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I’m officially less than 1 week away from the New Jersey Marathon! It really is the final countdown…I hope I can keep my sanity in check!
The taper continues and I had a solid week of runs. And I also ran one of my favorite races this weekend! Spring finally feels like it’s staying for good and I want to enjoy it as much as possible!
I’m joining HoHo and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap – it’s always great to see what my fellow running/fitness friends are up to! I’m also joining Courtney for her Weekly Training Recap linkup and Marcia, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run!
Just a few more days until the @njmarathon - I'm sharing my latest week of training on the blog! #bibchat #bibravepro #njmarathon Click To Tweet
Spring has finally made it in Philadelphia! We couldn’t be more excited about the warmer weather and it came right on time!
On Friday I had the day off and I met up with my coworker friends Monica and Charrisa for brunch. Don’t you love a compressed work week? We had a wonderful time, especially since we just finished planning the company’s 10th Earth Day celebration. They both did an amazing job, and I helped as much as I could by sharing ideas and coordinating the Clean Air Run logistics, but had to miss some of the fun thanks to a full day of meetings. I know they feel like they have a HUGE weight lifted now that’s all over!
Saturday was a busy morning with Bret as we volunteered for Comcast Cares. Once again we went to Bartram’s Garden and worked on their farm. This time we weeded the garlic plants. Lots of crouching and pulling, lol. It was a really nice day and it was fun. It took a lot to get me to go since I also had a 9 mile run I needed to do, but I’m glad I went.
After Comcast Cares, I dropped Bret off to hang out with his coworker friends at a few local bars and I headed off to do my run (finally). The weather was great, though warm, and while the trail was crowded, I couldn’t be upset…it was a gorgeous day and people wanted to enjoy it! After my run, I joined Bret and his crew and we hit a couple of bars. I kept reminding Bret that we had a race the next day, lol…
After a long night on Sunday we ran the Clean Air Run (recap below)! But after that things got even better. We went for brunch in Brewerytown at a new place (to us). They make amazing cocktails, so we’ll have to come back! Then we went to the Horticultural Center to walk around. It was absolutely beautiful and again, everyone was enjoying the gorgeous day. Last, we got some ice cream before heading home! Can the weather stay like this, please??
Every year since 2012 I have participated in the Philadelphia Clean Air Council’s Run for Clean Air, either running the 5K, 10K or walking the 3K (when I was injured). It is definitely one of my favorite races of the year and we usually luck out and have a wonderful day! It’s a wonderful Earth Day celebration!
Of course, this race fell on the day of my 3-mile recovery run. I planned to take it easy and “run for fun”. But I got a little bit carried away, lol…oops!
The alarm was set for 6 am and we were pretty miserable first thing in the morning…we had a long day of drinking on Saturday LOL and several hours of playing The Settlers of Catan at our friends’ place. Starting the day with a hangover should automatically slow you down during a race, but oddly, it tends to give me some of my best runs, haha!
We met up with my coworkers for a group photo before we dispersed for our various race start times. Bret was also running the 5K. I was so happy to see everyone as I worked really hard to organize our teams and coordinate our green shirts! It was a bit chilly at first, but thankfully the sun was shining. Eventually, as usual, it warmed up pretty nicely!
Bret, my coworker Mike and I started things out nice and easy. I figured I would try to finish around 30 minutes. However, I was feeling really good…like really good lol. I kept up with Bret, who despite not feeling the greatest was running pretty well. Once we got to the turnaround point though, I took off! This is the only way I can beat Bret at a race…he has to be ill or injured, haha.
Because I left my Garmin at home (UGH) I had no idea what my splits were. I used Strava on my phone to record my run but it was super awkward and since my driver’s license was in my SPIbelt, I had to be careful it didn’t fly out. So I carried my phone in my hand and never looked at it.
I did my best to stay strong, and it was definitely challenging, but it was exciting too! My finish time was 27:18 according to Athlinks, not too shabby! Bret didn’t believe I could run so well hungover but the proof was in the pudding, HA. P.S. – don’t try this at home!! When I finished, I was so relieved and grabbed water. I waited for Bret who finished a few minutes later and cheered as he crossed the finish.
There were lots of vendors, iced coffee, and even salads given away after the race. I did a little post-race yoga but missed most of it. Free massages were available but as always the line was too long. Toyota hybrids were on location for you to check out (so tempting!) And I got to see a few of my running friends, which is always the best. Bret and I ended up having a really nice day and again, the Run for Clean Air remains my favorite Philly race!
Not my favorite pic, but at least it was free!
Monday 4/16: Yoga after work – this time I tried a different video, Yoga for Athletes on demand. It was actually a bit challenging in parts, but I enjoyed it! I’m enjoying the Monday evening yoga, I think I want to make this routine once training is done. My feet were extremely tight (sitting back on my toes was SO painful!). I followed up with my Runner’s Knee Prevention exercises.
Tuesday 4/17: 5 miles at steady-state pace. Now, I was supposed to run between 10-10:15, but I seemed to keep settling in sub-10! I actually felt really good the first few miles (starting out way too fast), but I readjusted to a better space. The wind along the river kept things interesting; I was definitely glad this workout was done! Knees started to rebel in the last mile.
Wednesday 4/18: No workouts!
Thursday 4/19: 4 easy miles on the treadmill – I ran at 10:54 pace with 0.5% incline, but the Garmin always makes me look faster than I actually am, lol. The heel pain was still an issue, but otherwise, nothing to report.
Friday 4/20: Another rest day. I probably should have done some Runner’s Knee prevention exercises but I took it easy.
Saturday 4/21: 9 miles in the afternoon – not ideal, but definitely good practice. I was overdressed with my long sleeved shirt but I held my own. Unfortunately, despite using KT Tape (I think I applied it poorly), my feet and knees hurt for much of the run. Minus a quick walk break around mile 7, I stayed strong.
Sunday 4/22: The Clean Air Run! I definitely ran it way too fast but because I forgot my Garmin, I don’t know my splits. I definitely surged the last half of the race. I did my core/hip exercises in the evening.
Total Miles for the Week: 21.1
Total Training Miles for NJ Marathon: 415.21
What a week! I’m so happy that things are winding down, but my knee and foot pain, especially my heel pain, is worrying me. I should have done more of my exercises this week, but I made the most of the ones that I did. And yes, more foam rolling is a must! So I will work on that as well in these final days.
I will give week 16 a B grade. I ran the 5K too hard and I should have done more recovery work this past week. Still, I’m feeling pretty good and now I have to battle the nerves of running my second marathon in less than a week!
How was your weekend, did you have spring weather? Have you ever run a race hungover?
