Eugene Marathon Training: Week 6

Never underestimate the power that one good workout will have on your mind. Keeping the dream alive is half the battle. ~Kara Goucher

So true. Keeping the faith and dream alive for 16+ weeks is a huge challenge. After five weeks of training, I could feel my faith slipping and doubt creeping in. 3:45 is a dumb goal, Megan. I mean, you can’t even hold a 9 minute mile pace during your tempo runs. A 3:55 would be plenty good. Let’s just go for that.

When I was little, I told my parents that I felt like I had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. I usually listened to the angel, but on a rare occasion I listened to the devil and wouldn’t share my beloved Number Muncher game with my best friend.

I can’t resist a good cat picture…. source

The angel vs. devil metaphor is certainly true in marathon training. I’ve been trying to listen to my angel, but the devil can sure be persuasive. That is, until a good run kicks that a-hole to the curb. Even better than one workout? A week of strong runs. This week has given me confidence that my work isn’t going to waste, and my body is finally adapting to become faster and stronger. I finally feel like a runner again, and it feels freakin’ great.

And just like that, my dream is alive and well, and I believe more than ever that a 3:45 is ambitious but possible. Here’s a quick recap of my week:

Monday: 1 hour yoga
Tuesday: Speed intervals. 1.75 mile warm up (9:25 pace) + 5 x 1,200 (paces: 7:43, 7:39, 7:34, 7:12, 7:11) with 3-4 minutes rest between sets. .72 mile cool down (9:06 pace) – 7 miles total. + 75 minutes yoga.
Wednesday: Easy 4.1 in 43:30. My legs felt GREAT, but since it was a recovery run, I forced myself to keep it at a super slow pace.
Thursday: 8 miles (1:13:32) – 9:12 average.
Friday: 1 hour yoga
Saturday: 17.5 miles in 2:43:57 (9:22 avg pace) Fastest and longest training run yet. I felt great!
Sunday: Easy 7 miles in 1:13:12 (10:27 avg pace)

Total: 43.6 miles + 3.25 hours of yoga

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