nYC Marathon Training Weeks 4 and 5

The past couple of weeks have been busy with work, training, jury duty, meetings and everything else I have going on in my life right now. I can’t believe I just finished week 5 of training! It was a tough week! It’s not cooling off any around here, and I am not becoming anymore of a morning person than I already was!

 

I got this NYC Marathon course map from my amazing coach Susan’s weekly Team Chances email. I HAD to enlarge it and look at it closely because it intrigues me. I can’t believe we don’t even get into Manhattan until right after mile 15! To think, I have never run 15 miles in my life, and I won’t even get to Manhattan until after 15! Crazy! I have a long long way to come before I am ready for this race. I know I am in good hands, though, because my coach is amazing, and my friends and family (one in particular that will be right beside me the whole way!!) are amazingly supportive!

So here is how week 4 went down:

7/9: Ran 4.36 miles in about 46 minutes. This was another brutally hot run. I ran out of water halfway through, and stopped at a church to fill up and cool off. Thanks again to the nice lady that let me in and saved me that day!

7/11: I did 4 sets of the 800 10K pace/400 rest. It's hard to see how fast I was going by posting mile splits....but here they are:
Mile 1: 10:03-fastest pace during was 8:11
Mile 2: 9:32-fastest pace during was 8:18
Mile 3: 9:28-fastest pace during was 8:06
Mile 4: 9:27-fastest pace during was 7:08
7:08 was on the last straightaway where I really kicked it up a notch. I'm sure I didn't keep those fastest paces during the whole time I ran the 800 portion, but maybe I did! My Garmin is slow to show the correct speed when I speed up. I wish I could show you my Garmin Connect. Anyway, it was a really good workout! The best track workout yet, I think for me! It felt the best and I think I might be improving!

7/12: Ran two miles in 18:07, squeezed between two errands I had to run that day. It was a little bit hot, but not as hot as it usually is at 10am in AZ I July! I love when rain cools it down around here!

7/14: This long run was rough! It was a long run on San Juan Rd at the base of South Mountain in Phoenix. This is a very hilly road that goes up then down on the way out, then back up and back down on the way back.  I did take a walk break for about a minute at mile 6, and stopped to stretch, fill up on water and rest at mile 7.71. This was right after I ran out of water. The water coolers were the most beautiful things at that moment, that I had ever seen!!

I only got about 5 hours of sleep the night before, because I had to work, so I did pretty well considering the circumstances. I finished my last two miles in the 9's! Woo hoo! Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 10:52
Mile 2: 11:22
Mile 3: 10:51
Mile 4: 10:52
Mile 5: 10:46
Mile 6: 11:14
Mile 7: 11:48
Mile 8: 14:10--I think I left my Garmin running when I stopped to use the restroom, but it was still a verrrrry slow mile. Feeling extremely tired at this point!
Mile 9: 9:20
Mile 10: 9:25

Overall, a great long run for me for my first time on San Juan Rd! WOW do the hills ever make the flats and downhills easier!!

Here’s how Week 5 went down:

7/17: Ran 4.5 miles in 46 minutes on hilly route. I did well for about the first half, then had to stop, sit and cool down in the shade before the big hill. I went at 7:45, so it was really hot. I also took a walk break at about mile 4 because I got hot again. Other than the heat, it went pretty well.

7/20: Ran 4.29 miles with my friend Susan in about 46 minutes. The route had some decent hills in it, so we took it easy after the big hills.

7/21: Long run at the canal at 5am. I ran 11 miles in about 2:02. It was a rough one for me at times. I was tired, and kind of lonely honestly! I ended up running by myself because my usual running buddies were injured, and by the time I took off by myself, I was too far behind the group ahead of me, so I just went on my own. Thanks goodness, because I had to stop twice and potty along the way!! I found a great spot, though, for future reference .

7/22: I made up for the track workout I missed on Wednesday. Ran a very steep and decently long hill 4 times. The goal was 4-6. Being the day after a long run and hot as hell, I think 4 was pretty darn good for me considering the circumstances! I have to say, those hill repeats definitely work the “ars” very well .

Another week in the books for me! AFC Half Marathon in San Diego is only two weeks away, and I am SO excited! I have never been to San Diego, so this should be a very fun trip!

Hope everyone has a great week, great running, and stays cool!

Happy Trails!

Stacey