Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Sun is Shining, Must be a Rest Day

Isn't it weird how it can rain all week - every single training run in the rain and the mud - and then, on a day when the schedule says yoga and bike on trainer, the sun comes out? Oh well. Once Sophie gets up from her nap, I might take her into the park so we can enjoy the beautiful weather a little bit.

Even with the wet weather, I had a pretty decent week of marathon training:

Monday: 7 miles hills
Tuesday: 1 hr kettlebells
Wednesday: AM - 800 meter swim; PM - 5 miles (not quite tempo . . . worn out from a REALLY hard kettlebells workout Tuesday night)
Thursday: 3 miles easy
Saturday: 18 miles
Sunday: nothing yet, but planning on a 45 min bike & yoga later

I decided to do my 18 miler yesterday on a 6 mile loop by my house. Pros of a loop - I was able to ditch my jacket and my fuel belt in my mailbox, and stop at home after the first two loops for a bathroom break. It was hard to get out the door for the third loop, but definitely worth it.

21 comments:

Sarah said...

Awesome week!!! I hear ya about the loops...I do a 4-mile loop a a paved trail and sometimes when I am back at my car I am so tempted to just get back in and zip over to Starbucks instead of heading out for the last loop. :) Thanks for all of the helpful advice!

Julie said...

Hi Heather,
It is so beautiful out there today!! I wore shorts and a long sleeved shirt for my run today:) Actually I could of gone with short sleeves:)

Awesome job on your workouts and cross training:) You are already running pretty far for your long runs. I can't wait to see how well it goes for you. You are going to do great:)

RunMommyRun said...

Impressive week! I hear you on the sun today...why couldn't that have been yesterday for my long run! Oh well, I'll take the sun today over yet another day of blah and rain. :) Happy Spring!

Marlene said...

Great job on the 18 miler!! Not sure I could handle a 3x loop, but sounds like it worked out great. Nice week too!

DRog said...

Nice 18 miler and GREAT Swim! keep it up - D

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

If we could only control the weather. If I passed my house that many times on my 18 miler I would have never made it :) Way to tough it out.

Jess said...

There are advantages to doing a loop, but man, it can be boring!

MCM Mama said...

Good job on the 18 miler! I may have to do something similar for my 19 miles on Wednesday, but I'm afraid I might not keep going if I get near home...

joyRuN said...

Those loops are nice, but I agree - getting started for that 3rd/4th loop gets very difficult.

Anonymous said...

I struggle with loops. Everytime I pass my car I have to force myself to keep going...but they are great for keeping food/drink!

We have gotten close to 5 inches of rain...but I don't want to complain because at least it is not snow!

Running Through Life said...

What an awesome week of training! I don't hit 18 miles for a few more weeks in my plan but sounds like the loop you ran was a good plan. Way to go and keep up the great job with the training!!!

Ali said...

The sun is starting to shine here today, after a horrible weekend.

I always think loops will be easier, since they seem shorter in my head. But I probably would have had a potty break and stayed in!

Jeri said...

seriously isn't that the truth? It's always gorgeous on my rest days. It's like they KNOW. :p Good job on your 18...I don't think I could do loop routes. :s

X-Country2 said...

What a great week. I'd love to get into the kettle bell workouts some day. I've heard great things about them.

Teamarcia said...

Very nice training week! Was the weather horrible for your 18?

Katie A. said...

Whoo hoo! Great week lady! And kudos to you for doing your 18 miler alone AND doing it in loop form - that is so mentally hard for me! Happy Monday!

Jill said...

Fabulous week!! Good idea on the loop, I'm going to try that next long run, I'm tired of carrying tons of stuff. Have a great week.

I Run for Fun said...

That's a great week of training. Yay on your 18-miler! I cannot wait for the sun to come out...it's still gloomy here.

Anonymous said...

I love doing loops with the house as the start and end point - especially when I can design multiple/varying loops and not have to carry water!

Beth said...

That's great that you have a 6 mile loop so close. Good job getting the 18 miler in. I hope the good weather sticks around and that you get to enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

Very cool that you have a 6 mile loop. Ditching clothes and having a nice clean bathroom to use is definitely a plus. Looks like another strong week.