Last 20 miler! Got in 20.2 in 3:08:01, 9:18 average. No food or water necessary during the run, although I did start to get hungry at around 2 hrs 30 min. Turning on music made me forget the hunger, though. Easiest 20 miler that I can remember. Could've gone for 26.2. Dad walked while I ran my back-and-forths. I had an odd craving for McDonald's cheeseburgers during the run. Had a bathroom stop at mile 6.
Tuesday, Mar 31:
Haven't done much speedwork during this marathon training cycle. Now's the time to get it in, early in the taper, so that my body has time to reap the benefits and not take away from the race. 4.0 in 29:56, 7:30 average. The workout: 2 degrees of incline... 1 mi warmup in 8:08, 2x[1/2 mi @ 9mph, 1/4 mi @ 7.5mph], 2x[1/4 mi @ 9mph, 1/4 mi @ 7.5mph], 0.5 mi cooldown in 3:49. I had to cut the last 2 reps down to 1/4 mi from 1/2 mi, but maybe it's because I did this at 2 degrees of incline, which makes a 7:30 pace feel like 7:13 effort. This was a hard workout.
Wednesday, could've dragged myself out for a run, but decided that it's best to lean on the side of rest, during the taper.
Thursday, Apr 2:
60 min strength session. The gym was closed today, all of a sudden! Had to settle for a strength session, instead of a run.
Friday, Apr 3:
Took my run outside today, since the gym was closed. 6.9 in 59:12, 8:31 average. Did Zombies, to continue injecting some speed into my runs. Stiff at first, but felt better in the later half.
Sunday, Apr 5:
Last long-ish run... .13.9 in 2:02:54, 8:51 ave. Tested out my Boston singlet, in case I wear it during the race, if it's too cold for just a sports bra. It was warm wearing a singlet, but it was a nice soft material.
Been eating more vegetables lately, to give my body the quality raw materials it needs to build and rebuild itself. Also eating more potato chips, because my body has been wanting more calories.
Tuesday, Apr 7:
Took my run outside again, in case the gym was still closed. 6.0 in 54:36, 9:06 average. The run started with looming, dark clouds. It started pouring and thundering. There was lots of mud and puddle splashing. My leg stabilizers got a huge workout. With the puddles, you had no idea what the surface of the ground was like, under the water, and what kinds of roots there were. By the end of the run, the rain had stopped again. I did Zombies for the first half, before deciding to protect my iPhone from the pouring rain and throwing it into the car.
(Grey clouds before the run)
Thursday, Apr 9:
My "long" run for the weekend was 8 miles, but I was going to be volunteering at the Spartan Race Charlotte weekend, so I got it in early. 8.5 in 1:18:18, 9:12 average. Went slowly. Maybe still recovering from Tuesday. No way could I have done Zombies during this.
Friday - drove up to Charlotte.
Saturday - volunteered on the "Safety" team, checking for wristbands, keeping people with beer from leaving the festival area, patrolling around to make sure everything looked ok. 5:30am->7:30pm is a long shift. Got a nice hoodie and a race voucher out of it, though, and it was fun to immerse myself in the Spartan Race even when I couldn't run.
(The most intimidating bouncer you've ever seen)
Sunday - volunteered on the "Bag Check" team. I like being kept busy. This was fun... kind of like I Love Lucy working at the chocolate factory. I liked working in the shade, too. It was fun working with other like-minded Spartan enthusiasts and seeing all of the racers. After bag-checking was done, we watched the last racer come in - an inspiring guy with Cerebal Palsy who rocked the difficult course. Then, we tore down the festival tents and fences. Wasn't expecting it. It was heavy work, but I got to work with 2 Aussies who call themselves "Spartan Gap Year Kids" on Facebook, who are spending their year in the US following the races around and living the dream.
(Spartan Race's new controversial back check system)
(Spartan Gap Year on the left)
Monday, Apr 13:Gym was open again! 6.0 in 50:33, 8:26 average, 3 degrees of incline = 7:46 effort. Been 3 days since my last run, but my legs still felt used, and I was tired. My energy turned around before the run when I tried on some new Spartan gear that I had purchased over the weekend, though, and I ended up having a solid run.
Tuesday, Apr 14:
Squeezed in a last strength session. Only went 80%, since I normally do my last strength session 10 days out, instead of 6 days out. Started having a runny nose today - bother.
Thursday, Apr 16:
Last run before the race!!! 4.0 in 33:20, 8:20 average, 2 degrees of incline = 8:00 effort. Tried to keep the effort easy while still satisfying my craving for cardio.
Friday - on my way to Boston!!!
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