Upcoming Races– SLO Marathon 13.1

Focus this week–  Getting back on track after a sickly week.

After a less than stellar week 11 and being truthful, week 10, I was eager to get back on track.  Coming clean about San Francisco also provided a good kick in the pants as well.   Eagerness aside, I also knew that 2 crappy weeks didn’t mean I should go all crazy this week.  So, that meant I needed a measured improvement.  Umm, what does that mean?

We had a full crew at work last week for the first time in a long time.   We actually had more people behind the counter than we had stools.   I was actually looking forward to it, I need to sit less and what better chance?

Monday- 4 miles stationary bike–  Had I realized it was going to be a short ride I would have stopped at 3.14 for PI day.  But I did not.  I planned on riding longer but then my mom texted me and asked if I wanted to go to Subway for dinner.  For some reason, it sounded amazing so it didn’t take much to convince me.  

Tuesday-  3.5 miles–  I love Daylight Savings, I really do.  I headed for the lake path after work.  I missed it.  This also means that speed work is about to make a reappearance in my life, just not today.   I was taking the Launch’s for their second spin and was aiming for between 3-5 miles.    My left calf was freakishly tight so it ended up being 3.5 miles.  I kept a fairly easy pace but had to stop to stretch more than a few times.    My back was also hurting and my stomach muscles were super sore.   It’s sad how badly 2 days of standing kicked my ass.

Wednesday-  Rest– Pizza night!!   Also, I was still so damn sore, that I sat for most of the day.   Luckily, Wednesday is a usual day off for one employee so M and I weren’t fighting for the chair.   🙂

  
Thursday- 4.34 miles– I finally figured out the best way to run easy- run with friends!!   They say your easy pace should be a pace you can have a conversation at but it’s not like you can run and have a conversation with yourself, right?  NikeC and I made plans to meet up for a run and we stuck to it!   It was so great catching up!!   Plus I was finally able to give her her baby shower gift!     Only 4 months late.

Friday- Rest day–   My boss was on vacation all week and while the week wasn’t crazy busy, there were some fires to put out.  By Friday, I was feeling frazzled and needed a new fire extinguisher.   Grrr.  Plus my left knee started hurting towards the end of the day, pretty badly and I couldn’t figure it out.    I had played catch with a 40lb box- it had started to fall so I caught it, then lost it and caught it again.   Probably shouldn’t have done that.  

Saturday- 9 mile long run–  I am trying to switch my long runs to Saturday mornings but it’s been hit or miss the last few months.    When I woke up and saw that there was heavy fog and my weather app said the humidity level was 98%, I was thisclose to saying F* it. My lungs maybe doing better but they would not appreciate that at all.   They just might revolt.  I had all weekend right?    Then marathon training creeped into my thoughts.   Other than its hills, San Francisco is known for fog.   So after a few more moments of denial, I dragged myself out of my warm, cozy bed and went for my run.

I had originally hoped for 10 miles but I wasn’t sure I had enough time.  The plan had been to run then meet my mom and S after tennis practice for lunch.    So I was running from home across town.   Which meant 7 stop lights and an unspecified amount of time spent standing still.   😛    Combine that with a slower pace due to the moisture in the air aggravating my lungs and I finished 9 miles.

Once again, my goal was to just run as easy and steady as possible.  I knew I would need walk breaks and was fine with that.    Overall I didn’t take as many as I thought I would.   Other than the bridge miles, I kept a pretty steady 11:00 min pace, which is actually on the fast side of my current pace guidelines.  The bridge mile saw a 9:41.  Typical, I hate running the bridge.   The mile following was also faster, coming in at 10:00.  I have a serious issue running in the busy areas of town.  I tend to speed up.   I slowed down again by mile 6 and kept it steady until the end.    I almost ate asphalt around mile 8 though.  I was coming up on a stop light and was crossing through the dirt to punch the signal button.  I didn’t notice the cover for the power lines and caught it with my left foot.  I stumbled hard and almost went down.   Luckily, flailing my arms about seemed to help me stay upright.  Un-luckily, this is one of the 5 busiest intersections in town.  Doh!!   I recovered and finished my run.   It might have been slower than my pride would like but it was where it should be right now.  And it was done before lunch on a Saturday!   I celebrated my getting a much needed haircut.  

Sunday- 8.5 miles stationary bike–  I still felt a little achy in my knee but other than that I felt pretty good.   I decided to err on the side of caution though and leave my running mileage where it was at.  Just shy of 17 miles was a significant improvement on the previous weeks 4.5.

Low-Carb– Ummm, oops.  Monday through Thursday were great.  From Friday on, not so much.   And I feel puffy and gross after a few less than stellar eating days.  I only have myself to blame, I should know better.

Overall, it was a pretty good week.  I was feeling good about it until I realized that SLO is only 41 days away.   41 days?!?!  How did that sneak up on me?   I’m not ready!!  Oddly, though my mileage is down from last year, my long runs have drastically improved so at least something is working.  Finding the shiny, right?  That said, it’s time to bring some speed work back into play.  Oh crap, that sounds scary.

How was your week?

Anyone race over the weekend?

Ever almost fall in a public place?