Grandma's Marathon Training - Week 6

This week I needed to modify the schedule just a bit.  

But, week 6 of Grandma's Marathon Training 

seemed to go off without a hitch.  

I seriously cannot believe that the race is only 3 months away!  In my world, three months will go at rocket speed!  Here are the STATS for the week! 

32 miles

Snowy Feet

Stomach Flu

Star Wars &
The WILD

MONDAY

We got several inches of snow overnight on Sunday, but the temperature was mild.  Typically, with fresh snow on the ground, I would have just had a date with Millie.  But, with the terrible training week I had last week, I felt it necessary to get my feet to the pavement.  Or, in this case, snow! 

The snow fell most of the night, so the plows had not been out yet.   Almost all of my run was on fresh snow.  Actually,  it was almost better running on the snow than on the plowed main street which was a bit slippery.  

My legs really enjoyed this nice easy pace because I was still recovering from the squats from hell from Thursday of last week!   5 miles at 10:39/mile.  

TUESDAY

Monday in the afternoon was gloriously sunny here, which was great because all of the roads were completely snow-free for my hill sprints!   We have a great 600 meter loop that has a small incline.   It's actually 611 meters and when you're training and using time guidelines - that's a BIG DEAL! Lol! 

Anyhoo, my goal for these runs is to have my splits between 2:51 and 3:07 for 600 meters.  I did five intervals with a short 0.2 mile shag.  I did just that.  My fastest interval was 3:01 and my slowest was 3:06.  I do think I could have pushed even harder, except that I literally couldn't feel my legs or my face.  

It was so damn cold it's hard to really explain it.  6 degree with wind chills at -6 below zero.  Come ON Minnesota!  I'm not asking for 80 degrees, but even 40 degrees will feel amazing!!  

I had 2 pair of compression pants on and my legs STILL felt like giant ice blocks.  I use a neck gator and pull it up occasionally over my face, but once it gets icy, it's pretty much useless.   I get very clostrauphoic with it over my nose anyway.  

I'm not going to lie,  I couldn't WAIT to take the post-run selfie!!!  I knew that I had ice crystals forming all over my face and hair.   I could feel them on my eyelashes when I blinked and the tiny hair on my face was becoming prickly.  

WEDNESDAY

Rest day!  WAHOO

THURSDAY

I had a 7 mile easy run on plan followed by kick-boxing before work.  Trust me, I had already emailed my coach to ask her for different exercises than jump squats.  HA!  

Unfortunately,  neither workout happened.  Hank, my 5 year old woke up at 12:30 am with the stomach bug and the next several hours were for helping him.  It's crazy the hyper-awareness that happens to parents when their baby is sick.  Poor little dude.  We were up most of the night, so I knew that my 4:45 alarm was getting turned off!  

I'm happy to say he's bouncing off the walls again and as it stands right now, no one else got sick!  I KNOW I shouldn't even say those words out loud because I'll probably put a huge hoax on the house and one of us will get sick.  But, for now, we are crossing fingers and all healthy! 

FRIDAY

I have the pleasure and privilege to have Hank at home with me on Fridays!  This has typically been my day off from running, but due to Thursday,  I jumped on the treadmill for 6 easy miles at 9:10/mile.   He was an angel while I was running, so I promised him an epic Star Wars battle afterwards!  

I lost an arm AND a leg in the process. Oh - and he used the force too!  I was toast before we ever started!  

I'm ready with my light-saber! 

SATURDAY

15 miles.  The longest run since Grandma's Marathon last June!  Can the wind in Minnesota PLEASE... pretty pretty please GO AWAY!

This run really felt pretty good.  It's amazing how our brain factors in to our running long distances.  The closer and closer I was getting to the finish, the slower I became.  My lungs felt great the entire run, but I could feel my legs starting to fatigue.  

Many days on my run, I pass through the park in my town.   There is a fantastic waterfall that runs from the creek.  Unfortunately, most of my runs are in the dark, so I can't ever capture it's beauty.  Even after all the mud and snow and leafless trees, this place is still serene.   It's protected by large rock walls and for just a moment,  I enjoyed the sound of the rushing water.  

We have so much beauty around us, we just have to take a moment to appreciate all that we have.

Saturday evening was spent with my husband on a date night to the Minnesota Wild game.  

It's so much fun to watch hockey live!  Even though they lost, we had a great night and came back to a quiet house - no children!  I slept 10 hours!  Absolutely amazing!  

All in all, the week was a tad crazy, but I got so much accomplished with my running.  Have a great week everyone!  Don't forget to link up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap!  There are a great bunch of bloggers!