Monday, November 15, 2010

Marathon Training Week #2 - Off to a Rough Start

Week #1 was in like a lion, and out with a bang. I didn't get in as many miles as I had done the previous week, but that was mainly do to a distinct lack of time more then anything. I did, however, have a GREAT group of workouts, so it was not a failure by any stretch of the imagination. In all, I had almost 31 miles. That's just over 3 miles sort of what I did the previous week, but I managed to do that without a Sunday run yesterday. That's the part that's HUGE. Had I had the time to run for the hour and a half, I would have logged 42 miles. Again, not a failure at all. Especially when you look a the quality.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3.5 miles / P90X+ Weights & Abs Ripper X
Wednesday - 4 miles / 4 miles
Thursday - 5.6 miles / P09X+ Weights & Ab Ripper X
Friday - 6.5 miles to include 5x800m repeats at sub 3:45 splits
Saturday - 10K plus 1/2 warm up and cool down, Total of 7.2 miles

To call that a disappointment would be crazy. I am not going to complain about that kind of output. Especially, when I go out on a Friday evening after work, blast out 5x800m exceeding my goals, only to come back early Friday morning for a 10K run and do that in 56:23. On a ridiculously hilly course. AMAZING. The main question is, how do I feel. Well, actually, I feel great. I feel stronger then I have in a very long time. There's not been any soreness in my legs whatsoever. I've been using my hot tub in the evenings to open up the pours and get the junk out of the legs. I've been doing so X-Stretch along the way to keep limber. This week, now that there is a lull in the kids baseball schedule, I'll get my P90X Yoga workouts back on the schedule to get even more flexibility into these legs!

In all, it was a great workout, and so far, I'm loving the progress in my running. Well, that was until the disaster of last nights attempt to sleep. What a joke. By 12;30 PM I had succumbed to the fact that I wasn't going to be running in the AM. It is what it is. I was angry after a pathetic showing of my Arizona Cardinals, in a must win division game that, I as a season ticket holder, attended. I was angry at the lack of heart showed on the field. I was angry in the lack of focus on the field. And most of all, I was angry at how these professional athletes have forgotten some of the most basic aspects of the game. Some would say I take it too hard. Maybe I do. I have high expectations, since I pay a good chunk of change in Money and Time to make the 2 hour trip from Tucson to go watch a game. When they lose like they lost on Sunday, it just makes that 2 hour trip back even that much longer. So, anyways, I've got to get my workouts in this evening, and hopefully, after a good restful night of sleep, I'll be able to come out refreshed tomorrow and lay the schmack down on some pavement!!!

Remember, strength is built by how you respond to adversity. You can crawl into a corner, or you can face it head on and beat it into submission. I choose to face it head on! Keep Pushing Play and BRING IT!!!!