This past week was exhausting, and I missed my opportunity to write my week 3 update, so I’ll do it with my week 4 update! Week three went pretty close to how it was scheduled, and I felt mostly good. My shins were starting to get a little tender, but nothing that’s worried me so far. Week 4 wasn’t as great as I wanted, but overall I was proud of myself for pushing through a tiring week.
Week 3:
Tuesday: I did 5.1 at a 9:00/mile pace. It felt pretty comfortable to run at that pace, which is pretty amazing considering last year that was definitely pushing it for me.
Wednesday: 5.4 with an average pace of 8:47/mile. I did a 1.5 mile warm up, 3 strides, a 16 minute tempo run, and the rest was a cool down.
Thursday: Silly me had it in my head that I was supposed to do 5, not the 6 I had scheduled, so I did a nice 5 mile run with Matt.
Saturday: I joined up with the Heartbreak Hill Running Club again and did a nice 12 miler with the group. I kept my pace quicker, a 9:01/mile, and it felt pretty good. I got a little tired towards the end but powered through with some music. It was a beautiful sunny day!
Sunday: I made up for my little mishap on Thursday by adding an extra mile to my easy Sunday run with Matt, and we kept a nice 9:28/mile pace.
Week 4:
Tuesday: My shins were starting to get nice and tender, so I tried my hardest to take my runs easy this week. I did 5.2 miles on Tuesday at a 9:10/mile pace. I iced my shins and tried my best to start stretching my calves throughout the day.
Wednesday: I set out for my 6 miler with the best of intentions, but ended up cutting it short and not doing any speed work. I made it 4.3 miles at a 9:16/mile pace, but my legs felt heavy and my stomach was in knots. Matt reassured me that bad runs will happen and I shouldn’t let it get me down, so I tried my hardest to not let it bother me.
Thursday: I was worried about my run, but it ended up going fairly well. I met up with The Breakfast Club in the morning and did 6.7 at a 9:19/mile pace. My shins were a little sore, but the constant stretching the previous day really helped.
Saturday: Girl Talk! I had a hair appointment Saturday morning to go more blonde. It went long so I ended up switching my long run to Sunday. I ran a solid 5 miles at a 9:01/mile pace right around sunset. It was wonderful, and I was thankful my shins weren’t sore anymore.
Sunday: I did my long run (13 miles) with Matt and as much as I complained towards the end of the run, it went pretty well! It was sunny and I was far too warm in my winter clothes, but it felt amazing to casually do a half marathon on a Sunday!
Overall, the two weeks were good. My shins are still tender but nothing I’m worried about yet. I will do my best to take it easier and listen to my body like I did on my Week 4 Wednesday run. I’d rather cut some runs short or run easy than push too much and get myself injured again!
One and a Half Runners 
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