10 Miles on the Treadmill

we're finally getting some snow! possibly as much as 10" by midmorning tomorrow :)

Friday was my 10 mile run, which I did on the treadmill again- it's just easier with our current schedule. I did get a little bit crazy with the timing of it though. I had a chiropractic appointment scheduled for 11:30 and since they're only open in the mornings on Fridays, I couldn't change to a later appointment (I tried). I thought about doing my run after we got back, but decided that an adjustment after a long run would feel good. So I woke up super early and spent almost 3 hours on the treadmill before making breakfast for the kiddos and getting cleaned up for my appointment.

Getting up so early meant I didn't eat breakfast first, but I did eat ShotBlox throughout the workout, and I didn't have too many issues with my energy levels, which surprised me. I'll have time to eat before I run the half in April, but it's good to try different things.

I followed my usual plan of warming up by walking for 10 minutes and then started my workout by running for 30 min, walking for 5 min, running for 30 min, walking for 5 min, running for 30 min, walking for 5 min, running for 37:25 and then cooling down for 11:40 minutes. I completed 10 miles in 137:25 min and walked another 1.1 miles while warming up and cooling down, so my total for the day was 11.1 miles. I used my walking breaks to eat 1 or 2 ShotBlox and wash them down with sips of water and gatorade.

Every week I think I'll just take it easy, but honestly, it's easier to run faster than slower on the treadmill. It feels like less work, somehow. Whatever the reason, I've actually been speeding up as I add mileage each week. Last week's pace was 14:46 min/mile, but this week I was able to speed things up to 13:44 min/mile. My actual race pace needs to be at least 13:39 in order to finish in 2 hours and 59 minutes or less, so I'm getting closer to where I need to be. Of course, I'm taking all numbers with a grain of salt since I have no idea how accurate our third-hand treadmill really is. But I do know that I am increasing my distances and pace and acclimating my body to working hard, so I should be ok.

Monday- treadmill run
Tuesday- treadmill walk
Wednesday- treadmill run hills
Thursday- treadmill walk hills
Friday- treadmill distance run

My total mileage for the week was 18.34 miles, which is an improvement on last week.

I thought about hitting the treadmill for a few minutes on Saturday just to walk, but the sore throat I had Friday morning (not bad enough to interfere with my run, but I wasn't feeling so great later on) morphed into a full-on cold and I decided to sleep in a bit instead. I'm feeling better today, but still not wonderful.

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Because I'm doing a half marathon with a three hour time limit when I'm 25 weeks pregnant I've been putting way more effort into actually training and preparing for the half than I usually do. In the past I usually manage just one 7 or 8 mile long run, along with some 2-3 mile runs. I really do under train. Though when you factor in the amount of time I've been spending on my weekly long runs, I'm reminded why my long runs have suffered so much in the past. I just haven't had the time to do them. Of course, my times haven't improved as much as I'd like, either.

Training time is still an issue, but it comes in behind the need to physically be able to finish 13.1 miles in less than 3 hours while 25 weeks pregnant. Hence the diligent training. So it's been good motivation and I'm really curious to see how it affects my actual performance.

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I've also taken the opportunity to switch things up a bit with my clothing. I've run enough races that I know what generally works and doesn't work for me, but my changing pregnant body has required some clothing changes as well. I've learned the hard way that I really need to find a bra without an underwire to wear under my sports bra - I have the tender ribs and the friction sore to show that an underwire, though supportive, just isn't working right now. And my maternity support belt needs to be under my shorts, not on top where it will slide around and not stay in place. I did a lot of tugging and adjusting on Saturday. But it's much better to find this out on a shorter training run than during an actual race when I should be focusing on keeping my pace up, not tugging clothing into more comfortable positions.

I'm eyeing this shirt from fortwofitness.com. It's pricey, but would be a great memento from how active I am during this pregnancy. I want to either paint or add vinyl to the back that says "25 weeks pregnant". I'd wear it for the half marathon, and then for subsequent races, I'd cross out the number and write in the updated number, ending with 38 weeks when I do the Fourth of July 5k. I may order is sooner so I can start wearing it sooner though.