Well you guys, like I said in Friday’s post, “The hay is in the barn!” Ha ha… my kids hate that expression. I always say it when they’re all ready for an audition, and they look at me like I’m insane. I don’t care, I’m going to say it! I did my last, big long run this week. My race is now less than two weeks away (gulp) and the phase between now and then will be known as “Don’t Do Anything Stupid.”
Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Here’s how the week played out:
Monday
4 mile run.
I’m appreciating how the sun is rising earlier and earlier! No more dark runs.
Tuesday
Upper body day at the gym. Bench press, lat pulldowns, rows, triceps with the cable (ouch) and core. I’m looking forward to my son coming home in May- I think I need another coaching session.
Wednesday
THIS WAS IT! 25 mile run. This run was…. quite an adventure.
Unlike my 23 mile run two weeks ago where I felt amazing, this one was very hard. I never really felt great, not even in the beginning, and by mile 15 I was tired. I basically plodded miserably for ten more miles. I wasn’t in pain, and I wasn’t so exhausted that I couldn’t go on. But I also never got a second wind, as I was hoping. It was just ten long, hot, uncomfortable miles.
This wasn’t what I was hoping for, the last long run before my race. I was hoping for something that would really pump me up and give me a ton of confidence, so at first I was disappointed. But then I realized- this might be what my race is like. As a matter of fact, at some point in the race I WILL be trudging miserably. What I learned from this run is, if I just keep moving forward, I’ll complete the miles.
So this was 25 miles and my race will be 31. If you told me at the end of this run that I had to run six more miles, I think I would have cried. But… I could have done it (especially if I had access to a FULLY STOCKED AID STATION- once again I almost ran out of water and ice.)
I have a post coming up on Tuesday about my long run nutrition and what went right/wrong. Phew- I’m glad these long runs are done!
Thursday
Well, let’s just say I was a tad sore. It was all in my quads, and also my right hip flexor (but not my left, hmmm.) I did a 45 minute walk, which felt amazing.
Friday
Still sore! Keeping with my theme of “Don’t Do Anything Stupid,” I decided to go for another walk, this time 30 minutes, and then I did a Caroline Girvan Advent Series workout: biceps, triceps, and shoulders.
Saturday
Still a little sore, but went for a 3 mile run and everything was fine. Followed it up with 10 minutes of core. And lots of foam rolling.
Sunday
On tap for today…. lower body strength, probably a Caroline Girvan workout that focuses on glutes and hamstrings (NOT quads!) Oh- and Happy Easter! My daughter and I are going to make a carrot cake, and we’re having lasagna for dinner. And I’m hoping for a nice, long Easter nap.
What’s the longest training run you’ve ever done? – This was my longest.
Are you doing anything special today?
39 Responses
I love how you reframed the harder run by realizing it could be tough on race day and also that you could have gone another 6 miles!
I hope the weather cooperates for the big day and it’s cool and overcast! Also, in addition to the aid stations, I suspect the rallying impact of being surrounded by other people will give you extra adrenaline!
This has been probably my favourite Easter weekend…ever? It has just been very relaxed and low-key, but fun. Reading a book and sipping coffee. Food with friends on Good Friday. A long walk with a friend. A little thrift-shop outing.
It was a really tough week for my daughter at school and they ended up having Thursday off because of the weather, so in total they’ll have been off 5 days for the Easter Break which normally would drive me crazy, but has felt mostly lovely this time! Today is church with lots of special events, and then just a low-key afternoon at home. We had company on Friday, and my husband leaves on a work trip tomorrow so we want to stay close to home so he can prep! But in Canada both Friday and Monday are bank/school holidays, so the kids are off tomorrow too! After we drop off my hubby at the airport, we’re going to do a quick IKEA stop!
After all my complaining about Easter, this day has been really nice! I’m glad your Easter weekend has been so great, but sorry about Abby. It must feel nice to have her home with the family for an extended time… summer is coming up, and next year will hopefully be completely different. A new year really does change things a lot.
Well, if “the hay is in the barn” annoys your kids then you HAVE to say it. Seriously, CONGRATULATIONS! Now just the challenge of getting through the next two weeks without doing anything…inadvisable.
ha ha… yes, I’m going to be extra, extra careful! I would say “nothing could go wrong,” but that’s just asking for trouble.
You will be fine. When I ran my only 20, I thought 10k more, no way.. but it happened it was hard but worth it in the end.
Very excited for this race!!
Thank you Darlene! For my first marathon, my longest training run was 18 miles! Not sure what I was thinking there- but I made it through 26. After that I definitely did some longer training runs for a marathon. I’m looking forward to hearing about your long runs this summer!
Way to go on your long run! Yes, is hard but you know you can do hard things, You are so ready and I am so excited for you. In my opinion, the training week in and week out is the really accomplishment of a training. Race day is just the icing on the cake
Thank you Deborah! Yes, the training is hard. It’s a relief to “just” have the race left to do!
Congrats on having your last long run behind you! And good for you for being smart and going for some long walks instead of pushing your body!
My longest training run were 22 miles. I was always so happy to have those behind me but then tapering would often makes me paranoid. I feel like I would feel phantom pains!
Happy Easter to you and your family!!
Yes, I’m waiting for those phantom pains… I’m ready for them.
Happy Easter to you too!
Even though it was tough, you ARE tougher! Great job. Don’t forget that race day adrenaline — it will help. I’m betting on a fabulous race for you.
My longest training run ever was 17 miles, because my longest race every was 18+ (just a bit over 18, the name of the race is the 1812 challenge). I can’t even fathom a marathon much less an ultra. Especially not now when 4 miles can feel tough!
Enjoy your Easter feast. Sounds yummy (but not kosher for Passover, LOL!).
Yes, the garlic bread alone will make my meal not kosher!
It’s funny how distances are all relative. I remember right after Christmas struggling through an 8 mile run, and that wasn’t that long ago!
Yes, what Deborah just said. The training , for me at least, is gruesome in those final runs before taper. I’ve never run further than 20 miles for any of my marathons (or the two ultras either). BUT, you did it! Your body and your grit carried you through those tough 10 miles. I also think, come race day, having the actual “race” to do will be a definite shift in mindset as opposed to knowing it’s not “just” a training run. I’m really proud of you and so excited or the big 50K!!
Yes, in a way the race will be easier… at least that’s what I keep telling myself, ha ha. Thank you for your support!
Yes! If you can make it through a 25 mile slog, you WILL make it through your race!
I think it’s important to keep “sayings” alive — even if I have to look up the origins. When I am talking with foreign clients, I often ask if they have an equivalent for some of our phrases — they usually do. 🙂
Carrot cake – yum!
Yes, I guess the kids think my sayings are stupid because no one uses them anymore. I will do my best to keep them alive!
Great job on finishing that long run, even though you were tired. I remember my coach telling me that my long distance runs were training me to run on tired legs and to push through fatigue. I definitely think you are ready! Excited for you!!
Thank you Wendy! I think I’m ready too. Well, I go back and forth between being confident and being terrified, ha ha. I guess that’s as ready as I’ll get!
I tell the athletes I coach they got the “bad” run out of their system so the race will go great. You’ll be rested, tapered fueled up and ready to go on race day mentally and physically so keep visualizing the best outcome. My longest training run is typically 22 miles. Once I had to do it on a treadmill. That was interesting.
Oh yes, I forgot the show biz superstition- a bad dress rehearsal means a good show, right?
Ha ha, a 22 mile run on the treadmill sounds VERY interesting. Or, very boring…
amazing job in completing the longest run for the race. my longest training run was 20 miles. it’s always daunting when starting such a long run, but once after half way, it feels more manageable. Looking forward to follow you on the race.
Thank you Coco! Yes, I was a little frightened of this run. Glad it’s done!
Good job, Jenny! Just think, next time you run a long run you’ll have aid stations and volunteers cheering you on which will make it seem much easier. Doing these long runs alone has really helped you get mentally tough. You’ve got this, and please, “don’t do anything stupid.” 😉
Happy Easter!
Thank you Debbie! Yes, in a lot of ways the race will be easier- I won’t be doing it all alone. At least that’s what I keep telling myself!
Happy Easter to you, too!
I had to do some research on Garmin for this answer – I’ve run 22 miles for a full marathon, but the year I ran a 50K on Nov 10th, I ran a full marathon on Oct 21st! Technically it wasn’t training for the 50K because the 50K was a trail race (and the marathon was a road race). I didn’t sign up for the 50K until Oct 8th, so it must have been one of those “that would be fun!” kind of choices I made after having a beer. 😂😂. Those miles past 26.2 dragged on FOREVER. It would have helped if I had actually run on a trail before the race. But YOU – well done on that 25 miler!! You’ve done a lot of training. It will pay off on race day. Bubble wrap time!!
Well, that was an impulsive move! But you completed the 50k on a trail which is impressive. Ha ha, yes, time for the bubble wrap.
My longest run for my 31-mile offroad ultra was a road marathon and I managed pretty well – in fact, I enjoyed the last ten miles of the race more than the middle! Happy tapering and wrapping yourself in cotton wool weeks!
Thank you Liz! I will be living in a bubble for the next two weeks.
If you can run 25 solo and essentially self-supported, I am confident you can do 31 with real support stops! Good luck and take care of yourself during this taper.
Thank you Jessie! We’re tapering together- I think our races are the same weekend.
I am so impressed with your great attitude for your last training run! What an accomplishment! I, too, love saying “the hay is in the barn” because it’s so indicative of how much work you’ve done to fill that barn. Best of luck with the taper!!
Thank you Lindsay! I’m glad someone else likes that saying.
“Don’t do anything stupid” is an excellent motto and one I try to adopt/ pass on to my children! Lol!
Ha ha, I guess it’s a multi-purpose motto.
The browser on my laptop just did an update and now it’s freezing in the middle of all the comments I’m writing and I have to restart the tab, so this is the third attempt at commenting and I’ve long since forgotten what I wanted to say. *sigh*
Yay for getting that long run done! I think that’s it *almost* nice that it didn’t go exactly to plan because hopefully your actual big run will be so much easier and you know you can do it even with some adversity thrown in there. I mean, it would have been great if it had gone perfectly, but maybe this was it’s even more of a learning experience!
That’s true, it was definitely a learning experience! Every run can’t be great- hopefully I’ll feel good in the race but if not, I know I can keep running anyway.
“Don’t do anything stupid” is definitely my mantra at work, especially when people drive me crazy and I want to say something I shouldn’t, lol.
Ha ha, I guess that mantra has many uses!