Week 3 MCM Training Recap

I can’t believe I’m almost 1/4 of the way through marathon training already!

Screen shot 2012-07-30 at 9.40.43 PM.png

According to DailyMile, my training was awesome last week.

Are the adjectives based on an algorithm or are they completely arbitrary? I always try to guess what my Monday email’s going to say, but I haven’t been able to discern a pattern. Sometimes my low-mileage weeks get the same adjectives as my high-mileage, ass-kicking, pace-busting runs.

So, let’s recap this week, shall we?

Tuesday: Meh. I’ve had much worse runs, but I’ve had much better runs. I ran three miles before work through quicksand up the West Side HIghway and just never got into it.

Wednesday: That was a scary 5-miler I had to cut short to 3 because I felt so awful.

Thursday: Thursdays are rest days on my plan, which is great because I also have a standing early meeting at work, so a morning workout would be a little harder.

Friday: I wish I could say I was trying to play it safe after Wednesday’s run, but in reality, it just didn’t happen after quite a few glasses of wine Thursday.

Saturday: Back in the game something fierce. I had an amazing eleven-miler Saturday. If I can run that pace for another 15.2 miles…I will still be one minute and one second short of my goal. I have my work cut out for me, for sure.

Sunday: After falling two days in a row, I finally took this one at the easy pace I was supposed to.

Overall: I feel good about the miles I did get in (even the tough ones) and am frustrated with myself for the ones I didn’t. Training isn’t about being perfect, but it is preparing with everything you’ve got. Given that last year I was unemployed and had so much more time to run and the year before that, I had a less-demanding job and Junior League role, I’m happy so far with how I’ve fit my runs into my schedule. Although the runs are only going to get longer from here, I’m hoping that the more I get used to this Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday schedule, the more it will just feel like routine.

Another note: that Wednesday run did really freak me out, and I went for a physical today because it’d been a while, and I wanted to make sure all systems were a go. I won’t get the results of my bloodwork for a few days, but the doctor did hear a slight heart murmur, which I have to have checked out by a cardiologist Thursday. She wasn’t terribly worried, so I’m not either. I had one when I was a baby, and it went away. I hadn’t had a physical in at least two years, because I told myself I was healthy and didn’t need one, so just a reminder to go get a check-up, if you can, if you haven’t had one in a while either. Maybe your heart will murmur sweet nothings to you too?

newport_half.png

Oh, and this happened today, too. Anyone else doing this race? I did the Newport Half two years ago, and really enjoyed it.

Time to get to sleep. I have some marathon training to get after.

How’s your training going? When was the last time you had a physical?

17 comments on “Week 3 MCM Training Recap

  1. Linda

    Ooh, that looks like a fun race. I’m already signed up for the 18 mile tune-up that day, but I’ll have to think about it. The 18 mile tune-up pretty much put me to sleep last year.
    I’m glad you had a good training week despite your scary run. I’m glad you went to the doctor. I hope everything turns out alright.

    Reply
  2. Shauna@Pleasure, not Punishment

    I love your triumphant banana picture.

    Glad you had a great training week and that your ticker is okay!

    Yesterday was my first 8 mile run and it was AWESOME. I had a great time and rewarded myself with a foam roller which is also awesome. I’m halfway through half marathon training and couldn’t be more excited for October!

    Reply
  3. Melissa

    I’m thisclose to signing up for the Newport Half. It’s super cheap (although I hear there are no medals – whattt?) but I’m wondering if the course will be annoying with all its twists and turns…

    Reply
    1. Theodora

      @Melissa: I don’t remember the twists and turns being too annoying except for one area where the course got REALLY narrow, and it was a bit annoying at the end. Otherwise, I really liked it.

      Reply
  4. Erin

    I’m also training for a marathon (Chicago) and my doctor just sent me to see a cardiologist for having a slight heart murmur . My cardiologist confirmed that it was was nothing to be concerned about, but more surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the appt. It turned out my cardiologist was a marathoner herself, so she was very supportive of my training and had a lot of great insight. I hope your appt goes well too!

    Reply
  5. Katie

    I hope everything is normal at the cardiologist! It’s great that you got a check up after your scary run.

    I have a very loud, scary sounding murmur as a result of a small Mitral valve. The cardiologist takes a look at it every 5 years and it always looks good. He always tells me it is good I am a runner because it keeps my heart strong and allows it to compensate for a small valve. Score one for running!

    Reply
  6. Jss

    I admire your approach to training — and trying to honor the training plan without letting it TOTALLY rule you. (hard to do!). I also am in awe of any runner in training that can run 5-6 days a week, no problem. I was running 4x/week before I started training for my first marathon and now I’ve cut that to 3x/week and it’s working out great. Sure, I may not be the fastest one on race day, but that isn’t’ my goal for this race, ya know?

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Jss Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.