March 11, 2018

Weekly Wrap-Up: Week 8 of Half-Marathon Training

Hey, Friends! It's been a while. I have had a tough week mentally, and my anxiety has been kind of overwhelming. The thought of writing a blog post just made it worse, so I have been avoiding all blog things all week. But today, I wanted to do my weekly recap of my training. I'll write more about the mental stuff tomorrow.

This was week 8 of Martian Invasion half-marathon training. As you know, I'm following my "First-Timer's Half-Marathon Training Plan" (along with Jerry, because we are both running the race together).

This week was a step back week, meaning reduced mileage and intensity. There wasn't a huge difference compared with last week, but because this is a beginner plan, the "regular" weeks aren't very intense anyways. Here is what was on the schedule for the week:

Tuesday: Easy Run (35 minutes)
Wednesday: Easy Run (3 miles)
Friday: Easy Run (3 miles)
Sunday: Long Run (6 miles easy)



Tuesday - Easy Run (35 minutes)

Tuesday is usually speed work, but because it was a step-back week, it was just an easy run. The speed work is usually measured in time instead of miles, so that stayed consistent.

This run was odd. Like I said, my anxiety has been bad all week--and my mood has been sad. Tuesday was the worst of it. Because of my mood, I procrastinated my run all day. I just wanted to skip it so badly!

It started to sprinkle outside, and it wasn't exactly warm, so I planned to just do the treadmill. But then the thought of running in the cold rain made me feel better--I thought it seemed appropriate for my mood, and getting outside for a little bit sounded good. It was evening, and with the overcast sky, it was a little dark. I wore my reflective vest, even though the sun hadn't gone down or anything. Better safe than sorry.


I dressed really warm, and I listened to a mental health podcast. I was really enjoying it! And then halfway through, my phone died because of the cold. I have an iPhone 6, and when my phone gets really cold, the battery dies. But then later, when I plug it in, the battery is magically back up to 40-50%. I don't get it.

But I was bummed, because I was interested in listening. I was irritated with the drivers that day, too. People don't pay any fucking attention to the road! Everyone is texting on their phones or otherwise occupied, and I can't count the number of times I nearly had to jump into a ditch to avoid getting hit by a car.

Then, I started getting chased by a dog... an ENORMOUS Great Dane. Seriously?! I've gotten so much better about what to do when approached by a dog, which I'll write about tomorrow, but I yelled at it to go home, and finally it retreated. That's a busy road, and the people who live in the house don't watch their dog very well (obviously).

But, I ended up finishing the run and, despite everything, I felt so much better. I was soaked and cold, but it felt good on my body. I took a hot shower and dressed in my pajamas for the evening.

Wednesday - Easy Run (3 miles)

This time, I chose the treadmill. It was too late to go outside (unless I wanted to run in the dark, and after Tuesday's encounter with drivers and the dog, I just decided it'd be better on the treadmill). Instead of watching The Shield, I listened to the rest of the podcast I'd missed out the day before. I thought I'd miss having a screen in front of me for something to watch, but I enjoyed the podcast and the time went by kind of quickly.

I was super sweaty after this run! Some days, I barely break a sweat, and others, I'm just dripping--even when doing the same workout. This was one of those days where I was soaked.


I noted to myself that I really shouldn't run that late in the evenings (6:45 pm). My back was killing me (the pain gets worse throughout the day) and I felt achey during the run. I really should try to start before 5:00-ish.

Friday - Easy Run (3 miles)

This was basically the exact same run the day before; only this time, I did it in the morning. I had errands to get done in the late morning, and I wanted to shower beforehand, so I might as well get the run done and shower. I listened to a podcast again. I like doing that! On my long runs, I'll probably still watch a show on my iPad, but the shorter runs are nice for podcasts.



Sunday - Long Run (6 miles)

After running 9 miles last weekend, I was pretty excited that I "only" had 6 miles scheduled today. Even if I had to do them on the treadmill, I wouldn't have minded it so much. But, the day turned out to be gorgeous running weather!

I wanted to go somewhere away from home to run, and instead of one of the parks, Jerry and I decided to go park in downtown Monroe and run the path along the river. When we pulled up to the parking lot, I noticed a very interesting sight...


A dog, wearing snow goggles, standing on a fire hydrant.

Hahaha! When I got out of the car, I asked the owner if I could take a photo. Then Jerry and I chatted with him for a little bit, because I was so curious about--well, the dog standing on the fire hydrant. He explained that he's a dog trainer for Sit Means Sit, and he demonstrated with Shadow (his dog) lots of her amazing obedience training. I was in awe.

He gave me his business card, and I think we're going to check it out for Joey. Joey is a fantastic dog, and I really can't complain. But there are a couple of things he could improve on. For example, when someone comes to the door, I tell him to go lie down on his bed--and he does. I tell him to stay--and he does. But as soon as I turn my back to greet the person at the door, or if I get otherwise distracted, he sneaks off his bed and rushes the guests before I tell him he can get up.

Anyway, that was fun. Jerry and I headed off on our run, and it felt really good for the first couple of miles. When we got to the park (the lollipop part of a lollipop route), the path was all mud. We kept going, running on the grass, hoping that the path would clear up. But we finally ended up turning around and doing a different route because the mud was just too bad. It was definitely our slowest mile.

My heart rate stayed pretty low overall (146 bpm--ideal would have been 144), and our pace was 11:11/mile. It was a good run!


Overall, this week was pretty decent. My favorite run was the one I ran in the freezing rain. It just felt "right", and I enjoyed it. None of the runs were terrible, so that's a win!


Next week is a big milestone for us--double digits for our long run. We are both pretty nervous, which is kind of ridiculous. But it'll be a fun one to knock off our schedule.

On to Week 9!


7 comments:

  1. You can get your iPhone6 battery replaced for $29

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    1. I had it replaced a year ago... I wish it helped!

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  2. I had the same problem with my iPhone 6. I finally upgraded it because it was happening all the time. I think it's a defect. The dog on the fir hydrant is the best!

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  3. This could be totally unrelated, but I read an article recently that Apple will purposely slow down older models in order to force you to upgrade (and therefore spending more money). Obviously I don't know if this is true but I would believe it. Big corporations like that will do anything to get more money out of you!

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  4. Did the iPad stand on your treadmill come with it, or did you buy it separately? I'd love something like that for ours!

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    1. It came with the treadmill. It's very convenient! But when I had my old treadmill, I hung a small shelf just in front of the 'mill, and I put my iPad on a stand. It worked really well--not as convenient, but it's a solution! ;)

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  5. About your phone... I’ve noticed this too happening with my phone when I run in really cold weather. I asked my husband about it because he is a battery scientist. He says this sort of thing is normal to happen to a battery at cold temps and it does not mean you have anything wrong with your battery or phone. (Here’s a longer explanation in case you are interested lol: cold weather causes the chemical reactions and the flow of electrons to occur more slowly than they do in warmer temperatures. When the electrons flow more slowly this reduces the amount of energy that the battery can provide. This reduction in electrical current can make a cold battery appear sluggish or even dead). Anyway he told me the best thing to do is to keep your phone close to your body to keep it warmer to prevent the decrease in charge.

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