NYCM 2012: Week 11 Recap

Just. Hang. On. That was this week's motto. Hang on for one more mile. Now another mile. And another. I had to keep repeating this to myself each day as I attempted to get in my highest week of mileage ever.

Total Weekly Mileage: 56 mile

Monday: 1.5 miles at XC practice. 
I was planning on doing 6-8 miles today but had to visit the CVS walk-in clinic to get a TB test for work. Two hours later I walked out and it was 8:00. Time for dinner and time to plan for Tuesday's lesson, so running was out of the question.

Tuesday: 1 mile at XC meet, and 6 mile tempo run at 7:16 pace.
The kids had their 2nd meet of the season and since we got home before the sun was down I was able to get in a tempo run. The plan called for "strength" running, which is anything longer than 2 miles at faster than marathon pace. I accomplished that and then some! I was on fire and I was feeling good. I zoomed through the streets of DC, really letting myself go. Perhaps it helped to see the kids push themselves at the race before hand that really inspired me to run.

Wednesday: 8 miles at 8:07 pace. 
I took the kiddos over to a soccer game for practice, getting in almost 4 miles. When I got home it was time to make up the rest of the mileage to bring my to 8. I was surprised at how much the tempo run had taken out of me. My legs felt incredibly heavy, which forced me to be a little slower than I wanted.

Thursday: 8 miles at 7:47 pace.
Practice with the kiddos gave be a few miles, but I got in a good 6 miler afterward. I had my TB shot checked out before the run (all clear) and got my flu shot. The last thing I need is to get the flu this year during teaching or right before the marathon. Gosh, I hope I didn't jinx myself. Anyway, the legs were still feeling heavy from Tuesday. I can't believe how long it takes me to recover, but I have a feeling that if I could get more sleep and sit down more through the day then I would be better recovered than I was.

Friday: 6.35 miles at 7:59 pace.
I got in a run right after school, and the legs still did not feel much better. Perhaps I pushed too hard on Tuesday. Perhaps I stand too much during the day while teaching. And perhaps I don't drink enough water throughout the day. Actually, I know that the third perhaps is definitely true. I NEED more water than I am able to get.

Saturday: 1.5 miles at XC meet, 7.5 miles at 7:56 pace.

Wake-up time was at 5:00 am again this morning - no time to sleep in on the weekend. It was a meet day for the kids and we needed to travel a good two hours to get to the school. The school had a beautiful campus, but it required a lot of running around if you wanted to see the runners.

By the time I got home I was suuuuuper tired. I talked myself into doing 7.5 miles. By the time I was done the run, done dinner, showered, and on my way to see The Campaign, my legs were shaking. They were toast. And I was fearful for Sunday's long run.


Sunday: 16 miles at 8:22 pace
I woke up this morning feeling like I had already ran my 16 miles. My legs were sore and were definitely tired. But I got out there anyway, deciding to leave my water bottle at home and to bring along two GU packs. It wasn't until I got to 1:15 hours into my run that I started to feel better. Prior to that I convinced myself to take it one mile at a time.

Although I was tired, I wanted to get the run in. I have no clue how I will feel on November 4th, so it is important that I am able to train through fatigue and train my brain to cope with it. I also wanted to be sure that I was able to break my weekly-mileage record, which I did! The last time I had ran over 51 miles in one week was either 2008 or 2009 while training for cross country. So I am back! I hate being tired, yet I love the feeling of being in shape.

Hydration: Yesterday at the meet I found myself helping an athlete that passed out at the 2.25 mile mark because of dehydration. I saw him fall during the race and watched as he just stayed there. He didn't move, and everyone just ran by him (including a few adults). I ran over to him, found out that could barely talk and he certainly could not move on his own. When I asked him how much water he had had that morning he said "A third of my water bottle". It was 12:30 pm. He should have had 3 water bottles by that point.

This week I have been feeling horrible; very sluggish and very tired. I know that part of my problem is that I am not getting enough water during the day. I am trying to get used to my new role as a teacher. I am on my feet all the time and cannot take a bathroom break every hour like I was used to this summer when I was home all the time and properly hydrating. I know that going into the next 6 weeks of training I MUST make it a priority to get in enough water. So as I enter week 12, that will be my focus. Get. More. Water.