Well, well, well–back to weekly recaps after a little bit of a break! As I mentioned in my race recap, I’m home from an incredible 3 week honeymoon and diving right into the peak weeks of marathon training. I was pretty nervous to pick right up where I left off with training after running infrequently on our trip, but the past couple of weeks have been good and I’m actually feeling way less fatigued than I normally would at this stage of training. I’m recapping a funny half week together with this week, where I reached my peak mileage both for this training cycle and my highest mileage ever!
Backing it up to last week, we got home from NZ on Wednesday night and I had taken Thursday off to rest and recuperate. I slept, did laundry, and also hit up a yoga class to stretch out from the 29 hour trip. And I did my first workout back, which was a full hour at marathon pace. I was worried this one might not be in the cards after such a long travel day, but I got it done. Friday I was happy to rest, and Saturday I met up with my Oiselle friend Sarah for a bus ride to Hopkinton to tackle the first 22 miles of the Boston course. I can’t say this was easy, especially as we treated ourselves to a little Heartbreak Hill action after mile 20, but it was great practice for Boston. Sarah has run Boston multiple times and had great tips for race day (she is training for London where she’ll get her six star medal–so impressive!) We did have a tailwind for this run and it was amazingly helpful. I would like to order another for race day, please!
Sunday I wrapped up the weekend with an easy recovery run with J, and then Monday I split my easy miles into two runs since I had gotten a crappy night of sleep. Tuesday was just a fabulous run! I felt like I was finally 100% back in my groove–it was one of those “I could have run forever” nights. However, it was followed by a really tough workout the next day–3×2 miles at HMGP. I got it done, wrapping the last set up at 6:59 pace, but it hurt.
The next day I had planned to run with my brother, and I pushed the mileage a bit beyond what was planned since I wanted to hit 60 miles for the week. My brother has an amazing sense of direction (it’s an occupational asset) so we ran a fun route, including running through the middle of a train station. I think people thought we were sprinting for a train 🙂 It was fun to run with him, especially since we’re both gearing up for Boston. Friday was off, and then Saturday was the big “last long run!”
The last long run is a really special day in Boston–most folks grab a bus out to mile 5 and run the last 20 miles of the course. All of the charities and sponsors are out, there are cops to help direct traffic, and it feels like a big party. This year was no exception, and I started the morning with my OG gals Alexa and Danielle. My plan was to run the first 10 easy and the last 10 at MGP (7:40-7:50). We all stuck together at a slightly fast pace until the Newton Hills, when we split up. I totally locked into what felt comfortable and was able to pick it up and get faster up and over the hills, wrapping up 21 miles at a 7:55 average. This was one of my best long runs to date and a HUGE confidence builder going into Boston! Sunday I followed that up with an easy recovery spin and a short yoga class. I’ll leave it there since this is already a novel, but more honeymoon pics are coming soon!
Week 15: 37 miles
- Monday: 3 hour hike down a mountain
- Tuesday: Driving around New Zealand
- Wednesday: Flights on flights on flights
- Thursday: 90 minute AM yoga; 1 up, 1 hour at MGP for 9.4 total
- Friday: Rest day!
- Saturday: 22 mile long run
- Sunday: 5.5 mile recovery run
Week 16: 61.5 miles
- Monday: 4.5 miles AM, 3.5 miles PM
- Tuesday: 7 easy
- Wednesday: 3×2 miles at HMGP for 10 total
- Thursday: AM mini band work + core, PM 11 miles
- Friday: Rest day, best day
- Saturday: 21 miles (10 easy, 10 MGP + fast finish)
- Sunday: 60 minute vinyasa yoga AM, 5 easy miles PM
Linking up with The Weekly Wrap (hosted by Hoho Runs and Taking the Long Way Home).
Greetings from the tundra! I am so, so glad the cold snap is ending this week–this was a tough one with temps in the single digits and a 14 inch dump of snow on Thursday. We definitely have stretches like this most winters in MA, but this one was early and it was HARSH. I was glad that I was able to stick to the plan this week and really pleased to see my first 40+ mile week since October.
Sidenote–I have a 2.5 mile run to and from work and would love to use that to my advantage more often. Does anyone have tips on run commuting? Tips on backpacks that don’t bug the heck out of you?
Boston folks, I highly recommend checking these guys out if you need an indoor option for your runs! I even ran into a couple of Oiselle teammates, which is always a nice surprise.
Well, well, well–here we are, back again for a new series of weekly training recaps as I gear up for Boston 2018! I 
This weekend was a busy one! I got in a nice, relaxed 10 miler in the snowbefore heading to my local yoga studio for my initial work-study training. I’m hoping to take on a weekly shift to get more connected with the community and to save myself some $$ on my yoga habit. Then I hit up two holiday parties, spending most of the evening with the Oiselle gals! It was a lot of fun, as always–and now I’m seriously considering running 
Shorter and Faster 