training Tuesday – one month until Downhill at Dawn

I signed up for another half marathon before I completed the Nike half marathon. This one is in my area and the elevation chart shows that it’s a gradual decline. We’ll start in one town and end in another (and be shuttled back to the start). It should be interesting.

This time, though, I’m actually following a training plan. Shocking, I know. The night I got home from DC, I ordered the book “Train Like a Mother” because I wanted to check out the “own it” plan for a half marathon. I don’t think I’m quite at the level of training to jump in and “own” this next race, so I may save that plan for the fall. However, I think it’ll benefit me to do more speed work and increase my mid-week distances. It can’t hurt….can it?

My training “plan” for the next 4 weeks is to follow the final 4 weeks of the finish it plan in TLAM. As for training for a downhill race, I don’t know there’s much more I can do to train for that. I have hills all around me, so I just have to find the most downhill routes possible and tackle them.

Enough babbling, more training!

Tuesday – rest day

Wednesday – 3.12 miles in 32:14. This was my fastest pace with my co-worker and I felt amazing. Before we headed out, she said, “so we’re not running long and we’re not going fast, right?” Famous last words. I really did push her and felt proud of both of us for doing this. She’s doing a 5k in at the end of this week and joked that she was going to pay my entry to have me pace her. I have other plans that morning, though, so no pacing for this girl!

Thursday – 4.26 miles – this was a little slower than the previous day’s run. We ran it in 46 minutes. The first three miles were fantastic and fast. The last mile was so hilly.

Friday – I took another rest day.

Saturday – 8 miles in 1 hour, 27 minutes. It was a cool morning, and we had a great run. I ran with Suzanne and Julie and I’m so glad I chatted with Suzanne the day before because I need running partners on long runs! We ran to Carrier Park and then turned around. I’m also glad we went early (we started at 6:30 a.m.) The skies opened up later, and this is what the park looks like as of Monday.

Sunday – Not a thing.

Monday – Cross-training. I did 25 minutes of the 30-day Shred (level 2.) I woke up at 5:40 to get this workout in, because the weather forecast was so iffy.

I’m going to try not to take as many rest days this next week. I had to give myself a little bit of a break last week since I had just come off running Nike and the weather was awful!

How was your week?