For the last three weeks I’ve been trying to balance and adjust to my new-found responsibilities as instructor of the current marathon clinic (over 50 people), which often feels like another full time job.

I’ve trained for a total of almost 40 hours in those three weeks. I also did not take a complete rest day in those three weeks.

Until yesterday, that is.

I rested Sunday after my long run, went to bed early and had a great sleep. I woke up Monday morning feeling pretty refreshed and ready to go. I went over my workout schedule for the week in my head, juggling things around to fit it all in. I even stuffed my bag with gear to squeeze in a short recovery run over lunch to supplement the swim I had planned for the evening.

And then the morning wore on and my motivation waned. I didn’t really feel like running anymore and decided I could ‘run’ (not really) a couple of errands instead. Then thoughts of skipping swim in favour of a relaxing evening at home started swirling in my head…

The next thing I knew, I was treating myself to my favourite lunch and declaring an impromptu rest day. 

There will be many days where I don’t feel like training but I know I should do it anyway, and then there will be days when I don’t feel like training and I know I should give myself a break. Mondays have always been considered “optional” for me… and this time, I opted to rest. I knew I was craving a mental break more than a physical break. Sure, I could have completed my workouts and gone on with my day. And yeah, I might have even felt a bit better for having completed them. But I chose not to, and I don’t regret it.

I enjoyed my day/evening, and even got a few things accomplished. I spent a bit of time after work with the hubs, which is precious right now while he’s working some crazy hours and trying to fit in his own training in between.

And now I’m really ready to tackle the week. Maybe even the next three weeks…

I felt sooo much better this week after deciding to back off in my running pace group. Much less stress and I am running more comfortably. <sigh of relief> Thanks so much for all of your positive support and feedback – you all reassured me that I was making the smart decision and not just slacking off.

I’m feeling a bit conflicted about my training these days – I want to keep up my cycling & swimming as I have been (because I love it and because I have a couple of 70.3 races planned this summer), but sometimes I worry that I am not giving Boston training the focus that it deserves. Even as I type “Boston Training” in this blog title, I find myself feeling a little guilty since I am not exclusively training for Boston. Does that make sense?

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t intend to race Boston for a time goal – I just want to soak up the experience. That being said, I know I still need to train well in order to have a successful race. And I feel like I owe it to myself to work for it. That being said, I am in a different place now as an athlete and I think that is okay too. I am nowhere near finished with marathons (clearly), but I am exploring other ventures as well.

My mileage and intensity are much lower, but hopefully the cross tri training will pay off in my overall fitness come April. I am just taking it one week at a time for now.

Anyway, here is another week of my mish-mash training with plenty more silly faces for your viewing pleasure.

Monday – swim

swim 1600m – 1:00:00
400 w/u, 400 kick, 10×25 sprint, 10×50 drill, 50 c/d

evening swim - that's not my swim cap

Tuesday – run + bike

run 9.0 KM (5.6 mi) – 48:00 – 5:20/KM (8:34/mi)
3K tempo @ 4:47, 4:44, 4:46

lunch-time tempo run

 bike 25.0KM (15.5 mi) – 1:00:00 – 25 kph (15.5 mph) [estimated]

evening spin to The Bachelor

Wednesday – run x 2 + swim

run 5.0 KM (3.1 mi) - 30:40 – 6:08/KM (9:52/mi)

groggy 5:30am treadie run

run 10.2 KM (6.3 mi) – 57:02 – 5:35/KM (8:59/mi)

Wednesday night run club, then straight to the pool with minutes to spare

swim 1950m – 1:00:00
450 w/u, 200 kick, 10 x 100 (25 drill, 50 “brisk”, 25 recover), 10 x 25 sprint, 50 c/d

Thursday – run (speed work)

10.0 KM (6.2 mi) – 56:27 – 5:38/KM (9:03/mi)
Clinic Night: 5×800 – 3:35, 3:41, 3:38, 3:36, 3:43 (oops, got caught in a conversation on the last one!)

Friday – bike, run x 2, swim

bike 12.0 KM (7.5 mi) - 30:00 – 24 kph (14.9 mph)

run 6.6 KM (4.1 mi) – 36:35 – 5:32/KM (8:54/mi) 

slushy Friday lunch-time run

 run 4.0 KM (2.5 mi) – 23:51 – 5:57/KM (9:35/mi)

swim 2150m – 1:00:00
‎450 pull w/u, 6 x 75 kick, 6 x 100, 150 pull, 8 x 50 sprint, 100 scull c/d

Saturday - bike (long)

bike 44.0 KM (27.3 mi) – 1:45:00 – 25 kph (15.5 mph) [estimated]

long Saturday sweat-fest ride

Sunday – run (long)

run 30.3 KM (18.8 mi) – 2:52:18 – 5:41/KM (9:08/mi)

windy group long run with a good chill afterwards!

WEEK FOUR
Total Run Distance: 75.1 KM (46.7 mi)
Total Run Time: 7:04:53
Average Run Pace: 5:39/KM (9:05/mi)

Total Bike Distance: 81.0 KM (50.3 mi) [estimated]
Total Bike Time: 3:15:00

Total Swim Distance: 5700 m
Total Bike Time: 3:00:00

Total Training Time: 13:19:53

Most weeks, Saturday is my favourite day. They’re always jam packed with plans in the summer, but ours are pretty low-key in the winter.

It’s typically my day to sleep in – I love sleeping in, even if that only means 7:30 or 8:00 these days.

I enjoy a leisurely start to the morning, taking my time with tea and breakfast. I just love rolling out of bed whenever I wake up and stumbling down the stairs in my jammies, knowing there is nowhere I need to be anytime soon.  

If I have a workout to do (indoor cycling on the trainer, lately) then I usually get started mid morning, finishing just in time for lunch. After a shower, I crawl right back into my comfies and veg on the couch to catch up on the PVR.

I like having plenty of time to prepare for Sunday’s long run, knowing that I will be able to wake up early the next day feeling refreshed rather than stressed and tired.

Saturdays are the perfect day to try a new recipe for dinner and veg out on the couch watching movies together. We are such home-bodies.

What do you love about Saturday?

When our marathon clinic started, I took on the role of leading the 3:30(ish) pace group – these are the peeps that I ran with all summer (with the addition of a few newbies) and it seemed like the right fit. Ideally, I would love to run a (sub)3:30 marathon eventually. Is that going to happen at Boston? Nope. I’ll elaborate on goals/decisions later, but suffice it to say that I am not aspiring to run a PR at Boston. All that being said, I still thought I would be comfortable training with this group.

As it turns out, I am not. The combination of taking a couple of months off quality marathon training, adjusting to a new tri-heavy training schedule and the extra bit of weight I am carrying around from the holidays/off-season (harumph), running at those paces is just too hard right now. I’m certainly not doing myself or the others in this group any favours by busting my arse and attempting to “lead” from the back of the pack every week.

Add that to the stress (don’t get me wrong, it’s fun & rewarding but a LOT of work) of co-instructing the marathon clinic and the coordination of 50+ people that comes with it… let’s just say my plate is full and I don’t need any added pressure right now.

So, with the full support of my peeps, I found a suitable replacement and decided to step back from leading the pace group. Moving forward I will be running with a slightly “slower” group, which is a much better fit for me right now. I felt an enormous weight lift off my shoulders, which confirmed that I made the right decision. It’s refreshing to run more comfortably, challenging myself just enough, and to follow the leader.

1. Get a load of this contraption: Conference Bike

Juliana shared this with me yesterday; somehow she knew it would be right up my alley! I wonder if I could get my co-workers on board with this. Rainbow shirts optional!

2. We have Red Sox tickets for April 15th (day before the big day). I can’t wait to spend the afternoon at Fenway with 10 of my marathon buddies! Time is flying and trip plans are coming together. Is it too early to start packing??

3. A friend forwarded this to me earlier in the week – it’s a worthwhile 9 minutes to watch/listen. Amy Purdy: Living Beyond Limits 

“When she was 19, Amy Purdy lost both her legs below the knee. And now … she’s a pro snowboarder. In this powerful talk, she shows us how to draw inspiration from life’s obstacles.”