You're Not Supposed To Be Fast Until The Race!*

... and it's a good thing too, because it sure wasn't happening with me this week. Training is definitely a two-step forward, one-step back situation. I had a step back this week. First, the stats:

Miles:	15.62	Comments:	2
Time:	05:02	Motivations:	0
Calories:	2672	Among Friends:	4
Workouts:	5

The week started out good. Really good, in fact. Doing 12 quarter-mile repeats was FUN. When it felt too easy, I upped the speed. The second 6 were definitely more difficult than the first 6, but that's how it goes. I noticed quite a difference in these repeats from the first time I did them, in the very first week of training. Which shows me that indeed I've made progress over the past 8 weeks.

Unfortunately I screwed it up a bit. I was trying out some new ab exercises, and one of them included a lunge. So all day Wednesday my quads were extremely sore. Like, didn't even want to walk up and down the stairs sore. Thursday I was still hurting quite a bit, so when I got to my run it was a disaster. A lot of walking, and a LOT of stopping. Just pathetic. It was probably one of the worst runs I've had since I began training.

Until.

Sunday's run should have happened Saturday, before I attended a friend's birthday party and enjoyed a few glasses of Sangria. And enough cheese cubes to fill my water bottle. AND a slice of pizza. I may be diligent on the physical training end, but the diet end? Not so much. I didn't drink enough to constitute a hangover, but I was definitely dehydrated and digesting bad food. The whole run that morning was just disastrous, and my hip all the way down my right leg was really hurting too. I couldn't even kick myself for eating so badly, that's how much pain I was in. Just tight everywhere.

We'll say two steps forward, one and a half steps back this past week. But, no reason to dwell on the past so let's just keep chugging forward. The plan this week:

Key Run #1: Repeats: 1 mile (400m Rest Interval) 2 miles (800m RI); then 2 at 800m w/400m RI
Key Run #2: 5 mile run medium tempo (11:45/12:00)
Key Run #3: 6 miles half-marathon pace +30 seconds.

The long run may not happen this week. Podcamp AZ is this weekend, and I just don't see myself getting up before it begins to run. I especially won't be running afterward, that's for sure! Unless I go Sunday evening, but that's a wait and see. A BIG wait and see.

Until next week!


*Thank you Tyler for providing me with my blog title. :-)