training Tuesday – Downhill at Dawn week 2
I’m keeping up with the Train Like a Mother plan. I’m loving it, and I feel like I’m getting back to “runner me.” I’m finally getting my groove back as a runner, and I haven’t felt this good since pre-pregnancy….so over two and a half years ago.
Tuesday – Planned: 5 miles. Actual: 5.11 miles in 55:19 (10:49 pace) My boss’s son met us for this run. When we finished the last mile (all uphill, I might add), I mentioned to him that I ran a half marathon just a week before. This was new information for him (and it made me laugh.) He definitely made me run harder, and I’m glad he’s home from college for a few weeks. I am hoping he’ll be able to push me to be a little faster over the next couple of weeks!
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – Planned: easy 5-6 miles. Actual: 5.08 miles in 49:01 (averaged 9:39 pace)
I ran this by myself. I ran the same course as Tuesday, and I just went out hard and kept it up. I have no idea how I kept it up, but I felt amazing!
Friday – Planned: easy 4 miles. Actual: 4.23 miles in 41:16 (averaged a 9:45 pace.)
I did an out and back run – 2.1 miles out, 2.1 miles back. I was a little sore from Thursday, but I just plugged the old iPod in and ran.
Saturday – Planned: 11-13 miles. Actual:10.25 easy run. I ran with Suzanne, and we took it kind of slow for 8 miles and I ran the other 2.25 on my own. I was sore from the previous two days of faster runs and this was my last “long” run before the half marathon.
Sunday – I overdid it with yard work and I did take a walk in the afternoon. I ended up with a very sore back. Oh, and this was supposed to be my rest day.
Monday – According to the TLAM plan, this was a “fun workout” day. I chose to do the 30-day Shred, level 2. After my day of yard work, this was no walk in the park. I pushed through and now I’m considering moving it up to level 3 later this week.
I have a shoe question. I’ve been wearing the same running shoes since last fall. I trained for my marathon and last half marathon in these shoes. I have 3 weeks until the next half marathon and the shoes are on the edge. Do I try to spend the next 3 weeks breaking in the new shoes? Or just continue on with the current shoes? (My only issue is the back of the shoe is wearing out. Normally my knees hurt when I need new shoes, but that has not occurred yet.)
Thoughts? How many races are you able to get through before you make the switch?
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And linking up. (You should link up, too, if you’re doing Training Tuesday posts!)Ā
I have very little experience running in the grand scheme of things — about a year. BUT. I did buy a book to do my half training and it recommended buying the exact same shoes you’ve been training in and breaking them in in the week(s) before the race. So maybe that’s an option?
Either way, great training this week! Love hearing that running is going awesome and is fun! š
I actually have the same exact shoes for my next pair of running shoes. (I stocked up because my shoes are being phased out.) So I may start running in them tomorrow since I didn’t bring them to the office today.
I’d start running in the new shoes and see how they feel. Worst case? You wear the old ones for your long runs and the new ones for the shorter runs until after the half.
Awesome job on hitting those paces!
i’m wearing my new (bought them yesterday) shoes for our half. mine were just giving me too many problems. if i were you, i’d at least start to break them in. you definitely don’t want to hit the breaking point in the old shoes a week before the race!
I would suggest getting new shoes now if you plan on wearing them for the event, especially if you find yourself having knee or joint issues (Hi! I’m Amanda from A Smidgen of Spice…saw your link on “Training Tuesday”). You want to give yourself at least a week to break in the new shoes before a big run. This will also give you time to figure out what socks work best so you don’t get blisters. I hope this helps. š
Hi Jaime, I came across your blog by searching for “Downhill at Dawn race reviews” because I am running it this weekend. I really enjoy your race reports and we have a lot in common! I have a 2 year old boy, I am 30, live in fletcher, and am following Train Like a Mother (love their site). š we also run similar paces so its great to read your race reports and tips. Good luck this weekend-if you have any tips to share about downhill at dawn I would love to hear any (this is my 4th half, I have a blog but I haven een keeping up lately). I’m on twitter at laurenneil if you are on there š