Marathon Training: Week 11

I can't believe my first marathon is coming up in January! All those last few years of thinking about it and knowing that I wasn't ready to commit to training for one seemed like forever ago, and now it's real and I couldn't be more excited (and nervous - let's not lie here lol!). For the marathon plan I'm following, I chose one for beginner runners who have about a year of running under their belt. While I'm not a beginner, I wanted to work more on hills, technique and speed and I feel that this plan will allow me to do that to a greater extent come January for April's marathon. 

With the nice crisp and cool weather, week 11 felt great even though a few of my runs got cut pretty short. This was another busy week at work and since the BMX tracks are pretty consistently rained out, running was much needed. I actually like running when it's darker out, as long as I'm doing it in an area where I feel safe. The amount of sunscreen I put on alone in the Summer and Fall could have kept Target in business. 

The week 11 breakdown went like this:

Monday 12/3: Rest Day. 

Tuesday 12/4: 6 miles at the park. It was dark by the time I got there, which is pretty normal nowadays, but there were plenty of soccer and softball games going on inside the running trail perimeters, so I felt very safe, not to mention I got to check out some of the games as I ran by! There were about 3 other runner's on the trail, so about every 8 minutes I would cross someone's path. I'm glad I wasn't the only one out there.

Wednesday 12/5: Rest day today. I needed to get some things done around the house so today made for a good rest day. No regrets. 

Thursday 12/6: Only 2 miles today due to a hectic day and staying late at work. I tried to go to the park, but the soccer games had ended and going around the path I swear I heard a weird sound in the wooded area, like a metal click sound where no metal click sounds should ever be, so I ran my butt back to the car and called it at only one lap around (2 miles). I've learned a long time ago to listen to my intuition, and that if something seems wrong, chances are it is. Better safe than sorry. And it's also the perfect opportunity for a Monty Python GIF. 😊

Friday 12/7: Today was a long standing hair appointment that I had already rescheduled twice, so aside form it being labeled as a rest day, it was hair day. I was so happy with how it turned out! No more bad hair days (for awhile, anyways). 😎

Rawwwrrrrr!

Saturday 12/8: 2.3 miles on the treadmill. I went to the gym to cancel my membership since I have been loving the cooler outdoor running our winters have to offer. I also bought a few weights to use at home so I'm set there, too. I have some plans for switching it up and keeping it fun in 2019, so am really looking forward to that. I was trying for 5 miles but wasn't feeling it, and that alone made me happy that I had decided to cancel.

Sunday 12/9: LONG RUN DAY WOOHOO!! 17 miles in the park. My friend Robyn ran with me for the first 7.6 miles, and without her I don't know what I would've done. I learned with this that long runs with friends make it so much better. Overall I did pretty well with my longest run to date. I am nursing a sore foot from running on some uneven lumps on the trail, but it's getting better and other than that I'm feeling great!