Training continues

This week the training runs continue to get longer…today was 9 miles! But first let me share with you the run from Wednesday.

Sept 3: Planned workout 40 minutes alternating 7 min run/1 min walk

The weather just won’t let up, it was hot and humid again so it was back to Anytime Fitness for a treadmill workout. I decided to plug into the TV on the treadmill and watch a little HGTV to pass the time which helped distract me from thinking about running. I set the run intervals at 4.8 and the walk intervals at 4.0. Based on an article I read last month, I’m not really pushing the speed too much as I’m trying to build endurance. I think it’s working because I didn’t feel worn out at the end of the workout.

Sept 6: Planned workout 9 miles alternating 5 min run/1 walk

Today’s weather was a little bit better than it had been all week. When we started it was 70 degrees and humid but it was also overcast so we didn’t have to deal with the sun. I made sure I ate enough before the run as I’m sure that was my problem two weeks ago when I ran 8 miles. We met at the shopping center at the bridge and had decided to run an out & back route. I had mapped it last night and decided I was going to put a fresh bottle of water at the halfway point which I did on my way to meet up this morning.  I felt really good through 3.5 miles when I took an extended walk break to eat a few shot bloks and then fell back into the 5/1 rhythm.

I picked up my fresh water bottle but it was not actually at the halfway mark; when I mapped it out I didn’t know that we would be starting our run over the bridge and back. At that point I quickly realized that I was going to finish 9 miles a good distance from my car – ugh. I took several more extended walk breaks and stopped once to stretch my glutes and again to tighten my laces. The sun decided to make an appearance around 7.5 miles and then it got really hot. In the final mile I had to walk quite a bit because I started getting chills – I have never experienced that before. I wasn’t sure what my body was trying to tell me so I just walked until they went away. I knew that I was properly hydrated because I had drank almost two 16.9 oz bottles of water; I’ll have to search the internet to see if there is an explanation for it.

As expected, by the time I finished 9 miles I was just over a mile from the car so I had a nice long cool down walk, LOL! Other than the chills and a nice blister on the second toe of my left foot I think the 9 miles was quite a success. After each ‘new’ long distance my confidence is getting a boost – oh, one other accomplishment today, within the first mile of the run we faced a HUGE hill which I usually avoid at all costs. Today I ran about 3/4 up that hill before walking – woohoo!!!