Gettysburg Marathon Training : 2 Steps Forward 1 Step Back

It feels so good to finish a full week of training again.  The weather was also perfect all week (is spring finally going to stick around?) and it felt amazing to run outside in SHORTS.  I'm happy to be running again and for the most part this was a fantastic week.  I did have a little setback that I'll talk about, and is the reason for the title today!  

Only four more weeks to go until race day, and each day I'm getting more and more of my confidence back.  I'm using this entire training cycle as a lesson on what (not) to do and learning from it.  I know I haven't even run this race yet, but I'm already excited to use what I learned to improve and crush some PR's this year.

I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's just talk about training this week!

Monday

5 mile walk

I didn't really want to run for a third day in a row, so I decided to head out with Selma for a walk around North Park.  She's always up for some exercise so we had a great time!  The weather was also great, and we fit in a few sections of running (maybe 1 mile total).

Tuesday

3.5 miles / 9:26 pace

I was so excited for this run because I finally got to run in the morning again!  The weather was perfect and I felt fantastic.  I went for an easy run on one of my favorite routes, and it felt like I was finally back to normal.

Wednesday

Rest Day

Thursday

5 miles / 8:45 pace

To be honest, I was really nervous about this workout.  It was my first speed workout in a few weeks, and I wasn't sure how my body would handle it.  My plan was 5 miles with the middle 3 at marathon race pace (9:00 per mile).  I set out at an easy pace and instantly felt relaxed and happy to be out!  I saw my time was 9:09 for the first "warmup" mile and decided to use this run as a time trial for the 3 miles, and see what my comfortable hard/tempo pace would be.  My splits ended up being 8:31, 8:19 and 8:13.  I felt like I could have run forever, and it made me SO happy!

Friday

Rest Day

Saturday

5 miles / 9:01 pace

1 hour hike

Saturday was Dan's birthday, so we got to do whatever he wanted for the day!  I started out waking up early and getting in a quick 5 mile run at the park (stopping at the Boat House to cheer on some friends running Just a Short Race!).  After I got home, we headed out to brunch at Casbah, where we had a fantastic meal.  Then, we headed back to the park to go for a hike with Selma!  It was so beautiful out and the park was packed, so I was happy to be on the more quiet trails.  Selma had a blast and it was great to spend some quality time outside.  When we got back home, we spent the night outside drinking wine and having some appetizers.  It was pretty much a perfect day and the best way to celebrate his birthday.

Sunday

11 miles / 9:20 pace

My plan for today was to do 15 miles. Started out feeling great on a sunny and warm morning. My pace was fantastic and I barely felt like I was working, plus my fueling was on point. Right around 10.5 miles I started to feel my shoulder get a little sore, so I decided to play it safe and cut my run a little short and not risk getting re-injured.  I know that my fitness is there and I would rather show up on race day a little under-trained than not being able to run at all. Back to physical therapy!  

Overall I was happy with this week.  Not everything went to plan, but for the most part I feel back to myself.  I tried easing back into training and trying to not push myself too much.  It's definitely a tough balancing act, but I'm working on it!

linking up with Holly from HoHo Runs , Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin , Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC and Steff from Run Steff Run!