Marathon Training: Week 9

Another week in the books and this was a step-back week, so no major surprises. Although I've been trying to run on Mondays, this Monday I was in the car driving back to Atlanta from our Labor Day weekend. When we got home, I didn't have it in me to run. I should have though, because Tuesday was extremely busy at work and I missed the 3 miles.

Wednesday, I was supposed to bump up to 7 miles so I decided to join my running group in Buckhead for the run. However, this new strategy had its drawbacks. It was really hot running with the group at 6pm vs. late night or early morning. And unlike the Saturday run, there is no water along the course. I wish I had known that... before I showed up ready to run with no water in 91 degree heat. Luckily for me, about 3 miles in, someone was watering their grass and I decided to stick my head in their sprinkler. It wasn't much, but it kept me going. Needless to say, I don't feel guilty about only running 6 miles instead of the 7 I had on my schedule.

Thursday was a 4 mile run and it was very difficult. But I couldn't cheat since I had skipped Tuesday and cut Wednesday short by a mile.

Saturday represented a step-back run for me, running just 10 miles with the group. It wasn't too bad and I feel geared up for another week of training this coming week.

As promised, included some photos of all the gear I have purchased to help me through this journey.


TRAINING CALENDAR: This is where I have all of my runs scheduled out from Day 1 of training through Marathon Day. Its on the wall in my garage, so I have to look at it every day.


CALF STRETCHER: Not sure if this is really its name. But it does a great job stretching my calves. This has been really important for me to help keep my calves loose and help minimize shin splints. Also note the running shoes that I wear only during training.


RUNNING SHORTS: Did you know that real running shorts have a liner sewn into them?


THE STICK: A great way to massage the calf and hamstring. It helps to have a teammate willing to roll it on you.


FOAM ROLLER: When The Stick isn't enough, the foam roller can also help loosen muscles on the entire leg. Especially useful when your teammate is mad at you.


MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS:
1. GPS WATCH: The GPS watch is super cool. It can track absolutely everything from my heartrate, distance, pace, elevation, grade, calories, to my horoscope ;).
2. BODY GLIDE: This is a life saver. Enough said.


WATER BELT: 6 bottles.
CALF SLEEVES: I get asked about these the most. They help with shin splints and speed up post-run recovery time.

That's it for this week. I will post again next week after my new personal long of 15 miles next Saturday.