My Longest Run Recap...and My August Weigh In

In last week's blog post, it might have been apparent that, although excited about the prospect, I was a bit apprehensive about my upcoming (and first) double-digit-mile run. In fact, I was so focused on the long run that I forgot to include my August weigh in result. Actually, it's interesting that I overlooked the weigh in because that action (or lack thereof) is actually indicative of where I am mentally right now.

While I am very close to my target weight, which you're about to find out, my primary focus is no longer on my weight as it was just nineteen months ago. Yes, getting to my goal weight has a bit of a "Complete the Quest" appeal to me, but since I moved into the "Normal" BMI range, my primary focus has shifted away from losing weight and toward the new mountain of completing my first marathon. And even though I am still tracking everything I eat with Weight Watchers, the most important tracking I am doing is the tracking of my progress with my marathon training plan.

All that said, though, here are the results from my August weigh in...

Weight - 178.7 Pounds

Total Loss in July - 3.3 Pounds

Total Loss since January 2012 - 96.9 Pounds!

So I'm bearing down on my goal weight of 175 pounds, and I imagine that I'll find myself there within the next month or so...but, again, my weight has become less of the focus as I climb marathon mountain. Yes, I am tracking and will continue to track my food intake even after I hit my goal, but I've already told myself that I'm not going to freak out about my weight unless I find myself drifting above 175 (after I get there).


Now to the real focus...Week Six and that first double-digit long run.

In short, I did it!!!

Time, Pace, and Distance include Warm Up and Cool Down Walks

To make a shorter story a little longer, I got out of bed around 4:45-ish on Saturday morning, brushed my teeth, got suited and laced up, gobbled down a CLIF bar, drank about sixteen ounces of water, and headed to the driveway for some stretching a little before 5:30.

On my five-minute Warm Up walk, I thought about my run strategy...start slow, drink about four ounces of water every mile (beginning at Mile 2), eat a Power Bar Energy Blast every two miles (beginning at Mile 3), drink four ounces of Gatorade at Miles 5 and 10, and refill my water bottles at the Little League fields on the way back home. Whew...that's a lot of planning for just eleven miles! I guess it makes sense when the proverbial "they" tell us that long runs don't just prepare you to run a marathon; they also teach you how to keep your body full of the fuel that will be necessary to get you through that marathon.

With a long way to go, I started out at a very slow pace (about 12:30 for the first half mile) in that "looking for a rhythm" portion of the run. The body check told me that nothing was hurting, everything was loosening up, and that we were off to the races (so to speak). At the end of the first mile, I had sped up a little bit and found myself at a 12:20 pace. Knowing that I had set my goal training pace at 12:00, I asked my legs to move a little bit faster...and they did. As such, as the run progressed, every time I looked at my watch, my average paces kept dropping (except for when I stopped to refill my water bottles, at which time my average pace jumped from 11:48 to 11:51...I remember that distinctly). That said, though, I must have really picked it up from there because I finished with an average pace of 11:41, and completed the running portion of the run (11.05 miles) in two hours, nine minutes, and three seconds.

At the end of it all, I'm very happy with the run. To put it into context, back in March, I ran the Gate River Run (9.3 miles) at a pace of 11:51...and did not have much sugar left in the tank when I was done. Heck, it was tough walking to my car to go home! But last Saturday, after running 11.05 miles at an even faster pace of 11:41 (which was actually an intentionally slower training pace), I actually went home, stretched out (admittedly I needed to stretch a little more than usual), rested for about a half an hour, and then proceeded to mow my lawn.

What a difference five months make!

Here's the total weekly recap from last week, as well as this week's plan...

Marathon Training - Week Six (August 5 - August 11)

Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 8), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Tuesday - 5.17 Mile Run (10:59 Pace)
Wednesday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 8), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Thursday - 4.15 Mile Run (10:17 Pace)
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 11.05 Mile Run (11:41 Pace)
Sunday - 2.38 Mile Family Run

 Total Miles on the Pavement - 24.73 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)

Total Marathon Training Miles - 124.06


Marathon Training - Week Seven (August 12 - August 18)

Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 8), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - 4.13 Mile Run (9:38 Pace) - COMPLETE
Wednesday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 8), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit - COMPLETE
Thursday - 5 Mile Run
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 4 Mile Run
Sunday - Family Run


As you can see from the Week Seven plan, this week is definitely a recovery week...but you'll find out soon enough that Week Eight will certainly make up for that.

Until next time, enjoy your journey...