Finally, a good week of running!

Phew. 
The past two weeks of training have been less than desirable and I almost gave up. Walked away. Called it quits. Thankfully I have running partner that holds me accountable, and a fantastic husband who provides me with unconditional love and support. Chicago, I’m still coming for ya!
On with the recap!
Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week Ten
Monday – Rest. 
Tuesday – 3 miles. I always look forward to my first run of the week because the slate has been wiped cleaned. After each training week, I reflect back and make mental notes on areas that I need to improve, and then I hit the reset button. Come Tuesday morning, it’s just me and the pavement.

 

Wednesday – 7  6 miles. Over these past two months I’ve been bitching and complaining about how my Wednesday morning runs are always BAWLS. Well friends, I finally had a fantastic run! Even though I didn’t run the full seven miles (ran out of time), I spent 57 minutes running like I was about to win Olympic gold. I know these types of runs are few and far between, but when they happen, it definitely restores my faith in the training process. Amen. 
Thursday – Rest.
Friday – Rest.

Saturday – 15 miles. A couple of weeks ago I ran 13 miles and it was brutal. I hit a major wall and seriously considered quitting this entire operation. Well, it’s a good thing I have Listy to keep me in check because after refocusing during my taper week, I was ready to tackle this 15 miler. I picked up Listy at the butt crack of dawn and we ventured down south to the High Line Canal. I wanted to set both of us up for success and this flat, dirt trail was just the ticket. The first seven and a half miles flew by! We did our usual chatting, people watching, and even encouraged a lady on the trail to keep on running. Around the ten mile mark, Listy started having trouble with tight a tookus. I felt horrible because she had been there for me during my meltdowns and I wanted to see her finish. So we decided to run half a mile and then walk half a mile. Best decision of the day! We managed to get to the 13.5 mile marker and then Listy decided to stop to keep herself from getting injured. She’s so smart! I ran the last mile by myself and felt great all the way to the finish. I’m hoping that nasty 13 mile run was just getting over the double digit hump and the rest of my runs will be smooth sailing. Or is that just wishful thinking? 
Sunday – Cross train. The hubs and I took an early evening stroll around downtown. Even though I technically didn’t “cross train”, I felt it was more important to connect with him because he’s the biggest supporter of this crazy process. Remember, it takes a village to run marathon! 
Total miles: 24
Catching up:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven
Week Eight
Week Nine