Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 4

I believe the word ¨cold¨ best describes how my running had felt this week.  These miles required both some layering that undoubtedly slowed me down and a drive that just wasn't there.

Monday: 4 Miles - Like many runners, I did get in some Leap Day miles, but didn't really realize that fact until I posted my run on Twitter - whoops!  As for the workout, while the weather wasn't terrible, the wind definitely had a cold bite to it.  I was also disheartened when I glanced at the temps for the week and noticed the decline back into winter territory.  Ugh!

Tuesday: Rest Day - I did get in about an hour of walking on the treadmill while grading papers.  I figured the endorphins would make me more lenient!

Wednesday: 5 Miles - This run was a great example of poor decision-making with regard to attire.  In being hopeful that there was no snowstorm ravaging the town, I decided to go slim on the number of layers I wore.  Bad idea!  It was not until I got to about mile 4 that my upper body finally started to warm up.  My legs on the other hand just suffered giving me cold muscles that didn't want to work.

Thursday: 3 Miles - By this day, I was able to see the 5 day forecast and the light at the end of the cold tunnel!  I just had to make it through my next two runs and I'd be enjoying some warm, sunny miles.  I took this workout easy, especially since a random snow squall had passed through the night before leaving my route covered in white.  I did take a moment to notice how my surroundings looked since it was likely to be the last major snowfall - everything seemed so peaceful.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 8 Miles - My long run for the week would probably best be described as a "hot mess."  I wore way too many layers, carried items I really didn't need, and miscalculated the distance of my route leading me to finish my workout about two miles from my intended end point (good thing I'm not a math teacher!).  When I finally pushed all these issues out of my head and just focused on running, I felt good.  I figured my race was only 5.1 more miles than I had run, which is totally doable.

Sunday: Rest Day

Of my weeks of training, I would have to say this one was fraught with a low motivation to hit the roads.  Regardless, I got my miles in and am hoping to better weather and a greater drive next week.

Happy Running!
Sean