Week in review Jan. 23-29: Lots of running, again

Another 30+ mile running week, and it shows.

Since I now have the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge on my race calendar, I’ve had to shift around training goals. Running and running long back-to-back are priorities one and two right now.

As a result, I’ve been running more than I have in a LONG time. For the past two weekends I’ve managed a medium-distance run on Saturday and a long run on Sunday. Shorter runs, yoga and weights fit in where they can, and swim and bike are not in the rotation.

I figured out that running yesterday for 13.75 miles was the first time I’ve run more than 13.1 miles since my last marathon in October of 2015!!! Three of the four weeks in January have been 30+ running miles, which I haven’t done consistently in at least a year and a half, since I was building for that marathon.

I’m not going to lie: I am a little scared that something is going to pop up. My tailbone got a little cranky at the end of my run yesterday, and my knee was feeling tight afterward. Both made me nervous. But I can’t NOT train back-to-back long runs for a race that IS back-to-back long runs! (I am reassured that I feel almost normal today.)

So, my plan of attack for the next month is to cut mid-week runs down to two, so I don’t overdo it; keep up with the stretching/yoga at least twice per week; and do ONE weights session per week, mostly to make sure my glutes behave. I want to make sure I’m getting enough rest, and it seems kind of silly to add anything else to my plate right now.

TL, DR: Last week was a lot of running.

Run: Four times, three on the treadmill, for 33.25 miles in about 5:25. This bulk of this comes from a medium run (8 miles) Saturday and a long run (13.75 miles) Sunday.

Yoga: Twice, one private class and one self-guided, much-needed session after my long run, for 1:30-ish total.

Weights: One video for about 1:05.

Total: Seven sessions in almost exactly 8 hours.

For better or worse, this will all be behind me in a month. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I am SO excited for this race-cation, to hang out with my sister, and to attempt a new challenge. It will be an adventure for sure.