Week 13 and 3 Event Week!

Here's the recap y'all are holding your breath for...

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Speed Sessions (1x1600, 4x800, 4x400) each group was faster than the one before it! It was tough!
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 3 miles + 6 miles on bike + Cycle Hip Hop
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Predators Fangtastic 5k + 7 miles
Sunday: 8 miles

This week looked a little different than most for several reasons
1. I actually did run every day I was supposed to!
2. I split up my long 18 mile run between Saturday and Sunday (will explain in min)
3. Between my half marathon last Saturday and this Saturday, I participated in 3 running events!
             1. Rock N Roll DC Half
             2. Wilson Duathlon
             3. Predators Fangtastic 5k

So here's some explanation. Tuesday's speed session was tough! It was high mileage and very quick paces for me. So I made it through, but after the tough half marathon the weekend before, I was toast.
Wednesday I  tried to keep it fairly easy because I could tell I was just tired.
Thursday I got to participate in one my favorite events I've ever done! My cousins from Florida had an idea to organize a duathlon that anyone could participate in anywhere. (kinda like a virtual race). So I ran 2 miles, biked 6, and then ran 1 more. It was a lot harder than it seemed like it should have been, but like I said, I was already dead tired! Plus it was fun to know that family was doing it too!
Saturday I got to do another one of my favorite races. The Predators Fangtastic 5k is one of my favorites because my husband does it with me! He's not really a runner so whenever I can get him to run with me it makes me happy!

(I would say my hair looks so bad because I just ran, but this is before the race. Whoops!)

So that was the first 3 miles of my long run. Went home and back out to the trail for what was supposed to be the rest of my 18 miler. However, I had an epiphany at about mile 6. I was having a great morning, I was having a great run. I was very happy at the 9 miles that I had completed. So I ran another mile. However, at that point it started to not feel as good and I was spiraling back into the "I can't run a marathon. There's no way that's going to happen" train of thought. So I called it a day! At this week in my training, I needed a good-feeling run a lot more than I needed the mileage. It was a great decision!

I went back out on Sunday to finish my long run with 8 more miles. 

I'm not going to say this training has been anywhere near easy. I'm not expecting it to get any easier from here on out. However, because I allowed myself to find joy in running this weekend, I remembered why I love running. I am going to push through these last few weeks and I am going to cross that finish line after 26.2 miles in just over a month. I will be dead. It will be one the hardest things I have ever done and will ever do. But it will be done and I will be better for it!