Yoga Pants Life

Week 2 of training is in the books! It went far better than week 1 (but really, how could it not? Because even 1 mile of running was more than what I did the week before.) I kind of went into last week feeling like a bit of a failure since I skipped week 1, but I really think the week off from running or any physical activity really helped me recover and jump back in last week.

So, without further ado, here’s how last week went down:

Monday:  Ran an easy 3 miles at lunch

Tuesday: Ran an easy 3 miles at lunch

Wednesday: You guessed it – an easy 3 at lunch. I also swam in the evening (swimming looks so easy, but man, is it tough for me.)

Thursday: Ran an easy 3 miles at lunch and another easy 3 after work

Friday: off/lazy

Saturday: Ran 6 miles in the midday heat and sun (because that’s how the schedule worked out.) Unfortunately, it’s not as long as I should have gone, but I was under a time constraint and I’m really glad I got it done. I also had to run in an area I don’t like and at the wrong time of day…I’m honestly surprised I did what I did, given the circumstances.  I started to feel a bit down on myself, but I remembered that I just ran 13.1 miles less than 2 weeks ago, so cutting a long run 2 miles short? Eh. It’s fine. My new marathon training mantra? The best long run is the one that is done!

Sunday: off/REALLY lazy

Total for the week: 21 miles running, 1 day of swimming.

I’m actually pretty happy with that. I mean, 21 isn’t really a lot of miles as far as marathon training is concerned, but it’s only week 2 and with the exception of cutting the long run a bit short, it’s pretty in line with the training plans I’ve seen online.  It’s only week 2…obviously we aren’t at peak mileage yet.

As you can see, speed work and weight training are missing and I only swam/cross-trained once…I need to step it up on both of those things and am going to work harder to incorporate those things this week.

I’m also really focused on staying hydrated, which, is actually really fun thanks to my 40 oz Hydroflask bottle (right now I’m drinking 80 oz to 120 oz a day, but I think I need to stay on the higher end of that) and sleeping as much as possible. Unfortunately, I had a terrible night of sleep last night and am dragging big time today, but I’m hoping that it was a one-off thing and that I don’t have to deal with it again. In the not-so-distant past, one night of bad sleep often turned into a week or a month of terrible sleep and I honestly believe that lack of rest/sleep was one reason I had a hard time training/recovering last year.

Baxter knows the value of a good nap!

Speaking of last year, I have to admit that I’m still struggling a bit mentally. I feel like the ugly, self-doubt monster is rearing its ugly head and I’m not 100% sure I’m capable of running a strong (for me) marathon.  I’m trying to ignore the negative thoughts, but it’s a bit of a process and not as simple as I would like it to be. However, I’m hopeful that I can do this and make it through. I’m certainly not ready to give up yet.

Baxter to Tucker: If you work hard, you got this in the bag!

I really hope to get my full training plan posted soon. I feel like I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to carve out a full 18 week plan and am just winging it week to week right now.

I guess that’s it for now – I know reading about my training is really boring, but let’s be real – when was this blog ever exciting?

On to week 3!