First of all – thank you for all of your comments on what you liked / wanted to see more of! There’s some stuff I’ll never feel comfortable blogging about (um, dating) but there were lots of great questions / ideas in the comments.
Christina from the Running Foodie! Please email me your address and I’ll get you a sparkly piece of elastic and a piece of plastic you can trade for coffee.
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Now onto the good stuff.
I’m glad to hear a lot of you like the training recaps. I know I like reading others’ training recaps because I like seeing how real people fit workouts and training into their weeks, and I enjoy writing the training recaps because it gives me time to reflect on an entire week of training instead of just an individual run. It’s also fun to look back on past weeks of training.
Like when I peaked at 47 miles per week last year. That was fun.
This week, I got a solid 30 miles in. Last week was my second week of building in this part of the training cycle. I’ll add some more mileage this week, take a step back again next week (I’m doing three weeks on, one week as a stepback) and then I’m pretty sure Jess will start piling on those miles. Bring it on.
P.S. Victoria had to go carry the friend leaderboard with that whole Ironman thing. Go over to her blog and congratulate her. I will forever be in awe of Ironpeople.
Monday: Rest day. A beautiful thing.
Tuesday: Did a 4-miler on the treadmill because it was pouring (and because it was another chance to watch Orange is the New Black) and Uplift with Jen for her birthday!
Wednesday: BEST TEMPO EVER. It was a 7-miler, and the tempo splits were 8:26, 8:31, 8:17. My half-marathon pace is 8:24, so I was happy with where those splits were. (And also wondered how I held that pace for 13.1 miles just a few months ago…) I also think that 7 miles is my new favorite mid-distance distance.
Thursday: Uplift. After the knee pain, I started adding in some more strength, and I’m happy to report that it’s helped the knee pain AND it’s not killing me like it was a few weeks ago.
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: AMAZING 14-miler with Rebecca! I did 14 miles at a 9:18 pace, which is more than a minute faster than my run the week before. This was the very first run since I started training where I thought breaking 4 might actually be possible. I felt like I was running instead of just slogging along AND I ran into my friend Emily at the end and then she made me breakfast.
Sunday: I spent Saturday evening recovering with all the wine and pizza at my buddy Courtney’s, so Sunday’s 5-mile run was sweating out wine and pizza. Sorry, West Side Highway. It was supposed to be 4 miles, but I knew that 5 would get me to 30 miles for the week, and I just wanted to hit 30.
I have so many questions for you today:
– Orange is the New Black: are you/did you watch? I rarely watch TV but really needed to step away from everything two weeks ago, turned it on and was hooked. It also gave me a ginormous dose of perspective in my life. Even when things are rough in my life, I’m still luckier than many.
– How do you recover from long runs? Wine and pizza, right? There must be some study somewhere funded by the Pizza Council of America to support this.
– How was your week o’training?
– Just a random question, but HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET RID OF MOSQUITO BITES IMMEDIATELY? I was eaten alive at said wine-and-pizza-recoveryfest, and my legs are a hot, mosquito-bite covered mess.
*Last week some people were confused by my countdown by weeks. My schedule has Marathon Week as “1 week to go”, so that’s where that comes from. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Awwwwwwww thanks for the shoutout. Maybe I should do a 140.6 every weekend so that I keep my spot on that leaderboard?
Congrats on the stellar tempo AND long run in one week!
I definitely recovered with pizza post-long run this week. And it was glorious.
It won’t necessarily make them go away, but I find the clear Benadryl gel works wonders to relieve the itching! (I am very attractive to mosquitos, and it’s the only thing that really works effectively and quickly.)
@MB: ooh thanks! I am also very attractive to mosquitoes, so I will have to try that.
@Theodora:
Heyy try hydrocortisone cream ( over the counter ). Also – do you use an app that shows your routes ? I’d like some knew route ideas. Thank you and great job !
Just discovered _Orange is the New Black_ last week, after listening to an interview about it on Fresh Air. I like it a lot, but my boyfriend is obsessed with it. 🙂 Congrats on a great week of training!
@Ada: Yay for Fresh Air and NPR!
@Ada: Yes! I heard the same Fresh Air and I just watched the 3rd episode tonight. Thank goodness my fiance is limiting the # of episodes I can watch in a day (one) because otherwise, I would be obsessed.
And, as Theodora said, it does put your life in perspective. I took a prison-related class in college and we actually visited a min-security all women’s prison in PA which was on a former college campus (and really made us lucky to think we could leave campus anytime we wanted). Anyway, this show just brings back flashbacks of that visit.
I haven’t seen Orange is the New Black but I know it’s getting a lot of good press!
My training is winding down — half marathon on Sunday! SO EXCITED. I refuel with a giant pb&j sandwich right after, and then yes- pizza is always a win.
My long runs coincide with Prospect Park’s farmer’s market on Saturdays so sugared apple cider donuts and blueberries! So good.
Also benadryl itch relief spray is AMAZING and keeps the swelling down!
http://www.drugstore.com/benadryl-itch-relief-spray-extra-strength/qxp13134
I started watching Orange is the New Black but the first episode wasn’t holding my attention. Think I should try the next one? Will it hook me? Wish we lived in the same city so we could run together!! 🙂
@Ericka @ The Sweet Life: I thought that it picked up after the first episode. And yes, why don’t we live in the same city?!
Fantastic recap. Have seen Orange is the New Black and I got hooked already. I remember those days I’m doing this exercises. It’s fun and somewhat a torture, but hey! It’s all worth it.
Watching OITNB now! So fun fact: Taryn Manning (who plays the nasty, trashy preachy girl) is related to Eli and Peyton Manning. I know, I know…just blew your mind.
I agree that 7 miles are the perfect mid-distance run. I’ve had a hard time lately limiting myself go for short runs on this training schedule and usually end up around 7 miles.
Yay! Happy your training is going so well!
I’m not sure I used to recover with wine and pizza haha it was more like wine, pizza and dessert 😀
This is my first week of official training for the New York marathon (only confirmed my place last week!) So i need to be very efficient/work hard this time round. Lots of stretching, foam rolling, pilates, strength, oh and running! Did 10 miles with Ashley on Friday morning which were great!
Ditto the recommendations on Benadryl. I carry a bottle of the spray with me at all times during the summer. I think there is a maximum dosage, but ignore it. Reapply as often as needed until the itch goes away. Pizza and wine are also good remedies!
I love Orange is the New Black. I finished season 1 on Monday night and am now dying to see what happens next. That show is not what I expected but I really like it.
LOVE Orange is the New Black. I read the memoir last year and was excitedly awaiting the show. And the show was phenomenal! Can’t wait for more. I recover from long runs by eating French toast or pancakes and sitting on the couch.
I love seeing what adjective Daily Mile picks for each week’s report… and if actually lines up with what I did. I think “fantastic” is quite appropriate for you this week! Keep up the great work (including being okay with having a pizza night!!)
@Alicia at Poise in Parma: DailyMile’s adjectives seem so arbitrary sometimes! I am TOTALLY okay with a pizza night…this was just a LOT of pizza. And wine. But fun 🙂
Pizza and wine is definitely delicious! In colder weather I usually do a burger and a beer after a long run.
Benadryl cream will work and so does cortisone cream. Both stop itching and the latter will also help with the swelling.
Umm. I don’t even know what show that is. But I can tell you all about Thomas and Sesame Street if you care to know =) I am so out of touch with real life sometimes.
Awesome runs last week. Isn’t it amazing how a long run can be just “eh” one week and the next it’s just amazing and everything clicks? =)
I wanted pizza in a BAD way after my long run Saturday…unfortunately my fiance had different plans. He’s lucky I like him, because I was close to throwing a hissy fit on that one. He must know our bodies NEED wine and pizza after such strenuous work outs, come on!
Wowsas – 30 miles in a week! Way to go!!
As for mosquito bites, have you used afterbite? Sometimes it stings a bit, but I am obsessed with it.
Wow that’s really impressive routine, what food supplements are you taking at the moment?
Love Orange! I heard on NPR that it is based on a book by Piper Kerman. I can’t wait to take a look at the book.
“…and i just wanted to hit 30.” love that. 🙂
recovery after my long run this past Sat included Oyster Bay Savignon Blanc and a day spent on the boat with some faves. pretty darn perfect.
Vicks on big bites will take care of them! Especially (for the future) if you apply a dab as soon as you get bit. 🙂
Hey NYC-ers,
I’m selling my brand new juicer on the cheap.
Email If you’re interested. Link here:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/app/4014144643.html
Orange is the New Black is amazing. I started watching it last week on vacation and I was obsessed after just a few episodes. It’s going to become my guilty pleasure…. Awesome week of training! I’m so inspired by all your runs and you’re motivating me to pick up my game a bit with my weekday runs!
I LOVE seeing a great tempo. Well done!
I like refueling with sushi! For whatever reason, the miso soup is really rejuvenating and I’m craving salt after a long run, too.
Just discovererd your blog – it’s great! I’m training for Richmond marathon (my first) in November.
Orange is the New Black is excellent!! Can’t wait for the second season.
Also, mosquitos love me too. My favorite post-bite cream is Gold Bond anti-itch. It’s amazing.
Good luck on your training!