I feel like I can’t really start this post without saying something about the attacks in Paris. However, it’s also super awkward to talk about how horrible it was and then just jump into talking about my training. But when I thought about it, I realized we can’t let these things stop us from going on with our lives. I feel like I have been glued to the TV all weekend so it’s probably good to get my mind off of it all.
Also, you may have noticed a little face lift on the blog. I’m not sure how it happened but I had some time on Sunday and all of a sudden found myself trying new themes and then playing around with CSS coding…I have no idea what I am doing with that stuff so if you notice anything crazy please let me know! I’ll blame the taper I guess:)
Anyway I can’t believe it’s already race week! Oddly enough, I haven’t been thinking a whole lot about the race, in the way I usually do (aka stressing out about it). So I think that’s a good thing. I am hoping to get some thoughts together about this training cycle later this week. But for now, let’s recap last week’s training.
Monday: 4 miles easy, core and hip exercises
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: strength training, core and hip exercises
Thursday: 10 miles with 8 at GMP (ended up being a bit faster- the taper has made such a difference in how I feel!)
Friday: 3 miles, core and hip exercises
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: Rest
Total: 31 miles
On Saturday it was so nice to head out for “only” 10 miles. Marathon training has definitely skewed my perception of mileage! It was a bit windy, but otherwise a great day for running. I really had to work to keep this run on the slower side, because my legs wanted to move faster. My coach has reminded to keep my runs EASY this week!
Do you get the urge to run faster than you should during the taper?
Do you currently think of 10 miles has a “longer” long run or a “shorter” long run? I remember a few months ago 10 miles was the longest I had run all year…now it’s often the distance of a mid-week tempo run!
Linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the weekly wrap!
I am quite impressed with your ability to play with CSS and change themes! I get so nervous and confused that I cannot do it myself lol. It looks really nice and I can totally tell that somehow, not sure why, I can scroll and comment much easier. I have so much trouble lately commenting on blogs because it freezes up (it’s usually due to ads from what I am learning). And yes, 10 miles to me seems like a shorter long run, we are totally skewed!
I try to limit my ads because I do notice on other blogs that those can slow things down a bit. I think I cut a few out this time so maybe that helped with the scrolling/commenting? I rely alot on google when doing any blog stuff:)
I think the marathon is still fresh enough that 10 miles seems short, but I’m guessing in a couple of weeks it’ll seem long. So excited for your marathon! Everything feeling well is a very good sign 🙂
I definitely think that in a few weeks I will think of 10 miles as really long. But I think that’s good- we can’t always be running 18-20 mile long runs every weekend!
I wish I could change some things about my blog, but I really don’t know what I’m doing! Race week is always so exciting, I love it! Having the extra energy in your legs is definitely a good feeling.
Are you going to be in Fayetteville at all?
I am going to be in Fayetteville! But only for a day, and I won’t be running. Not sure what our plans are but are you around Monday afternoon/Tuesday morning if I have any free time?
I have to buy themes and stuff like that. I can’t do CSS to save my life, and I”m terrified of messing up my blog. Love the new look!
I would think of any run as a godsend right now!
I remember my first run back after being injured last spring was 1 mile, and it was probably the best mile I have ever run.
Good job on continuing to taper. I was just at a fitness seminar the other wk and they did a study on how important tapering is. I am currently in training for my 50k so yes ten miles seems short to me as well. I did 16 yesterday so today I told myself I’d do a shorter run of ten or so…..haha.
I bet that 10 miles is really short for you as you are training for a 50k! I agree that the taper is so important, it can just be tough to do it correctly!
Ah, it seems like not that long ago that I thought of 10 miles as short and now it definitely feels long. I’m hoping it starts sounding and feeling short again soon!
Look at all of those pretty, crunchy leaves on the ground! I love the sound of a good leaf crunch underfoot. Unfortunately we don’t get a lot of that down here, haha
We have plenty of leaves around here- too bad we can’t send you some!
I know what you mean about marathons skewing your perception of run length! Right now, 10 is long for me. Heck, 8 is “longish”!
I have a feeling I will be saying the same thing in a few weeks!
The new theme is so beautiful and loads so quickly! CSS is so tricky to work with. 10 miles was a normal day during marathon training, but now it’s a “longer” run, which is a nice break. Good luck with your taper and your race this week!
Thank you for the feedback about my page loading quickly- that is really helpful to know!
Great week, Lisa! It sounds like you are feeling just as you should leading up to the race. During the summer I had finally been getting comfortable with 10 mile runs, now 10 miles feels daunting again. A goal of mine is to get back to running 10 miles by the new year!
That’s a great goal, and I know you can get there!
I am so bad with milage/pacing during taper. I just want to race. Haha. But it’s so important to rest your legs… So excited for you this week – enjoy that taper!!! And yes – so twisted when 10-13 miles becomes “shorter” haha.
It’s helped to have a coach to tell me exactly how much and how fast to run!
Oh, yes, I’m with you, Lisa!! Ten miles will definitely feel like a shorter run, compared to my usual long runs these days; isn’t that funny? I’m glad you’re feeling good and taking the time to give your body some rest before the race; you’re SO READY!!!
I’m sure you can relate! And the rest this week is so important, although I have more energy than usual!
I think of 10 as long for now (like this Saturday) but I know when I start marathon training my perspective will probably permanently alter. So much good luck this weekend for you!
As many times as I have trained for marathons, there are still periods of time when 10 miles sounds like alot. Definitely when I was coming back from injury earlier this year, 10 miles sounded so daunting!
The blog looks great! I give you props, CSS confuses me. I need help all the time from my husband, haha. Great week of training! 10 miles is a longer run for me right now as I work on building my base. I do have trouble keeping it easy but I’m working on it! Have a great Monday!
Thanks!
Running easy can be challenging, but its definitely important when building mileage and also getting in other quality workouts!
Great job last week! A few months ago 10 miles would definitely be a LONG long run. Now it feels like it’s pretty short. It all depends on where I’m at with my training. I can’t wait to see how you do in your race!!!
It’s so funny how marathon training can make us change our perspective on distances!
I was happy to see only 10 miles on the schedule for me this past weekend. I can hardly believe I thought that was easy. In the middle of my marathon training 10 is short. I will be so glad to be on the other side of this marathon where I can think 10 miles will be long again! I too felt great Saturday! As always thanks for linking up with us!!!
I definitely look forward to doing long runs around 10 miles once marathon training is over- I feel like thats a great distance to get in a solid run without taking too much time or energy out of the rest of the day!
I run fast outside, whether I’m tapering or not. I try to slow down and I’m right back at the faster speed in no time.
I’ve definitely been working on keeping my easy runs easy during this training cycle! It does help me to be more prepared for the tough workouts.
I think the new layout looks great! Hooray for tapering and having some extra time to give the blog an updated look.
10 miles feels long-ish to me right now. I feel like it should feel shorter at this point in my marathon training. I’m 3 months out and feel like I should be doing higher mileage by now, but I’m trying to trust in my coach.
Definitely trust your coach and the process! 3 months is still awhile. I ended up taking off a few weeks in the beginning of my training because I was sick, and I was still able to build up to high mileage.
The blog design looks great! I don’t see anything funny with anything on my end unless you count the naked dancing smurfs on the sidebar. Ha ha… kidding, kidding. That would be kind of awesome though.
That would be awesome! And I would have no idea how to get rid of it, so good thing there is nothing like that going on:)
You’re better at controlling yourself during taper than I am. I constantly pace and want to sprint my workouts haha
I am trying to trust the process and I keep reminding myself how I would rather save my speed for race day!
I know what you mean thinking “only” 10 miles but for me it’s a longish run right now. So exciting that it’s race week!
It can definitely be long or not so long depending on where we are in our training!
Sounds like you are doing amazing, and your page looks great. I wish I was better with computer lingo so I could spruce up my page!
Thank you! I do a lot of googling to figure out the computer lingo:)
10 miles used to be a short run, but now it’s a long run! I really wanted to do the Route 66 race this year, but I’ve been hurt. 🙁 Hopefully next year!
Sorry that you are hurt:/ Time off from running can definitely change our perspective on distances!
I like the updated look of your blog, Lisa! I can remember being at points where I thought 10 miles was “only”. I’m “only-ing” about riding and pool swimming now. It’s funny what we can teach ourselves to endure! You’ve had a great training cycle and you will have a wonderful race. I’ll be so interested to hear all about it since I can’t go this year! Enjoy the rest of your taper! I appreciate you linking with us!
Before you know it you will be back to running and 10 miles won’t seem like alot to you either! It will take time, but you will get there:)
Yay for race week! You’re going to kill this one. Very quickly 10 has become a longer run for me. Haha!
I think that post- race it can happen very quickly! And its probably a good thing- we can’t always be in marathon shape!
I love when I get to the point in training when 10 miles becomes nothing! Can’t say I’m there right now thought. 🙂 So excited for you!
It is nice to be at a point where 10 miles is nothing. I think thats one of my favorite parts about the post-marathon period- being in shape to run longer but keeping lower mileage for a bit.
I feel the same way about the tragedy in Paris. 🙁 Enjoy your easy runs this week. I’d love to read your thoughts on your training cycle (I’m really interested in the different training programs people do). I’m excited for you that your race is so close!
I’m hoping to have some thoughts up later this week! But I am sure I will talk more about how I felt my training went once the race is over.
im not marathon training but im at the point of thinking of 10 as normal, not long but not short either. ive done so many half marathons this year it feels like the norm 🙂
I know what you mean- 10 miles seems like a common middle ground for a long run!
This is the first time I’ve read your blog but I think it looks great 🙂 10 miles is long for me as I’m not currently training for anything, but it must be nice to have the mindset when it feels “short!” PS – Love your blog name!
Thank you so much! 10 miles definitely sounds like alot to me when I’m not training for a marathon!
As far as I can tell, the site looks great! Nice work!! I can’t believe your race week is here! Yay!! As for 10 miles, I think of it as a short run, lol. Funny how that happens! My non-runner friends would think that’s insane. All a matter of perspective I guess!
It’s definitely a matter of perspective! And I know when Im not in marathon shape, 10 miles seems pretty long to me!
CCS intimidates me! I can’t wait to start building my mileage back up–right now, I’ve been out of the running game for a week due to getting my wisdom teeth removed, but I’m hoping to attempt a short and easy run Saturday and ease myself back into it. I remember when I was training for my half last winter I felt like such a BA when I considered runs of 10 miles or less my ‘easy’ runs!
I hope you are feeling better and can get back to your training soon!
Good luck on your race. I was going to run Route 66, but I got injured and wont be able to it. I’ve heard it’s a great course though. Since I’m coming off this injury, 10 miles sure seems like a lot. I really have to mentally prep myself for that distance, while just a few months ago, 10 miles was nothing at all. I’m looking forward to getting back there again.
I know that feeling! Before you know it 10 miles will seem like nothing again.
I love the new look on the blog! Good luck this weekend! You’ve got this!
Thanks so much!