It’s 85 days until the Chicago Marathon…
I’m freaking out a little.
My week officially ended at 35.7 miles! What an accomplishment! I’ve never run more than 30, no less over 35 miles in a single week. I really feel like I am training for a marathon. My legs felt great but I think my long run could have gone better.
Monday: Rest Day
Just a regular old rest day.
Tuesday: 6.1 mile trail run in AM (9:52 min/mi) & 3 mile fast finish (8:48 min/mi) in PM
I got up really early and got to Konza Prarie before the sunrise. I hit the trail just as the sun was coming up and it was just perfect. The air was cool and it just felt fresh out there. I saw turkeys, bison, bunnies, and deer! In the PM I ran with the Manhattan Running Company on their social run. It was SOOO crazy hot. The heat index was over 100 and the air was stagnant. Kinda felt like running through a sauna.
Wednesday: 4 mile progression run
I love progression Runs. I went out in the evening as it was starting to cool off and I just felt great. I was planning to make this an easy run, but I was having trouble holding myself back, so I sped up each mile as I went. My splits were 9:00, 8:23, 8:17, 8:00.
Thursday: Rest
Another rest day.
Friday: Brutal 14 mile long run (10:17 min/mi)
This run sucked… and it was totally my fault. I woke up really early, since I knew the heat index was going to get up to 106 that day. Then, I just kinda sat around and procrastinated. I wasn’t out the door until 9 am, and it was already about 90 F. The first few miles felt good, but I realized that I was going to run out of water, so I ran to the running store in town to fill up. As I got closer, the miles got harder. I took a few walking breaks to cool down, since I had stopped sweating, but really, it wasn’t helping. Unfortunately, Kansas is a prarie, so there are very few trees and nowhere to get out of the sun. At the store, they gave me a test Newton Fuel Belt to hold extra water, and I gotta say, it was a life saver. I had enough water with me to use some to pour over my head to cool down. I was so thankful. Normally, I wouldn’t think a fuel belt is necessary, but around here it gets so hot and there are no water stops. I went ahead and bought one for my long runs this summer. I’m sure I’ll get my money’s worth out of it.
Saturday: 3.3 mile recovery run (9:34 min/mi – a little too fast)
I went out in the early morning and just did a nice chill run. I, again, was having trouble holding myself back. I wanted to be closer to 10 min miles, but if I wasn’t watching my watch like a hawk, I would accidentally take it a little faster. I guess that’s a good thing…
Sunday: 5.3 mile Easy (9:57 min/mi)
This was a nice easy run that felt really good. I waited until it started getting dark so I wouldn’t have to endure the blasting sun. Legs felt good, mind felt great, and I just chugged along no problems. Wish all runs were like this.
Things are going up from here! Next week I will run 40 miles, and in there is a 16-mile long run. I’m nervous about the long run, given how poorly the 14-miler went this week, but if I get out earlier, I shouldn’t be in so much trouble. 14 miles is the furthest I’ve ever gone, and 16 miles sure seems like a lot.
I do have a half marathon coming up in less than 2 weeks, so stay tuned for a goals post coming soon!
What is your favorite run (long runs, progression runs, recovery runs, etc)? Do you bring water with you on long runs?
She Runs the Wasatch 
How nice that your local running store gave you a water belt to try out during that super hot run. I bring water with me on long runs because we don’t have a lot of shade around here either. I remember last year I went for a long run around noon because the forecast said it would be cloudy with a slight drizzle ALL DAY and then around 45 minutes into my run the sun popped out in full force and I wanted to die! I will never ever attempt a run at noon no matter what the weather ever again! haha
I think you will rock your 16-miler! You’ll get up and out the door earlier and that will make a world of a difference! Plus you’ll have your new water belt with you the whole time!
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I hope my 16-miler goes better. I think the water belt will make a difference. Being out of water is like the worst feeling in the world.
Kansas reminds me a lot of summers in Florida. No tree cover, constant sunlight and crazy humidity. I gotta say, I’m looking forward for it to cool down.
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CONGRATS on the 35 mile week – that is AWESOME! I also ran 14 on Friday – it was tough but our weather was a little better for it here. Sorry to hear how hot it was for you, but you are a badass for getting it done! My favorite kind of run is a long run that I do as a progression. If I feel good and I can hold back in the beginning, I’m usually rewarded at the end. I don’t carry water, but I try to plan them around water fountains…and I bring GU!
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The water fountains here don’t work. It drives me nuts! I love progression runs too. I always finish feeling so refreshed and energized. I think it also boosts my confidence a lot.
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Yes because you know you’re capable of finishing strong!
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Progression runs are my fave and…yeah…I need to get better about my water carrying. This weather is OUT OF CONTROL! Your training has been great so far. Trust in it! You’re going to do great!
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Progressions are my fave too. The weather has been nuts here. I am looking forward to some slightly cooler temps this week.
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Awesome job lady! Way to hit your highest mileage yet! Those long runs happen–just learn from it and make your next one even better! How awesome of your running store to let you borrow a fuel belt to test out! I usually just run with my handheld and I tend to run out of water on my long runs too, and those are in much cooler weather! Good luck this week!
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Had they not given me the fuel belt, I think I would have cut it a little short to have more access to water. I really like the higher mileage, but it means that I either have to be up crazy early or go to bed kinda late. Hopefully it’ll cool down soon.
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I usually carry a fuel belt with me on long runs because there aren’t many places with water fountains around here on runs. I have a Nathan’s single bottle fuel belt, and quite honestly, it drives me nuts, but it’s better than a hand held. I can’t do that either. I’m still trying to figure out the answer here.
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Yeah, the water fountains around here don’t work, so I have to bring my water or make it to the running store across town. I can see why the fuel belt would drive you a little nuts. Until I had it adjusted right, it was bouncing all over. It is a little heavy.
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I’ve been bringing water if my run is going to be an hour or more. We have shade, but shade doesn’t exactly replenish fluids 😉 and I mostly run in the morning before sunrise anyway. I also think it’s good to practice hydrating throughout runs to get my body used to it.
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Yeah. I tend to bring it when I’m going 10 miles or more. I don’t like to be too far from home without water. I wish we had some shade around here. I feel like I can’t get away from the sun.
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Congrats on the mileage PR 😉 I just stumbled across your blog & looking forward to reading more -> I’m running Chicago, too! 3 months sounds so much better than 85 days… that scared me a bit!!!
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Thanks for stopping by! 85 days is really not that much time and I’m getting pretty worried about Chicago. Is this your first marathon?
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Don’t get worried! Trust yourself and your training! It’s all mental. This will be my 6th marathon but looking to PR by over 20 minutes so I’ve set myself up for some big goals. Is this your first?
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Great shot of that sunrise.
I use to bring water on EVERY run, I’m trying too only bring it on runs longer than a 10k now, just for training purposes.
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