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1.16.2011

marathon training (week three)

this week started out a little sketchy. as you remember (because it was sooooo long ago) i had a miserable run on sunday, so i was a little worried how monday was going to feel. surprisingly, i woke up feeling a little stiff, but once i got to work, all of the stiffness kind of just went away. i tried my best to stretch my legs as much as i could throughout the day. i have to admit...having coworkers walk in on you while you're stretching your quads is just a little embarrassing...not like "full-on embarrassing" but quite close.

my four miler today (01/12/11) was SO good. man, i love a good run! i wish i knew what i did different to make me run like that...two thumbs up. although it was a brisk twenty degrees out with a MAJOR wind from the northwest...i was "flying" and felt great at the same time! people were driving by cheering me on and yelling how skinny i looked and that i was running so fast and all that cool stuff that didn't really happen but in my mind it did. (now you see why i use run-on sentences so often it works great in jokes and storytelling.)

good news for you, too. week four i start timing all my runs. it should be exciting/humiliating. mostly excited because i've felt like i've gotten a little stronger, so i'm hoping it shows in my times. i also broke in my new shoes for training. i'm using a pair of saucony progrid guide 3's and plan on getting a second pair to work into my training to use for the race. by the time i get closer to the race the pair i just broke in will be ready to retire, so i'll need a back-up pair to be race ready. comprende?

one thing i learned/re-learned this week in regards to running: rest days are hard. i can't STAND taking time off of running (hours/days/months). but, as i learned the hard way, and reminded by my friend tyler....you have to know when to say enough is enough and take a freakin' break! my legs say thank you.

week three numbers:


starting weight: 180


monday - rest (lots of stretching)
tuesday - 3 miler*
wednesday - 4 miler (a fantastic four, original, right? seriously...it was great! fast and fun!)
thursday - 3 miler (second fastest ever @ 23:44) and 40 minutes of strength training before work
friday - rest
saturday - rest
sunday - 5 miler (up at Emily's aunt and uncle's place. i consider them my aunt and uncle. and they have nice running grounds up there.)

total mileage for the week: 15 miles


ending weight: 179

total weight loss/gain: -1


*comfortable pace = somewhere between 8:00 - 8:45 miles
**marathon pace = my goal is sub 4:00:00, so i'm shooting for right around 9:00 miles
***long runs = just finish :)