Rain and Snow and a 50 Mile Week

March 22-28

Sunday- 14 miles at 8:10

Monday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:09 pace

Tuesday- 9 miles at 7:57 pace

Wednesday- 8 miles at 7:23 pace with 3x10 minute hard (5 minute recovery after first one, 4 minutes after second)

Thursday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:20 pace

          Then 4 miles at 8:43 pace

Friday- 4.5 miles at 8:14 pace

Saturday- 7 miles at 8:23 pace

Total miles: 50.5

Comments: I was pleased with my Wednesday workout. I really hate doing hard workouts on the road. I much prefer the track, so flat and precise. But I know doing hard running on the roads will help, especially for the half marathon coming up in just over a month. My hip was a bit achy that evening, but taking it easy Thursday and Friday helped. Also, for today’s (Saturday) run, I didn’t push the pace as the roads were snow covered. I’ll probably keep my mileage around 50 miles per week. It’s a very manageable amount for me, and yet I also feel like it’s enough to be able to get through the half marathon.

My poor running partner (Lucy) got ill this week, and we took her to the ER. She’s doing much better today, but I don’t think she’ll be running for a week. She’s on a diet of rice and chicken and on a few medications, and of course extra cuddles.  

Isaac is doing well, but growing up too fast. He's taken a few naps in his crib this week, and we've transitioned out of the swaddle. I took him out for a walk while I was wearing the Ergo baby carrier, and it seemed he really enjoyed being out there. I didn't think I'd ever run with him in a stroller, but I'm starting to reconsider it as I think he might enjoy it and it would be nice to run during the day. We still have a couple months before he can do that anyway, so we'll cross that bridge when we get there. 

Welcome Spring

Week 18 March 15-21

Sunday- 14 miles at 8:11 pace

Monday- 0

Tuesday- 8 miles at 7:46 pace

Wednesday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8 minute pace

          Then 6 miles at 8:09 pace

Thursday- 7 miles at 7:27 pace with 6x3 minute pick-ups, 3 minutes easy

Friday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:19 pace

          Then 2.5 miles at 8:12 pace

Saturday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:20 pace

          Then 5 miles at 8:08 pace

Total miles: 48.5

Comments: The snowbanks are slowly melting. You don’t really notice until you’re running around a corner and realize that you can see if the top of a car is showing and about ready to hit you, whereas before you were just taking your life in your hands. I had a solid week of getting in miles, especially since a few days had less than ideal conditions; Sunday’s long run was icy, Wednesday and Thursday were windy, and Saturday was snowy. Isaac had his four month appointment and weighed in at 14lb. 12oz. (34%), measured 24.5 inches (21%), and has a head circumference of 17 inches (90%). He still shows no sign of rolling over. This kid just likes to sit and observe. I guess he won’t be the Olympian runner I had planned, but that's okay with me... I wouldn’t trade him for anything.

Hooray for a Good 5k

Week 17 March 8-14

Sunday- 14 miles at 8:11 pace

Monday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:23 pace

Tuesday- 8 miles at 7:58 pace

Wednesday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:12 pace

          Then 6 miles at 7:12 pace with 10x2 minute pick-ups, 1 minute easy

Thursday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:34 pace

          Then 4 miles at 8:30 pace

Friday- 5 miles at 8:26 pace

Saturday- We Run With Boston 5k in Keene

          11 minute warm up, 12 minute cool down

          5k in 19:28 (16:16 pace)

Total miles: 48.5

Comments: I’m pleased with my 5k race! I was supposed to run the St. Patty’s 5k in Salisbury which is part of the race series I entered, but it was postponed until April 11. I really wanted to run a 5k race, so I did a quick coolrunning search, and saw that two runners who are raising money for Boston Marathon charities were hosting a race. One runner was running for Dana Farber and the other for MR8 (for Martin Richard). There was also prize money which was a bonus, though I wasn’t banking on it (no pun intended). I figured even if I didn’t win anything, I would be supporting two important charities, and I especially felt it was important to support MR8. I can’t imagine losing my son, and to think of Martin’s mother breaks my heart. My week had gone pretty well for running, and I was happy with my Wednesday workout and long run.

The night before the race, Isaac woke up after only three hours-he had been sleeping 5-6 hours. Then he woke up again a few hours later. But in the morning, I felt fine. On my warm up run, the roads were a bit icy so I knew I’d have to be careful on the roads. I was with a girl for about a mile or so and she helped me get out to a good start. A boy (I mean, I say boy but he’s probably in college for all I know-these “kids” look so young to me now) and I pulled away, and we were running side by side throughout the entire race. It was so helpful. He pulled away the last 200 or so. When I saw my time I was excited. I had hoped to run at least 6:40 pace, but really hoped to do 6:30 pace. This was 6:16 pace. The race was advertised as being 3.2 miles (which would put me at 6:05 pace). I measured it and got 3.18. But I will call it a 5k. I did much better than I thought, and it makes me more excited about upcoming races. Oh, and the best part of the race was seeing Ian and Isaac cheering me on at the finish line. Well, Ian was cheering. Isaac was sleeping.

Hello March

Week 16 March 1-7

Sunday- 12 miles at 8:33 pace

Monday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:20 pace

Tuesday- 8 miles at 7:55 pace

Wednesday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:05 pace

            Then 5 miles at 7:30 pace with 6x2 minutes pick-ups/1 minute easy recovery

Thursday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:25 pace

            Then 4 miles at 8:24 pace

Friday- 2 miles with Lucy at 8:30 pace

            Then 3.1 miles at 8:17 pace

Saturday- 14 minute warm up, 13 minute cool down

            4.1 miles in ~28:04 (6:51 pace)

Total miles: 47 miles

Comments: My stomach was hurting during my long run, so I was pleased I was able to get in 12 miles. It felt good to run the 5 miles on Wednesday at 7:30 pace. Of course, it included pick-ups  which helped get my pace down. I was a bit disappointed with the Winter Chiller race. I hoped to run 6:45 pace. The race was hilly, but I still thought I would run a bit faster than I did. The race was in the same town as my New Year’s race was, and I did 7 minute pace for that. I thought I would have gotten into better shape since then. It’s a bit daunting when my half marathon pace is 6:30 per mile, and I can’t even do that for a 4 mile race right now. I have a 5k next week that I think is on a flatter course, so I do hope to run between 6:40 and 6:45 pace. Happy March, all. Spring is on its way.