Week 8 Recap - We're Breaking Three!

This week I continued to enjoy the benefits of the adjustments that I made last week. I am encouraged by the positive results that I have felt through the past two weeks of training and I am excited for my upcoming runs. I am trying to focus on the positive outcomes of this experience. I really didn't want to alter my original plan, but I made the tough call and did that. Now I am trying to appreciate all of the benefits that I am enjoying because of that difficult choice, the choice that honestly put a bit of a dent in my ego. By focusing on the positives, I am hoping to mentally frame this experience as being one of growth and personal development. Therefore, the next time I have to call an audible and change my plans, I will have this positive experience to buoy me. Running is a huge part of my life, but it isn't the sum total of my life. Rather, I like to think of it as a way that I process, experience, learn, and grow as a human being. Some may find it silly to assign deeper meaning to these experiences that I have while out on a run or while progressing through a marathon training plan. I totally understand why they would look at this that way. For me, I find that I have discovered more about myself since becoming a runner. This sport has given me a way to face challenges, identify areas of personal shortcomings, and navigate a variety of emotions. I know that by confronting those things that I have become a better runner. I hope that I have become a better person, too, because that is what matters the most.

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 17th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: active recovery

Activity: walking

Summary: Today's cross training came in the form of a walk on the beach. Our two dogs had so much fun, enjoying the sand and searching for the perfect stick to carry home.

Monday - March 18th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 2 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ last mile @ incline

Distance: 2 miles

Time: 17:07

Avg. Pace: 8:23/mi

Route: outside

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary: This was a beautiful run. I got to run along the beach and then entered a coastline neighborhood for the last mile. The neighborhood mile was entirely made of rolling hills, ending with a significant uphill climb. I was shocked at how strong I felt on that steep of a hill, but I am taking that as a sign that the hill training I have been doing during this training cycle is working.

Tuesday - March 19th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 4 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)

Distance: 4 miles

Time: 32:09

Avg. Pace: 8:02/mi

Route: treadmill

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary: I really didn't want to do this run and almost talked myself out of it. I had spent hours in the car earlier that day, didn't get home until the evening, and wasn't ready to start my run until 7:30pm. I rarely, if ever run that late in the day. However, I took a deep breath, realized that I would regret it if I let myself skip a run just because it was later than usual, and got it done. The run itself was fine. The hardest part was taking the first step today, but I am so glad I did.

Wednesday - March 20th, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 5 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 40:32

Avg. Pace: 8:05/mi

Route: outside

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary: I opted for a change of scenery for today's run. I drove to a nearby area that has lots of rolling hills and enjoyed a 5 mile run outside. The pace felt easy, the air was fresh, and everything was in bloom around me, so it was a wonderful run. I love getting to go run my old routes and see how much the area has changed since the last time I was there. And wow, has a lot changed along this particular route. I was entertained the whole time just by getting to look around. It was lovely.

Thursday - March 21st, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 15 mile threshold workout

Workout Description: 2mi wu + 6 x 1.5mi @ 6:33/mi w/ 400m jogs + 2.5mi cd

Distance: 15 miles

Time: 1:54:50

Avg. Pace: 7:39/mi

Location: treadmill + 2mi w/ Maple

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: I felt so strong during this threshold workout, which was honestly very unexpected. I was prepared to feel exhausted by these paces. As I approached this workout, I had in my head that I wouldn't be able to do it, that the intervals were too long and the pace was too fast. In the past, I would've altered the workout or maybe even skipped it altogether. Today, I decided to try. In an effort to do better and be better, I reminded myself of the other challenging workouts I have done recently. While all my brain wanted to do was say, "I can't," I forced myself to think of all of the reasons why I was more capable than I was giving myself credit for. Then, I went for it. Much to my surprise, I felt fantastic and the workout was far less challenging than I had imagined it was going to be. Moral of the story is that sometimes your brain may tell you lies about yourself. It is important to learn to recognize those lies for what they are and develop tools to overcome them. This is easier said than done, and it has taken me years to get to this place in my running journey, but every day that I struggled to get here was worth it for moments like this.

Here are my splits:

Warmup: 9:05/mi

Repeat 1: 6:35/mi

Recovery 1: 10:00/mi

Repeat 2: 6:35/mi

Recovery 2: 10:00/mi

Repeat 3: 6:35/mi

Recovery 3: 10:00/mi

Repeat 4: 6:35/mi

Recovery 4: 10:00/mi

Repeat 5: 6:35/mi

Recovery 5: 10:00/mi

Repeat 6: 6:31/mi

Recovery 6: 10:00/mi

Cooldown: 8:55/mi avg

Friday - March 22nd, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 5 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ 2 x 20s accelerations per mile in middle 3 miles

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 40:30

Avg. Pace: 8:05/mi

Route: outside

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary: Today's run was nice. I enjoyed having the surges in pace throughout the middle of my run. I find that having little things like accelerations to look forward to helps to break up the miles. After running by myself for the first 4 miles, I picked up Maple for the final mile. The miles we run together are always my favorite. Her joy is palpable and I love spending that time with her outside.

Saturday - March 23rd, 2024

Prescribed Workout: 17 miles @ easy pace (7:25-8:41/mi)

Distance: 0 miles - indoor biking as cross training

Time: n/a

Avg. Pace: n/a

Route: n/a

Rating: n/a

Summary: I woke up and honestly did not feel great. Then, I looked outside and realized that the weather was going to be distinctly "not great" all day either. With those things in mind, I weighed my options and decided to switched today's 17 miles with tomorrow's active recovery day. My body was not up for 17 miles today, so I listened to that and will do it tomorrow instead. Also, there is a possibility that I will get to run a few miles in the sunshine tomorrow, which is very exciting. If you know me at all, then you know that I thrive in the sun and the heat. Anyways, for today's active recovery activity I chose to ride my bike indoors. It was nice, but I honestly do not understand how people bike for hours on end. After only an hour, me and that bike seat were no longer friends. Despite this, I still want to do an Ironman one day, so I guess I'll have to learn how to enjoy biking eventually. That sounds like a problem for future Hailey though. Maybe she'll even decide to invest in a better bike seat one day, too!

Overview

Training Phase: Preparation Phase

Training Block: Base Fitness

Total Distance: 41 miles

Summary: This week's training was pretty good. It felt like a solid week of running and I experienced zero knee pain, which is really exciting. I truly think that the adjustments I made at the start of last week were wise, albeit challenging. And yes, I am still stretching and doing my warmups.

Highs: 1) miles with Maple, 2) overcoming negative self-talk prior to my threshold workout

Lows: 1) feeling decidedly crappy on Saturday and deciding to switch my long run to Sunday

Things that went well: 1) continuing my warmup routine

Things that I will be altering in the future: 1) reincorporating strength training (I'm pretty sure I said this last week, but it didn't end up happening yet...oops!)

Rating: 

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