. It feels like Christmas as a kid.

Did not negative split. Temps got pretty warm starting in the middle of the race. My hammies and right piriformis were acting up but I could tolerate them starting at mile 9ish. I had to slow after heartbreak, but could finish the race running and not having to walk. Pretty happy with how I felt at the end.

25 mins easy waterjogging

2.73 mi @ 9:27 min/mi AP in 25:49

Charles River in Cambridge, MA. Nothing feels too injured/sore, legs just feel really heavy and dead.

2 mi @ 8:46 min/mi AP then 4 strides @ 5:17, 6:03, 5:27, 5:17 min/mi pace. 2.55 mi total in 23:50

Along Monterey Bay, CA. So gorgeous! My legs decided to travel with me. They felt good running short, but who knows what will happen tomorrow at mile 23!

I was at Boston in 2013 and after a few instances of luck was thrown my way, I narrowly escaped unscathed physically but not emotionally. I have gone through a lot of guilt this past year along with my running injuries. Working at MIT and in Boston felt like countless reminder after countless reminder. I'd walk past Officer Collier's memorial on campus almost every day, and find myself up late at night in bed google searching "boston marathon bombing" for I don't know what reason. A year ago I was strapped in a walking boot with a stress fracture in the best shape of my life sitting on my bum in Carmel Valley unable to run Big Sur. I tried to take it in stride - my mottos were "it's bone, it will grow back" and "resilience: everyday is an opportunity". Yet, it took me a year to battle minor injury after minor injury coming back. This race was that one run for me that finally put everything back into perspective, and helped me reclaim my life. I'm finally ready to put this year behind me along with all the guilt, physical and emotional pain, and I'm now yearning to hit it hard again. I found my drive in Big Sur running along a quiet Highway 1 along with a bunch of other friendly runners encouraging everyone around them in the most pure running landscape one could imagine, 6 days after running the most epic, competitive, loud Boston marathon in history (love you, Meb!). Looking back on this year, in a weird way my personal hardship was all worth it to grow so immensely and have the most epic week of running anyone could ask for.

My race report: I wasn’t expecting to run this pace at Big Sur. I was hoping for a sub 4 hour, but told my family it would have to be a really good day to go sub 4 after running Boston on Monday. The conditions were absolutely perfect - no wind, overcast up until the last mile and cool temps. I just set out at a pace that felt comfortable and stopped thinking so much about it, didn’t look at my watch, just ran, enjoyed the scenery, and snapped some pictures. I figured I’d see how long I could run comfortably hard before my legs gave out, and I’d be fine with that when they did. Going up hurricane point was really, really tough and I figured my legs were trashed after that, but somehow they recovered on the downhills and then it felt good to change up my muscle groups on the uphills and downhills. My hamstrings and piriformis weren’t hurting nearly as bad as in Boston. 

My legs did feel like jello at certain parts of the race, and I did feel like crap at some points. But then a honey stinger or a gentle downhill brought my energy back, and just focused on good form from what I learned in PT when my legs felt like they were going to give out. I raced the ENTIRE way, and I noticed after the fact I accidentally NEGATIVE SPLIT that race! My half split was 1:54:01 - 1:06 min cut down when the second half of the race had 13 "significant hills". I felt really, really, really good at the end - it was incredible. Now, I just feel sore similar to Boston just in different areas. I don’t feel injured at all, but I want to be very, very careful with getting back to running.

3.41 mi @ 9:29 min/mi AP in 32:20

Cambridge Charles River route. Working out the cobwebs. I felt like I ran a marathon...or two.

1.36 mi @ 9:33 min/mi AP in 12:57

1.36 mi of trying hard not to toss my cookies and 1.36 mi of walking back wondering why I tried to run when I woke up with a stomach bug.

5.42 mi @ 9:49 min/mi AP in 53:12

FL trail run. The dirt/grass felt good. Twisted my left ankle 6 times, my right 0 times. Jumped over 2 snakes (1 dead one) and my legs were fatigued and shakey at the end. All-in-all a nice run.

4.21 mi @ 9:29 min/mi AP in 39:53

FL trail run. This was less technical than Sat, and no snake spotings, only spider crab dodging. Things felt okay. Hammies are still pretty tight.

3.09 mi @ 9:13 min/mi AP then 6 strides @ 8:54 (?), 6:01, 6:05, 5:30, 5:25, 5:48 paces

Charles River Cambridge dirt path as much as possible. My legs are not turning over, my cadence feels like it's 2. This first stride jolted my body but the last strides felt better. 3.88 mi total in 37:47 and finished up with 10 mins on the bike @ 90 rpm and then 10 mins light strength work.

15 min wu @ 1%, 8 min @ 2%, 6 min @ 3%, 4 min @ 4%, 2 min @ 5%, 12 min cd

Treadmill because I want to keep it soft and avoid downhills. I'm a nut and am hoping to make it through May babying the bones on soft surfaces since it takes a month for bone to remodel - wanna get past those 2 marathons unscathed. Inclines were at 8:41 min/mi pace, and I took 2 mins @ 0% and 9:31 min/mi for recoveries between incline intervals. 6.08 mi total in 55:00

4.78 mi @ 9:27 min/mi AP in 45:07

Trying this new thing called "recovery miles" where I where a HR monitor and try to keep my HR 74% max or less. Well, failed this time, hit 75% max average. Boo.

Charles River Cambridge dirt path as much as possible. My left hip flexor is tight and tender. Finished up with 10 mins light strength work.

Charles River Cambridge. 2 mile wu @ 9:36 min/mi AP then 10x200m with 200m recoveries then 2 mile cd @ 9:21 min/mi AP. 200s paces were: 7:26/7:03/7:07/7:24/7:28/7:05/7:08/7:14/6:51/6:59

It felt good to run faster again. I can tell my legs are still recovering because my wu and cd paces are soooo slow. :)

Finished up with 10 mins of core work.

8 easy miles along the Charles River in Boston. 8:56 min/mi AP (1:11:28)

This felt hard. I was probably pushing the pace too hard for recovering from B2B. It felt good to get the mileage in. I can't wait to recover and work on faster paces! Have to be patient...

5.03 mi recovery in Harold Parker State Park @ 10:09 min/mi AP. 

No snake or gator encounters on this one! 

5.01 mi recovery along the Charles River in Beantown. My ankles felt worked from yesterday. Legs are still dead post marathons so ditched the striders. 9:12 min/mi AP

2 mi wu then 5x3:00 @ 10k effort with 2:00 recoveries, 2 mi cd. 3:00s were at: 7:25, 7:14, 7:22, 7:20, 6:54 min/mi paces or 7:14 min/mi AP. My right foot is freaking me out. The top of it was extremely tight until the end of the warmup. Not sure if it's from wearing Danskos at work (they dig into the top of that foot) or from twisting that ankle on the trail run on Sunday.

5.4 recovery miles shooting for 9:30s hit 9:15s, opps. Top of right foot hurting this time until mile 2.8. Bummer, dude.

Flywheel to let the foot heal. No pain.

Bernard Lagat: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444032404578006274010745406

Lauren Fleshman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQffeQ5pmbA

Meb Keflezighi: http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/how-meb-keflezighi-trained-to-win-the-boston-marathon

Greg McMillan: http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/articlePages/article/43

Recovery and Long-term thinking.

I've done it, I've finally convinced myself I need a FULL break.

A year ago I wasn't running because of a stress fracture that popped up out of nowhere. Yet I still found a way to crosstrain like a madwomen - waterjogging and biking like I was training for ironman. Pulling doubles ALMOST every day. Then I returned to running. I came within 40 sec of my half marathon PR off running for only 3 weeks. 

Then it hit the fan...all of it, and it hasn't been pretty since: severe fatigue; back spasms; right leg: stress reaction in foot, misalgined hip from walking boot, piriformis syndrome; left leg: strained quad. Don't get me wrong, I had some good runs since last summer, but probably no more than what I can count on my hands. 

Enter this blog. The beauty of it is, you can go back and read how you felt, how you REALLY felt, how you were training, what kind of sleep you were getting. I was not the fastest Summer 2012, but I felt the best and I was making the greatest improvements in my running. Why? I was crosstraining a ton more and I had just come off a 2.5 month hiatus from all working out, got really fat, and had a fire in me to take back my fitness.

Don't get me wrong, I have a strong desire to be fit and work hard at it every day. But I finally realized after reading/watching the links above it's been too hard for too long. Case in point, I still have not fully returned to running since my stress fracture A YEAR AGO, I did not feel recovered from workouts (even easy ones), my pace has not been improving as I have seen in the past (partially because everything hurts most of the time), and thanks to technology (Jawbone) I've finally accepted my sleep sucks (I lay in bed for 10 hours and sometimes will get only 7 hours, minimal quality). 

Onto my plan: 2 weeks off all workouts. If my sleeping has returned to somewhat normal by the end of the 2 weeks, then hit the weight room to build a solid foundation. Add Flywheel after one week of weights only. If all systems are a go, build back in running per Greg's plan in the link above. 

I really wanted to hit some fast 5ks this Summer; there's still time. But for now I will practice patience, and recover, recover, recover. Peace out, Running! I will miss you. You can show me how much you missed me with some PRs this Summer/Fall! 

Not running motivation of the day: http://phe800.blogspot.com/2014_05_01_archive.html

First run back! Felt so weird, but oh so good. 9:22 min/mi AP. Did a bit of strength work after.

30 mins walking the beginning of the NYC marathon on my treadmill. :) 

4.19 miles with a 800 m time trial just to establish a starting point - 3:21.7. Strides and form drills included. Then 30 mins of strength work.

1:06 on the bike with 6x2 mins hard. Then some minor core work.

Early morning run with my girls. 5.01 miles at 8:51 min/mi AP and form drills. Did not feel as easy as before the marathons, but I was glad to keep up. 26 mins strength after.

1 h easy bike followed by 17 mins core work.

4.06 mi easy with 6 strides and form drills.

MI run after a very delayed, long flight the night before. 6.01 mi sleepy miles at 8:31 min/mi AP. 

1:08 of walking ~ 3.8 mi

2 mi wu, form drills, 4 strides, then 6x2:00 min between 5k-10k with 2:00 recoveries and 1+ mi cd.

It felt so nice to get a workout in!

Followed up with 26 mins strength/core

44 mins strength/weights

+ 10mins elliptical

+ 50mins bike

______________

worked

Hot, hot, humid hot. It was 82 F at 5am!!

1.5 mi wu, form drills, and 4 strides. I modified my workout because I'm just not ready to run track repeats over 400m. So, ended up doing: 2x[200m, 3x400m, 200m] with 200m recoveries and 400m recovery between sets. This is the longest track workout I've done in a very long time. 200s were: 46.7, 52.7, 51.2, 48.8 (49.9 avg) and 400s were: 1:42.4, 1:44.6, 1:47.2, 1:48.5, 1:45.3, 1:43.0 (1:45.2 avg). It's hard to pace when you aren't running in a pack or your watch isn't beeping at you!

Followed up with 14 mins core work.

58 mins strength/weights

40 mins ellipticalling

I love this post-exercise leg muscle soreness thing. It's such a pleasant change from the post-exercise something's injured pain!

Building a strong foundation to tear things up this Summer/Fall. 

The wave of weight lifting muscle fatigue and humidity overtook my easy run today and popping me with a humbling just barely sub 10 min pace. Form drills and strides included.

9.1 humbling miles. 9:24 min/mi AP.

1 h walk on the NYC course. I've lost 5.4 lbs fat and gained 4.2 lbs muscle in 2 weeks! :)

AM: 20min tempo @ 7:45 min/mi AP - getting a better idea of my fitness. I think I hit this tempo spot on, my % max hr stayed between 88-92. I'm noticing I have no stamina. My previous training cycle was too much interval not so much steady, longish effort.

PM: 30 mins heavy weights.  

7 miles trying to keep things aerobic, which was a little tough with the heat and humidity. 9:18 min/mi AP - 84% max hr. Running is starting to feel easier again.

40 mins elliptical 73% max hr, then 13 mins burning the core.

Treadmill 1% incline. 5x800m @ 7:20 pace (last repeat @ 7:15 pace) with equal time recoveries. I haven't done this effort for this long of a repeat in over a year! It felt good, and I know I just need to work on my confidence.

4.5 miles easy with 6x100m strides. Need to ditch the Pegasus, they aggravate my feet. 9:32 min/mi AP.

Minuteman Bike path. This is a magical path for me. I always seem to bust out a speedy long run here! Maybe it's bc of the small grade out and negative grade back. :) 8:12 min/mi AP with a 7:22 for the last mile - that mile was faster than my tempo miles! Opps. 

1:06 walk, 4 miles. Let's talk some metrics. I lost 1.7 lbs of fat this week and gained 3.3 lbs of muscle!! That's a 7.1 lb fat loss and 7.5 lb muscle gain in 3 weeks. Wahoo! Now I just gotta lose 9.7 lbs of fat!! Eww.

AM: 2 mi wu, form drills, 4x60m strides, 21 min tempo, 2+ mi cd. Half against a nice head wind to work on my confidence, back with a little boost. Splits were: 7:36, 7:32, 5:54 (7:33 pace) - 7:33 min/mi AP. My, my what a difference a week makes! I finished way stronger than last week and a bit faster the whole way. Recovering a bit at work, then weights later!

PM: 45 mins weights. I deadlifted 80 lbs! I defintely could have done more, but only have dumbells when I do weights in Cambridge. I also upped my squat weight to 40 lbs, again with dumbells. I get so scared to try heavier weight, and then I try it and it's not so hard! Just like running I guess. :) I can't wait to go to Chicago and use a real bar for lifts!

8 miles along the Charles. My tree trunk legs were so heavy from weights last night. I felt like I was running a lot slower than 8:58 min/mi AP. Feeling good.

Recovery day. I need it too, my quads still have DOMS from Monday! Must go away for a speed session tomorrow...

40 mins elliptical followed by 30 mins core - I think some packs are starting to poke through!

Treadmill all at 1% incline. 1.5 mi wu, form drills, then 4x1200m with equal time recoveries, 1.5 mi cd. Repeat at 7:15, 7:10, 7:10, 7:05 min/mi paces. Right now I think speed sessions are more about builidng my confidence/mental toughness than working on my vo2max. :)

44 mins of weights after chugging 14 oz organic tart cherry juice. Deadlifting 80 lbs like a boss and solid walking lunges were the highlights (I normally can't keep my balance on these). Burnt my abs with my new core routine. I get to fly back to Chicago today to be with my hubby after not seeing him for a week! Life is good. 

4.6 miles recovery with 6x0.1 mi lactate acid tolerance intervals w 0.1 mi recoveries. I think this is the most perfect 4th of July weather in my entire life! The lakefront was filled with runners, bikers, and tourists - a fun recovery run day. 9:56 min/mi AP for entire run, 5:41 min/mi AP for LAT intervals.

12.04 mi long run 8:43 min/mi AP. Woa, I'm surprised my pace was this speedy based on how I felt. My legs were dead from the get go (not completely recovered from Thursday). I don't think I had enough carbs heading into this (gluten intolerance on a holiday at the in-laws means bun-less burgers and no cookie cake dessert, blah). I was crashing hard the 2nd half of the run, didn't bring gels, and ran out of gatorade. Oh well, I thought I was running 9:20s! :)

1:20 h walk with hubby along the Chicago lakefront, bliss.

AM: 2ish mi wu, running form drills, 4x60m strides, then 3x10min tempo w 5 min recoveries, and cd on the way home. The recoveries ended up being walks because it was so hot and humid. Avg 7:39 min/mi for the tempos (7:31, 7:41, 7:46). This was building up tempo time, so a good workout. 

PM: 47 mins weights. 95 lbs deadlifts! I think I could have done more, but a) I was scared, and b) the bar tears up my hands. Did weighted squats, box jumps, weighted lunges/single leg squats and upper body business.

6 miles on the treadmill running the beginning of the NYC marathon. My treadmill said 10:00 min/mi pace, my watch said 8:20 min/mi pace. I think it was somewhere in between. Hopped on the elliptical for 20 mins after (I'm adding an extra day of running this week). Then finished up with my killer ab routine that always gets an intense burn. 

Easy miles on the lakefront with surprisingly excellent weather. Recovery pace was 9:36 min/mi. Did 15 mins abwork after, then lots of stretching and trigger point self massaging to get things back in order.