This training week was all about trust. 
Trust in my training tools. 
Trust in my running paths. 
Trust in myself. 
Training can be tough. Sometimes I forget to focus on the simple things. I forget to monitor my heart rate. I forget to be thankful for local running trails. I forget to believe in myself.  With two more long runs still ahead of me, it’s time to get back to trusting the things that will help make me successful. 

Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week Thirteen
Monday – Rest.
Tuesday – 3 miles.  Blah, blah…alarm goes off. Blah, blah..dressed and out the door in ten minutes. Blah, blah, blah….running on the same ol’ path. Blah, blah, blah….when is RACE DAY going to be here???? I used to like my Tuesday morning runs, but now they are starting to feel like it’s my job. If someone could fast forward me to the starting line that would be great. K?. Thanks. 

Wednesday – 9 miles – 4.1 miles in the morning. My morning runs are always bonkers. I swear the craziest things happen at 6am. Case in point. I was running along the Platte River, when out of nowhere, a gaggle of Army recruits came running by me. I was taken off guard at first because there were so many of them and they were wearing bright green reflector belts (major fashion faux pas). My mind was still waking up and I didn’t fully grasp what happened next. All I know is that out of my peripheral, I saw two guys stop running, hunch over and start puking.  I felt bad, but kept running thinking to myself, I’m glad that wasn’t me! After I finished my run, I thought if these guys are willing to risk dying for our country’s freedom, then I certainly can’t complain about sore legs, mental crankiness, or fatigue Right? Right. 

4.9 miles in the afternoon. Whewwww…..bessie! It was 96 degrees wen I ran after work in Wash Park. Even though I hate getting up in the morning and running, I’ll take feeling a little tired over running in desert like temps. I wasn’t excepting a magnificent run. Really the goal was just to finish the 4.9 miles quickly so I could meet the girls for happy hour. The heat bothered me a little, but surprisingly, my run wasn’t too bad considering all the elements.  


Thursday – Rest.
Friday – Rest. 
Saturday – 18 miles. To say I was little nervous about running 18 miles by myself would be an understatement. I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared when I hit the High Line Canal trail early on Saturday morning. I had to give myself a little pep talk before I started running – “You can do this. Just take your time and remember, keep your pace steady.” I didn’t get comfortable until after mile five. Apparently I was working out some serious jitters. After mile five, things started to pick up. My legs felt good and my pace and heart rate were right on target. I felt comfortable and in control, which was a huge sigh of relief when I reached the turn around point. After mile eleven, things started to get a little tricky mainly because the sun was starting to heat everything up. I remembered from the Big D race to keep my heart rate under 170 and to just keep chugging along. There was no way I was going to keel over and die on this trail! Miles 13 to 15 were less than desirable, but I kept telling myself this is where you need to trust yourself and keep going. After mile 15, I swear, I could have ran forever. I had paced myself perfectly and by the time I reached 17.5 mile marker, I had enough energy to pick up my pace and finish this run strong!  

 Sunday – REST! My feet were freaking sore when I woke up on Sunday morning. Who would of thought running for 3 hours would cause sore feet? Geesh. Needless to say, I spent the majority of my Sunday afternoon either rolling my foot on the log or keeping them elevated. I need these bad boys in tip-top shape come race day! 
Total miles – 30