So, this week I found some new and interesting challenges in my training. I wanted to start working on hill training since it didn't really occur to me that there might be some big hills to climb in this race! The race is in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps... not sure why training for hills didn't occur to me sooner! After talking to Laura about that, I decided that my challenge this week would be hills. So, on Tuesday I started working on that.
I ended up running my long run on Sunday last week instead of Saturday as planned. We were in Venice with Josh's uncle Craig last Saturday and Verona on Sunday. As a result, it was difficult to get in the long run until we got home on Sunday night. And, of course, it started raining while I was running. Not so fun, but it made me run a little faster :) During that run I also realized something… Previously when I would train at a 10 minute mile pace, my feet would go numb at about mile 3 or 4 and stay that way for half a mile, then go back to normal. On Sunday I had that happen when I tried to hold myself back and run at a slower pace. When I relaxed and just let myself run at a more comfortable/natural pace, my feet were fine and the numbness went away instantly. I haven't had a problem with the numbness running at a faster pace, so it seems my body likes running at a 9 minute mile pace instead of a 10 minute mile pace. This could also be a result of different shoes. I now have Saucony running shoes; before I had Mizunos.
So, here is what I've done since last my last post:
Saturday: walked 4-5 miles around Venice
Sunday: ran 6.5 miles, 57 minutes
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4.35 miles, 51:30
Wednesday: off (sick)
Thursday: 1 hour Pilates
Friday: off
Saturday 6.10 miles, 55 minutes
I think my run in the rain last Sunday gave me a touch of the flu... I was really achy this week and my stomach was a mess. So that was another challenge this week in addition to the hills. On Tuesday I wanted to start my hill training, so I started running on an incline. After about 32 minutes my hamstrings were screaming at me! So instead of continuing and possibly injuring myself, I decided to walk for another 20 minutes on an incline. When I woke up on Wednesday I felt awful, so I decided to take the day off and rest. Then I decided to take it easy for the rest of the week to recoup. Man, taking off two days makes me feel like a lazy bum!! Even if I am sick…
The time off this week was actually really great. I feel like it was a much needed mental break for me in my training, not to mention necessary for my body to recover. Now I feel really great and I’m ready to continue my training with renewed enthusiasm. Bring on the new week!
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