Annapolis Half Marathon Training Week 4

The Annapolis Half Marathon is only a couple of weeks away…and now I’m in taper mode!

Today I’m linking up at Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie at The Fit Foodie Mama, Angelena Marie at Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced, Michelle at Fruition Fitness, and Nicole at Fitful Focus!   Check out their blogs for some great workouts!

[bctt tweet=”Recapping my last week of training for the Annapolis Half before the taper! #wildworkoutwednesday”]

Holiday Sweat Challenge with SweatPink

For the first time, I’m participating in the Holiday Sweat Challenge, hosted by Sweat Pink and Amanda from Run To The Finish.  It has just kicked off this past weekend and runs until January 2, 2016.

This is a revamped version of the program that’s entirely FREE, and everyone is sharing their workouts and healthy eating habits on social media with the hashtag #holidaysweat.  There will be fun prizes and giveaways each week – some nice incentives that are definitely motivating!

The prompt for today is to take your workout outdoors, which is exactly what I plan to do!  I’ll be taking my speed training run on the trail and I’ll be sure to post a picture to share on Instagram!

Workouts for the Week:

Wednesday 11/4:  I went for a walk with one of my Walking Challenge teammates for about 1.5 miles.

Thursday 11/5:  Weight training class – short and sweet.  We used exercise bands with weights and I struggled with balancing on the stability ball. Then that evening, I had to hurry and do my speed work – 5.5 miles total:  1 mile warm-up, 1.5 miles at 10-10:10 pace, 0.5 mile recovery, 1.5 miles at 10-10:10 pace, 1 mile cooldown.  My paces were all over the place (too fast), but I survived!

Friday 11/6:  I had the day off and did no workouts…my body needed a break!

Saturday 11/7: 4-mile run first thing in the morning, then our last softball game of the season.  Since we were the bottom seed, we had to play the top seed in playoffs – the same team we played the week before – and they killed us again.  The good news though is that my hitting improved and I scored our only run of the game!  Believe it or not, I’m actually looking forward to playing in the spring!

Sunday 11/8:  This was the big run…12 miles.  I originally intended to run first thing in the morning, but I had a late start.  But the weather was absolutely gorgeous – finally feeling like fall!  I ran 6.5 miles down Kelly Drive up to the trails near the Wissahickon, then made my way back, crossing the East Falls Bridge to MLK Drive.  It was a stunning day for a run.  At the end, my feet and knees were killing me, and my hips weren’t too happy either.  I had a long stretching and foam rolling session, and did 30 clam shells on each side for good measure.

Monday 11/9:  No workouts, but I did some walking downtown, which was probably good for my legs!

Tuesday 11/10:  Core Fusion Class at lunch.  We did some work that had my lower abs crying!  They have been dying to be stimulated in a workout!

A gorgeous afternoon for a run. So proud of myself: 12 freaking miles and I got to enjoy this view! Happy Sunday! #runnersofinstagram #run215 #cityfitgirls #sweatpink #cityfitgirlsambassador #holidaysweat

A photo posted by Janelle (@runwithnoregrets) on Nov 8, 2015 at 12:36pm PST

Week 4 Report Card:

This was a really challenging week of running!  The speed work was really tough and 12 miles is never an easy feat, at least not for me.  I’m so proud that I was able to get it all done, and overall my body is still functioning!

I’m still nervous to see how I will do with 13.1 miles on race day…I haven’t run a half marathon since early June, and that was a very hilly course on a hot day.  The Annapolis Classic Half Marathon isn’t flat by any means, but at least I’m somewhat familiar with the course from running the Zooma 10K, so that giant bridge won’t be as scary as it was a few months ago. I hope!

I’m going to give week 4’s training an A!  I’m doing a better job of listening to my body and I was able to mentally conquer some tough runs!

Are you doing the #HolidaySweat challenge?  What about tapering for a race?