Doing a 20 miler, give
Have a solo 4 hour run for no real reason? Yeah, why not!
But during the holidays when family is in town? My butt is glued to the couch with a warm cup of coffee.
With my first 50k trail race coming up 18 days, I know I need to get in another 20+ mile run (and then maybe a 6-8 miler the next day). I was going to do that on Tuesday, except it was cold and rainy all day. Now... I run in the cold, and I run in the rain, but combine the two and I run to the treadmill!
I grabbed a treadmill right in front of the window (so I could watch the pouring rain) and got to business. Since the treadmills are programmed to reset after 30 minutes, I broke my run into three 30 minute segmants: the warm up, the middle ground, and the run-until-you-puke session.
I listened to the Marathon Training Academy podcasts and had mini 'walk breaks' while I reset the machine every 30 minutes. Surprisingly, the run was over before I wanted to blow my brains out. I still prefer the great outdoors, but I'll consider this a success.
So yesterday morning I was suppose to get another long run in. Since I knew I wouldn't have time for the 20 miles I planned, I settled on 'only' 15 miles. There's something about 15 miles that seems much less daunting than 20 miles.
Well, one cup of coffee later, 7:00AM turned into 8:00AM which turned into a 9:15AM start. Whoops.
When I finally got going, I decided to run at my own pace, so I turned my Garmin to a screen that only showed my time. No pace, no distance. I ran solely based on feel, walking when I needed a break and pushing it when I felt stronger. Amazingly, I kept a very steady 10 minute pace for 10 wonderful miles.
Today I'm hoping to get another 8-10 miles in. Doing 25-30 miles over three days is almost as good as doing it over 2, right?
Well that's what I got.
How are you doing on motivation? If you have extra, please send me some!
I used the "I just traveled three days in a row" vs. "I should run because I've been sitting in cars eating Christmas cookies" excuses! It's just that time of year!!! You're doing great! 18 days?! Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteit's pretty hard to get in some runs over the holidays, so at least you're getting out there. Motivation? hmm..
ReplyDelete'the hardest part is getting your shoes on and getting out the door (or on the treadmill)' - definitely been true for me recently.
Also, think of how hardcore you'll feel after this 50k! You've got this and I can think of you as my hero :) So get in that last run so you can rock the socks off this race!
Good for you for running on the treadmill Danielle! I hear so many complaints about treadmill running but I've always kind of enjoyed it. Nice way to watch TV without feeling guilty! Our running group has a speedwork day during warm weather, which I go to mostly because of the socializing aspects, but I make a lot more progress on my speedwork during the winter months on the treadmill!
ReplyDelete