Jack and Jill (Half?) Marathon Training Week 6

Jack and Jill Marathon Training Week 6

Marathon training? Half marathon training? Cross-training limbo? I’m not sure exactly what I’m training for right now, although since I haven’t run in two weeks and anticipate another 1-2 weeks of exclusively low-impact cross-training as my sprained foot heals, I’m not anticipating a marathon come July 31. 

My workouts this week were rather repetitive and monotonous: elliptical, elliptical, and more elliptical. I understand now why some people own an Ellipt-Go – I miss the fresh air and outdoors! Especially when we’ve had several days of gloriously perfect running weather with no rain and temperatures in the 50s. 

Jack and Jill Marathon Training Week 6

Monday: Rest

Since I had a podiatrist appointment mid-morning, I opted for rest as not to inflame or irritate my foot before the appointment. The podiatrist manipulated my cubiod bone back into place and my foot felt weird for a while, so I just decided to take a rest day after the appointment. 

Tuesday: AM: 60 minutes/8 miles on the elliptical; PM: 20 minutes Pilates

I completely went down a time-suck spiral of searching for another marathon this day. I think I read reviews on Marathon Guide and Bib Rave for every single marathon in Washington and then looked up number of finishers, average weather, and elevation charts on Find My Marathon. I’m incredibly picky when it comes to marathons.

What did I land on? The California International Marathon. There’s about a 50% chance I’ll run it this year for several reasons, one of which is that Sacremento is only 2 hours from Yosemite. Not to mention that the race is in wonderfully cool December. 

Wednesday: AM: 50 minutes/ 7 miles on the elliptical; PM: 30 minutes strength training

Our apartment complex had a wine and tapas event that evening, which is possibly the best way to relax after some weight lifting. Cured meats and cheese are protein which is good for recovery, right?

Thursday: 40 minutes/ 5 miles on the elliptical + 30 minutes Pilates

Pilates felt extra good this week. Even though my form has improved slightly on the elliptical, adapting a new form of training leaves different muscles sore and tight. 

Friday: 60 minutes/ 8 miles on the elliptical

Elliptical workouts just aren’t as exciting as running, you know? Even though you get a decent cardio workout and sweat a bit, it’s just not the same as a long, tempo, or speed workout on the roads. Not to mention the fact that pictures of the inside of a gym are dull in comparison to running photos outside on the trails!

Jack and Jill Marathon Training Week 6

Saturday: Rest

We chose not to hike because of my sprained foot and rainy, dreary weather. Sometimes you just need a day of watching movies and completely resting, especially when healing an injury. 

Sunday: 52 minutes/ 7 miles on the elliptical + 2 mile walk 

After living in the Seattle for one year, Ryan and I are still discovering new running trails. We found a small trail hidden near our apartment, so after our workouts at the gym we headed there to walk Charlie and plan routes for future runs. 

Linking up for Weekly Wrap!

What was your best run this week?
Have you ever downgraded or DNS’ed a race?
When was the last time you took a lazy weekend?

 

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23 Responses

  1. Nice job getting in those workouts even though you can’t run! I downgraded from a full marathon to a 10k in 2012 because I was recovering from an injury and hadn’t been able to train. I have heard great things about CIM!

    1. Thank you! That sounds like it was a smart idea to downgrade and not getting in enough training is definitely a concern with the marathon – what I’m most worried about right now. I’ve heard so many good things about CIM also – the spectator support is supposed to be amazing and the weather is perfect for marathons!

    1. Thank you! I’m really hoping I can start running again next week. And that’s what Ryan said about the elliptical also! Meanwhile I think the other people at my gym think I’m crazy for being on there for 45-60 min every day.

  2. I have had more than my fair share of DNS and downgraded races in the past couple of years. It sucks! But the year that I was downgraded to the half from a full, I was so happy – it was 35 degrees, raining and 30 mph winds. I did a little dance of joy when the marathoners split off to do another lap while the half’s went to the finish line. 13.1 miles was miserable enough!

    1. That does sound like the occasion for a happy dance! I can’t imagine running any race in rain that cold! I keep telling myself if I downgrade then I don’t have to worry about summer heat on race day. I’m not a fan of summer running (and not entirely sure why I registered for a summer marathon in the first place, other than getting excited to run a marathon, ha!).

  3. Well, we all know my most recent DNS… lol (I have to laugh about it at this point!). We’ve had to downgrade several of my clients races because of preexisting injuries that we had to work around. But we all know it is better to downgrade or DNS than do permanent injury. I know I don’t have to tell you that!

    1. So much better! And honestly in my mind still better to DNS than to suffer through a marathon because of lack of specific training. It’s a bitter pill to swallow as you know but you’re right, we just have to laugh about it!

  4. Sorry it was another week of elliptical-ing. Plus it looks like you don’t even have TV in front of yours which is the pits. I don’t mind indoor training but my gym has those personal TVs in front of the equipment so at least I can keep my mind occupied. Hopefully you have music, phone, ipad, something!

    I would see how things go and possibly switch to the half too. Marathons are hard enough on the body when you’re injury-free and your training went right. A lot of people have that never give up, never surrender mentality… but not me. I would rather switch to the lower distance and not take the risk of DNFing, injuring myself, or completing a marathon with a time I’m not proud of just to say I completed a marathon, ya know?

    1. I have the exact same thoughts. I want to run a marathon do have a better experience and time than before, and being improperly trained will not achieve either of those goals. I’ve already completed one and the whole reason for even choosing this specific marathon was to enjoy the course and run fast.
      The elliptical does have cable and a TV on the screen, but somehow watching TV doesn’t work for me on any cardio machine! It’s probably because I can’t stand talk shows or anything that’s on TV early in the morning. I do have music and podcasts that I listen to.

      1. I watch trashy judge/court shows… mostly stuff I would feel terrible watching if I weren’t running on a treadmill or on another cardio machine! Podcasts are good too!

  5. I downgraded my fall marathon to a half last fall. I was just too burnt out from my Spring race to train for another marathon, and I had a busy summer and was getting too stressed trying to figure out how to fit all those long runs in. It was a great decision! I wasn’t even sad about not running the marathon and I enjoyed having much more free time that summer.

    I’ve heard great things about CIM! I bet you’d rock that one. I’ve also heard it sells out fast though!

    1. That does sound like a great decision! There’s never any shame in running the half, especially if the marathon is making life too difficult and stressful. Plus long runs in the heat of Midwest summer just sound rough!
      CIM is supposed to be amazing! And Sacramento is way closer to Seattle than I realized – only a 1 hr 45 min flight! Which is crazy to me, because my formerly Midwest brain still thinks California is practically a continent away. So tempting…

  6. I’m in the same boat training-wise right now and have been stuck on the elliptical for the past few days, definitely not as fun as a nice long run. Have you been doing special “workouts” or sets on the elliptical to pass the time? Would love to hear what’s working for you since I may not be able to run again for a while and the elliptical can get sooooo monotonous after a while!

    1. I’ll actually be sharing a post on that tomorrow! Changing the resistance while aiming for the same RPM helps a lot for me and keeps it specific as a substitute for running. I’m sorry to hear that you’re stuck on the elliptical as well!

  7. Well, shit that sucks. I didn’t realize you had to take so much time off. But what if the elliptical is like, *boosting* your running fitness right now? Like, what if you get back into running and you end up hitting even faster paces? Don’t downgrade to the half quite yet. Or at least, I wouldn’t. Just wait and see.

    1. Yep, 2-3 weeks (so 1-2 weeks to go) since my cubiod bone got shifted and to prevent the chance of a re-sprain. Ugh. Fingers crossed that at today’s appointment everything looks good! I’m sure my fitness may be boosted a bit, but I haven’t done any long runs or elliptical long runs in almost three weeks which isn’t ideal for a marathon. So we’ll see!

  8. Well yeah, I kinda had the ultimate DNS. I fractured my foot two weeks before Chicago. UGH. (Go big or go home!) You can stay in marathon shape if it’s that important to you. I did it with pool running (maxed out at 2 hours 45 minutes) and cycling (maxed out at 60 miles) and ran Disney 15 weeks after that fracture. But, I think you’ll be surprised how quickly that sprain will heal. At least you know you have options if you need them. Good luck! Thanks for linking with us Laura.

    1. That’s a lot of pool running! My sprain is healing well, although I’m definitely playing it safe and not jumping back into hard training. Thank you for hosting!

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