Pittsburgh Marathon Training: Week 8

One word describes the intensity of the workouts this week: easy.  No race pace workouts or hard efforts were in sight and I was completely okay with that.  Some weeks during training it needs to just be about the love of the run.

Monday: 4 Miles - Despite the predictions of that famous groundhog, it seemed that spring was ready to make its entrance.  Today's weather was the ideal 55 degrees for a great run and to top it off, the federal holiday meant a day off.  Taking the miles easy, I enjoyed the gift of hitting the pavement on such a perfect day.

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 4 Miles - I've been trying my best to continue the practice of running by feel and using my heart rate data to verify that I am, in fact, running easy.  On a day like today, that meant accepting a slower pace compared to Monday, since that was what my body needed.  I have found that I'm recovering from my runs much faster by following this training approach and becoming a stronger believe that to get faster you sometimes need to slow down.

Thursday: 8.5 Miles - Well, the great weather just kept coming.  I was a bit nervous that this would not be the case since there had been rain the forecast, but everything held off until the moment I finished.  And then the heavens opened and I contemplated the need to build an ark.  Dodged that one!

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 17 Miles - For the week starting out warm and glorious, it ended on a rather dreary note.  With grey skies and the threat of rain the entire workout, the long run for the week was a chilly one.  We also had a much smaller group than normal, since one of the major winter races was happening this morning.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the company as well as the miles.

Sunday: 8 Miles - In true Pittsburgh fashion, we had somehow gone from balmy to chilly in a matter of days.  Though the sun was shining, the air was crisp as a definitive reminder that winter hadn't left us just yet.  Not letting this put a damper on my run, I took things easy, especially after the heavy mileage from yesterday.

By the end of this week, I felt really refreshed.  My legs seemed to have a little extra bounce in them that was pleasantly surprising after 40 miles.  Besides the general aches and pains that come with running, everything seems to be moving the right direction for a great race day in May - let's hope that continues!

Happy running!
Sean

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