This week’s marathon training began on Monday with 3.89 miles.  It was windy and no matter which way I went, the wind was in my face.  I was very cold after my run.

Wednesday was the end of the month and I ended January with 86.50 miles.  Dang!  My goal is to run 1,200 miles this year and was hoping to do 100 each month.  I missed it by 14.50 miles.  

February began with a bang!  I was unsure on whether to run in the morning or after work.  I did get up to run and am glad I did.  It was about 10 degrees colder after work.  My workout was to run 1.5 mile warmup, 8×2 intervals at 10:02 pace with 1 minute recovery, then 1.5 cooldown.  Fun but tiring.  And I nailed each interval!  It was also so cool to be out there seeing the moon.

I knew snow was is the forecast for Sunday so I asked my coach to switch my long run from Sunday to Saturday.  I am so glad I did.  I did wait till 1pm for it to get warmer.  It was 39 degrees by the time I finished my run.  It was cloudy, dreary, and windy.  Somehow I found the energy and motivation to push through the wind.  I was rewarded with tailwind the last 4 miles and those were my fastest miles.

It started to snow Saturday night and by Sunday morning there was about 2-3 inches on the ground.  With my tired legs from yesterday and the snow, it was tough.  I was happy it was 35 minutes of easy running.  We are supposed to get more snow this week and I am not looking forward to it all.

Total mileage for the week: 25.03
Total mileage for this training cycle: 183.39
Total mileage for the year: 104.60

Here’s how training has gone so far:
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• Week 5
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9

How was YOUR week?  Any snow in your hometown?  Did you watch the Super Bowl?

Link back to the host and let’s support other bloggers linking up as they train for a marathon,  half marathon, or any other event.

An InLinkz Link-up

I went back to work this week and it was tough!  Even my kids struggled.  Lots of coffee helped me get through the school day and my workouts.

Tuesday’s run felt warm compared to the earlier in the week.  It actually felt great out there.

I missed Wednesday’s workout (30 minutes).  Somehow I did not see it in my training calendar.  I was focusing and planning for Thursday’s run.  It wasn’t until 9:30pm that I checked my calendar and noticed that I had a run that day.  Ugh!  I actually felt bad for missing it and sent an email to my coach.  It would have been a perfect evening to run because the temperature was in the high 50s.

I had a meeting on Thursday so I knew I didn’t have to get to school early.  I went out for my run and it was awesome!  I did overdress and I could have worn shorts.  The goal for each interval was 10:02 and I nailed each one–even if almost all of them were positive splits!  It was definitely a confidence booster and next week I get to do 8 x 2 minute intervals.

Since I missed my workout on Wednesday, I ran on Friday after school.  Cold again.  Thanks goodness it was “only” 30 minutes.

Saturday was my last day pacing my group.  It wasn’t too bad.  It was cold and windy and there was one section of the lakefront that was covered in ice.  While it did look pretty, it was very slippery.  I walked very slowly and finally made it to the end of the icy path.  On the way back, I took another route to avoid that path.  

This week I was excited that most of my runs were “actual” miles instead of minutes.  Started off the week and the New Year with a run on the treadmill.  My gym wasn’t crowded but definitely more people than usual.

Tuesday was a rest day but I couldn’t believe that last year there were leaves on the ground!

It did warm up a little for Wednesday’s run and I actually enjoyed it!  While I enjoy running along the lakefront, I also like running around Midway Airport.  It is easy to get to, plenty of parking, and one loop is 4 miles.  Earlier that day I made my first batch of Vegetarian Bean Chili.  It wasn’t out of this word but still good.  My mistake was that I added too many beans.  Haha, now I know.  🙂

On Thursday it was sunny and that made the run even more pleasant.  Still cold but better than negative 0 degrees.

Saturday morning I woke up cold and tired.  I was supposed to meet up with a few other Oiselle girls at 10:00 for a run but decided not to go.  Then I waited for it to warm up.  I finally went out at 1pm.  I wore 2 pairs of socks, 2 pants, 2 pairs of gloves, 3 tops, and 1 hat.  The sun felt wonderful.  There wasn’t a lot of wind and that definitely helped as well.  At the end of my run I was tired and hungry.  And then I was very cold.

Another great week of running!  Sad that it is my last week of winter break.  However, I enjoyed my two weeks off and am looking forward to seeing my kids tomorrow!