Run More, Post Less

It has been an incredibly restful summer here in the ATL. As compared to last summer in New Orleans, we as a family have re-discovered our peace and that puts a smile on my face. Just this last week, I was able to put my treadmill back together after the movers broke it last February. Yes, you read that right, February. We moved into our house in early March and discovered the treadmill was broken in transit. It took us MONTHS to complete the claims process with the Van Lines and it was finally, FINALLY settled at the end of July! We received the check and I ordered the part that was broken. Elated to finally have my treadmill back, I was devastated to discover more broken pieces that were not originally noticed. (Not to mention, that they were not on our original claim and could not be added since it had been closed.) After receiving the next parts, I took the whole machine apart and then put it back together. I’m glad that I did, because the man who started to put it together during our move in, did not ground the machine. Yikes! I can officially say that our New Orleans chapter is finally closed!

On to running. I have been running all summer long in an attempt to strengthen my base. I had zero interest or drive for our first two months back in GA. The stress and depression let down. I started running again in May, post ATL pollen. I don’t remember too much about that base building. I know I ran about 3-4 times a week, 2-3 shorter runs (5k) and one long run. I increased my mileage by 2 miles every other week and threw in a 3-4 mile run on the off weeks. I got up to 8 miles by Memorial Day. Took a trip up the E Coast with my parents and did zero running. By the time we got back, the heat and humidity had hit. I ran the same amount of times, but dropped my distance down to 5k and added a weekly walk into the mix. 

As you saw from my last post, I was able to buy a black market bib for the Peachtree Road Race. I am excited to run it again next year as myself! I think I did a great job running considering that 1) I hadn’t trained at all and 2) I had a cyst rupture the day before. I felt pretty crummy the morning of the race, but the endorphins really helped curb the pain. 

Next up on the race schedule is the Atlanta Half Marathon. I have run this race two out of the last three years and only missed last year due to NOLA. I am excited to see what I can do on this course this year. Unfortunately, my weight is still up about five pounds from the last time I raced. I am hoping to bring that back down, but I have noticed that I have more muscle in my legs and butt. I have been making a conscious effort this summer to do more squats. 

I have taken the two Jeff Galloway Half Marathon Training Plans and have merged them. I want more than the “Finish It” plan and don’t have the time to complete the “Time Goal” plan. 17 miles is too long for me to run whilst homeschooling our boys. 

So, here is what I have managed to come up with:

ATL Half 2014: Jeff Galloway Hybrid Training Schedule

Week	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon Hills	Tues	Wed	Thurs
1	8/1/17	8/2/14	8/3/14	8/4/14	8/5/14	8/6/14	8/7/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	4 miles
2	8/8/14	8/9/14	8/10/14	8/11/14	8/12/14	8/13/14	8/14/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	5 miles
3	8/15/14	8/16/14	8/17/14	8/18/14	8/19/14	8/20/14	8/21/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	6 miles
4	8/22/14	8/23/14	8/24/14	8/25/14	8/26/14	8/27/14	8/28/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	4x400
5	8/29/14	8/30/14	8/31/14	9/1/14	9/2/14	9/3/14	9/4/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	7.5 miles
6	9/5/14	9/6/14	9/7/14	9/8/14	9/9/14	9/10/14	9/11/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min/MM	easy walk	off	6x400
7	9/12/14	9/13/14	9/14/14	9/15/14	9/16/14	9/17/14	9/18/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	9 miles
8	9/19/14	9/20/14	9/21/14	9/22/14	9/23/14	9/24/14	9/25/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min/MM	easy walk	off	8x400
9	9/26/14	9/27/14	9/28/14	9/29/14	9/30/14	10/1/14	10/2/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	10.5 miles
10	10/3/14	10/4/14	10/5/14	10/6/14	10/7/14	10/8/14	10/9/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	4x800
11	10/10/14	10/11/14	10/12/14	10/13/14	10/14/14	10/15/14	10/16/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	12 miles
12	10/17/14	10/18/14	10/19/14	10/20/14	10/21/14	10/22/14	10/23/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min/MM	easy walk	off	6x800
13	10/24/14	10/25/14	10/26/14	10/27/14	10/28/14	10/29/14	10/30/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	13.5 miles
14	10/31/14	11/1/14	11/2/14	11/3/14	11/4/14	11/5/14	11/6/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min/MM	easy walk	off	8x800
15	11/7/14	11/8/14	11/9/14	11/10/14	11/11/14	11/12/14	11/13/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	15 miles
16	11/14/14	11/15/14	11/16/14	11/17/14	11/18/14	11/19/14	11/20/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	5 miles
17	11/21/14	11/22/14	11/23/14	11/24/14	11/25/14	11/26/14	11/27/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	Half Marathon!!!
18	11/28/14	11/29/14	11/30/14	12/1/14	12/2/14	12/3/14	12/4/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	5 miles
19	12/5/14	12/6/14	12/7/14	12/8/14	12/9/14	12/10/14	12/11/14
	off	40 min run	off	40 min run	easy walk	off	6-8 miles

I am almost done with week 3. I will be running six miles on Thursday. I’ll try to post once every few weeks to keep up with the schedule and let you know how this turns out. I’m hoping for a PR at 2:15 which would be 12 minutes faster than the last time I ran this race. I will also go for a negative split, which means hill training on very tired legs. This race has been described as a 10k with a 10k warm up. The race really doesn’t start until mile 7 when you leave the park and start climbing hills. Usually, by the time I exit the park, my tank is empty. Not this year. My goal is to exit the park with energy and finish exhausted and empty!

It’s a great day for running y’all!