Week 3 - Ah the Schedule!

Well week 3 was a little difficult for me. My schedule for the week was hard due to traveling to Morgantown, WVA on Saturday for my daughter’s indoor track meet and having an all day Divisional Swim Meet in Canton on Sunday. I had to make some changes to my running schedule which resulted in fewer miles that I would have liked.

Monday the 28th was a cold day and I went out in the morning for a run before work. I ran for a quick 26 minutes (3 ½ miles) in 14 degree weather with heavy hands concentrating on speed and tempo. It was a good run and I was quite satisfied after I finished. My second run was on Wednesday in McDonald and I ran an easy 36 minutes and completed 4 miles.

I initially had planned on running my long run on Saturday the 2nd but given the fact I was going to Morgantown on Saturday, I decided to head to Mill Creek on Friday after work and get my long run in then. I got to the park about 3:15 and starting running at about 3:30. I left the Lily Pond parking lot and ran the roads around the entire circumference of the park. I stayed on all the major roads and made my way from the Lily Pond to Cohasset Drive, up Big Bear to the Mill, around Lake Newport to Shields Road, and back to the Mill. From there I ran down towards the Silver Bridge but made a right and ran down East Cohasset Drive which is a closed road that acts as a hike/bike trail. From there I went up along Lake Glacier and climbed the hills to Volney Rogers baseball fields. I was getting tired from the climbs but I had broken this run down into sections in my mind and I think this helped. I new exactly where I wanted to be and was confident I would complete this run strong. When I got near Volney, my legs were hurting and so were my lungs. It also had started to sleet a little bit. I was running in shorts and my legs were starting to get cold from the sleet and the wind. I had about a mile and a half to go so I decided to pick it up and take a split on my last mile to check my pace.

As I headed to the Lily Pond from the Log Cabin it really started to come down. The sleet was more like frozen rain and it was sticking to me everywhere. I tucked my head and pressed on. I felt good. I got back to the Lily Pond in 1 hr. 59 min. My last mile pace was 8:40. I was happy to be done and to know I ran 8:40 for my last mile of 13 miles. I dried myself off and put the heater on high for the ride home.

Saturday I traveled to the track meet and really felt like I needed a run when I got home. I was motivated watching all the college runners on the track. After a short nap, I changed my clothes and got in a 4 mile run in McDonald. My legs were tired in the beginning, but after 10 minutes or so I felt myself picking up the pace. This was my last run for the week. Sunday I was at a swim meet from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and returned home to about 12 people at my house for a Super Bowl party. I ate and enjoyed myself.

Total miles for the week were 25 (212 minutes of running)
Body weight 198
Long Day = 13 miles
Training Pace = 8:00-8:40
Interesting notes: On my long run, I consumed 2 Hammer-gels (1 every 45 minutes or so) and drank Succeed in my 26 oz. bottle. Everything sat right where it should and I had no problems with cramping. Next week the long run is scheduled for Saturday…… it will be 14 miles and I am still mapping it out.
Stay Tuned………………..