Weekly Workouts: 9/19 - 9/25

!!!! LONG-WINDED POST AHEAD !!!!

I am pretty sure that this week's mileage will NOT be equal to what's planned here.

Do people really need to run this much to do well in marathoning? What am I doing wrong? While I haven't re-injured myself *knock on wood*, I haven't exactly been 100% on the mileage for these past couple of weeks and feel that I might as well have not tried to do an Intermediate level training schedule.

Given that this is Week 11 with four more weeks of heavy training before taper, I am trying to hold on. I REALLY want to know if being on this type of schedule will ultimately deliver better results than my haphazard ways or a more basic program. Given that I haven't followed a program so closely since... ever(?)... I really want to be able to say, when I finish the San Antonio Marathon, that my efforts were worth it.

As I've mentioned before, I want to PR. I even joined RuntoFinish's PR Challenge to motivate me. But really, really, at 6 AM when I am trying to move my sleepy legs on pavement, it seems like NOTHING can motivate me.

Next weekend is the Camarillo Half-Marathon, my 17th half-marathon. I am definitely not aiming to PR there, but I AM aiming for sub-2, and for once, I am taking that aim seriously. I hope that my energy has returned fully by then and this time goal won't kill me. Due to sluggishness and lack of motivation, I have been running pretty slow during training and really don't know how this will pan out over the 13.1-mile course.

But I guess it's "less talking and more doing," which is precisely what I hope to accomplish this week. I've still got a full plate of other obligations to deal with...

Goals for the Week
1) TRY to stick to the schedule, but don't burn out or injure self.
2) Get new headphones for my iPod. My headphones are ALWAYS breaking, even though I treat them MUCH better than I used to. The bad sound quality is definitely not helping me run better.
3) On a related note, look into more tunes and take out the ones that I pretty much always skip.
4) Eat more healthfully.
5) Remember to take vitamins.
6) Get 3x strength sessions per week. I've been very good with this so far in these 11 weeks. Not sure if it's paying any dividends, though!
7) If not doing yoga, which I have not been too good about because of time and extreme unwillingness to do anymore fitness-related things after work, at LEAST try to incorporate some of the moves into a stretching routine a few times a week.
8) Get new shoes, as mine were running a flat.

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This Week's Workouts:

Sunday - rest

Monday - 8 mi
How the heck did I used to do most of my runs (and even LONG runs... did 15, 18, at some pt) on the treadmill? Had to re-arrange my training schedule to show as below.

Tuesday - 5 mi - outdoors

Wednesday - 8 mi - outdoors

Thursday - 0 (of 5) mi; 10 min upright bike; 20 min strength
Decided to can the run because I ran previously in the evening and couldn't bear to run again in the morning knowing that I have a 3-hour run the next day (see Friday). Plus, sleep did not come easily last night. Lately, I am having delusions that I can finish my dissertation in time to walk in this year's graduation, but perhaps I am being unrealistic.

Friday - 10 min s.bike; 30 min weights/stretching; 18 mi - outdoors
That run was so bad... but hopefully the makings of a better race!

Saturday - lots of walking at the Fair

Weekly Mileage: 39