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t-10 Days to Cap City!

Today is a big day- the first day that I can see the predicted weather for race day! Given how unpredictable the weather has been around here lately I can't rely TOO much on a 10-day forecast but I would be mighty happy if this was exactly the weather I was running in (or a little warmer).

It's no secret that my training hasn't gone very well over the past 4-6 weeks. For the first part of the year I was sticking to my plan perfectly- I almost never missed a workout. Once an old injury started flaring up in mid-March I felt like I was at a loss for what to do next. I'd been here before. When I was training for my second half I was having a similar pain about 5 weeks out but I still ran a scheduled 12 miler and it was a HUGE mistake. I was sidelined for a month and didn't decide to run the race until two days before when I ran ONE pain free mile. I was running on the freshest legs of all time but I just didn't have the endurance that I was hoping to have. I finished (AND managed to PR) but boy did it hurt. I swore this time would be different. When the same exact injury flared up I should have made the connection to my shoes (I wish I would have!) but at least I cut back on the running and tried to stay smart.

Since officially getting back on a regular schedule here's what it's been looking like

Friday 4/19              6 miles
Saturday 4/20          4 miles
Sunday 4/21            1 hour Vinyasa class
Monday 4/22            rest
Tuesday 4/23           5 miles in the a.m., NMTZ at night
Wednesday 4/24      3 miles
Thursday 4/25          rest/ cross (if I don't work tonight I'll get on the bike trainer for an easy 30 minutes)

I'm smart enough to know that nothing I can do over the next 10 days training wise can really help me but it CAN certainly hurt.  I want to keep my running to every other day (or two).

Friday 4/26            30 minutes cross, 30 minutes strength (arms + abs)
Saturday 4/27        6 miles EASY
Sunday 4/28          1 hour Vinyasa class
Monday 4/29          40 minutes running + Jillian at night (probably a core DVD, not NMTZ)
Tuesday 4/30         rest
Wednesday 5/1      30 minutes running, maybe an easy speed workout
Thursday 5/2          pilates/yoga (easy, really focusing on stretching)
Friday 5/3              rest/30 minutes cross depending

I'm really putting my energy into everything I can control. Hydrating, eating super clean, no alcohol, in bed by 10p each night, etc. I function well on a strict schedule and actually kind of enjoy it (I'm not sure what that says about me, haha). I wish my weekend was a little more open but between volunteering and second job I'll pretty much be on the go.

The one thing I haven't settled on is my race plan. Sub-2 is still a big goal for me but I'm not sure if this will be the race for it. My pace hasn't really been struggling too much but I wonder if I can maintain it for 13.1 miles after all this time off. I'll have to decide if I want to commit and start off with the 2 hour pacer or if I want to just focus on a PR and go out with the 2:05. I know that I'll start the race with one of the groups. I've been reviewing my splits from the last two HMs and my first miles are just crazy fast compared to the rest (I was pacing ~ 8:45/mi for the first 4 miles of my last half and ended with a 2:06 final time, whoops).

Any suggestions? Should I start with the 2:05 and catch up with 2:00 if I have it in me? Or push it from the gun and hope I can maintain?

My tentative sliding scale of goals is as follows

A. Sub-2. The spirits align, the weather is perfect, all is right in the world!
B. PR (sub 2:06)  My legs are a bit tired or it's too cold or I didn't sleep well. Something didn't go my way
C. 2:09 (still faster than my first half) More than one thing isn't right
D. Finish the race. And still feel good about it. Everything sucked, maybe it snows. But at least I ran!

Posted by Ashley at 4:00 PM Follow @cardiocatscook