Happy Friday! I didn’t intend to get this post out so late in the week but that’s the way this week has been going. I am pretty sure I’ve been battling a cold since last Sunday which hasn’t helped. I’ve had to use some nap times to try to catch up on sleep (I’ve become a terrible napper since Siena was born, I can never fall asleep!) which meant less time for work and blogging!
Last week started really well and ended just OK. It was the third week in a row of big mileage, tough speed workouts and really long runs (20 milers both of the previous weekends) and I set a goal to run 50 miles. By the end, I was ready for a rest day. Mike was out of town starting Wednesday and although my mom came on Thursday to help, it was still hard having him gone.
Monday: 6 mile run with the stroller. 
Tuesday: P90X2 Balance and Power. I was actually supposed to run with a friend but she ended up canceling so I joined Mike for his P90X2 workout. It was really fun to workout together and Siena cooperated by sleeping in until 7 a.m. so we could finish it.
Wednesday: Pi-Yo Upper and Lower and 7 miles with the stroller. This was the longest stroller run yet. Luckily Siena is a champ in the stroller and loves to look and smile at the people as they pass by.
Thursday: 9 miles with 10 x 800 (Yasso 8oos). I had been putting this run off all week and kept thinking about it. It was looming! The peak of my training was built into this run and I was avoiding facing it. But, as always, it wasn’t as tough as I expected and I finished feeling strong, fierce and determined. I set the treadmill to a 1% incline and ran each 800 in 3:40 (a 7:25 pace). 
Friday: 4 mile run. This was a nice, easy slow run with my friend Allison in the morning. It was still dark so we basically circled my neighborhood three times! Boring scenery but great company. That day we went to the Safari Park in San Diego and Siena got to go on her first ride (carousel, she didn’t love it since she hates to sit still) and see lots of wild life!
Saturday: 6 mile run. We had a birthday party at 11 a.m. so I pushed my long run to Sunday. I ran on the trails near my house while my mom watched Siena. Pace was just nice and easy. Afterward I was craving yoga and put in 21 Day Fix Extreme Yoga . While the regular 21 Day Fix is much more restorative, this is more of a strength workout but it felt really good!
Sunday: 18 mile run. I was planning to make this a test run for race day with 8 miles easy and 10 miles at race pace (8:45 ish), but as soon as I started running with my friend Kelly (whose legs were also heavy), I knew it wasn’t going to my way. By mile 8 my legs were even heavier than when they started and I wasn’t feeling great. I decided that I would start the faster portion after Kelly stopped running with me at mile 12. I was able to maintain 8:45 pace for two miles and it felt SO hard. I ended up just dropping the pace and focused on finishing. It was tough and I was very happy when the run was over. Time for some rest! In retrospect I think I was starting to get sick during this run, but who knows – my legs were probably tired from 3 weeks of high mileage! 
Weekly Totals:
- Total Miles: 50
- Total Strength Training: ~2 hours
What speed workout do you usually do during the final weeks of hard training?
Good job!