I wrapped up another week of training for the Vermont City Marathon.  This was week seven with just three more weeks until the race — aka one more week of training before the taper!  I’m feeling really ready, maybe because this will be by third marathon this year, maybe because I’m actually sticking to my “training plan” pretty well.   This week, things were still busy but slightly more calm at work so I was able to get in a couple good workouts although maybe not as many as would be idea…

Including a really awesome Orangetheory class on Tuesday morning and a long run on… Thursday???  Yup.

Monday

• Rest (so just my usual 5 mile walk to/from work)

Tuesday

• Orangetheory endurance day.  The running portion involved: 0.5 miles, 200 m row, 0.25 miles, 200 m row, 0.5 miles, 200 m row, 0.25 miles, 200 m row, then repeats of 0.15 miles and 150 m row until time was called.  Whew!  When we have these distance-based workouts (pretty rare) I always push myself a little extra because I like to be the fastest or one of the fastest people.  In this class, there was one other woman who was going about the same pace as I was, and that kept me pushing it.  I did most of the running at 9 mph or 9.5 mph.  I sprinted the last 0.15 mile intervals at 10 mph.  It is just so shocking how much more comfortable I am running “fast” now that I’ve been doing OTF for 9ish months.  I’ve been using 7.5 mph (8:00 pace) as my “base” and 9 mph (6:40 pace) as my push for most workouts.  I’m hoping to get to a point where 7.5 mph feels really comfortable, maybe even for a whole marathon…  Anyway, the lifting part of this class was also really intense, and I left class feeling completely spent but awesome at the same time.  Burned 600 calories according to the app, with three minutes in the red zone — pretty sure that’s the most I’ve ever done.

Wednesday

• Sore from OTF, which hasn’t happened in a while.  Took a rest.

Thursday

• I wasn’t sure about the weather for the weekend and I also had plans to go to the zoo with my family.  But I wanted to make sure I got my planned long run in (I think it was supposed to be 19 miles).  So I wanted to head out at 6 am and do the full run before work.  Very lofty goal for me, considering I LOVE sleeping.  Well, Thursday morning came and predictably I hit the snooze button a few times.  But finally I rolled out of bed, loaded my backpack with the breakfast and water and sport beans and clothes I’d prepared the night before, and went out for a run.  I kept thinking that I’d get a work email necessitating me cutting the run short, but it never came.  I ended up doing 15 glorious, cloudy-and-cool, weighted-by-a-backpack miles, mostly on the Capital Crescent Trail.  Loved it and planning to do something similar next week.

Friday

• Had grand plans of going out for another pre-work run or OTF class, but I was out late for a work dinner Thursday night, so I just took another rest day.

Saturday

• Walked around a fair amount for errands, but this was basically another rest day.

Sunday

• Biked to and then walked around the zoo all morning, then hit golf balls in the afternoon.  Lots of movement — so much that I needed a nap in the afternoon!  I dreamt about sleepy, cuddly baby panda Bei Bei the whole time…

This coming week I need to: (1) run 20 miles, (2) hit up OTF, and (3) get some stretching/core work happening at yoga or pilates.

How was your week?  Do you ever run long in the mornings before work?   Or other times during the week — not the weekend?  Do you love it?