Last week was my last “big” week of training. It’s all taper from here. It was a decent week, and while I would have liked a faster half marathon, the wind was tough. To be fair, I didn’t feel the greatest during the race either and had two hectic days (both work and not) . The Friday and Saturday before went by in a blink of an eye and kept me on my feet for two days straight.
| Monday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Tuesday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Wednesday: | 6X800s (averaging 6:15)/800 jog in between (warmup/cooldown 10 miles |
| Thursday: | Easy 60 minutes with Alexis |
| Friday: | Easy 20 minutes |
| Saturday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Sunday: | Atlantic City Half (1:27.53) total miles 15 |
Thoughts:
I hoped to be around 1:26 for a half at some point during the training cycle. I knew I had a few half marathons to do it, but it never happened. Between the wind and the heat and training, it didn’t happen. It’s hard to compare myself to fitness of last year or even the year before when I had run 1:25s at the Runners World half after running the 5k the day before.
That being said, different year, different situation. I’ve repeated that to myself more times than I can count. You can’t compare yourself to anyone and even yourself.
Wednesday: 6X800s 6:15 pace with 800 jog in between
The workout itself didn’t feel bad. It was the first cold day we had, and while windy, I felt good running. I don’t have a lot to say about the workout. It was neither the best nor the worst and fell somewhere in between.
Atlantic City Half Marathon (1:27.53)
As I mentioned, I was on my feet a lot the two days prior. The week itself was tiresome, and not a week the week you really feel: gun ho to go race. That being said, I made the best of the situation. I had a great time with friends at the starting line and saw a lot of people I knew. The day was extremely windy, and the predicted Gail force winds with gusts of 50 mph.
It was definitely windy. I made the best of the situation, and I got on the boardwalk with not much cover to block the winds of the beach. I was proud I negative split the race. Around the halfway point, I saw if I didn’t crash, I would run about a 1:28. I made it my goal to run under 1:28. The last few miles averaged low 6:40s and a few 6:30s to haul to get under there. I don’t know why 1:27.X just made me feel better. I passed one woman around mile 13 and ended up as 6th female.
I’m happy with the effort for the race, but I do wish I had time that reflected the work I’ve put in this training cycle. (1:27 is a great time, but I do believe I’m fitter in the half distance than that).
Next week starts my taper. I will race one of my favorite races next weekend (maybe this year it won’t be exactly 3 miles…yet claim it’s a 5k).
I’m looking forward to the next two weeks and what taper brings. It’s going to be extremely busy for me anyway, so it couldn’t come at a better time.
Posts from the Week:
Are Racing Flats Right for You?
Heros to Hero 5k (19:12)
Questions for you:
What is your least favorite condition to run in?
Heat? Torrential Downpour? Wind? White Out Snow? 50 Degrees and Sunny?
What was your best workout last week?
Least favorite running condition for me is hot and humid, followed closely by blustery! I live in Virginia so I’m not sure I have ever run in hot without humid 🙂