Chicago Marathon Training: Week Two and Three

I missed my update last week because I was at the beach so I'm going to recap weeks two and three of my Chicago Marathon training. As I mentioned in my first post, I'm using Hal Higdon Novice 2 and my goal pace is 12:00 minute miles. This will be my fourth marathon but it's the first time I have a time goal. If you missed my week one training update, you can catch up here. 

Week 2 included the same 2 three mile runs and a five mile run that week one included. There is no speed work included in the guide I'm following, but I'm going to occasionally incorporate it in just as an added benefit. This week I got rained out and took one of my three mile runs inside on the treadmill and I used a workout on the Aaptiv app. Aaptiv is an app with a ton of different workouts but I've only used it for treadmill runs. My favorite is Brit is Back, a speed workout set to different songs by my queen, Britney Spears. The workout is only 2.5 miles but can easily be bumped up to 3 miles by increasing every interval by .2 MPH and resuming the 5.0 MPH pace during recovery. This workout actually feels really good for me and my training because I have to hold my goal pace during recovery, despite being tired and out of breath from intervals. 

I hate that I did this, but I skipped my 9 mile run on Saturday because I was at the beach. The guilt I feel from skipping a long run early on is enough to ensure I don't skip another long run. The plan allows room for flexibility but it highly encourages not skipping or adjusting the long runs. 

Week three started out with a great track run. I ran my first mile in 9:52 and it's honestly been a month or two since I ran a sub 10:00 mile. I also found out during week three that I was selected as an ambassador for Asheville Marathon! I've never run Asheville Marathon before but I've read about the beautiful scenic course set on Biltmore Estate. I'm really excited for the scenery and Biltmore wine. As an ambassador, I've been given a friends and family discounts to share until July 31st. This rate is the absolute lowest I'll be able to share with you as a race ambassador and it's super simple to redeem. Register here and use the codes below for 15% off all distances and challenges. 

Invitation: AMANDADONNELLY2018AMAROCKS
Discount: 2018AMAAMANDAROCKS

This plan also requires cross training once a week. I've currently been playing tennis and using Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide workouts on days I don't run, but I'll soon be switching to Orange Theory Fitness classes. I signed up for a membership in January for a studio opening soon by my house. I'm really excited to see how OTF classes will improve my running. I've heard wonderful things and loved the preview class I got to take at another studio in town. 

I'll kick things up in week four with an 11 mile run and I'm excited to see how that goes! I'll check in with you next Monday! 

Chicago Marathon Training: Week One

I'm currently training for the 2017 Chicago Marathon and wanted to share my progress weekly. I am 17 weeks out now and selected Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program. Having completed three marathons, I still feel like a beginner. This program is designed for beginners who have run an occasional 5k or half marathon and have been running at least a year. I felt like the Intermediate 1 program would've left me burnt out in the first month since it requires six days a week. Novice 2 requires five days of training per week. A long run and a day of cross training are included in every week of the Novice 2 plan. Below is the full schedule.

My first run was on Tuesday and consisted of an easy 3 miles on the track. I didn't intend for this to be a progressive run but the songs kept getting better and it just happened that way.

My Wednesday run was intended to be a 5 mile pace run. I got pulled over on my way to the track and by the time the officer let me go, I only had enough time to go home and run a 5k on my own. We had kickball playoffs that night and after winning our first game we ended up having a double header. It was probably best that I didn't run the 5 miles I was scheduled that day, anyways.

I ended up doing my 5 mile pace run on Friday. My goal pace for Chicago is 12:00. I started my first lap on the track at a 10:34 pace. I was feeling good on Friday so I had to add in a few walk breaks to get down to a 12:00 pace. I ended up running an average 11:51 pace. I'm going to re-evaluate my goal around week 7 and figure out if an 11:30 pace may be achievable. For now, I'm shooting for 12:00 though.

My last run of the week was an 8 mile pace run on Sunday evening. Everything about this run was bad for me. I know they say "the only bad run is the one you don't do" but I can't imagine this run helped me at all. I was slower than my goal pace and wasn't feeling well. Waiting until Sunday evening wasn't the best idea so I will not be making that mistake next week.

Other than Sunday's long run, I feel really good about my first week of Chicago Marathon training. After running this race in 2016, it easily became my favorite race. Knowing everything I have to look forward to in Chicago is motivation to train harder and smarter this year. 17 more weeks!