Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 6

Woah, we're half way there!  Woah, livin' on a prayer!  It would seem like Journey is the theme that is driving this week's training.  Only six weeks left until the big day when I toe the line and run through the city I love.

Monday: 6.28 Miles - Yes, my geeky-ness shone like the sun on this day when I decided to run 2π to both celebrate Pi Day and meet my training plan schedule.  The only thing that made this run a little challenging is that I was running on less than a decent night sleep and, like I said at the end of my training post from last week, my legs just didn't seem to be recovering well from their recent workouts.

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 4 Miles - I was glad this day only had a small amount of mileage to complete since I had three meetings that afternoon/evening.  I laced up and ran in lots of circles around the school grounds after the first meeting finished.  I was reminded why I only stuck with track through 10th grade....

Thursday: 6 Miles - I decided for this workout that slowing down the pace was what my body needed.  Once I started my Garmin, I didn't look back down at it.  Since I had resolved to let this week serve as recovery, the only goal I had was finishing the miles.

Friday: Rest Day - I did walk 2.5 miles with my students as part of a homelessness simulation.  They were miles for a greater cause!

Saturday: 8 Miles - While the sun was shining for this run, I was a little disappointed in that the weather had reverted back to its wintry wrath.  Out came the running pants and multiple layers and down went my mood.  Cold weather definitely drags me down and, to add to the challenge of the long run, I had developed a nice cold that made breathing a tad hard.  I did my best to maintain an even pace and just keep moving.

Sunday: Rest Day

While last week contained some great training, this week just didn't do it for me.  In having to slow myself down, I'm getting a great lesson in humility.  I've heard that sometimes you have to slow down in order to go faster!

Happy Running!
Sean

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training: Week 5

To say I was excited when I saw this week's forecast would be an understatement.  The moment I noticed the temperature reaching the 60's and sunny most days, I knew spring had arrived!  My body seemed to have know that it was time to awaken from its hibernation as well.

Monday: 3 Miles - My training plan incorporated this week as a mini taper-since my mileage had been increasing steadily for a while.  I just ran by feel this day enjoying the freedom of just running in shorts and a t-shirt.  The clear blue sky made for a perfect workout day.

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 6 Miles - I decided to hit the trails for this workout, since I didn't feel like running the routes I had used throughout winter.  After finishing about half the run, I decided to push myself a bit and see if I could get my average pace for the run below 9 minutes.  Going hard (and mostly uphill!), I was able to hit my target by finishing with my average at 8:57/mile.

Thursday: 5 Miles - Clouds and rain had moved into the area overnight meaning my run was going to be a wet one.  Oh well!  In some way, the rain seemed to encourage me to push harder.  I was able to finish the run with an average pace of 8:53/mile.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 4 Miles - Whatever had me going strong in my last few runs seemed to be holding on.  In my first mile, I was already moving at an 8:58/mile pace and by the end finished the last mile in 7:30.  Wow, was I booking it!  While it felt great to be reaching numbers I normally only see in races, I had this nagging feeling that I may have gone a little too hard.

Sunday: Rest Day

By pacing standards, my running had clearly improved from what I was doing throughout the winter months.  However, in retrospect, I should have allowed this week to be the taper it was intended for.  Walking around on Sunday, I commented to my wife how my legs just didn't feel right.  Despite the lower mileage, I felt stiff and more tired than normal.  In the coming week as my distances start to climb again, I may just have to take things easy.  Lesson learned!

Happy Running!
Sean

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