Pro Compression

Marathon Training – Week 8

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Week 8 Training

Week 8 Training

Week 8 done. 12 weeks until the Philadelphia Marathon.

Again this week’s schedule didn’t allow for me to stick strictly to my training plan other than the mileage which I completed. I missed my Monday cross training (probably too tired from last week) and I missed my Friday rest day as I had a committment on Sunday morning so I ended up running 5 days in a row. Again, I can only say this is training for Dopey as my excuse.

The longest run of the training plan so far was the 15 miler on Saturday. I did my first run back in Tyler Park since the spring. It is pretty good training as there is a lot of hill work to be done. I did three loops of just over 5 miles each and felt good. The hills weren’t too tough although the first couple of miles (uphill) were probably my slowest of the run, but once I had warmed up I was a little faster and brought my average pace down so the long run ended up under 10 minutes per mile overall.

The seasons are definitely changing. I broke out the long sleeve shirt and thin gloves one on my runs this week. I wished I had brought my gloves along for my long run on Saturday but it did warm up eventually so all was good. I’ll need to start reassessing and resorting my running gear shortly. Maybe a shopping spree?!?

Again I ran in the Pro Compression Marathon sock and I’m feeling comfortable in them as I go longer and longer. I actually bought another pair for myself this week and a pair for my wife too for her to try. Next week we will be running together at the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia. Looking forward to that.

A highlight this week was that I was featured on the Philadelphia Marathon blog [2013 Entry #6]. It was a nice end to the week and I’m looking forward to the Marathon in just over 2 months (whoa…just over 2 months).

Next week is a step back week again and my long run will be the Philly Rock and Roll Half. The plan calls for an 11 mile run but I am not planning to race the half so I’ll run those extra 2.1 miles fairly easy (I hope).

Thanks for reading.

Marathon Training – Week 7

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Week 7 Training

Week 7 Training

I cannot believe this was the last week of summer. I guess I made the most of it.

I missed my planned cross training workout on Monday as I wasn’t feeling so great (my wife warned me to stop eating the Johnson’s Popcorn but I didn’t listen) so my first workout for the week was on Tuesday.

I typically run early in the pre-dawn hours so I can get my workout in before I have to leave for work. On Tuesday I was working from home and decided to run in my lunch hour. I only had 4 miles planned and thought I could squeeze that in the time. Usually running early in the morning I haven’t taken in any food or coffee, just a few sips of water and maybe a gel if I am running more than an hour. On Tuesday I had eaten breakfast early but I had drunk at least 5 cups of coffee. In addition it was about 20 degrees warmer than my normal run time weather. I went out way too fast considering the conditions and I had drunk way too much coffee. I paid for it. My heart rate spiked after two miles and I basically had to walk/jog back home. Not the most pleasant run I’ve done for a while. Lesson learned. Ugh.

We had a family wedding this weekend in Atlantic City, NJ which meant we had to be out of town so I moved my Saturday run back to Friday as I knew we had a busy schedule ahead. I did however pack for two days of running…just in case.

This weekend was the Disneyland Marathon out on the west coast and the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare (the 10K on the Saturday and the Half Marathon on the Sunday). Following all my Facebook friends as they were planning for the event and following them on their travels was great. I decided I would attempt an east coast ‘Double Dare’ as best I could.

Wearing my ‘Team runDisney’ shirt I ran a 10K distance on Saturday in Atlantic City for the first part. On Sunday I was up early (before sunrise as it was getting humid) and ran a 14 miler (as per my training plan) which had me run from Atlantic City through the towns of Ventor and Margate and just into Longport and back. Although it wasn’t a ‘Dumbo Double Dare’ I still got my elephant theme on the run with a quick run past ‘Lucy‘.

Saturday run wearing my Team runDisney shirt

Saturday run
Wearing my Team runDisney shirt

Sunday run A quick visit with Lucy

Sunday run
A quick visit with Lucy

 

I wore my Pro Compression Marathon socks for this and they felt fine. I was worried that they were still thinner than I preferred but they held up well and there were no after effects. I like to run in compression sleeves for runs over 10 miles but I appreciate the compression around the foot, particularly around the arch, as I run which these socks offer over just running sleeves. I will keep trying these socks on longer distances to see if I feel comfortable enough to run a full marathon with them.

With the extra day of running (on Saturday) I planned to make the next week start of with a rest day as it is Labor Day and a holiday. I plan to sleep in as long as my kids will allow. Once they go back to school I’ll be back on track with the Monday cross training.

Here’s to another good week 🙂