Marathon Training: Week 11

Well, week 11 is in the bag. I can't hardly believe that I am only 5 weeks away from my first marathon. I will say that I am starting to get a bit nervous about it. Everyone that I run with keeps assuring me that I can do it, but it is still 26.2 miles!

As for this past week I had some very good runs. So let's recap, shall we?

Monday


I headed out with Shawna for an afternoon run. For what ever reason I felt like pushing the pace, so we ended up running 8:12 per mile for 5 miles. I was very happy with this. I feel like when I run with her I can push the pace without the fear of it being too much for her. That's one good thing about running with people who are faster than you.

Tuesday


When I woke up I knew that I had 7 miles in store for me. I had told Shawna that I had planned on running if she wanted to join. Unfortunately she could not. So I decided to head out alone, which I hate. As I was getting suited up I grabbed my Garmin only to realize that it only had one bar of battery remaining. I was optimistic and thought that it might hold out for the run. Man was I wrong! It only lasted for about a half mile. Luckily I had looked at the clock just before heading out the door. I ended up running 7.2 miles in 58 minutes, which was a n 8:07 pace. Woo Hoo!

Wednesday


This was hill day. I met Shawna and Tom at my favorite running store for this one. We headed out towards Moser Knob at a pretty descent pace. As we reached the hill I decided to push and see what I could do. I ended up hitting the top of the hill first, which was a first for me. I will say that I welcomed the brief break while waiting for everyone else to finish the hill. We then tacked on a mile or so to make it 4 miles before the turnaround. Then it was back to the store. With about a mile to go Shawna started to push the pace. I decided to see if I could keep up. It wasn't easy, but I did it. Our last mile was a 7:46! She constantly amazes me with her endurance and ability to push no matter how many miles she has already put in.

Friday


Long run day. I started off my day with Shawna, Jen, and Dave. Jen was heading out of town for the weekend and wanted to get in a long run, so we ended up doing 10 miles. Everyone kicked ass! Dave ended up heading in after 8 so he could get to work on time. Shawna, Jen and I finished off our run by heading through my neighborhood.

Later that evening Shawna and I headed out for an evening run once I got home from work. We ended up putting in an awesome 14 miler. I will say that the highlight of the run was when I scared the shit out of her near a cemetery. As we were walking up the hill near the cemetery she said that she was seeing a red light in it. So as she was walking and looking into the cemetery I grabbed her shoulder. She jumped pretty damn good before punching me. I deserved it, but it was well worth it.

So that is how my week went. Today was filled with my daughters Cross Country and my sons Band Competition. I am glad they are involved in these things, but I am also glad that I am done for the day.

Monday starts week 12. I will keep you posted.

Later