Marathon Training: Week 3

Hey there! Last week was my third official week of marathon training and a cut back or recovery week for us meaning miles were a little lower overall, including the long run. However, due to the whole sleep issue, it didn't feel like much of a recovery week because most days I was running on ~5 hours of sleep. We've had two nights in a row with no wake ups, so I'm crossing my fingers that Henry is over the hump and we won't have any more of those middle of the night parties. 

Monday - Rest day // All day I kept thinking "Thank goodness I have a rest day on the schedule because my body doesn't want to do anything but that." I didn't get much sleep thanks to the little man. 

Tuesday - 6 mi @ 8:48 avg // Valentine's morning I had a 7:15 a.m. oil change so I could leave Henry at home and be back before Pete needed to leave for work. So, I got there at 6:45, parked and headed out for a 15 min run or so before coming back to check my car in and head out for the rest of my run. 

Lucky for me, I got to run along the river and then Pre's Trail on such a gorgeous morning and got to catch this sunrise. It seriously made my day. Also, I got excited and ran too fast and noticed an elevated heart rate into the afternoon. Note to self: your body needs more sleep. 

Wednesday - 4 mi stroller run + 30 min strength & core work

Thursday - 6.5 mi total, speed workout: 1 mi warm up, 3 x 1.5 mi work (800m 10K pace/800m hm pace/800m 10K pace), 4 x 100m strides, .75 mi cool down. // I wasn't able to make it to the group workout on Tues, so I'm thankful I could make our community speed workout on Thurs that's near my house. It's so nice to run fast with others rather than early a.m. on your own! 

Friday - rest day, 20 min strength training

Saturday - rest day, Jasyoga hamstring recovery (25 min) // I had to switch Sat and Sunday because of sleep, Pete's work schedule and my sister-in-law's baby shower, so opted for some hamstring work, which I can never get enough of. Also, did you know that Jasyoga is only $4.99 per month and is basically yoga stretching for runners where you need it most? I like to work on hamstrings and hips the most because that's what is tightest on me. If you're interested, there's a code on the site for a free month to try it out (WIN2017).

Sunday - 7 mile hilly trail run // As mileage increases, I know it will be hard for me to pick between doing a trail run or road run (I'm training for a marathon and 20 mi trail race), so for now I think every few weeks I'll take my long run to the trails. 

Honestly, the long trail runs hurt more than the road runs (and take more time), but they're also probably what I need more work on. BUT, at the same time, marathons are a beast and on race day I am always thinking "Why did I sign up for this again?" And on trail races, the vibe is much more casual and I find myself distracted with how gorgeous the area is I'm running, but on marathons you feel every step at some point and just start counting down the miles until the finish. 

And because I'm doing this whole training program, I'm going to focus more on the road miles for long runs. 

What else?

This is the week where the hunger monster really kicked in. My body realized "Hey, you're training more than usual. Give me more food!"

I already eat a lot, but when I have to eat more, it starts to get frustrating because I feel like I'm never not eating. You can only eat so much at meal times, so I try to eat healthy balanced snacks in between when I'm hungry like apples & almonds, hard boiled eggs, homemade power muffins, big salads, hummus & crackers/carrots, toast w/ PB, yogurt, etc. But at some point in the day I often feel like I've eaten all the healthy snacks and still am not full. 

We all know this, but sleep is so important. The last few weeks I've frequently had piercing headaches due to exhaustion, so this week I really need to prioritize sleep. 

What are you looking forward to? What's been most challenging for you lately? Seen any good movies lately?  

I rented Sully (about the pilot who landed the plane on the Hudson) on Redbox and while it was good, it was also stressful. I had to read a book to wind down after watching it last night.