Happy Sunday! I hope you guys are having a great weekend. I slept in and ate donuts so it’s been a pretty magical morning over here. More on that when I post the weekend recap tomorrow.
I’m a little over halfway done with my “informal” Thunder Road Half Marathon training. The race is November 14. Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by how good I have felt on my runs and how motivated I am to get out on the road. I think several factors are at play here…
- I LOVE FALL RUNNING. The weather and scenery have been so gorgeous.
- I haven’t trained for anything since last year’s Thunder Road so it feels good to be working towards something.
- My totally relaxed approach to training.
So far I’ve been running 3-4 times per week. The first run of the week is 3 or 4 miles, second is 5ish, third (if included) is 3 and then the long run. I’ve supplemented the running with as much yoga as I can fit in and some strength training.
Long runs so far…
Week 1: 6 miles
Week 2: 8 miles
Week 3: 6 miles
Week 4: 11 miles
Week 5: 10 miles (this week)
Plan for the three remaining long runs:
Week 6: 9 miles
Week 7: 12 miles
Week 8: 8 miles
RACE DAY!
My long run pace has averaged 8:45-9ish (and that’s felt really manageable) so I’m anticipating an 8:30ish pace on race day which will give me a 1:50ish finish. I worked really hard for last year’s sub 1:45 finish and I just don’t think that’s in the cards for me this year. (And I am totally fine with that!)
I don’t know about you guys but it can be hard for me to break the mentality of racing without working towards a new PR but this has been such a refreshing training cycle because it’s reminded me how much I just love to get out there and run. I’m so excited about race day just to line up at the starting line and run through our beautiful city while soaking up the energy of all the other runners!
Monday
Hot yoga
Tuesday
4 mile run
Wednesday
Hot yoga
Thursday
5 mile run
Friday
REST
Saturday
10 mile run
Sunday
Hot yoga
You’ll notice a lack of strength training this week. Not my preference but just the way life shook out. I’ll get a couple of good lifting sessions in next week. All works out in the end! 🙂
Tell me about your current running goals, training, mindset, etc? Are you working to set a PR or tackle a new distance? Or just running for fun?
The weather has been awesome here for running too! Makes it that much more enjoyable 🙂 Who knows on race day, you may very well end up with a PR, the pressure off approach can work wonders!
Ha! Maybe but I would have to really be feeling good!
I just ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend so I did my first post-marathon run on Saturday. Didn’t feel great but didn’t feel awful either. Slowly but surely! My focus right now is completely recovering from the race. Eventually I will enter a speed session but for now I’m enjoying the relaxed approach!
Congrats!! That’s not bad for your first run back! My legs never feel great the first few weeks after a big race like that.
What kind of running shoes are you currently wearing? I’m looking to buy a new pair and could use a good recommendation! Thanks!
I actually ran a half marathon this morning-I decided not to focus on PRing like I had in previous races, and after getting over myself, it made the race 1000x more enjoyable-I was just happy to be out there!
That’s exactly what I plan on doing! Glad you had a good race!
I LOVE fall running too! I am so much more motivated to run this time of year because it is an excuse to get outside! No training for me this time of year, just enjoying the weather and scenery 🙂
Sounds pretty perfect to me!
Your run times look amazing! Very inspiring!
Thank you!!
Trying to get back into running for fun. Last year at this time I was training for my first half marathon with a goal of sub 2:00 (I finished in 1:54) and haven’t run much since. I live in LA and it’s still sweltering outside, but I’m doing some treadmill work to get ready for some fun long runs outdoors on the weekend when it finally cools down.
im currently not training for anything after a half in august. i just dont feel into it right now and man its amazing how fast you lose your windpower when you dont run much ! im thinking of next spring starting to focus more on less than 6ish miles and try to get faster. i like your relaxed approach though !