15 is Fantastic & Week in Review

Weekly re-cap:

• 55.1 total miles (16.5 of them on the AlterG treadmill at 80% body weight)
• Monday 3/14 – HIIT bootcamp & elliptical (no running)
• Tuesday 3/15 – 10 miles base pace (7:33 average) a.m.; spin bike 19.3 miles p.m.
• Wednesday 3/16 – 8.5 miles on the AlterG treadmill at 80% body weight (6:09 average) & elliptical
• Thursday 3/17 – 13 total - 5 miles outside base pace (7:29 average) immediately followed by 8 miles on the AlterG pushing the pace a bit (5:49 average)
• Friday 3/18 – 3.1 mile shake out (7:38 pace), HIIT bootcamp, & elliptical
• Saturday 3/19 – 15.4 miles base pace (7:28 average) a.m.; spin bike 8.3 miles p.m. to loosen up
• Sunday 3/20 –5.1 miles easy (7:59) with 6 x 20 sec strides in the final mile & spin bike 12.7 miles

What was so fantastic about Saturday’s 15 miler you ask?  Seems like just a normal run, right?  It was, but I am oh-so-thankful to be able to run a normal long run of 15 miles (technically 15.4) again!  I ran with my Ironman friend Missy, and I wavered back and forth on how far I was actually going to run.  I’d put 13 on my schedule, but I would probably never run 13 on the nose (gotta at least make that into a 13.1!), and even when I put that on my schedule I was thinking I would probably run 14.  I didn’t think more than 14 would be good since last weekend was my first long run back and it was 12 – BUT then I realized that I did 13 on Thursday (5 outside/8 AlterG) so thought 15 wouldn’t be an unreasonable leap.  This all may not sound logical at all, but it was to me, hahaha!  I also wanted to go by how I felt, and to give myself an out at 13.1 if I didn't feel good.
 

Even during the run I wavered on how far I would go, and we did two double-backs by my car for that reason (sorry, Missy!).  At 13 I told her I was going to stop at 14, but by 13.5 I’d decided I might as well do 15.  The extra we picked up put me a little over 15, but I finished feeling good.  Glad I wasn’t doing 20+, but good.

I want to keep this appreciation for each run!  I should appreciate each day I wake up, each day I am able to get out of bed and walk, each day I am able to run.  It’s all a gift!

Also appreciative to train with this awesome strong lady - look at us both airborne here!