Marathon Training: Week 12 Recap

Week 12 was another "step back" week. Call me crazy, but I'm not a fan of the "step back" week in the training program. I understand it is completely necessary, but I like the big mileage weeks that motivate me to get out and run. Step back weeks just give me an excuse to be lazy and skip running. Any-who, on with the recap. Hal's schedule in Sporty Blue and Jamie's run in Gibson Green. Just trying to keep you on your toes...

MONDAY: Rest Day / Rest Day. You'll be seeing a lot of these this week.

TUESDAY: 5 Miles / 8 Miles. Ran with Brooke in the early early morning. Early morning runs make me feel like a "real runner." I feel so tough and dedicated... what a great way to start the day!

WEDNESDAY: 8 Miles / Rest Day. Ouch, did I mention I tried some new lunge moves yesterday and totally overdid it and can barely walk today? Well, there you have it... impromptu rest day in the middle of the week.

THURSDAY: 5 Miles / 5 Miles. Again, the earlier I get up, the better runner I am. I kicked some hill-booty this morning.

FRIDAY: Rest Day / 2 Miles. 2 miles? What marathoner goes out and only runs 2 miles? This one! I was going to do 3, but fell short because of heavy legs and lacking motivation. Ari was not pleased.

SATURDAY: 13 Miles / 13 Miles. We skipped Swim Suit Man and the Indian Creek Trail today and opted for the Tomahawk Creek Trail instead. It turned out Team in Training was also running on the trail which was awesome. People in TNT are all about motivating each other, and there are so many of them that they didn't realize we weren't also members. So people kept shouting, "Good job! Keep it up! You're doing great!" the whole run. Very motivating. Brooke and I contemplated high fiving and fist bumping people as they passed. We'll have to seek them out in the future!

SUNDAY: Cross Training / Rest Day. I kept saying I was going to go to the gym all day, but by the end of what turned out to be a very busy day I was given the option of Minsky's, wine, & Entourage w/ Brooke & Bryan or sweaty bike at the gym. Which do you think I chose?

Total Mileage: 31 / 28

This was the first week I just totally blew off a couple of workouts, but I'm kind of okay with it. It was a busy week (business is good!) and I think my body appreciates the extra rest.

***Marathon Training Tip of the Week: Walk it out! A lot of people are totally against taking walk breaks while running, thinking it means they can't make it or they aren't tough enough to finish. On the contrary, there has been a lot of research that shows that taking walk breaks, especially during long runs, actually helps you run further and feel better. The idea is that when walking, you are using different muscles than you do when you are running. This reduces fatigue in your legs and actually makes running easier. I've found that mentally it is so nice to know that in X amount of miles or minutes I can take a quick break. And it is so much easier to drink or eat when you are walking! Trust me, I'm not coordinated enough to run and drink at the same time. I'd probably end up eating asphalt if I tried.