Week 17: It's Race Week!

Clifton Mill on Sunday

Happy Monday! Welcome to another weekly review linkup with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin. Read more about my fall goal race here. 5 days!

Week of October 3–October 10

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3.5 miles  + walk to work
Wednesday: 5 miles ("speedwork") + walk to work
Thursday: rest  + walk to work
Friday: rest
Saturday: 6.5 miles with group; 2.1 miles beer run
Sunday: 4.5 mile hike

Total (Running) Miles: 17.1 miles
2016 Miles: 791.6 miles

Monday was my normal rest day and Tuesday I ran 3.5 "progression" miles before celebrating Taco Tuesday.

Alex and I ran together after work on Wednesday in 78º. I had 5 miles scheduled, including 5x1k repeats. I thought I was skipping speed work by running with Alex, but haha joke's on me. We ran faster than I would have solo, so I got my 1k repeats in a roundabout way. He ran 3.5 with me (took a break for pull ups while I ran a loop) and while our pace was a bit over the Hanson's pace for 1k repeats, it was close enough! (That's kind of the theme of my current training: close enough!)  

Tobias all drugged up post tooth removal and cleaning

Thursday is my other scheduled rest day, but I ended up taking Friday off because Tobias got some teeth pulled (so I made sure he was ok the rest of the day) and because Saturday included a double run...

Beer run + friends

I had my last group workout of the season Saturday morning, including a long hill at the end to mentally prepare for a steep uphill in my race. Later, Alex and I met friends for the Columbus Beer Run. I may do a quick recap this week because it was so well-organized and we got some great swag. After the second run of the day, we went to pick up my Run Like a Girl award (!!), then went to the aforementioned friends' house to watch the Ohio State/Indiana game. Afterwards, we met up with Alex's dad for dinner. It was an action-packed day.

John Bryan State Park

On Sunday we joined different friends to hike Clifton Gorge and John Bryan State Park. We only went 4.5 miles, but parts were rocky and hilly, so it was a good workout. The weather was perfect: mid 60s with warm sunshine and a breeze. After hiking, we went to a local brewery and ordered pizza. YUM. When we got home, Alex and I made the most of our downtime by vegging out and getting caught up on The Walking Dead (which I think has lost its luster, but we have 5 more episodes to go, so I may be in for a surprise).

Enjoying fall

So, It's Race Week:
My goal for Saturday's half is up in the air, but I know the hay is in the barn – or whatever – and there isn't much I can do besides eat well and stay healthy. Originally, I planned to run my second sub-2, but the summer humidity and a bit of burnout caused me to scale back. I hit my paces, but not all of my mid-week distances. I also abandoned the full Hanson's plan by week 6 and instead chose my favorite parts (Saturday/Sunday back-to-back long-ish runs and speed work).

Old vs. New (click to enlarge)

I think it's fair to say my heart isn't in it the way it was in the spring. I knew I could sub-2 by the time I ran Xenia. This time? Well, I could sub-2 if I'm having a good day. Or not. The forecast for Saturday's race includes a small chance of rain and temps between 52º and 60º. In year's past it's usually clear and in the upper 30s to low 40s, so the "warmer" temps may be interesting. Oh yeah, and the race was moved to a new location, so who knows what the course is like!

Are you watching any good shows?
Are you going to take time off after your goal race?