Made it through the week...

I was really discontented with my running when I started this week. That bled into my blogging (or lack thereof). It is really frustrating that I have to deal with the ankle two weeks before the 14.2 miler and I am no where near the paces I had hoped.

I pushed myself out the door Monday morning to run at the 1/2 mile track below the gym. After the 3-miler, I felt the familiar euphoria that keeps me lacing up the running shoes morning after morning. I slept in Tuesday morning and still a bit worried about the ankle. I chose a nearby park and enjoyed the scenery. I didn't want to push things so I went just a little over 4 miles. The hills and heat got to me but the run went fairly well. My ankle was still holding up pretty good so I was a little encouraged and decided to push a bit during my Thursday tempo run.

The tempo run included a plan for a mile warm-up and 5 miles at about a 9:15 pace. I was on track the first two miles but actually ran faster the last four. My splits were 9:43 (warm-up), 9:16, 8:57, 9:00, 9:02, and 9:07. I was finally feeling like I was heading in the right direction. Friday's easy run was uneventful and I decided on a 12-mile long run for Saturday morning.

I wanted to run real close to a 10-minute per mile pace and was doing pretty good the first few miles. When I got around 6 miles I could start to feel the tiredness set in and told myself that finishing was more important than pace. But at 8 miles, I was still on track at a time of 1 hour, 20 minutes. I was on track if I could keep up the current pace. That was a big IF!

I finished off my 2nd powergel at about 8.5 miles and threw my wrapper in a garbage can I always use. I decided to use the nearby water fountain for an extra sip of water but was shocked by a splurge of acid reflux went I bent over! I had to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath and take in some water from my camelbak. It surprised me more than anything but I got going rather quickly.

At mile 10 I encountered several large dogs running the streets. I am not exactly scared of dogs but encounters while I am running make me anxious! They were about 50 meters ahead of me and I started walking to see what they were going to do. They went off in the woods, apparently not interested in me, so I started running once again.

The last 2 miles were pretty hard! The sun was beating down and it was getting hot. I had started later than usual because I couldn't one of my podcasts to download into my computer. I was starting to feel the difference! Had I been able to make it through these miles a bit quicker, I may have managed the pace I desired but I couldn't pick it up. I finished at a 10:18 pace. :-(

I will plan a shorter long run of 8 miles this Friday, the last long run before the race. I am going whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River Saturday so I am getting it in earlier in the week. Hopefully, I won't feel too wiped out as a result!

I am only 2 weeks from race day so I have to rethink my original goal time of 2:15 (for 14.2 miles). At this point, 2:25 may be much more realistic. I guess this goes to show you that if you are a beginner like me, you must give your body a rest week in one of these 12 week race plans to give your legs a break. If you don't give your body a rest, it will take a rest anyway one way or another!