You know you’ve been running too long when you announce that you just finished a 20 miler and your husband looks nonplused. As though this is something you do frequently and it requires no special congratulations; let alone the jubilation you’ve been rehearsing in your head on the mile walk home.
So then you try to express the awesomeness of what you have just done by reiterating that you did 17 MILES on the treadmill staring at nothing but an empty roof because of the rain and lightning…no reaction. Fine time to up the ante, I did it as a progression run and did 3 MILES at marathon pace!! Hmm what’s it take to get a gold medal in this house?! 
TREADMILL
The last time I had a long run on the treadmill was Tropical Storm Issac and it didn’t go that well. This time I changed my thought process telling myself “This Is Fantastic”. If I can mentally power through a run staring at nothingness then I know the fun of NYC will carry me just a little farther.
Of course this was one of those treadmills that shuts off every 60 mins, so I had plenty of chances to stop…but I didn’t. At mile 17, I noticed the TV behind me showed the radar clearing and I took my chances dashing out to get in 3 miles before my brain exploded. My IT Band hurt like heck this week and I could tell it was pulling on my knee, but I knew it wasn’t veering into injury territory and darn it I did it!
During my first marathon I did all my training on a treadmill, but I had a TV and could zone out on trashy tv like The Real Housewives…staring at a rooftop is a whole different ballgame and definitely requires a new set of mental skills.
NYC NEWS
I officially received my NYC bib and start time…10:30AM. I honestly don’t even know what my brain will do with a start time of 10:30! This is marathon number 7, but I don’t think I’ve started a long run later than 8 am EVER. Literally in 10 years I’ve really never attempted a long run that late in the day because I enjoy the early morning. Any tips from you NYC pro’s?
WORKOUTS
Sept 10
AM: 30 min walk, back/core, 80 min easy bike
- normally a rest day, but I felt good and Saturday was more of a rest day
PM: 35 min walk with David
Sept 11
AM: 9 miles, 20 min
1 x 3K @HMP
1 x 2K @10KP
1 x 1m @5KP
1 x 1K @ 3000mP
2 min recovery between each
PM: shoulders, core, yoga, 20 min walk
Sept 12
AM: 1 mile easy run, 30 min walk, 45 min yoga -- trying to go easy for VO2 Max testing tomorrow
Sept 13
AM: VO2 Max testing - can’t wait to share this!!
PM: 4 mile run with hills, core/stability work, 15 min walk
Sept 14
AM: 7.2 mile run - This was a “character” building run. Just tough from the start, but I made it a progression run since I couldn’t dial in to a fast pace to start. 20 min walk, 75 min bike
PM: Yoga
Sept 15
AM: Babying my ITBand it is really starting to hurt. 1300m swim, core work
Sept 16
AM: 20 MILES!!!! 2 mile walk, 30 min yoga
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Gratitude Journal
Sep 16
I am grateful for the hotel that freely gave me a bottle of water when I finished today even though I’m sure I looked like a crazed lunatic between my elation and exhaustion.
