ATL Publix Marathon Training (7 weeks til race week)

Week beginning thoughts: Well I guess I'm really marathon training now that I've got a greater-than-half-marathon run under my belt.

Monday
Did: 5.7 mi mountain bike ride
Day off from work today for MLK Day, but it was SO COLD this morning (19F was the thermometer when Scott took D to school - yes, daycare was open!). So we spent the morning doing things around the house and then headed up to Pleasant Ridge in the early afternoon. I quickly realized how tired my legs were from yesterday's long run efforts in the crazy wind, so I made up my mind to get in one good lap and then let Scott take a second lap solo. Considering it usually takes me 40-45 mins per lap, and this one took me over 56 mins, it was a good call. Made one lap much better to handle, mentally. I just wasn't feeling the ride in general today, but getting in one lap and clearing all of the parts of the trail that usually give me trouble was a good feeling.

Tuesday
Did: 6.7 mi @ 8:39/mi
Originally planned for the full 7-mile route but my runner buddies got cold and we decided to cut it a little short. Still, a good run for sub-freezing temps. Apparently Garmin thought I was brave, too, because I earned this badge today:

Today was the first run of the winter where I had to bust out the fleece-lined tights, but even so I was pretty comfortable (other than my face) once we got moving.

Wednesday
Did: 2 mi treadmill + core/PT
Need to squeeze in some extra miles, so did 2 quick miles on the treadmill @ 8-min pace followed by core & PT routine. Nothing too exciting, just doing what I could in limited afternoon time slot. Ugh, I hate not getting in my workout in the morning but the rain and other scheduling challenges have made that hard this week.

Pushups. 

Thursday
Did: 6.5 mi @ 8:13/mi avg, 4x1-mi repeats
Oh today was a good run and I NEEDED it. While I would have loved to be out in the 60F sunshine, my need for speed(work) had to take precedence, so treadmill it was. Plus I was also in the mood to run with some music today, which I won't do outdoors. I didn't have a plan going into the gym, but decided on mile repeats at ~5k pace. I decided I'd do 3 and see how I felt... and after the third I was wanting another, so I did 4 total at a sub-7:30 pace. For the third and fourth repeat I ticked up the speed every tenth of a mile, finishing at sub-7. Woo!

Friday
Did: strength + 1mi treadmill
Did about a 30-minute lift (kind of half-assed, wasn't really feeling it) then did a mile on the treadmill to shake out some of the leg soreness in preparation for Saturday's anticipated long run.

Saturday
Did: 16.06 mi @ 9:51/mi avg
Whewwww long stroller run! It seems like these are going to turn into basically all-day affairs now that runs are getting towards the 3-hour mark. It's too cold to start early with the stroller, so we waited until it got above freezing and headed downtown to park at the zoo. Met up with Dale & Robin to do a few miles with them first, then I continued with D in the stroller, did some loops around Cleveland park downtown, and finally headed north on the trail for the out-and-back portion. Our turnaround point was just past the Swamp Rabbit cafe & grocery, by which point D had fallen asleep. I considered not stopping or waking him up, but I knew he and I both were in need of a snack. Scones acquired, we continued the trek back towards the car, with a planned stop at a playground that D had spotted on our way out... it was 3/4 mi from the car, so mentally I was OK with a longer stop being so close to the end.

The Liberty Bridge & falls park were photo-worthy

I let D play for about 15-20 mins, then we packed up and made our way back to the car. Even doing that last less-than-a-mile was tough, though. I was tired but pretty pleased with the run overall. I knew it wasn't a fast one, but that's not what long runs are for, so I'm good with it.

The best reward was at the end when D (completely unprompted) goes, "You did a great great great great job Mommy, I'm so proud of you!" 😍 Adorable. Makes every minute worth it!

Sunday
Did: 13.6 mi mountain biking
Today was my "birthday group ride" (tomorrow is the actual day) and was a great gathering of friends and a leisurely day on bikes in Dupont Forest! I was a bit hungover from Saturday night's festivities (dinner & beer, what else?) but the cold crisp air and getting the blood flowing certainly helped clear the cobwebs. It wasn't even as cold as I'd expected it to be, which was a nice surprise. Great fun day with biking friends!

Week-ending thoughts:
Weekly miles = 32.3 (goal of 35)
Fell short on my weekly mileage goal this week, so I'm going to have to figure out how to work in another day of running to make this feasible. I'm still active every day of the week, though, so it's not like I'm just relaxing and wasting time! Gonna have to trade out something somewhere. Happy with the overall week, though, and super happy with Saturday's run. Yessss MARATHONNNNNNNN!