I've now completed up through Week 12 of Galloway's marathon training program (meaning I've been on the program for 8 weeks, since I started in 4 weeks late.) Week 11 was a 10.5 mile run--finally getting to the point where your training runs dictate your plans for much of the weekend. It's not just the time of the run that you have to plan for, although that is a good chunk of it. You have to think about the night before, getting enough rest, and while I don't necessarily carb-load before training runs, I do try to at least think about the dinner I have the night before. Then the day of, allotting enough time for the run itself and planning out water/gatorade breaks. Finally, allowing your body so much time to recover after a run before moving on to the next part of the weekend. I've found if I try to do anything, even so much as shower, within the first 20-30 minutes after a long run, I start to get dizzy and nauseous. Then...to make all of this more complicated, in the summer months, there is really only a small window of time to get in your run before the day gets blazing hot and humid. I've determined that people who live and run in southern states must be in way better shape than us Midwesterners.
I was really concerned about water for the 10.5 mile because it was pretty warm last weekend, and Chad was gone, so I didn't have the luxury of having him drive to meet me periodically with some Gatorade...I'm also trying to be a little bit more self-reliant on my runs, since this was my idea and all! (I've tried the water belt, and it was an epic fail.) So, I put out some Skinny Sport Water on my front porch and did 3 legs of the run, each time ending right by our apartment to grab a drink. It worked out really well, and it broke up the run mentally. The longest portion I had to do at one time was 4.5 miles, and I did a different route each time. As a side note, anything past 10 miles is where I highly recommend drinking something besides just water. After more than an hour of high intensity exercise, your body needs the electrolytes and sometimes even just the calories and carbs in a sports drink to keep going at a healthy rate. Pick your favorite...I've found them all to do the job about equally.
This weekend (Fourth of July!) was a 4 mile run with a magic mile. I don't know which I dread more: a long run or a short one with a MM. Again, it was pretty hot on Saturday even at 11am, so I didn't have high hopes of this magic mile being, well, magic. I followed Galloway's protocol of doing one short mile, magic mile, walk for 5 minutes, then 2 slow miles to finish out my required training that day. My MM was 7:35...exactly the same as my last one! And I make a point to not look at my pace on the Garmin, because the idea is to make it as fast as what you can physically handle for one mile--without getting sick. Guess I'm consistent?!
That's it for the short runs for a few weeks. This coming weekend, I'm due for a 12 mile, then 2 weeks after that would be a 14 mile...but that falls on the weekend that we leave for Myrtle Beach (FINALLY my first vacation of the year!) and that trip will span the course of 2 weekends. And while I am going to keep up with the short runs during the trip, if you think I'm doing a 14 miler in South Carolina, think again. So, I'll be doing the 12 and 14 miles on consecutive weekends before we leave.
As for other updates, we just closed on our first house! We've already begun the painting/cleaning/moving process, which I have to say has been a workout. I'm a little bit concerned about fitting in all these long runs when I'm supposed to be working on the house too, but the good news is that our new house is in Broad Ripple, right by the Monon Trail. Not only will it be a change of scenery, but also a good way to get in some distance runs without having to think hard about planning a route.
Have a great holiday!
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