Needed Caffeine For Week Fourteen

If you read yesterdays post you know that a little Mountain Dew helped me out on my twenty miler! Week fourteen was my biggest training week ever and I am feeling better then ever too. How is that possible? I have been plagued by tight calves and a sore hip/butt for months and yet this week it has been minimal. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but I am hoping this isn't the calm before a storm or something treacherous sounding like that. Maybe I have been doing my training properly and have laid down a good foundation. Let's review my 14th week of training, four more to go!

Monday- Yoga.

Tuesday- 4.09 miles from Fleet Feet.  

Wednesday- 9.5  solo miles. 

Thursday- Rest.

Friday- Rest.

Saturday- 1 hour spin class/arm strength training.

Sunday- 20 miles.  

Total Miles: 33.59            Planned Miles: 40        

Total Marathon Miles: 288.76

Monday was a day a lot of us will never forget. Since my 8th graders were painting and I normally play music, I asked if they wouldn't mind if I put on the Boston Marathon. The ones that answered said it was fine and they totally got into watching it. They were cheering for the elites and asking me questions about what they were doing and why. I felt like I actually knew what I was talking about too. The elites finished during my lunch break so Sarah and I kept it on to see the winners cross the finish line. All was right in the world. Then we had a meeting after school and one of the other teachers asked if we had heard what happened, since we had been watching it earlier we were shocked to find out what transpired at the finish line. I couldn't help but think what if it was me or my family that was put into harms way by my hobby, something that I do to try to be a bit healthier. This one hit way too close to home.  

Tuesday has been our weeknight long run night, but since it was raining and we were in a bit of a funk Molly and I went to Panera instead. We had heard that there was going to be a 4.09 mile memorial run at Fleet Feet and we were intrigued by the news crews and the event that was transpiring around us. We decided to suck it up and run. One of the runners who trained with FF for Boston returned and the news crews surrounded him like a swarm of bees. Ellen spoke and got emotional. Malcolm talked about his experience and how his medal is so different then all his others. We then ran 4.09 miles in honor of the time the first blast occurred. 

Media Swarm

Ellen staying strong.

Malcolm sharing his Boston experience.

Wednesday I was on my own to do my long run. This is the longest solo run I have ever done. This run kinda sucked. When I run alone I often have a really hard time keeping a consistent pace. It was also windy and cool and sunny, so I was warm and cold and had fogged glasses all at the same time. I ran down to Rob's work in Bushnell's Basin and then headed back on the canal. Long cruddy run and I was excited to be done with it. This was more challenging then 20 now that I think about it.

Saturday I got to sleep in and headed to the RAC to warm up on the octane, do some arm strength training and take an hour spin class. The spin class was good. I think I still like my Wednesday class better but the instructor was six months pregnant and put me to shame. One funny thing is that she played a song that I haven't heard in a long time. It was a song that Rob used to like when we first started hanging out and I instantly had a flashback to driving around Rochester in his black Mazda on a sunny day, with the sunroof open when we were just friends. Isn't it crazy how a song can transport you to a past memory? Good times.

Speaking of Rob we started our wedding registry this past weekend. His demands were a scale, with fancy bells and whistles,  and a mandolin for slicing veggies. He got his wish...