Gettysburg Marathon Training : Week 2

What a week!  I have to say that this was probably my best week of training...ever.  Every workout that I did was great and I felt really strong.  I'm starting to get into tougher workouts, and I'm handling everything really well so far.  By the laws of running, that means I need to get ready for a few awful weeks now.

We also got some bad weather this week.  Luckily, I was able to move around my workout schedule and didn't have to miss any runs.  Lets hope that this continues and I can stay off the treadmill as long as possible!  Here's a look at my week:



Monday

3 miles / 28:55 / 9:38 pace
Never miss a Monday!  I almost did miss because we had an offsite work event, but I still made sure to get in a few miles.  We went bowling which I'm counting as my strength training for the week...it's hard work!

In the evening, I did my core workout and yoga video.

30 days of yoga challenge: Yoga for spinal health


Tuesday

4.25 miles / 39:04 / 9:11 pace
Chilly morning, but it felt great once I got started on my run.  Easy run around the Northside.  There was a snow storm that started around 12:00, so I was happy to have my run over with and not have to deal with bad sidewalks!

30 days of yoga challenge: Endurance and Ease


Wednesday

4.5 miles / 39:40 / 8:48 pace

Speed work day!  1/2 mile warmup, 3x1 mile repeats at 8:10 average.  Each repetition I got a little faster and felt great the entire time.  In between each rep I ran 1/4 mile slowly, and ended with a 1/2 mile cool down.  I felt really good and strong the entire time, and spent some time stretching and foam rolling afterwards. Great start to the day!

30 days of yoga challenge: Mindful Hatha Yoga Workout


Thursday

Rest Day!
Felt good to take a day off running!  I did another core workout and some yoga.  Including daily yoga has definitely helped my recovery, so I want to keep this up even after the 30 days are done.

30 days of yoga challenge: Half Hour Half Moon Practice


Friday

8.25 miles / 1:16:17 / 9:14 pace
I took the day off work and decided to get my long run in. There was a bad ice storm predicted for Saturday, so I didn't want to risk bad conditions and end up missing my long run! It was cold out, but I was super bundled and it didn't bother me.


I wanted to challenge myself, so I did my normal loop of North Park and added on a run up Ridge Drive.  This road has a really hilly first mile that goes straight up to a lodge.  After that, there were some nice rolling hills.  The tough part about that was that the road was closed to traffic after the lodge, so it was completely snow covered.  This made it a little tougher to run, so once I made it back to the dry road I was flying!  This was a hard run, but I kept saying "Be Tough" in my head over and over.

30 days of yoga challenge : Easy Breeze Beautiful Yoga


Saturday

Rest Day!
The weather was absolutley awful, so I was really happy to stay inside all day.  I don't think I moved more than 1,000 steps all day!  I stayed on the couch with a heating pad on my back and legs, binge-watched Fuller House, and relaxed.  It felt amazing after yesterday's rough workout!

30 days of yoga challenge : Happiness Boost Yoga


Sunday

2 miles (un-timed)
I had plans to run a few easy miles at North Park, but everything was pretty much an ice skating rink!  Instead, Dan and I took Selma to the dog park, and I ran a few laps around.  The ground wasn't icy so it worked perfectly.  Running on the soft ground was also a nice change of pace for my ankles and knees, and Selma had a blast!  

30 days of yoga challenge : Wonder Yoga!


How is the weather where you are?
Do you ever have these magical weeks?
Have you ever done your workout in an unconventional place?  Whatever works..right?

Comments

  1. Jess @ Jess Runs ATLDecember 19, 2016 at 1:57 AM

    Solid week of training!! It's been cold even down here in Atlanta! My cold weather gear is definitely going to good use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunDecember 20, 2016 at 7:07 AM

      I didn't think it ever got cold there! hopefully not TOO cold :)

      Delete
  2. Jessie MDecember 19, 2016 at 7:42 AM

    I would say the weather is pretty similar where I am. ;) Haha

    I ended up on the treadmill on Saturday - but I was really tempted to drive to North Park & see how the Lake Loop looked, since I feel like they do a great job clearing that.

    I definitely need to do more yoga since I feel like it would really help my running, but most videos seem to be 30+ minutes & I just know I would never stick to doing that every day. :/ Do you have any shorter videos you recommend? Like 10-15 minutes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunDecember 20, 2016 at 7:08 AM

      I don't think they usually plow the running trail, just the road, so it might have still been bad. I sent you a few suggestions, hope they help :)

      Delete
  3. UnknownDecember 19, 2016 at 9:15 AM

    Monday's bowling workout sounds tough... thankfully you were fully hydrated... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownDecember 19, 2016 at 3:06 PM

    Good thing you didn't run Saturday as it was super icy here. I still don't know how you and several others I know can run in the cold cold weather. 40 degrees is about my max. I just signed up for a 10 mile race in April, that will be my longest I've ever done. I'll def be checking out some of your training tips as I know I def can't just wing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunDecember 20, 2016 at 7:08 AM

      Once you get out there it really isn't that bad! I swear :)

      Delete
  5. Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In LawDecember 19, 2016 at 6:02 PM

    Hooray for having a great week despite the not so great weather! I love that you counted bowling as strength training, haha! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fairytales and FitnessDecember 19, 2016 at 6:19 PM

    Kudos to you for a great week. I have a feeling I may be using my treadmill a lot more this winter!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownDecember 20, 2016 at 2:57 PM

    Super impressive week, lady! You are kicking butt this winter! I think I need to start doing yoga too. I always feel like it helps me when I do it.

    ReplyDelete

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