While I am logging in the miles for my goal marathon, my 8-year-old daughter is training for her own running goal -- the Chickamauga Battlefield Junior Marathon. Many marathons are starting to include "junior marathons" for the kids (hopefully I will be finished with my own race in time to see my daughter's first "marathon" -- it could be tight). The goal is to run 25.2 miles (one mile at a time) during the training period, then on race day, the kids will all run mile 26 together. My daughter has loved the one-mile kid races that often accompany my local 5k races. In one memorable event, she finished 4th out of 4 kids, and she was so down in the dumps when she crossed the finish line. But when they handed out awards, she got a prize for 1st-place girl in her age division, and her attitude did a 180-degree shift. Party ON.
This race has been the first one that has required any training of her. The race officials will only hand out race numbers to children who turn in a completed training log. She hasn't been enthusiastic about her training, and I admit that I haven't been as encouraging as I should be. The training period began on June 1, and nearly three months later, she has only run six miles. We still have two months to go, but we'll need to make it more of a routine thing from now on.
My sweet daughter asked me to run a mile with her Sunday evening around the neighborhood. It turned out to be an extra special time for us, since we rarely have the opportunity for one-on-one time together. I will certainly make running with her more often a priority.
The rest of my running week was successful -- I ran my first 20-mile run for the year, and it was my first 40-mile week in who-knows-how-long. At the end of the week, I feel strong and free of aches and pains.
Monday: Cross-training. Ummmmm, yeah, that didn't happen. It took me years to discover that I love to run. It may take me several more years to discover that I love another activity that fits into my schedule.
Tuesday: 10-mile negative split run. I got a little bit of a late start for this one, considering I was supposed to be showered, dressed, and dropping my boy off at daycare by 8:45 so I could be at work by 9:00. I ultimately cut it a tiny bit short, figuring that I could best use that last 1/3 mile as a cool-down walk. Summary: 9.71 miles at an average 9:26 pace.
Wednesday: Rest day. Also a high-stress day at work. I'm glad those coincided.
Thursday: Speed intervals. I don't quite understand how zone training works if you're not using a heart-rate monitor. I know that zone 5 is balls-out fast. I think that zone 4 might be tempo-pace or slightly faster? This workout of six intervals in zone 3 with recovery periods in between was a little confusing for me. My speed intervals fell between 8:27 and 8:41 per mile, which is somewhere between my target 10k and half-marathon race pace. I don't know if that was where I was supposed to be running, but it was a moderately challenging run. I've got the same run coming up in week 8, so if you are reading my blog and you know a little something about training zones, I would love some input! Overall run: 6.57 miles at 9:19 pace.
Friday: Blissful Friday. The work-week is nearly over and the run is always easy. 3.55 miles at 9:14 pace.
Saturday: My first 20-mile run of 2013 didn't start well. My stomach was a little upset for the first several miles, and that made me question the wisdom of running a full 20. Miles 8-11 were challenging. Although my stomach wasn't bothering me anymore, I was soaking wet and just plain sluggish. I stopped at a convenience store to get a Gatorade & I decided to try a 5-Hour Energy. A mile later, I got a good second wind and finished the last 8 miles feeling pretty strong. Even then, for the last three miles, I was counting down to the finish by quarter mile increments. I've had better 20-mile runs, but I'm pretty sure they were in colder temps. I'm considering this one a victory, particularly since I didn't feel sore the rest of the weekend. Summary: 20 miles at 9:44 pace.
Sunday: Restful morning, and one easy evening mile around the neighborhood with my girl.
Total for the week: 40.83 miles and feeling like I am going to be well-prepared come November.
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