Marathon Training: Week Four.

Well, this update is a little tardy. That's because I feel sort of dismayed by last week's marathon training. When I feel like I've missed a goal, I'm not in a real chest-pounding mood. You know?

Anyway, the damage is thusly: I missed my long run. I woke up Saturday morning ready to hit the trail early, but was greeted instead by a migraine that stayed with me all the day long. The thought of pounding the pavement for 11 miles did not sit well with my pounding cranium. And so I took a day off. I feel badly about that.

I did, however, get in the rest of my runs, as well as a ride to Mount Vernon and back to get some hill work in. And I lifted weights both of my scheduled days. And I boosted my swim training program, which is currently kicking me all across the Eastern Seaboard. Which is why I like it. :)

So I suppose I don't have quite as much to feel bad about as I thought I did. That's not a cop-out -- I should've done that long run, sometime, some way -- but in looking at my goals missed versus goals achieved, I see I'm in pretty good shape. I'll just make sure to boost the long runs from here. And no more Cracker Jacks, since I think that's what sparked the migraine in the first place. We must make such sacrifices in the name of good health and superior fitness.

Onward!

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day!
Tuesday: Swim (40 minutes), run (3 miles), weights.
Wednesday: Swim (40 minutes), short bike (93 minutes).
Thursday: Swim (40 minutes), run (3 miles).weights.
Friday: Practice OWS.
Saturday: Run (6 miles).
Sunday: Run (9 miles).

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day!
Tuesday: Swim (70 minutes), short bike (93 minutes with hill work), weights.
Wednesday: Swim (40 minutes), run (12 miles).
Thursday: Rest day!
Friday: Run (3 miles).
Saturday: Run (6 miles).
Sunday: Run (3 miles), practice OWS.

:)

Marathon Training: Week Three.

Well, hello.

So, this week of training has been quite eventful and, to my mind, successful. There were the usual pitfalls -- I did only one bike and one swim instead of two each -- but the benefits of the rest of my routine made up for that.

This week, I ran four days, swam once, lifted weights twice, and biked once. The bike was very important to me -- as you'll read in yesterday's post, I proved to myself that I can indeed make it through the Iron Girl course. And as far as I'm concerned, it tackled both the endurance bike and the hillwork bike all in one swoop. So I'm not worried about losing the second bike day last week. I gained a ton of experience in return.

Today was my final run of the week -- the six-miler to complete my rest week. Next week I'm looking forward to tackling an 11-miler as well as my maintenance runs. Also, I'm integrating a new swim workout this week that will help me get up to swimming 1K without stopping. I feel like the physical side is there already, but the confidence could use some bolstering. :) So I shall bolster.

And then there's the weightlifting and the biking of the Columbia course again. And maybe, just maybe, even a little bit of rest. ;) We shall see.

Have a great week, y'all!

:)

Fat Albert and Other Columbia Hills.

Well, this morning Denise and I met at the ripe old time of 8 a.m. to bike the hills of the Iron Girl Columbia course. And you know what?

It wasn't so bad.

Now, I say this as I sit here on my sofa, hours after the deed was done, belly full of lunch and coffee and legs propped up on the coffee table. But even in the heat of the moment, even when I was breathing so heavily and pedalling so slowly that I thought I would just topple over, I knew it would be OK.

This is a good sign. If we finished the full course today -- Fat Albert and all -- then with a little more practice, we'll be REALLY good come race day.

So I'm going to bike it again next weekend. I hope Denise will be able to come too (haven't asked her yet). The hills were solid, but they weren't killer. By race day, we'll be able to handle them with aplomb.

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

Monday: Rest day!
Tuesday: Run (3 miles), short bike (93 minutes with hill work).
Wednesday: Run (6 miles), weights.
Thursday: Run (3 miles), swim (30 minutes).
Friday: Swim (70 minutes), weights.
Saturday: Run (11 miles).
Sunday: Long bike (155 minutes).

:)

Marathon Training: Week Two.

Well, I wish I could say that this week was the week I met ALL of my training goals and passed the tests with flying colors, but that is not the truth.

What I WILL say is that I achieved all my training goals except for two: a nine-mile run this weekend and my short-bike night. The short bike just fell off my radar midweek; the nine-miler is more easily excused because of the extreme heat we've been having. But neither the heat nor the midweek fatigue are going to go away any time soon, so this is the week that I'd better start adjusting if I expect to improve at all in any of my disciplines. And I must, MUST, add another swim date in as well if I intend on feeling confident during the Iron Girl.

But for a moment, let me focus on the successes. There were plenty.

I ran three, five, and three miles this week, respectively.

I biked from the house down the Mount Vernon Trail and up the Capital Crescent, then back down and over to the Rosslyn train station, and then from the Braddock Road station back home.

I swam for 65 minutes and worked on my new swim routine, which as I think I've mentioned before, is a killer. But I still love it. :)

I lifted weights once (my second weight-date was cancelled because of the July 4 holiday).

I lost another pound!

So there's plenty to celebrate there. And once I get that second bike ride and second swim set re-integrated, I'll be living on Easy Street.

Onward!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

Monday: Swim (70 minutes).
Tuesday: Rest day!, weights.
Wednesday: Run (3 miles), swim (30 minutes).
Thursday: Run (5 miles), short bike (93 minutes with hill work), weights.
Friday: Run (3 miles).
Saturday: Long bike (155 minutes).
Sunday: Run (6 miles).

:)

Marathon Training: Week One.

Well, the first week of my new training responsibilities has come to a close with an eight-mile run this morning (I switched my long bike to yesterday's slot). And I've gotta say, I think I did pretty well keeping it all intact.

The only workout I missed was Part Two of my two-a-day -- a short bike. Now, in anticipation of Iron Girl in August, I need all the hill work I can get, so I'm going to make a point of not missing the short bike next week. But I did all four of my runs, my new swim workout (which is a killer, but I love it), the long bike, and two weightlifting sessions. This week I'll re-integrate my short bike and even try for an extra swim practice. If I need to jettison something, it'll be the latter, but by next week I want to make that part of my routine. So why not start now? :)

In other health-related news, I've lost a pound! This is something I'd pretty much given up on, since for a long time it seemed that no matter what I did I stayed at the same old tired weight. But to see the new scale reading this week really buoyed my spirits. I'm not training to lose weight, but it's a nice side effect. :)

So that's the Week One review. I rewarded myself yesterday with a new running outfit and a Super Mario Bros. hat. ;) Life is good.

Have a good week, everybody!

:)