I made it to 2019. The first day was a little rough (and it was mostly my fault), but the rest of the week went well, even if I had to juggle my schedule a bit.
I’m basically caught up now. I haven’t done a post about my goals for 2019 because, well, I want to see what happens in Charleston first.
Weight Check: 171.4, up 2.9 pounds from last week. Yikes! I did go to a party last night and did some grazing, and I did overindulge a bit on New Year’s Eve, but otherwise, I didn’t think this week was that bad. I’ll just have to buckle down a bit this week before I head to Charleston.
| Day | Scheduled | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 4 miles easy | 4.18 |
| Tuesday | 3 miles easy | 3.19 |
| Wednesday | 15 minutes easy, 20 minutes comfortably hard, 15 minutes easy | 4.81 |
| Friday | 9 miles easy | 9.01 |
| Saturday | 4 miles easy | 4.01 |
Total: 25.2 miles
So that schedule is after I moved some stuff around. The workout was originally scheduled for Tuesday, the 9 miler was scheduled for Saturday, the 3 miler was supposed to be Friday, and the 4 miler was supposed to be Wednesday. I moved the 3 miler to Tuesday because that’s all I was capable of doing, I moved the 9 miler to Friday because I was going to be on call Saturday morning, I did the workout Wednesday, and that left the 4 miler for Saturday. (It sounds really complicated, but I was able to figure most of this out while hung over, so it can’t be that bad.)
On Monday, I closed out 2018 with rain. The rain wasn’t that heavy, and it stopped just before the end of my run, but luckily it wasn’t too cold. My legs felt OK. My pace was a little more inconsistent than I’d like, but it was in the range that I was hoping for, with a little push near the end. I did add on an extra .18 to close out 2018.
So, Tuesday. Well, I was out late on New Year’s Eve and had a little too much fun, and the weather felt like July (67 degrees and really humid), so this run did not go well at all. Eh, it happens. I figured I’d be fine after a day of rest, and the temperatures were supposed to cool off just a little bit, so my next run would probably be better. (Spoiler: It was much better.) I did manage to continue my tradition of running on New Year’s Day, which I’ve done every year since 2013. I also added .19 to the end to welcome 2019, and I’ve done something similar every year since 2015.
On Wednesday, I definitely recovered from Tuesday. The weather certainly helped, 52 and overcast. I was a little faster on the warm up than I’d like, but I sped up a little because someone let their dog out in the front yard. (It was a small dog and wasn’t a threat, other than maybe to my hearing because it barked loudly the entire time I was near it.) I don’t think it affected the rest of my run.
I kept a fairly steady pace for most of the workout with a slight increase towards the end. I did need to take a walk break at the beginning of the cool down, but after that, I finished the cool down at a respectable pace.
Friday I had to get up early so I could run 9 miles before work. I was greeted by rain. Luckily, it was never really heavy, there was no wind, and 53 degrees isn’t too terrible. My legs felt fine. I did stop just before mile 5 to get some water – I left a bottle outside my house.
Since I had to fit this run in before work, I stayed in my neighborhood, so it was a little more hilly than the greenways where I normally do my long runs. Other than mile 2, I kept a pretty steady pace over the first 6 miles or so, sped up a little bit on 7, a little more on 8, and then took off on mile 9. Considering the conditions (and the fact that it was still dark when I started) I was very happy with the way it turned out. In any other month, this would be a strong contender for Best Run, but with Charleston coming up, I really, really, really hope this run only gets a shout out. (Not that there’s anything wrong with getting a shout out.)
On Saturday, it was cooler, 44 degrees, but still pretty nice for running, and after Friday, I really appreciated the fact that it was dry. Apparently I didn’t feel much of an effect from the 9 miler, and my legs felt fine. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Also, I didn’t get interrupted by work, which is always a plus.
Up next is the Charleston Half Marathon. A nice flat course. It might be wet though. I’m watching the forecast. Still, based on my training, I’m feeling pretty good about the race. We’ll see how it goes.