Welcome to week 6 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 36 | Monday, July 20: Cross-Train for 30 minutes

I finally did it – real cross-training! I went to the office gym during my lunch break and put in 30 minutes (6.2 miles) on the stationary bike. I am not a biker, so I have no idea if that is a decent pace or not. Maybe it isn’t, because I didn’t get sweaty enough to take a shower (read: I was too lazy to take a shower!).

Bike Time: 30 mins | Distance: 6.2 miles

Day 37 | Tuesday, July 21: Run 3 miles

On Tuesday I ran without music to try to become more in touch with my breathing and form/rhythm, but just ended up being frustrated with my breathing being off. What I thought would be an easy 3-miler felt difficult. My lower legs still hurt, despite stretching before running. Maybe I should stretch after running as well (rather than jumping into the shower immediately!).

I got pissed off when I uploaded the Garmin 405 and it didn’t send my stats to Garmin Connect. Ugh. Does that ever happen to you? Apparently the new firmware is supposed to help with that… ugh, if I ever figure out how to install it! When I connected on Sunday to upload Saturday’s run, Tuesday’s run miraculously appeared.

Distance: 3.00 | Time: 28.05 | 1: 9:38 | 2: 9:26 | 3: 8:58 | 4: 00:01

Day 38 | Wednesday, July 22: Run 5 miles

Lately, I have been having some problems waking up at 4:30, so I slept in until 5:30 on Wednesday, meaning I wouldn’t get home until 7:15… making it pretty late for dinner and a 5-miler. So I ran the 5-miler on one of the treadmills in the office gym (too pissed off at the Garmin to bring it and run outside, plus, it takes more time to run outside) during lunch. I was excited to be able to control my pace with the machine – I just sped it up every mile.

BUT, the shins were still bothering me. Mostly the left one. I was doing some reading, and found out that shin splints come from overtraining. Hmm. The remedy seems to be rest. Hmm. And icing and stretching. I will try that first.

Distance: 5:00 | Time: 46:54 | 1: 9:41 | 2: 9:31 | 3: 9:23 | 4: 9:14 | 5: 9:05

Day 39 | Thursday, July 23: Run 3 miles

Another lunch break workout. Jeez! That is three this week. You would think this made my evenings relaxing and quiet but it actually didn’t. Oh well. I felt happy during my hectic weeknights because I knew I got my run in.

My left shin hurt on and off again. I iced it after the run and that felt pretty good. I talked to a coworker who does marathons (14 so far!) about my shin and he thinks I need new shoes. Yeah… I was thinking that (Carol suggested it too in last week’s training post!). I got mine in March and have probably put 300 miles on them by now. I wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS (does anyone else?). I am hoping someone will get me a pair for my birthday next week. In size 12. Normal width. The ones with the red accents. These:

This is my last 3-miler for awhile! Next week, I bump up to 4-milers, then 5-milers a four weeks after that. I won’t see another 3-miler until it’s almost marathon week!

Distance: 3:00 | Time: 28:33 | 1: 9:31 | 2: 9:31 | 3: 9:31

Day 40 | Friday, July 24: Rest

I was in Kansas City this weekend for a wedding so my grand plan was to bump my Saturday and Sunday runs up to Friday and Saturday because I figured I would be more likely to get them done that way (probably true). But I took Friday off to rest and iced my shin a bit. Maybe I should have ran – my schedule didn’t work well for it the next two days.

Day 41 | Saturday, July 25: Run 6 miles at marathon pace Run 4 miles

I went to Macken park with Steven and his parents and brother to do this run in the afternoon. I think it was close to 90° when we were there. I kept my pace up for 3 miles, then pretty much felt like I was going to keel over. So I slowed it down for the fourth mile, and decided that was enough for me. I didn’t want to make myself sick running in that heat. My shin did feel better while I was running though!

Distance: 4:00 | Time: 36:31 | 1: 8:48 | 2: 8:39 | 3: 8:58 | 4: 10:03 | 5: 00:01

Day 42 | Sunday, July 26: Run 9 miles Rest

Here is what my Sunday was like – wake up (still exhausted from wedding the night before) and eat with Steven’s family then catch plane to Chicago. Drive to party in Chicago. Drive home where friend is spending the night on the way back to Toronto. My schedule just killed me. I wanted to get up early and run before we left for our flight home, but I knew I needed the extra sleep with my crazy schedule. Instead of feeling bummed about it, I will look at it from the perspective that I am giving my shins extra rest.

Week Summary: 26 Miles 15 Miles

This is the first week I haven’t met my training schedule. I shortened my Saturday run and completely missed my Sunday run. I do need to be more flexible with my schedule, but… of course, I am bummed I didn’t get my mileage in. It was probably bound to happen with the way our schedule has been packed. Do you struggle with running while out of town? This is the first time I have had a problem with it, but I’ve only been out of town twice during training!

This weekend, Steven’s mom brought up her concern about the hilly terrain on the course. Check out the elevation… I don’t have any reason to be worried… right?

No, seriously, those hills are going to SLOW ME DOWN. Hopefully I can finish under 4:30. But I know it may be killer and I may have to adjust.

Welcome to week 2 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 8 | Monday, June 22: Cross-train for 30 minutes

Welcome summer, you’re right on time! On Monday, it was 85°F but “felt like 90°F” according to weather.com. Uh, wasn’t it just in the mid 70s last week?! That’s okay, the heat was no big deal on this 2 mile walk. Steven joined me again. I really miss running with Steven. I enjoy chatting with him while I work out.

I’ve been wondering if I should get my bike ready, or do my cross-training at the office gym on Mondays for something different than walking. I think for now I will stick to walking.

Distance: 2.00 miles | Time: 30:04 | 1: 15:12 | 2: 14:49 | 3: 00:02

Day 9 | Tuesday, June 23: Run 3 Miles

I worked out with a coworker at the office gym on Tuesday night. I wasn’t really feeling up to it (I have been feeling down and not too social lately), but figured it would be better to work out indoors, as opposed to the mid 90 degree weather outside. I still had a rough time though. After one mile, I felt like I was going to throw up (Hello falafel pita!). I slowed it down, since it was supposed to be a “comfortable” run, and spent the next two miles bitching about my Memorial Day Weekend (we had some catching up to do!). The bitching made the last two miles zip by.

Lesson learned – stick to my diet throughout the day! My coach took me out to lunch to celebrate a project we completed, and I had an awesome falafel pita and homemade chips (A shout out to Cafe Mediterra is due. If you’re just south of the loop, check them out.)! It didn’t sit well in my stomach though. I need to be even more careful about what I eat before I run!

Distance: 3:00 miles | Time: 29:23 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 10:00 | 3: 10:00

Day 10 | Wednesday, June 24: Run 5 miles

Well, this was an interesting run! I didn’t start until 7:30 pm and it was still 92°F outside! I realized it wasn’t going to be a super speedy, easy run, so I went with the mentality that I would just go out there and have fun. I strapped on my hydration belt (and brought my cell phone in case of an emergency), and put two full water bottles and a bucket of ice on our porch. My plan was to run a loop around our house, stopping for water and ice.

During my warm-up walk, I ran into my neighbor, Fritz,  and his daughter, Maya. We walked together for a bit, and she said, “Daddy, I want to ride in the stroller.” Then the words came out of my mouth, “Do you want me to push her in the running stroller?” So, Maya got strapped in, and off we went. I ran with her from her house, all the way around the park, and back home, making up the first 1.6 miles of the run. It was actually fun to run with the stroller. Those were my fastest splits! She told me cute little stories for most of our run together. When we got back to her house, Fritz and his wife, May, were waiting outside with the camera and video camera. How cute! And they brought out cold water for me. What a fun way to start the run!

Isn’t Maya cute?!

While I was running with the stroller, I passed a group of three young girls, whom I actually ended up passing 5 or so more times during my run. Well, the first time we passed them, instead of warning the younger girl that we were coming, one of the older girls just pulled on her pig-tails to pull her off the sidewalk and let us pass! Poor girl. That must have hurt!

After I dropped Maya off, I noticed there was a group of about 8 kids riding their bikes in their street. It was mostly boys, probably ages 12 or so. They were taking up the entire two-way street with their bikes. Cars would come by, and slow down, and the kids wouldn’t let them pass. When the cars honked their horns, the kids would finally move, but finger the cars as they drove by. This made me feel really disappointed. I wanted to follow these kids home and ask their parents if they knew what they were doing, but hey, if the kids were doing that in the first place, I doubt their parents would really care. That’s just so dangerous, and irresponsible.

I stopped by our house to go to the bathroom about two-thirds into the run, and when I came out of the house, I dropped some ice cubes in the front and back of my bra. Of course, those three young girls happened to be walking by our house then. Ha ha. They probably thought that was a strange thing to do. Hey, it felt good.

And, this question isn’t related to the ice cubes, believe me, but how can I be nipping out for an entire 5-mile run in 90 degree weather?! (see paw prints in photo above)

This was a surprisingly good, fun run, despite the heat! It left me in a good mood.

Sweaty Happy Kim

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 47:32 | 1: 9:02 | 2: 9:16 | 3: 9:42 | 4: 9:47 | 5: 9:40 | 6: 00:02

Day 11 | Thursday, June 25: Run 3 miles

Another fun lunch time run with Erin! The forecast called for rain, but it never happened, so we ventured out into the scorching sun (I don’t really feel like I am exaggerating when I say that). I was definitely drenched with sweat by the time I got back to the office, and boy, did that shower feel good!

No rain in the view from my office!

Every other Thursday is a “tele-work” (meaning “work at home”) day for most people in my office, so it’s fairly quiet. With that being said, I was looking forward to running with Erin! I needed to talk to someone! I hope I didn’t talk her ear off.

We did a good job of running slower than we did last week, but we were still running considerably fast (for us). I wish I could run with Erin more often. I can tell we are going faster when we run, but it doesn’t bother me because my mind is on the conversation. I love runs like this. I am looking forward to our next one together!

Distance: 3.18 miles | Time: 29:06 | 1: 9:19 | 2: 9:31 | 3: 8:49 | 4: 1:25

Day 12 | Friday, June 26: Rest

Day 13 | Saturday, June 27: Run 5 miles

I was super excited when I checked the temperature at 6:00 am and saw cooler temps:

59°F and feels like 59°F! Hurray!

That forecast totally makes getting up “early” on a weekend worth it!

I met my neighbor, Fritz, and we ran an easy 5 miles around the neighborhood. It just flew by. That is what happens when you have great company to talk to! I am so lucky to have this happen two runs in a row!

Around mile 3.5, I knew I had to go to the bathroom, so we started to run back towards my house. This is the second time this has happened while running with Fritz. He’s such a cool guy. He said to me, “If you have to go, just go! It’s no big deal!” Ha! I told him that during a race, I would, but that we were so close to home, I could make it. It’s nice to know it wouldn’t bother him if I went on my leg though. Ha ha ha.

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 49:25 | 1: 9:54 | 2: 10:09 | 3: 9:58 | 4: 9:39 | 5: 9:40 | 6: 00:02

Day 14 | Sunday, June 28: Run 9 miles

My alarm was set for 6:30 Sunday morning, but I was having a hard time getting out of bed. Enter Alarm Clock Kitty Cat:

Data seriously makes me crazy by rubbing his teeth and whiskers all over my face when I am trying to sleep, but today he actually helped me get out of bed. Thanks, Data.

I got to the park by 7:00 and started running at 7:20 and got back home after 9:00. That is a lot of time for a 9-mile run! What am I going to do when I have to run further… wake up at 5:00?!

I think I ran this a bit faster than I should have for a training run, but that’s okay. I will surely slow down as I add more mileage. I enjoyed this run. It was nice and sunny and breezy.

More photos from the Nippersink Forest Preserve:

My savior – the public restroom!

Distance: 9.00 miles | Time: 1:22:16 | 1: 9:10 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 9:22 | 4: 9:09 | 5: 9:00 | 6: 9:04 | 7: 9:16 | 8: 9:15 | 9: 8:44 | 10: 00:02

Week Summary: 25 Miles

Compared to last week, my runs this week were more fun and easier. I think that’s because I went out prepared for the heat, and because I ran with friends more often.

One thing I noticed though, is that my running clothes are really starting to stink. I wash them twice and they still won’t come clean. The July issue of Runner’s World has an article called “Stink Stoppers,” reviewing eight new shirts that are stink resistant. Unfortunately, I don’t have the cash right now to buy a new wardrobe, so… any advice?

Welcome to week 1 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 1 | Monday, June 15: Cross-train for 30 minutes

I had my mind set on doing the 30 Day Shred and walking for 30 minutes, but I just wasn’t feeling it when I got home. I felt sad and worn out. So Steven and I walked two miles together, made dinner, watched Bride Wars, and went to bed “early” (10:00 PM).

Distance: 2.00 miles | Time: 29:48 | 1: 14:36 | 2: 15:09 | 3: 00:02

Day 2 | Tuesday, June 16: Run 3 Miles

Oops. This was supposed to be a “comfortable” pace, with specific instructions not to “push the pace.” Well. I think Erin and I were just having too much fun! We took off, and started chatting, and I knew I was going faster than I should, but I didn’t want to slow down (even though my body did). I will work on going slower. And wow. It was SO FUN to do this midday lunch run with Erin. It totally made my day! I noticed I was super hungry the entire day though, even after dinner. I will have to handle that better in the future.

Distance: 3.07 miles | Time: 26:42 | 1: 8:26 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 8:27 | 4: 00:36

Day 3 | Wednesday, June 17: Run 5 miles

Ugh. This was not my run. I felt exhausted from only getting 5 hours of sleep, and was also crazy hungry all day, even though I brought more than enough food to work. To try to pep myself up for my run, I read Runner’s World articles on their website on the train ride, and ate some pomegranate Luna Moons when I got home.

My goal was to start out slow then speed up in the end. As you can see in my splits below, that didn’t happen. I felt lethargic, somewhat dizzy and thirsty (even though I drank A TON of water during the day) the entire time I was running. I felt like my muscles never “warmed up,” despite the sun being out and a 70°F temperature. Boy, was I a sweaty mess. I. Just. Felt. Awful.

FAIL run.

So what did I learn? Start out super, super, SUPER slow if you plan on speeding up in the end, and especially if it is hot outside. And maybe I even need to bring water with me on a run of this distance when it is so hot. Oh yeah, and make sure I have food in my stomach, because running when you are hungry like that SUCKS.

Even though I felt like I was running slower than I wanted, when I looked at my heart rate on the Garmin website, I realized I probably shouldn’t have pushed it any further. I was at my maximum heart rate for most of the run.

Now, if I could only figure out why I felt like I was going to puke after I tried to eat my taco salad at dinner time. Hey, at least feeling sick got me in bed at 9:00!

Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 47:57 | 1: 9:28 | 2: 9:18 | 3: 9:29 | 4: 10:09 | 5: 9:29 | 6: 00:01

Day 4 | Thursday, June 18: Run 3 miles

I was determined to make this a better, slower run – “comfortable” like the training said. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 70’s (although, like Wednesday, it was supposed to be raining), so I took my Ice Mountain water bottle with me. And I got to run with Steven! He hasn’t been running much lately because he is still recovering a hip injury from the half marathon. He ran the first mile with me, and the first half of the third mile.

So, how did it go? I felt almost as crappy as on Wednesday’s run. The sloshing water bottle annoyed me. I felt like I was going too fast, even though nothing was in pain. I just felt uncomfortably hot.  I felt like the sun was melting me, I was so sweaty again. The humidity must have been 2000%. Okay, not really, but Steven brought up a good point – that the humidity probably WAS high since it was supposed to rain. I checked when we got home – humidity at 73%, dew point at 67°F.

I’ve gotta learn how to run in the heat, since I usually run in the evening on weekdays.

I was supposed to do strength training after this run. Um yeah. No.

Data likes to rub up against my sweaty legs when I get home and try to get me to take him outside. Nice try, cat. The first thing mommy has to do is take a shower…

Where ever did Data learn such language? Has he been hanging around that bird?!

… after she eats half of a vegan banana muffin, that is!

Steven made these! Recipe here.

Distance: 3.01 miles | Time: 28:10 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 9:27 | 3: 9:17 | 4: 00:02

Day 5 | Friday, June 19: Rest

Day 6 | Saturday, June 20: Run 5 miles at marathon pace

This was my first run at race pace – the pace I plan to run during the marathon. Since we ran 9-minute miles at our half marathon, I am really hoping to run the same at the full and keep the race under 4 hours. I realize this is incredibly ambitious though, so I may have to adjust my goal as I progress through training.

I was nervous about this run since my last two had been so hard. I made sure I was out of the house by 6:00 am. It was already bright and sunny (it was the longest day of the year!) and halfway through, I had to stop and drink some water, and pour some down my front and back.  I could tell the temperature was rising just in the hour I was outside! It was 69°F, with a 67°F dew point and 90% humidity. Can someone please explain what all of this means to me?

Overall, I stayed within my goal of finishing in 45 minutes, but as you can see, I need to work on my pacing.

During the last mile, I felt a blister starting to form on the outside of my left foot. I think I jinxed myself! I was just commenting on Beth’s post about shoes and blisters that I NEVER get blisters. Darn darn darn.

Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 44:10 | 1: 8:39 | 2: 8:44 | 3: 8:45 | 4: 9:02 | 5: 8:58

Day 7 | Sunday, June 21: Run 8 miles

The training program advises the runner to do their long runs “anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slower than their marathon pace,” which would be 9:45-10:30 minute miles for me. Phew. I felt reassured knowing that I was supposed to take this run nice and slow. And I was successful in doing that.

I got up early (6:30 am) and went to the Nippersink Forest Preserve, which is less than a 5-minute drive from our house! I felt like I needed a change of scenery from running in our neighborhood.

The shrubs were not this high when I was here a month ago!

This forest preserve has an inner and outer loop, both about 1.25 miles in distance.

Quite a few people showed up to fish while I was there.

Again, the heat caught up with me by the end. I wore our hydration belt, and was still dehydrated when I stopped running. I think I need to stop at the car and rehydrate with even more water during these longer runs.

This is what I like to do after I get up so early to run:

I love to nap with Data!

Data is tired from, uh… sleeping all day on Saturday?

Distance: 8.00 miles | Time: 1:18:38 | 1: 9:59 | 2: 9:44 | 3: 9:58 | 4: 10:06 | 5: 9:49 | 6: 9:52 | 7: 9:44 | 8: 9:22

Week Summary: 24 Miles

The heat made this a tough week for me. I felt like it just came out of nowhere. Even though I diligently keep myself hydrated throughout the day, I still found myself fighting symptoms of dehydration during my runs. So, I am going to continue to wake up early to run on the weekends, and bring lots of water with me.

I realized I really need to focus on my pacing and follow the program. If I am supposed to run “comfortably,” I need to run comfortably! Otherwise, I could potentially mess up the rest of the weeks runs and risk overtraining.

Writing about running is addictive! I now understand why people have blogs solely devoted to it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what would make my weekly recaps better!

P.S. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I know you’ll read to the very bottom of this. Thanks for sending me emails each week with the typos you found on this website! You’re always watching my back, ha ha. Seriously though, thanks for putting up with all of my craziness and supporting my “interesting” hobbies over the years. I love you!