Overall, it went well and I feel prepared for Dopey. I can't believe I am in Tapertown right now-it is great to know there are no more 14+ hour running weeks in my future for a long time!
I am going to break it down by each run and say what I did and what I learned
TUESDAY: 3 MILES at 11:08 pace
This was my regular route and I did just fine. I ran in my new Saucony and it started raining during my run pretty hard. They dried out well but it made my run pretty miserable as my raincoat made me feel very warm.
I showered, and headed to work and carbloaded all day.
WEDNESDAY: 3.5 MILES at 11:38
oh weather-so it poured Tues night (thunder in LA!) and when I got up it was pitch black. This was supposed to be 5 miles but with the crazy weather, it was only 3.5. Usually it is bright enough to run outside by 615 but since it stormed all night, it wasn't until 640 I felt safe venturing out by myself. I decided 3.5 miles is better than none and still had enough time to shower and get to work on time.
THURSDAY: 12.5 MILES at 12:07 pace
I had a half day at work so I got up bright and early and headed out in the 47 degree weather for a new 12 mile loop. Well I messed up my garmin but I think I did about a mile before I got it working correctly.
Even better the night before I loaded all of my audible books on my iPod so I was ready to go. I listened to the final episode of Serial and also the entire Snow Queen (which is a lot more weird and strange than I thought it would be) and half of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It helped pass the time which was great because I didn't realize the way I picked was a lot of hills!
I headed back to home and got in a few running segments under 10 minutes right at the end and felt great. I got ready and headed to work in compression gear and rolled every 2 hours at work. I was ready to tackle the 26 miler
FRIDAY: 26.2 MILES with a 1 mile cool down
I got a lot of sleep and felt prepared however my legs were feeling iffy from the surprise hill workouts i did the day before. When I started at 7 am, it 46 degrees and my legs went numb and I could see my breath. After one lap, I loosened up and felt much better and actually left my long sleeve shirt on until mile 9.
I had my typical mental issues and mini-freak outs but was able to keep myself calm. I really need to work on my mental game more! I listened to Unbroken which is an amazing book-I can't wait to finish it over break!
My issues were more with boredom with what was around me since I did the run at the rose bowl. I had some slow miles, some fast ones but I definitely needed more fuel (more carb loading) and another clif shot.
I was able to line up my fuel and bathroom breaks with where I will be during the marathon and they all worked well! My only concern is 2 clif stations less than 5 miles apart. I think I will save the 2nd clif shot for mile 20 as a final push.
I showered and relaxed and ate a ton of recovery food. I also tried the vega recovery and I definitely think it helped. I'm going to buy a few travel packs to bring with me to Wdw marathon and see how I like them.
Learned:
- Have food ready for when you get back from long runs (leftover from the half and crockpot food for the full)
- Rolling and stretching is clutch in between. I should have done more after the half
- Sleep!!
- Make sure to test shoes and outfits
now what?
Well I need to simulate Rebel Challenge so I will be running 4 miles on Thursday (Merry Christmas to me!) and 10 miles on Friday.
After that I plan on focusing on core work and PiYo (3 days a week), 1 full rest day and 2-3 days running. My running days will be just 3 miles maintence and 1 final 6-7 mile run.
How did your final runs for WDW marathon weekend go?