This past week of training was tough. Last week, week four, I called the “no quit zone.” If I wasn’t so determined to NOT quit, week five might have been the week to do me in. It wasn’t so much the physical running as the mental game–mustering the motivation to run in less-than-ideal weather, and honestly just fitting the runs into an already crammed schedule. The mental load was a lot, and I don’t want to sugarcoat this process or give the false impression that it’s been easy.

The week started with an easy 30-minute run on a rainy Monday morning. I don’t mind running in the rain, generally, but I am hoping for an improvement in these cold, windy, and overall dreary weather patterns we’ve had lately. Next was a 45-minute intervals run, which I knew would be tough but I was pleased with how strong I felt. Then came the hard part. I couldn’t figure out where to fit in my next 30-minute run because my next two mornings were going be jam-packed with making and baking sourdough for my cottage bakery plus the early morning weather was set to be very cold and very windy. I had to get the run in before my long 75-minute run on Friday, though. Saturday I had to get my son to a karate tournament early so I wasn’t fitting a long run in that morning! After agonizing over when to tackle that 30-minute run, I finally decided to try to squeeze it in Wednesday afternoon after book club and hair appointments with my girls and before my son’s karate class; soliciting help from my oldest with dinner that night. It was supposed to be an easy run, but it was one of the harder ones I’ve had. I had worked out that morning–completing a 45-minute bike & strength bootcamp (one of my favorite forms of working out that I can also do indoors early and in the dark, unlike outdoor running) and had a busy day of sourdough prep, homeschooling, teen girl book club, and haircuts for my daughters. I thought the run would be a nice way to get fresh air and clear my head but it ended up feeling rushed and the weighted vest I’ve been wearing caused more severe chafing on this particular run. It was painful. I took Thursday off from running and only did some conditioning strength training and an easy cycling class. On Friday I had my long run and was aiming for 7-7.5 miles in a 75-minute window. But I didn’t plot my route ahead of time and didn’t count on a pretty steep hill I ran into on a road I had never been on before. I decided to give the vest another try and wear it differently but the chafing came back with a vengeance so the run only granted me 6.5 painful miles. By the end of the week I felt exhausted and defeated. Thoughts like “this isn’t working”, “this isn’t the right time of life for me to train for something like this”, “will it ever warm up or NOT be windy on a run?!”, and “I can’t do this” flooded my head.

But, I’ve already passed the “no quit zone” as I said, so here we are! I’m thankful that the vest issue is fixable. I’m ditching it while running for now. I still think it’s great for walking and increasing strength for push ups, etc, but it’s the bumping that occurs while running that is causing the problem. So, so long! I’m grateful that my bad ankle is holding up well. It talks to me sometimes after a speed run but on long runs it really does okay and doesn’t hurt after. I’m also thankful that my husband and kids are stepping up to help out where they can and are encouraging me. I’ve enlisted them to put together my playlist for the race and I can’t wait to listen to it and guess who added which song. I’ve been nervous about the mental aspect of the race and if I’ll be able to keep myself motivated without a coach encouraging me in my earbuds like during the training. I think having a playlist made by my favorite people will help!

This week, to alleviate some of the stresses of last week, I’ve written out my training schedule and am determined to stick to it, no matter the weather. If a run doesn’t go as planned because of the wind and rain, so be it. The mental strain of trying to save my runs for the best weather days of the week is just too much. I keep telling myself that the weather is bound to turn at some point! Running without the vest will be liberating and I hope to see an improvement on my pace. My long run this week will be 90 minutes and I plan to plot my route beforehand so I don’t get surprised by more unexpected steep hills. Some hills are fine, but I don’t want too many–I’d like to be able to keep a somewhat steady pace to really practice for the race. I already know that my training route is more hilly than the race route, so I am well-prepared in that area. My friend and I are celebrating her upcoming birthday by getting massages and lunch–so I will be primed and ready to get a good 9 miles in during the 90 minute run! I’m more confident that I’ll be able to achieve this goal without the vest and if my route is planned ahead of time.

Despite the busy week and the training discouragements, a lot of good things happened! Here are some pics!…1-4) It was “Spain” week in our homeschool and I had so much fun making food I remember eating when I studied there in college. I didn’t use a recipe for the Spanish tortilla, paella, or flan–just pulled from my memory. My host mom would shake her head at my miserable flipping of the tortillas (see first photo) but it was still fun to try to show my kids how it’s done like she showed me! The churros were the biggest hit, though. 5) I facilitate a book club with my oldest and three of her friends. I seriously love hanging with teens and hearing their thoughts on deep subjects. I take them to a local cafe and treat them to drinks and pastries and we discuss our book. It is truly a highlight for me. 6) The girls got haircuts and Emmalyn (age 9) went short! The style looks super cute on her. 7-8) Our youth group had a karaoke competition Saturday night and Abby and her friends did AMAZING! After the competition they opened the floor to anyone who wanted to sing and Emmalyn sang with a couple other young girls with their big sisters backing them. It was adorable and so fun to watch. I love watching teens have fun and be ridiculously creative when they are given the space to be. Randy and I had a truly fun night with them. 9) Eli (age 7) came in second place in kata during his tournament on Saturday! He’s a purple belt and already racking up more trophies than he has room for.

Wish me luck on getting those 9 miles in later this week!