This week was fairly uneventful (which I guess is a good week in terms of Marathon training!) other than this lingering plantar fasciitis, which I must take care of this week as twice daily stretching isn't doing a whole lot to improve the situation!
Last Tuesday I had a seven-mile run scheduled so I decided it was time once again to run Heartbreak Hill. It was a great day to be out, the temperature was perfect. I have been trying to figure out if I can get some more speed up before the Marathon as some of these runs are taking me so long. I tried to do a run-walk the other day but I feel like I lose my momentum so I am going to stick with my slow steady pace! At this point, only eight weeks off the Marathon, I think my focus has to remain on just covering the distance rather than worrying about how long it's going to take me.
On Thursday I was supposed to do another seven miles but I just wasn't feeling like more of the same so I got on the treadmill and did a shorter distance at a slightly faster pace, which was a good change. On Saturday I headed out at 7:00 am for my 12-mile run. The weather was gorgeous and the birds were chirping; it felt like spring! I headed west from Wellesley College to Speen Street in Natick and turned there and headed back through Wellesley. As I reached Speen Street, a coach full of runners pulled into a parking lot. I spent the next couple of miles wondering when they would come thundering down behind me but it wasn't until I got back to Wellesley College that about 20 people dressed in costumes - everything from batman to ninja turtles and Spiderman - ran by me. I turned around at the new Whole Foods in Wellesley for my last two miles home. My feet were hurting (read plantar fasciitis) so I headed home on the Crosstown Trail thinking that might help. I had to stop and walk and stretch out my heel and calves and figured it was just as uncomfortable walking so I may as well plod the rest of the way home! I made it back and a couple of ibuprofen and some more stretching seemed to help a lot. On Saturday night my husband and I had a babysitter and went out for dinner - it felt good to have a great meal, a margarita and feel like I earned it!
This weekend is 16 miles so I will be intrigued to see how that goes. It will be the furthest I have ever run and only a taster for the 20 miler coming up in the next few weeks. My focus this weekend will need to be keeping up my energy after a couple of hours and stopping for stretch breaks. I've ordered some Gu (the thought of which makes my stomach turn) and Jelly Beans to see if those will help out; hopefully they'll arrive before the weekend!
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