12+9= tired legs
Save the lecture. I've heard it before! I know this was supposed to be a "rest week" in terms of my Marine Corps Marathon training, but there were Army Ten Miler trainees that needed me.
It all started on Saturday with a TNT long run of 12 restful miles. We met at the Capitol and I was prepared to run 4 mile laps around the National Mall... meh. Kind of boring. And flat. Not my favorite route. However, we were surprised and delighted to hear that our route would actually be an out and back on the Mount Vernon trail! We left the Capitol building and ran the length of the mall... crossed over the 14th street bridge (which is also part of the Marine Corps Marathon route) and then hooked in to the Mt. Vernon trail to Dangerfield Island. We ran through National Airport along the Potomac River, and were in good company with plenty of other runners and triathletes.
The weather was amazing again. Cool temperatures, low humidity and sun. You cannot ask for better training weather. I didn't have a running partner this day even though I was with the group. However, I did have my GPS watch, which allowed me to really keep track of my pace per mile throughout the 12 miles. I ran my best run to date with a 10:05min/mile pace. While slow for some, this is a blistering pace for me (see the entry below for more details!). I was very happy with my body's performance.
The route was beautiful and my teammates were inspiring. I even ran across a DC Road Runners Club teammate of mine which really lifted my spirits as I crossed back over the 14th street bridge on my way back to the start.
Again, the rest stops saved me. I love being able to load up on gatorade, water and pretzels, chat with volunteers and hear encouraging words from our coaches. I realized at the end of my training run that day that this run was to be my last group run with TNT as I am signed up for a road race every weekend until the Marine Corps Marathon! Thanks for everything John and Lisa!
Back to the 9 miles... Sunday morning I contemplated skipping out on my DCRRC coaching responsibilities to continue cuddling with Zooey... but guilt got me out of bed and over to the Georgetown Running Company. With that morning coinciding with the first running of the Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon and the fact that everyone else's fall marathon training is having them run high mileage, not a lot of coaches showed up for the trainees. How on earth I ended up being the fastest coach there I have no idea... but I ended up having to go out for the full 9, as my trainees didn't know the course well enough to go out on their own! We held down a 10:35min/mile pace for the first 7 miles, but then I hit the wall. Thankfully, so did everyone else so we were able to slow down to about 40 seconds per mile which was lovely on my poor feet!
It's Monday and my calves are pretty tired. I got some good training in, but I also know I have to be VERY careful not to overdo it as the marathon approaches. I'm taking today off to lounge with the puppies and a glass of red wine. Tomorrow I will likely run on the track with coach Lisa. Friday is the start of a 2 day 12 person 200 mile relay race I'm doing with a bunch of running buddies, so I'll be sure to keep you posted! That race will get me up close to this week's training distance of 18 miles. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
It all started on Saturday with a TNT long run of 12 restful miles. We met at the Capitol and I was prepared to run 4 mile laps around the National Mall... meh. Kind of boring. And flat. Not my favorite route. However, we were surprised and delighted to hear that our route would actually be an out and back on the Mount Vernon trail! We left the Capitol building and ran the length of the mall... crossed over the 14th street bridge (which is also part of the Marine Corps Marathon route) and then hooked in to the Mt. Vernon trail to Dangerfield Island. We ran through National Airport along the Potomac River, and were in good company with plenty of other runners and triathletes.
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| Two of my three amazing TNT marathon coaches: John and Lisa |
The route was beautiful and my teammates were inspiring. I even ran across a DC Road Runners Club teammate of mine which really lifted my spirits as I crossed back over the 14th street bridge on my way back to the start.
Again, the rest stops saved me. I love being able to load up on gatorade, water and pretzels, chat with volunteers and hear encouraging words from our coaches. I realized at the end of my training run that day that this run was to be my last group run with TNT as I am signed up for a road race every weekend until the Marine Corps Marathon! Thanks for everything John and Lisa!
Back to the 9 miles... Sunday morning I contemplated skipping out on my DCRRC coaching responsibilities to continue cuddling with Zooey... but guilt got me out of bed and over to the Georgetown Running Company. With that morning coinciding with the first running of the Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon and the fact that everyone else's fall marathon training is having them run high mileage, not a lot of coaches showed up for the trainees. How on earth I ended up being the fastest coach there I have no idea... but I ended up having to go out for the full 9, as my trainees didn't know the course well enough to go out on their own! We held down a 10:35min/mile pace for the first 7 miles, but then I hit the wall. Thankfully, so did everyone else so we were able to slow down to about 40 seconds per mile which was lovely on my poor feet!
It's Monday and my calves are pretty tired. I got some good training in, but I also know I have to be VERY careful not to overdo it as the marathon approaches. I'm taking today off to lounge with the puppies and a glass of red wine. Tomorrow I will likely run on the track with coach Lisa. Friday is the start of a 2 day 12 person 200 mile relay race I'm doing with a bunch of running buddies, so I'll be sure to keep you posted! That race will get me up close to this week's training distance of 18 miles. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
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