So I took a longer than planned break from posting training updates. Oops. Looks like we have several weeks to cover so let’s get to it!
Week 12 (April 17-23)
Sunday: 5 easy miles @ 9:35 and 16 minutes easy on the spin bike
Monday: 1 mile easy, 4×1.5 mile with a half mile recovery (8:18, 8:12, 8:09, 7:57), 1 mile cool down. As you can see, I need to work on even pacing.
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 1 mile warm up, 9 tempo miles @ 8:24, 1 mile cool down
Thursday: Off (I should have done 5 miles)
Friday: 8 easy miles @ 9:28
Saturday: 10 miles @ 9:28
44 miles total
Week 13 (April 24-30)
Sunday: 7 easy miles on the schedule but I did 45 minutes on the spin bike instead.
Monday: 3×2 miles on the schedule but I skipped this too. I started on the treadmill after work and did a quarter-mile of the warm up before deciding that I needed to spend the time with my kiddos who were fighting, playing video games (they had played with grandma for 3 hours after school), and hungry for their supper.
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 1 mile easy, 9 mile tempo @ 8:15 (oops, too fast!), 1 mile cool down
Thursday: 6 easy miles @ 9:30
Friday: 6.50 easy miles @ 9:07
Saturday: 16 miles @ 10:13
39.77 miles total
Week 14 (May 1-7)
Sunday: 5 easy miles @ 9:55
Monday: 1 mile warm up, 2×3 miles with a 1 mile recovery after each (7:49, 8:01), 1 mile cool down
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 1 mile warm up, 9 tempo miles @ 8:26, 1 mile cool down
Thursday: 5 easy miles @ 9:36
Friday: 8.25 easy miles @ 9:26
Saturday: 10 miles @ 9:27
49.35 miles total
Week 15 (May 8-14)
Sunday: 7.7 easy 10:22
Monday: 1 mile warm up, 3×2 miles with 1 mile recoveries but I only got the first two out (8:14 & 8:27) and skipped the cool down. I had started to feel sick earlier in the day and was hoping that it was just allergies, but I started feeling dizzy on the drive home from work and it gradually got worse through the run.
Tuesday: Off (and I was so happy it wasn’t a running day!)
Wednesday: I began to realize that I was actually sick and skipped my 10 mile tempo in the morning with plans to run after work when I was sure to be cured…….that didn’t happen. I was working in a different building with 2 coworkers from our Calgary office and the 3 of us were crammed into a tiny cubical with me on the end coughing, sniffling and sneezing. By the end of the day, they told me that I really was sick and not to come back the next day. I went home and skipped the 10 mile tempo.
Thursday: 6 easy miles on the plan, but I stayed home and in bed.
Friday: 6 easy miles on the plan, but I was still not feeling well so I went to work, but skipped the run.
Saturday: 16 miles @ 10:20. I was still not feeling 100%, but took it easy.
29.29 miles total
Week 16 (May 15-21)
Sunday: 5 easy miles on the plan, but skipped this one too. By now I was starting to feel a mild panic about even being able to finish Steamboat due to all the runs I have missed. Seth just rolls his eyes at me.
Monday: 1 mile warm up, 4×1.5 miles with half mile recoveries (8:23, 8:43, 8:22, 8:20), 1 mile cool down. I was trying to slow down in the second mile and ended up too slow so I just went back to what felt right.
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 1 mile warm up, 10 mile tempo @8:28, 1 mile cool down. I’m supposed to be running these tempos at an 8:35 so I’m getting nervous that I’m taking them too fast and will end up going out to fast at Steamboat thinking I can do more than I’m now capable of and then end up either walking the last half or not even finishing. Seth rolls his eyes at this too.
Thursday: 5 easy miles @ 10:07
Friday: 8 easy miles @ 9:53
Saturday: 10 miles @ 9:46
44.84 miles total
There you have it! I’m disappointed that I was sick and missed runs but it couldn’t be helped. There have been several other runs though, many on Sundays, that I’ve missed due to it being the only day our family has together each week and not wanting to make everyone work around me wanting to run. I’m a fairly non-confrontational person so it’s easier to just keep the peace than insist on running out the door for an hour ;).
And now, I’ll entertain you with some pictures that cover the last few weeks:
My dad sent a set of Louis L’Amour audio books for Jackson to listen to at bedtime. They have been a hit with both boys and I love that they are being introduced to the same characters and stories that I grew up with. We’ve started borrowing the ones at our local library, but they only seem to have three, so we may have to start looking on Amazon soon.
This was a picture to commemorate a long run that actually took place outside. Most of my Saturday long runs are spent on the treadmill after Seth leaves for work so this one had to be documented.
Random silliness from Tucker…..
…..and more random silliness from Jackson.
Going all Daryl Dixon at Dick’s Sporting Goods one Sunday.
My friend, Tera’s boyfriend gave me his daughter’s slightly used pair of Brooks Cascadia’s and they are exactly my size. I am super excited for trail running in them!
I bought a pair of Saucony running shoes in a moment of desperation when my Mizuno’s started giving me insane blisters on the heel due to how they were wearing. When you don’t do even a tiny bit of research before buying a pair of shoes, you can be guaranteed to end up with something that doesn’t work. They’re cute, but my high arches hated them so I stuck it out for a couple of weeks and then picked up a pair of Brooks Pureflows because I know they work well for me. Spoiler alert, they’ve started giving me the Mizuno blisters too.
A mall near us has these cool motorized animals so we thought it would be fun to let the boys ride them. All of the other children that we saw were riding nicely next to their parents. Our boys took off zigzagging between kiosks, stopping nose to end across the hallway, and culminated with a grand finale of Jackson crashing directly into the all glass front of the Apple store (not breaking anything, thankfully) and getting stuck. I’m not really sure how many times we have to take them out in public to learn that our boys are a little more intense than other children.
Jackson made me a hilarious book for Mother’s Day full of sweet and funny observations that he’s made about me but I can’t decide what to think about this statement.
Tucker made this one – can you tell that my little pigmy shrew loves farts?
We found new gloves for the boys that should last longer than the old ones. They haven’t taken them off since we left the store. 
Fishing at Lake John by Walden one Sunday between rain and hail storms.
I took last Tuesday off so that Seth and I could hang out and go hiking while the kids were in school but it was such a rainy cold day that we just ended up driving around, eating out and shopping.
Let me tell you, it was the most magical thing in the world to walk around a furniture store and sit in a restaurant without kids.
I finally ordered night stands for our room after doing without for nearly 3 years and it is amazing. I wish the rest of our room…..and house…..and yard, would just decorate themselves so that I don’t have to think about it.
Seth brought home some plants for the yard, so I’ve been helping him pretty it up. I’m glad he took the initiative because I would have never done it myself or got around to hiring a landscaper.
I did walk through the garden section in Target and thought about getting a planter or two for the front porch. I was torn between the white or the gray ones on the bottom shelf and ultimately couldn’t decide so I didn’t get anything. I don’t know what I would have put in them anyway and you can forget about watering them so there’s that.
I just had to include this picture because I love Jackson’s smile when he’s having fun.
In other news, my sister, Tina ran her very first half marathon last weekend in Fargo! My dad, another sister and a brother-in-law were all training to run too, but ended up not being able to due to sickness, injury, etc. Tina ran anyway and did great! I’m so excited for and proud of her! (Tina’s husband took the picture, but I wish I could have been there in person!)
And last, but definitely not least, Seth graduated from college!!! He’s been taking classes around work for the last few years and all of his hard work and perseverance finally paid off. I am so proud of him!!!
It’s less than two weeks until Steamboat and my last 10 mile tempo was today. Every run from here is easy and gradually shortens – I’m a little nervous but getting excited too!