Week 6 Recap - We're Breaking Three!

This week was a week, if you know what I mean. It did not go the way I had planned and I was forced to call a few audibles. I really don't like doing that and actively avoided it in the past. However, I tried to put my ego aside and make the most responsible calls I could make, given all of the data, research, and information that I had. Sometimes you think that you have a fantastic plan and then it all falls apart. Admittedly, I was upset by this, but I'm trying to see this as a massive opportunity for growth. I now get to apply my near decade of experience and research to find the best possible course of action. If you know me, then you know that I love a challenge. Sure, this situation is not ideal, but I do believe that it has purpose. This is an opportunity for me to grow and adapt, all while facing aspects of myself that I have let get in the way of my best self in the past. It might not be pretty or perfect, but it's real. Realness is exactly what I want to deliver here.

Enjoy this week's training recap below! And be sure to head on over to @imhaileymorgan on Instagram to see this week's Reel. There may even be a couple seconds of dog footage in it, which makes it worth the watch.

Best wishes!

Hailey

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Sunday - March 3rd, 2024

Prescribed Workout: active recovery

Activity: elliptical

Summary: I started the week strong with an active recovery workout on the elliptical. I just read my book and got some movement in. It was great. If you are curious, my current book is Blood On Their Hands by Mandy Matney. I'm about a third of the way through it and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. That isn't all that surprising given the fact that I am fascinated by true crime, especially by the psychology of people.

Monday - March 4th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 11 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ last mile @ incline

Distance: 11 miles

Time: 1:32:03

Avg. Pace: 8:22/mi

Route: treadmill

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: This was a fairly average run for me. I felt a little bit sluggish given the fact that I didn't start running until the early afternoon. I'm not used to running at that time of day, especially after eating lunch. Other than that, it was a pretty unremarkable run on the treadmill. As prescribed, I ran that final mile at an incline of 3%.

Tuesday - March 5th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 10 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)

Distance: 10 miles

Time: 1:23:34

Avg. Pace: 8:22/mi

Route: treadmill

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: Much like yesterday, this run was nothing special. I opted for the treadmill and kept the pace easy. While I ran, I watched Nyad, which featured the story of Diana Nyad and her attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West. It was fascinating and I absolutely love stories about people attempting to do the seemingly impossible.

Wednesday - March 6th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 15 mile threshold workout

Workout Description: 2mi wu + 7mi @ 6:42-6:47/mi w/ 400m jog + 1mi @ 6:31-6:36/mi w/ 2:00 walk + 4 x 800m @ 6:06/mi w/ 1:30 walk + 2.75mi cd

Distance: 15 miles

Time: 1:51:09

Avg. Pace: 7:25/mi

Location: treadmill + 1mi outside with Maple

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: I felt really strong during this threshold workout. The paces felt controlled and not too difficult. The final mile of this run was completed outside with Maple. It was so cold. I absolutely should have bundled up more, but I instead decided to throw on a jacket and head outside in my shorts. My eyes were watering by the time I got home. Oops!

Here are my splits:

Warmup: 9:05/mi

7mi: 6:44/mi

400m jog: 10:00/mi

1mi: 6:31/mi

1st 800m: 6:03/mi

2nd 800m: 6:03/mi

3rd 800m: 6:03/mi

4th 800m: 5:56/mi

Cooldown: 9:01/mi avg

Thursday - March 7th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 9 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ last mile @ incline

Distance: 9 miles

Time: 1:22:02

Avg. Pace: 9:06/mi

Route: outside

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: This run was lovely, until it wasn't. I woke up and headed out the door with Maple immediately. We were lucky enough to catch an incredible sunrise together, though truthfully I think I cared more about that than she did. Sunrises are a guaranteed way to my heart, but apparently that isn't the case for her. Maple was more interested in finding the perfect spot to roll in the frosty grass, which in case you didn't know, might be the cutest thing that any human being has witnessed. She's adorable. After our 2ish miles together, I dropped her off at home and headed out for the rest of my miles. It was lovely. I kept the pace slower than prescribed, but felt good about that. I was just enjoying being outside and catching the occasional rays of sunshine that were peaking through the clouds. And then the run stopped being lovely. In the final mile, conveniently right before the BIG HILL of this route, I was gripped by a sudden pain in my left knee. I had been feeling some tightness since last week, but it had been manageable. This was barely manageable. I was slowed to what felt like a crawl and I was noticeably limping. Eventually my stride smoothed out and getting to the top of the hill helped a lot, but it still felt incredibly sore. This is about when a mild form of panic set in. Not a, "Oh, no! A bear is charging straight at me!" kind of panic, but a, "Is this going to completely derail everything I've worked towards and my race?" kind of panic. A panic that is small on a relative scale, but feels huge in relation to a sub-3 hr marathon goal. I got home and was discouraged and nervous. Honestly, I was in a no good, very bad mood. The only reason this run got a 3 instead of a 2 was because of the beautiful sunrise miles with Maple. Like I said, dogs and sunrises are two of my favorite things.

Friday - March 8th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 8 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)

Distance: 0 miles

Time: n/a

Avg. Pace: n/a

Route: n/a

Rating: 1 out of 5

Summary: I took today off from running. I did some research yesterday and compared it to my prior knowledge, experience, and recent training. This was not a particularly fun process, but it was necessary. Based on all of the data I had, I decided that resting from running for the next couple of days would be the best plan of action. So, as much as I didn't want to do that, I did. Today was a no running day. Maple and I enjoyed a nice walk together instead.

Saturday - March 9th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 15 miles @ easy pace (7:25-8:41/mi)

Distance: 0 miles

Time: n/a

Avg. Pace: n/a

Route: n/a

Rating: 1 out of 5

Summary: Guess what? Today was a no running day, too. I remained diligent about icing my hip and knee, trying to allow my body to recover. I did some light indoor biking to incorporate some movement into my day, but without the stress of running. This didn't aggravate my knee at all, which was definitely encouraging. I spent the rest of the day strategizing how to move forward. All I can say now is that I have a plan, but you'll have to wait until next week to learn more.

Overview

Training Phase: Preparation Phase

Training Block: Base Fitness

Total Distance: 69.2 miles

Summary: This week did not go how I expected, nor how I hoped it would. There were moments that felt incredible and then there were moments that were utterly shattering to my confidence. There were physical, mental, and emotional highs and lows. Talk about a roller coaster of a week. All that there is left to do is march on towards next week's training in the healthiest way possible.

Highs: 1) a gorgeous sunrise, 2) a solid threshold workout

Lows: 1) knee pain

Things that went well: 1) hitting my paces during my threshold workout, 2) incorporating some stretching into my routine

Things that I will be altering in the future: 1) hmmm, well quite a bit, but that's for next week's installment...stay tuned!

Rating: 

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