Huge Training Week

I'll admit that taking an exotic vacation right in the midst of marathon training might not have been the wisest move, but you have to live, right? My trip to Egypt created a 10 day hiatus from running and a full two week break between long runs. I went from logging 30-35 miles a week to zero for a week, then only 11 miles the week I returned. The jet lag was brutal and my legs were so swollen from the 16 hours of flying that 3 miles was all I could manage at first. I did a handful of short runs, all of which made me ache terribly, and I realized I couldn't go long that first weekend. I just wasn't ready. So Monday of this week kicked off my biggest volume training week yet.

Monday: 18 miles, relatively slow and easy. I expected this to be far worse than it ended up being. It was slower than my 20 miler, but not bad at 3:11:53 considering the time off. I was pretty comfortable until Mile 15, after which every move hurt like hell.

Tuesday: Rest, and boy did I need it. I was so sore I felt like I'd done the actual marathon!

Wednesday: Eased back in with 3.85 miles. It was meant to be a 4-miler, but it was raining and cold so I did 3 at the gym and it was supposed to be a mile home, but I took a slightly different route. Good enough. Interestingly I was still very sore from the long run, but the pain and stiffness went away after this.

Thursday: I flew to Minneapolis for a client event and decided to take another day off running in anticipation of a big miles weekend. I did an elliptical workout instead in the hotel gym.

Friday: Flew back to New York and ran 4.75 miles to and from packet pick-up for the Rock n' Roll 10K, one of my weekend races. I was so tired from the travel and my groin/femur has been bothering me a lot so it wasn't a great run, but I needed the miles.

Saturday: After a fun night out with friends, too many bottles of wine, and another night with less than 6 hours of sleep, I dragged myself out of bed for the Rock n' Roll 10K in Brooklyn. I love the Rn'R races and it was in my backyard so no excuses. It was 38 degrees and I wasn't in my finest race form, plus I have my second long run of the week on tap tomorrow, so I ran an easy pace. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the course, plus the huge breakfast in the VIP tent afterward brought me back to life.

I'll wrap up the week tomorrow with Grete's Gallop, a half-marathon in Central Park. I'm adding an extra couple miles to make it 14-15 depending on how I feel. By the end of the week I will have logged more than 45 miles, my biggest week yet. I'm already looking forward to taper and post-marathon rest!