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Writer's pictureJoni Lynn Schwartz

Doubling Down on Speedwork, Week 3 Marathon Training

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Last week's mileage increase left my hamstring sore and my body ready for a day off. Thankfully Sunday was my rest day and of course I fully embraced it. I ate junk food, laid around, read a book and then reality hit as I looked at the plan for this week. A double dose of speedwork and not short little speed workouts either. It's Sunday night and I’m less than prepared for the first dose of speed which is scheduled for tomorrow. Here I sit regretting the lack of water consumption and over consumption of Special K bars, truffles and caramel rolls. Time to drink some water and before going to bed.


Monday

I slept in, well slept in until 5:20, and then slowly started my day. I really needed my coffee this morning. The best part about the

speed workout this morning was the warm up. I had a 1.5 mile warm up at a slow pace and then it got real. First of all the meteorologist was a liar. He said 5-6 mph wind and I call that a LIE! I ran 10 x one minute repeats at my one mile pace with a one minute recovery at my “easy” pace. I struggled to hit my paces at the end and was unable to maintain my "easy" recovery pace. I had entered the workout in my Garmin but was counting along. When I hit repeat 9 I was praying, “Please God let this be number 9 and not 8 or 7!” Thankfully my counting skills improved since last week and I was right on. My recovery at the end had turtles running faster than me as I shuffled towards home, thankful to have survived Speed Round 1.


Life lesson, do not let your guard down on a rest day.


My hamstring held up well. It was very tired at the end but I didn’t have any pain, so I’ll call it a win. The rest of the week will tell how well my hamstring can hold up.


Tuesday

Recovery run, a slow run this morning. I ran a different route and ended up by the cemetery. I spotted a friend who’s dad had recently passed away and did a quick detour to give a smelly hug. I’ve been talking to my kids about Listening to the Whisper, interruptions in your day that you can feel God nudging you to do something. This was one of those listen to the whisper moments.


Wednesday

More miles. If you ask what my plans are for the day, it probably involves running.


Thursday

Speed day number two! Going into my run I was mentally ready. What a difference having a positive mental state made for my run. I was confident that I could run the assigned paces and just went out and did it. Now if I could just capture that positive, I can do this, mental state for the other parts of my life. Pause, Be Positive!


The rest of my day was spent running after my kids with 5 hours of softball, followed by 2 hours at the pool.


Friday

The consequences of sitting at softball games and the pool equaled a sluggish run. I felt like I was sleepwalking through my run with led feet. Thank goodness it was a recovery run with slower paces.


Life lesson, do not let your guard down on a recovery day.


Saturday

Long run day, long runs are my favorite! I love to settle into a pace, pray through my worries and for loved ones with needs. Although I am running this is a time where I can sit at the feet of Jesus. Today's long run was peaceful on the trails with only one biker and a few deer. I do think I should get extra credit for tackling some nasty hills on a long run. Tomorrow is a day off from running, so it's time to apply my life lessons from the week.


Do not let your guard down!


Totals: 6 days of running, 2 days of strength, 2 days of abs, 40 miles total with 2 crazy speed workouts. My hamstring has survived and is certainly in better shape than last week. I won't embrace my rest day as fully as last Sunday.


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