Half of my training this week took place at the beach, as we neared the end of our vacation. The other half took place at home, after we got back on Thursday afternoon. Today I am back to work after a full two weeks off. Tough stuff, but that’s life.

Monday- 6 mile easy run. I kept thinking I had an easy 4 miler scheduled up until Sunday night when I checked my training schedule before going to bed. Even though it was only two miles further, it was a bit of a blow. My legs were very, very tired during this run. My calves were also so sore that I actually stopped two different times just to stretch them. It was a lot hotter than it had been on my previous vacation runs, and the humidity continued to hover around 90%.

Tuesday- 6 x 800m track workout with 400m recoveries for 7 miles total. This workout was really tough. My legs were tired from the very first 800m interval and I really had to focus. I actually thought about nothing but running during this workout and focused on breaking each 800m down into 200m increments and watching my splits. My goal was 4:30 and my splits were: 4:19 / 4:31 / 4:27 / 4:29 / 4:26 / 4:25.

It was a beast of a day to be out running around the track. The temperature was 90 degrees with 82% humidity. That definitely made this workout even more challenging.

Wednesday- Rest.

Thursday- 5 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up and cool down. Once again, I ran a bit fast for my tempo pace. I’m supposed to run 10:18/mile (marathon pace), but I ended up averaging 10:12/mile. I’m still working on internalizing that marathon pace, which is the point of the tempo runs.

Since this was our last day at the beach (we drove home shortly after my run), I felt it only fitting to do my cool down mile on the beach. This was the only time I ran on the beach, as I don’t like it that much. It was nice for a mile, though, and nice way to say goodbye to the beach. 🙂

Friday- Easy 5 mile run on the Dora Trail. For some silly reason I waited until 5 PM to run, and it was 85 degrees outside. I guess I just wanted to feel like I was still at the beach 🙂 Once again, my calves were really bothering me, so I spent some quality time with my foam roller when I got home.

I met this cute little guy during my run on the trial. He looked like a Beagle mix, and appeared to be in his senior years. He had one blue eye and one brown, which was neat because I grew up with Australian Shepherds which often have eyes like that.

Saturday- Easy 6 mile run with Kim in the morning on the Dora and New River Trails. It was in the low 50’s when I woke up and I was actually cold after being in the humid weather at the beach for a week and a half! It warmed up to the mid-50’s during our run, which was really enjoyable.

My legs felt a bit better during this run, so I spent more time with my foam roller when I got home. I think it definitely helped on Friday.

I got really tired on Friday evening. I think my late nights and early mornings from vacation caught up with me. So I was in bed by 9:00 PM and didn’t get up until 7:30 AM on Sunday.

Sunday- 10 mile long run on the Dora and New River Trails. I had a really tough time the first half of this run, and averaged about 10 seconds slower than what my long run pace is supposed to be. But during the last 2.5 miles of the first half I was running on a gradual uphill. Once I turned around I started to feel better.

My pace picked back up during the second run, despite my legs feeling really tired. But then again I was at the end of a 41 mile week, which is a lot for me, so duh my legs felt tired. It was nice and cool out, at least, and Barry was out biking the trail and rode alongside me for a bit.

During the last 3 miles of my run it felt like my hydration pack was rubbing my right shoulder blade. By the end of the run I had a big chafe mark on my back, about 5 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. I can assure you my shower after my run was not pleasant. Ouch! I’ve run in a tank top with my hydration pack several times and this is the first time it has ever chaffed me. I think it’s because the straps had gotten a bit loose and the pack was moving around a little bit.

Overall, I ended up averaging two seconds per mile below my goal pace for long runs. I met my goal, but the run felt like nothing but a struggle the whole way.

Total Miles: 41 miles

We are home from the beach. We had a smooth trip home yesterday and now there’s lots of laundry to do and lots of sleeping to catch up on. The latter really only applies to Hank and Scout, who get absolutely worn out by camping trips and traveling in the truck. 🙂

Before we drove home yesterday, I had a 5 mile tempo run on the schedule. I’ve talked about this before, but the tempo run is one of the Hanson’s “something of substance” workouts. These are workouts that require more effort than easy runs. They include speed workouts, strength workouts, tempo runs, and long runs. For the Hansons, a tempo run is synonymous with a marathon pace run. They’re a bit slower than your traditional tempo run, but they’re longer. The goals of a tempo run with the Hansons are to help you internalize marathon goal pace, learn control, and build endurance.

I don’t think the tempo runs are meant to freak you out, but they are freaking me out every week. They freak me out more than sharks in the water, which happened at least twice while we were on vacation.

I have done three tempo runs, now, and it’s always the same. I worry that I won’t be able to hold marathon pace for five miles, and what that will mean for my marathon goal. But so far I have continued to clock in right on pace, and often under it (which I need to be careful about). Yesterday I averaged 10:12/mile for my tempo run.

You’re probably wondering why I’m freaked out if I continue to meet my pace. It’s because it is never feeling easy or even comfortable. Shouldn’t a pace I intend to hold for 26.2 miles feel relatively easy for 5 miles? My breathing is relatively even, much the way you’d want it during a marathon, during these runs. The problem is my legs. They feel so tired and I really have to push to meet my goal pace.

But maybe that’s what the Hansons want. The foundation of their training program is “cumulative fatigue,” which basically means you’re never meant to feel fresh until you toe the line on marathon morning. It’s the reason I only have one complete rest day per week and am running high mileage.

So maybe, despite my tempo run falling on the day after my rest day, I’m feeling exactly the way I’m supposed to. I guess time will tell, as my tempo run will increase to 8 miles for the next three weeks, and will eventually build to 10 miles.

What freaks you out when training for a goal race? How do you deal with it?
Hansons veterans or those going through the program: How did/do you feel during tempo runs?
Are you scared of sharks? Um, yes.

When I’m not out running or bugging people to play soccer or Frisbee with me on the beach, I can usually be found in a beach chair under an umbrella reading. I always get excited about the prospect of reading a few good books while on vacation, and I’ll “save” books to be read while on the beach. This year I got a little wild and my saved list turned into more of a wish list – meaning I saved more than I could actually read in the week and a half we are here. So far I’ve read two books and I’m well into my third one.

The first book I read was ‘Orange is the New Black’ by Piper Kerman.

I actually started this book back in the spring, but never finished it. I think most people know the general premise of the book by now, but it’s written by Piper Kerman about her experience spending a year in a women’s federal prison. She ends up there after a 13 year old charge for smuggling drugs catches up with her. It was intriguing to me to read about her experience, and wonder what that would be like. Now that I have finished the book I am excited to check out the Netflix series! Has anyone seen it?

The second book I read was ‘Act of War’ by Brad Thor.

I have read three of his other books (Full Black, Black List, and Hidden Order) and this one was as much of a thriller as the others. I couldn’t put it down. Like the others I have read, it follows Scot Harvath, an ex-Navy SEAL who has become a covert counterterrorism agent working for a private government contractor. One thing leads to another in this book, chaos ensues as the multiple plots collide, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’re interested in this series I highly recommend starting with Full Black, although there are another 9 books that lead up to Full Black. My dad has read them all.

Once my heart stopped racing from ‘Act of War’ I began reading ‘The Maze Runner’ by James Dashner. My sister and her boyfriend had both been reading the series while here at the beach, and neither one of them could peel their eyes away from their books. My little sister said it was on the same level as ‘Hunger Games,’ which got me excited.

I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book and I still have no idea what is going on. If you’ve read the book (or the series – there are 4 books total) you’re probably nodding your head and smiling. If you haven’t read the book, you probably think it would be frustrating. But I promise it’s not, because I’m so intrigued. Plus I have the assurance of my sister that I’ll understand soon. And it looks like they’re making a movie out of the first book, due out in September of this year. Looks like I’ve found my next young adult fiction series turned into movies.

Other books on my wish list that I probably won’t get to at the beach but will read at some point:

The rest of the Maze Runner Series!

 

 

 

 

 

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This one has been on my wish list for awhile. And now I really want to read it so that I can go and see the movie afterwards! I hear it’s likely to make me cry, though, so I guess it’s best I’ll be reading this one along and not on a crowded beach.

 

 

 

 

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This book is the true story about Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who is called into service flying planes during World War II. When his plane goes down in the Pacific Ocean he is eventually captured by the Japanese and tortured in a prisoner camp. The story follows Zamperini’s story of resilience, redemption, and ultimately survival. And it’s another one that they’re making into a movie, due out around Christmastime this year.

 

 

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Jan says it’s good, enough said. Plus this author also wrote ‘What Alice Forgot’ which I loved. A husband writes his wife a letter, containing his deepest darkest secret, which he intends for his wife to open after his death. But she stumbles across it while he is still alive. The repercussions will be earth-shattering.

 

 

 

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This one popped up on my Kindle this past week as an advertisement and caught my eye. It’s about a girl who comes across a pile of blood-stained money. Suddenly she is swept into a whirlpool of events. As she tries to trace the origins of the money, she is led into the world of dirty cops, and a notoriously brutal drug kingpin.

 

 

 

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I have read several other books by Jodi Picoult and I hear this one is just as good. A young girl befriends a man who turns out to have been a Nazi SS guard. He asks her to kill him, because he feels he deserves to die. The girl refuses, but things get complicated because her grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. What do you do when evil lives next door? And would fulfilling the man’s request be murder … or justice?

 

 

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This book has been on my wish list for awhile after Amy reviewed it on her blog. It’s a collection of stories about the author’s life living in mountain towns on the east and west coasts – both sides of the divide. She writes about the people she meets, adventures she has skiing, hiking, and mountain biking, and about becoming a triathlete.

 

 

 

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I saw a lot floating around the internet awhile ago about this book, and that’s what caught my interest and got it added to my wish list. It’s about a husband and wife who are about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary when the wife suddenly disappears. Things get crazier when all roads point towards the husband as the main suspect.

 

 

 

I told you I had a lot on my wish list 🙂 Too bad I can’t stay at the beach long enough to read each of these!

What are you currently reading?
What type of book is your favorite? I like a fictional book that’s a page turner.
What’s on your wish list?

This whole week of training took place while on vacation at the beach. In fact, I’m still at the beach! It is more hot and humid here than it is at home. But after I run each morning I get to hang out on the beach all day 🙂

Monday- 4 mile easy run on the paved path along the main road our campground is off of. The temperature was mild, for beach standards, but it was still pretty humid. My legs were feeling really tired, but that’s to be expected towards the end of 6 days in a row of running.

Tuesday- 8 x 600m track workout with 400m recoveries, for 7 miles total. I was worried about this workout because I have never done 600’s before, and my interval was getting longer with a shorter recovery period. My dad rode over to the local high school track with me and walked and cheered me on while I ran. I was aiming for 3:20 and my splits came in at 3:10 / 3:14 / 3:18 / 3:19 / 3:15 / 3:15 / 3:17 / 3:18.

The high school football team was practicing on the field during my entire workout. They had some music blasting in the stadium, so I got to listen to typical “pump up” songs the whole workout. The track was a really nice surface, too. The one I run on at home is an asphalt track.

Wednesday- Rest day. My one, glorious day off.

Thursday- 5 mile tempo run (remember tempo = marathon pace = 10:18/mile) with a 1 mile warm up and cool down. I managed to average 10:13 / mile for the tempo portion, despite some wicked heat and humidity. A little faster than I needed to go, but I’m still learning how to properly pace tempo runs.

Friday- 4 mile easy run out on the same path as Monday. It was overcast and in the low 70’s, which was nice, but the humidity was at 90%. My legs felt really good, though, and I had to make a conscious effort to stick to my easy pace. I ended up averaging about 20 seconds per mile faster than I should have. Oops.

Saturday- 6 mile easy run. My legs were a bit tired and my right lower leg was pretty sore throughout my calf and ankle. It was also really humid outside during this run. Just one of those ones where you get it done and move on.

Sunday- 10 mile long run. This was actually my first official long run during training. Like every other type of run with the Hansons program, long runs have a specified pace. For me, that pace is 11:05/mile. Despite my calves being a bit sore I felt really good during this run. I had a hard time holding myself back, and ended up running about 15 seconds per mile faster than I’m supposed to. That may come back to bite me during tomorrow’s track workout.

Once again I had a relatively cool day for beach standards, but the humidity was around 98%.

Total Miles: 38 miles

As I mentioned earlier this week in my weekly training recap, we are on vacation at the beach! Myrtle Beach, to be exact. My family takes a trip here every year, and has done so since before I was born.

This year Barry and I are down here with my dad, his friend, my little sister and her boyfriend, and my aunt and uncle. We always stay in a campground, which means Hank and Scout are here with us, too.

For the past few years, I have always been in training for a fall race while we are on vacation. So I typically don’t take any time off of running. I like starting most of my days with a run, though, despite the heat and humidity. On Monday, our first day here, I kicked off my vacation with an easy 4 mile run. My legs were really tired, but the weather wasn’t too bad.

On Tuesday I had my second track workout of training. I was a bit worried on how this would work out while being on vacation, but my dad had the idea to look up the local high school. Turns out it’s only about 8 miles from our campground, so he drove me over there that morning and walked/cheered me on while I ran. The Hansons had 8 x 600m on tap for me, for a total of 7 miles, and once again things went pretty well. I need to stop doubting myself so much.

Wednesday was my one glorious rest day, and Thursday had me doing my second tempo run of training. I had 5 miles at marathon pace on the schedule. That shouldn’t be too challenging, since I intend to run 26.2 miles at that pace, but it always causes me some anxiety. What if I can’t hit the pace on a much shorter distance? But I did and I averaged 10:13/mile, about 5 seconds per mile under my goal. It was really hot and humid on Thursday morning, too.

Yesterday morning I had an easy 4 mile run. It was relatively cool out for beach standards, albeit still humid of course. My legs felt pretty good and I had a hard time sticking to the easy pace prescribed by the Hansons. But it’s important to take the easy days easy so that I’m still able to hit the required paces on track and tempo days.

This morning I am headed out for an easy 6 miler and tomorrow I have a 10 mile long run planned. Outside of running, it’s been a nice vacation so far. We had some rain on Monday and Tuesday, but the weather has been favorable since then. We’ve done the typical beach stuff: hang out on the beach and read, play in the ocean, go out to eat, and hang out together at our campsites. We also had some excitement yesterday when five hammerhead sharks came through the area. A big crowd of people was walking up and down the beach watching them and the lifeguards put up ‘no swimming’ signs for awhile.

Other than the sharks things have been pretty relaxing. Just what I needed 🙂

Do you stick to your usual workout routine when you’re on vacation?
Does your family take an annual vacation to the same spot each year?
What do you like to do at the beach?