Back In The Saddle ... Finally

After averaging only about 33 miles per week for the past two months, I finally got back in the swing of things and started building some distance this weekend.  Why and how?  Well, I kicked off my Chicago Marathon training with an up-tempo 15 miles with my friend, Jeff, on Saturday, followed by a slow 8 mile recovery on Sunday.  The 15 miles seemed like a marathon in itself, especially since we were pushing it at a faster pace.  We ran comfortably for the first 3-5 miles, and then the middle 7 miles at 7:18/pace, which would have been fine if I had been in better shape - but I really struggled to keep the tempo.  It was a great run though!

It's been a while since I've trained for a marathon (about 4 months), so I took some time to rest up, and run some shorter races.  The result was much fresher legs and a 10K and Half-Marathon PR!  Plus, really reducing the mileage taught me quite a bit about my body.  I learned that I don't have to run the crazy 100-mile weeks like I did last year to be effective.  Jill at Run With Jill told me last summer that it would fatigue me.  I blew her off.  She was right.  I was probably a little too fatigued for my race in Wichita where I had intended to PR but bombed worse than any other marathon to date.  So this summer I'm really gonna keep an eye on the mileage.

I was able follow the two weekend runs with 10 hot humid slow miles on Monday, rest on Tuesday, and an 80 degree/91% humidity 10 mile Tempo Run this morning.  Even though it probably should have been classified as a swim, I was able to grind out 6 miles at a 7:10/pace without completely dying.

While the 15 miles on Saturday kicked my butt, it felt good do something considered a "long run" again.   All the shorter stuff was starting to bum me out - ha.  I've got HUGE plans at the Chicago Marathon ... so here we go - hopefully I'll stay healthy and get it done this year!  We'll see.  Hope your running is going well - have a great week!
... be great today!