Hoka 10k 2018

Hoka 10k 2018

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Half Marathon Training Weeks 6 & 7: Motivation Has Been Hard To Come By But Humidity Has Not...Also, Gnats and Deer

If I compare the first 5 weeks of training to the last two weeks, my motivation has definitely decreased. I think it's the dang weather! It has been so humid that it's just draining me. It's the getting-out-of-the-door part that's hard. Once I get through the first mile, I'm ready to go!

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Week 6 of training is the week following that lovely 12 miles of rolling hills in Nashville. I surprisingly felt fine after that adventure. Here's what week 6 looked like:
Day 1: Rest (still in Nashville)
Day 2: 6 solo miles (one of my few without J), no GPS, just a watch- 52:41 total time, 8:46 average
Day 3: Intervals, stroller run- 2mi WU, 16x400m with 200m jog between, 1mi CD (9 miles total)
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 9 mile stroller run- 2mi WU, 3x[1mi marathon pace, 1mi 10k pace], 1mi CD
Day 6: 10 mile stroller run- 9:27 average, range 9:02-9:53
Day 7: Heart Walk 5K (walked)
Day three was slightly annoying because I had this grand plan to use the track up the road for my 400's. When I got there, I saw a big fat sign that said no strollers. The annoying part? I've been passed that track many times and I know I've seen people with strollers. Maybe it's my fault for being such a rule follower.
Day five was so challenging. I couldn't seem to get to my 10k pace but it was so stinkin' hot that I didn't let it get to me.
The real adventures seem to come during long runs. Jackie and I did our run on Friday evening at The O trail (we meet at Antrim Park). We debated all day about when to meet due to the weather reporting rain. We finally had to say screw it and bring the rain covers for our boys just in case. Despite the humidity,  the first couple miles were o.k. but THEN (cue music) gnat-nado made an appearance. In all my years of running and being a hillbilly in Arkansas, I have NEVER seen gnats this bad. They were all over us, the boys, our gear...it was SO DISGUSTING!!! It got so bad we had to stop and swat them off of our boys and put their rain covers on the strollers just to keep them from being attacked!
Towards the end of this run, three deer ran across the path which is always cool to see but, a few moments later, we saw two bucks staring us down. It kinda freaked us out because it looked like one of them was coming after us! EEK!
After we finished this run, Jackie and I didn't even stay to chat and stretch. We just got the heck out of there, went home, and showered off the grossness that was that run.

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Week 7 looked like this:

Day 1: 8 mile tempo stroller run,  splits ranged from 8:30 to 9:39
Day 2: 6 mile stroller run, easy, 9:25 average
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: 7 mile stroller run- 1mi EZ, 5mi marathon pace (range 9:09 to 9:35), 1miEZ
Day5: Rest
Day 6: 13 mile stroller run (9:25 average)
Day 7: Rest/watch football
I've been dreading this week since training started because of the long run...13 miles?! I can't believe I did it with James in the stroller. It would have sucked a lot more if Jackie hadn't been there. It seriously amazes me how cooperative our boys are during these runs. Peyton slept pretty much the entire run and James slept the first half of it then mostly chilled (whine free) for the rest of it (he had a bottle to hold him over until we finished). Jackie and I have the best running buddies EVER!
We ran through Westerville and hit up the Genoa trail (thanks to my friend, Pam, for the idea). Once we hit the trail, it was nice and shady...perfect for the hot day we were having. I wasn't paying much attention to the times from MapMyRun so I was shocked when I saw our split times. We had negative splits the entire second half of our run! No wonder I felt pooped.
I might have mentioned in a recent post that I've been taking Gu gels during longer runs. I'm starting to wonder if they're upsetting my stomach. TMI: I was having some major bowel/gas issues during this run. It was awful. I may try the gels for my training runs this week to see if I notice the same thing. If I do, I need to find another option.
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I can't believe we only have 5 weeks until our first half marathon! I hope all of this hard work pays off!



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