MONDAY: This week I was filling in for my manager at work and needed to stay a few hours longer than I normally would. By the time I got home from work and ate dinner it was time for me to go and take my taxes to get done. I still managed to get in a short ab workout, but it wasn't anything to write home about.
TUESDAY: It was raining pretty good when I left work. I kept debating with myself on whether I should go to the gym and use the treadmill for my hill workout or should I just face the cold rainy weather. I decided to brave the elements and run outside. The beauty about where I live is there is a huge hill no farther than 50 feet from my front door. The hill is a little longer than 200 meters and is way steeper than what my training plan called for. I figured what the hell, no pain no gain. I ended up doing 8 hill workouts. It beat me down, but I was so happy that I chose to run outside.
WEDNESDAY: Just when I thought the snow was done for the year we were about to get blasted with one of the worst yet. The news wasn't sure what we were supposed to get. Some stations were calling for 1-3 inches while some were saying 3-6. It was already starting to get bad when I left work so I decided to take a rest day. I wasn't happy about this but I made the smart move.
THURSDAY: When the snow finally stopped I would say we were left with around 4-5 inches. I knew running on the roads were out since some roads weren't even touched from the salt trucks. I headed to the gym to do my tempo run. I started with a 8:57 pace for the first mile then dropped down to 8:00 for the next 2. I finished with a 8:57 for the last mile. My legs were sore when I was done, but I made it through the whole workout without any shin problems. That is huge for me since the treadmill usually gives me problems.
FRIDAY: REST DAY... The schedule called for a rest day, and I was thinking I might run still since I missed Monday. I however felt a little stomach bug coming on so I decided to just listen to the plan and take it easy.
SATURDAY: My friend Abby and I headed out to North Park for a run. My plan only called for a 3 mile run, but Abby has only ran 1 day this season and is running the 6 mile part of the Marathon Relay. I decided to let her pace me and we ended up running 5 miles. I was really impressed that we were still able to run a 10:17 pace. Not to shabby for someone who has done little training this season. If you run at North Park you may know that Ingomar Rd. is shut down. I have heard that they are very unhappy with runners going through the construction zone, and are planning to ticket runners. Just a heads up for all you runners.
SUNDAY: When I woke and looked out the window, I had to take a double take to actually make sure I was looking at the sun. It was a great sigh

After the run today I looked at training plan and I have decided this week I am going to alter it a bit. I feel that only doing 3 miles 3 days a week isn't giving my legs the strength they are going to need if I want to PR the half. So this week I plan on doing at least 4 miles on days that call for 3. Don't get me wrong I can see that doing the 3 miles definitely helped with dropping my casual pace time, but I need to make sure I can hold my fast pace for the longer distance.
How did your week go?
Have you ever deviated from your training plan? If so how did it go?
I'm training without a training plan right now. It is so hard! I am starting to regret my decision. I've been spending most of the day looking for a quick plan to put into place!
ReplyDeleteI'm training without a training plan right now. It is so hard! I am starting to regret my decision. I've been spending most of the day looking for a quick plan to put into place!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time with a plan and I am so glad I am using it. Even if I deviate from it, I still feel better knowing I have something to go off of
DeleteIf you are part of Steel City Road Runners, contact the coaches, I am sure they can find a plan that will fit with your expectations!
DeleteI like the plan I am using a lot, I just think adding a few more miles on the short days can't hurt me too much
DeleteI agree that you should alter your plan to make it work for you. I altered mine to add more miles, and that's been working for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, glad to see it is working for you. I plan on changing it today and seeing how this week goes
DeleteSounds like you had a great week! We had to change up our plan this week too. We had weather, travel, and a stomach bug all in the mix.
ReplyDeleteJeez seems like you had a crazy week. Sometimes when things like that happen you can't do anything except adjust to it
DeleteI start with an outline for a plan. If I ever say I'm following a plan 100% I'm lying. I switch days to meet my schedule and I alter workouts based on my needs. I think I'm doing a little less of that this time around than last marathon training cycle, but I'm still at it. I don't think plans are supposed to be taken verbatim. They're only a guide. Sounds like your stomach bug didn't hold you down much if at all. You still rocked out the miles this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nichole, I think that is what I wanted to hear, that it's okay to just use the plan as a guide. I mean I know what my body can handle and what works so I don't see any harm in changing.
DeleteGreat week - so glad your shins are cooperating! Jen and I saw some runners sneaking through the gates at Ingomar on Saturday and we were too chicken to cut through. SO GLAD we didn't - I would have been pissed if I got a ticket...totally would have deserved it, but I'd still be pissed.
ReplyDeleteTraining plans are definitely just a guide. In fact, I normally break my 16 week marathon plans into 4, 4 week cycles and at the end of each cycle I take a look at the plan to see what needs "tweaked" - what's working, what isn't and how can I adjust. If it doesn't feel right to you, definitely make the changes you need!!
I would be pissed too if I got a ticket. That would be a great way to ruin a run. I will stick to doing the horseshoe until it reopens. Normally I don't even use a plan but this time I wanted to see how it went. Like you said i am using it as a guide and making tweeks here and there for what works for me
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