This week was more like how I remember my Boston 2013 training - snow on the ground that melts a bit during the day, then refreezes at night, making early-morning running in the dark a little tricky. So I got a little bit more acquainted with the YMCA treadmills this week. It's not my favorite way to run, but it's better than not running at all, so I'll take it.
Tuesday was speedwork. Five one-mile repeats, and as I completed each one, I fought a little battle with myself over whether I was going to do all 5 or not. I mean, I knew that I'd do all 5, because I knew I'd hate myself if I didn't, but I still had to talk myself into it after every rest interval.
Although I almost never listen to music when I run, the treadmill is the one place I do usually have my earbuds in, because it is pretty painfully boring without any kind of distraction. And for most of the workout, the music was nice.
But as I was getting through the final repeat, I was working really hard, and I realized that the music was actually making it harder. I didn't want to be distracted - I needed to be in my own head and focused on what I had to do. And as soon as I pulled out the headphones, I felt better. It was still incredibly hard finishing up that final mile, but mentally I felt better. Silence is golden, I guess.
Thursday was a 10-mile progression run, and I was glad to be able to do that one outside. I started with the first mile at 8:17, then dropped down steadily from there - 8:05, 800, 7:52, 7:42, 7:49, 7:49, 7:51, 7:31, 7:22. It was a good run, except for the crazy headwind I ran into at mile 9; just as I was dropping down from 7:51 to 7:31. Not fun. As I struggled running directly into the wind for nearly a mile, I found myself looking forward to the uphill I knew I'd face in mile 10. That's how bad the wind was.
After those two workouts, Friday's easy 8 miles was very welcome, even though it was on the treadmill.
As we headed toward the weekend, it became very clear that the weekend's weather was going to be cold. Really, really cold. Record-breaking cold.
Saturday seemed like it would be slightly less frigid than Sunday, so I made Saturday plans with some friends from the club, and I'm so glad we got our run done when we did. It actually ended up being a really nice morning. Temps were cold - right around 20, I think - but for most of the run, it wasn't all that windy, and the sun was shining, so it felt really nice. The wind started to kick in and the temperatures started to drop during our final mile, so we finished at the perfect time.
We took a little out-and-back detour down to a really nice spot along the river, and stopped for a photo before heading back. It was a great run, and a mostly easy pace that felt good, except for the last few miles, when my legs started to feel really tired. We also picked up the pace a bit those last few miles, too, so I think that explains the tired legs.
Overall we finished 16 miles at an 8:23 average pace, though, which I feel great about.
And when I woke up to this temperature Sunday morning, I felt even better, knowing that I didn't have to go out and run in it!
Some cross-training, weights, and yoga rounded out the week, and I ended with 43 miles total. Hip and piriformis are feeling good, but I'm glad I checked in at PT on Friday. A little tune-up felt like a good idea, and the right thing to do to keep me on track.
Hard to believe that I'm almost halfway through this training already. Despite the brutal winter weather we just had, I feel like Spring and Hopkinton are just around the corner.
Seven weeks down, nine to go!
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