Gettysburg Marathon Training : Back at It

I'm happy to report that I got back to running this week!  I took nearly two weeks off of running (and one full week after I stopped feeling any pain in my shoulder) just to be safe.  Nothing would be worse to me than starting too early and being back where I started.

Here's a look at my week, which includes some running miles (finally!).  Only five weeks till race day!



Monday

3 miles elliptical
Finally pain free, so I got to exercise!  It was so weird to go a week without working out at all.  I felt so sluggish and lazy all week, so I was really happy to get my sweat on!  I used the elliptical at the gym and finished 3 miles.  I kept my bad arm on the arm rest and only "pumped" with my right arm.


Tuesday

Physical Therapy
I did the exercises from my doctor, which has some strength moves and stretches.  It takes about 15 minutes to finish and helps me feel stronger!


Wednesday

2 miles elliptical / 4 miles spinning
I started to get bored with the elliptical, so I switched between the machine and the spinning bike.  I made sure I wasn't bothering my arm at all, but my legs got a great workout!


Thursday

Physical Therapy
Same as Tuesday!


Friday

6 miles spinning
I stayed on the bike today and got in a great workout.  I switched up the resistance and did some sprinting as well.  


Saturday

3 miles
The day I've been waiting for- getting back to running!  I wore my special new pants and headed out for an easy 3 mile loop around my neighborhood.  It started to rain lightly when I started, and with the temperature being in the 40's it was my favorite running weather.  I was feeling super positive and felt like this was a sign that I came back to running at the right time...then it started to hail like CRAZY.  It was stinging my face and I had to basically cover my face and try to sprint home. My shoulder felt great, but the weather was NOT on my side!  I'm just going to pretend like that's not an omen and keep it as a good sign.


Sunday

6 miles / 9:12 pace
I was back in my happy place at North Park and could not have asked for better weather.  It was in the 30s and clear without much wind.  I missed out on a lot of bad weather while I was injured, so I'll take this!  I did an easy lap around the lake with an extra mile added on.  I was surprised at my pace because it felt like I was dragging on this run.  It definitely wasn't an easy run, and I have a long ways to go.  Here's to hoping for an uneventful next 5 weeks!


How was your week?
Ever get stuck in a crazy storm on a run?

g up with Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin and also with Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC. 

Comments

  1. Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC March 19, 2017 at 5:56 PM

    So glad to see that you are back to running! Kudos to you for being smart and patient!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 19, 2017 at 6:52 PM

    Oh my goodness! I must say I've never been hailed on during a run! I did get hailed on during a hike in CO though! Love your pants!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KookyRunnerMarch 19, 2017 at 7:30 PM

    Happy to see that you were able to get back to running this week!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 3:10 AM

    YAY for getting back to running!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 4:00 AM

    Hoorah for being back to running! Tell that shoulder that this has been unacceptable. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Janelle @ Run With No RegretsMarch 20, 2017 at 5:16 AM

    I've missed your updates - glad to hear that you're on the mend and back to running!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Elle SeesMarch 20, 2017 at 5:26 AM

    Clapping over here with the updates!! I have done more walking, so I'm happy to report that!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jessie MMarch 20, 2017 at 5:59 AM

    I was DRIVING on McKnight Saturday during some of what you're talking about. I didn't even like driving in it, so running in it definitely would have sucked.

    The craziest weather I remember, I was in HS on the rowing team. We were literally as far away from our dock // boathouse as we ever went, 6 or 7 river miles. And we hear these HUGE thunder claps & see a bunch of lightening. And my coach just yells ROOOOWWWWWW! Told us to race as fast as we could at whatever rate we wanted all the way back to the boathouse. Which, considering we were 6+ miles away, and the average spring race is 2000 METERS, that's a pretty long "race", but I'm alive, so we made it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunMarch 24, 2017 at 7:53 AM

      Wow..that sounds intense and really scary! Glad you made it ;)

      Delete
  9. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 7:55 AM

    It's been hailing a lot here too, but it's better than snow! I haven't been stuck in it while running though. THAT sucks! I love your leggings. Is that a Lulu vest too? I think I have the same one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunMarch 24, 2017 at 7:54 AM

      I think I prefer snow over hail. Hail is just scary and painful! Yes, Lulu vest :) I love it!

      Delete
  10. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 8:32 AM

    Yay!!! Good job staying active in your week off last week. So happy to hear you're back to running and feel good. Love the tights!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Heather [is probably running]March 20, 2017 at 11:09 AM

    YAS! So glad to see that you are back to running! Cute new tights too :)

    I was running in some really lovely snow on Saturday (felt like running in a snow globe) that turned to ice pellets in the last mile. Ouch!

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 4:24 PM

    I’m so so so happy to hear you’ve recovered well! You’re going to kick butt on race day!! Love love love seeing your recuperation and how easy you take it. THIS is what potential long distance runners like myself need to read. It makes it much more tangible for my future. So glad to be following along your journey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunMarch 24, 2017 at 7:55 AM

      Thank you so much Julia! I really appreciate your sweet words :)

      Delete
  13. Hanna @ minimal marathonerMarch 21, 2017 at 7:33 AM

    So happy you're back to running and feeling good!

    You will be fine for your race, Gretchen. I know it's hard but try not to worry so much about the lost time. It's really not that much time, and you've been working hard for over three months now - that is not all suddenly gone just because of a little bit of time off. It's easy to get frustrated but remember, marathon training rewards patience, so just keep at it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. TechChickMarch 21, 2017 at 1:20 PM

    That's exciting that you're back to running! I'm sure that was hard to do, but it's so much better in the long run (pun intended!). Super cute outfit for your return!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In LawMarch 22, 2017 at 1:02 AM

    Hooray for feeling better!

    And yikes!!! I've never actually been out in a hailstorm before (only ever inside my house or a building) so that would have been scary - and slippery?! Glad you got home safe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunMarch 24, 2017 at 8:01 AM

      Luckily it didn't get slippery at all but it was definitely freaky.

      Delete
  16. UnknownMarch 22, 2017 at 10:52 AM

    I got stuck in a lightning storm and it's how I met a running friend. Afternoon pop up storms come up fast and we were only about a mile out or atleast I was and I ran as fast as I could back to my car and jumped in to go get her. She was so glad too, it is not fun being out there in that!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Relationship Rules I Broke (and WEDDING PHOTOS!)

Image
Happy Thursday everyone! Today I have a different type of post to share today.  I don't talk about relationships or my dating life much on the blog, but I'm switching it up today!  I got married last Friday, and I thought it would be fun to share some relationship rules that I broke while Dan and I dated. I'll also be sharing some wedding pictures!  We got married at the Butterfly Falls at the Hidden Valley Inn in Belize (more on the Inn in upcoming posts!), and the pictures turned out absolutely amazing.  Since we had a "just the two of us" ceremony, there's not much to talk about the actual wedding.  In lieu of a full post on that, I'll be sharing some background information on our relationship, along with wedding photos and some #ThrowbackThursday pictures.  I hope you enjoy (and I promise- back to running stuff next week!) Guys are immature, so date someone older I've always read in magazines (which, by the way, have the worst datin
Read more

Towpath Half Marathon Recap

Image
Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday!  Today I'll be recapping my race this weekend, the Towpath Half Marathon.  Overall, I had a great experience at the race and would definitely recommend it!  Before I dive into the mile-by-mile recap, I just wanted to give some overall thoughts and reviews of the race as a whole. The Towpath Marathon features three races- a full marathon, half marathon and 10k.  All three races are in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but all run different courses.  The half and 10k start at the Brandywine Ski Resort, while the full starts at the Boston Mills Ski Resort (where the expo is held). The course is mostly on a narrow crushed limestone trail that is relatively flat.  There are a few sections that were paved and a few small walking bridges that provided the only real inclines.  It's really hard to pass people (particularly near the turn where it's two-way traffic) since the trail is so narrow. There are a lot of water stations, and each o
Read more

Review- Group Power

Image
Happy Weekend everyone!  Today, I'll be doing a review of another group exercise I do at my gym called Group Power !  Let's get right into it. First off, the description in our program guide is "This 60-minute barbell program strengthens all your major muscles in an inspiring, motivating group environment with simple, athletic movements such as squats, lunges, presses and curls." I don't exactly look like this when I'm curling..but you get the idea! Let me tell you, this is one intense workout!  For the entire 60 minutes, we're constantly moving and lifting and by the end I'm a pool of sweat!  We work out all the major muscle groups - Legs, Chest, Triceps, Biceps, Glutes, Shoulders, and Core with light to moderate weights.  We also use a step to do exercises like chest presses and split squats. For each song, we focus on one muscle group, and do a variety of exercises with lots of repetitions, set to the beat of the music.  The tempo of the
Read more