Holy cow.  How have I already finished 11 weeks of training for my 50k?  I’m in my final build week, guys, this is crazy!  In a nutshell, my ECS Wisconsin training weeks 10-11 were up and down – both planned and unplanned swings in training.   You can read about Weeks 1-4, weeks 5-7 , Weeks 8-9 for some additional background.   Today, I’m linking up with Marcia, Erika and Patty for Tuesdays on the Run (you may have heard me refer to it as Training Tuesday)

Week 10 – Build 

ECS Wisconsin Week 10 highlights 

• On Tuesday, I could only finish 7 miles of speed inclines on the treadmill before I had to leave for work.  In those 7 miles I gained 1300ft and did a mixture of of .25-.5 miles @1% at an 8.7 pace (6:55) and .5-1mi @4-10% @4.5-6.5 speed (9-12:00 min/pace).
• Wednesday is normally a double day, but I wanted it easy  because I was doing my long runs earlier this week. Did 6 miles before heading to strength class at EDGE.

• Thursday I did my long run early because that weekend I had an all day wedding on Saturday, and I was able to fit it in on Thursday before work. I know.  A marathon before work?  Yup. I was able to get through about 14 miles fine, but then I started to feel the heat; running out of water by mile 16 didn’t help either.  I considered quitting by mile 20 but played the “Suck it up for just one more mile” game until I got through them all.

• Friday, I was able to run with Katie O at Swallow Cliff to finish 20 miles.  I felt wonderful!  Such a confidence boost, and it’s always better to run with friends.

• Saturday was a day to celebrate old friends and new beginnings, and Sunday was a short recovery run after a night of dancing and eating too much Indian food.

Week 11 – Down Week

ECS Wisconsin Week 11 highlights 

• On Monday, I did an easy 5.2 miles before going to an NP pop up workout.  We met at the Divvy stand on Lake Shore and Wellington (around the corner from my apartment) for a Divvy themed workout.  It was a blast!  We will have another one there on August 28th if interested!  Ironically, on the way to work, I couldn’t find a place to park my Divvy – all the stations down in the loop were full!  I was late because I had to park it down by Buckingham fountain and hoof it up 10 blocks to work.

• Tuesday’s speed workout was again on the treadmill.  Did 10 miles + short cool down and gained 1700 ft of elevation, woo! After a 1 mile warmup, I did 2 sets of alternating tempos and climbs: .5mi tempo 1%, .75mi @6%, .25mi 2%, .75 tempo 1%, 1 mile 8%, .5mi 2%. Then 2 miles of rolling hills at a recovery pace to cool down.  Had such a great runner’s high afterwards because I was able to go faster on the inclines!
• Wednesday was just a single run since it was a recovery week. I did an easy 7 before EDGE class and then had a delicious green smoothie bowl afterwards with Leap Smoothies and some Kashi cereal on top.  Check out last Friday’s blog post for day-to-day nutrition and fueling tips.

• Saturday I had the WEIRDEST sensation.  I had this pain in my chest, like a bubble, and I felt like I had to burp the entire time.  My goal was to do 18 miles, with 5 miles of trail tempo.  Ran a 7 mile warmup, then the 5 miles of trail tempo, but as the run went on, the burping sensation got worse.  I made it through the 5 miles and then stopped to drink and eat, but felt like I was going to throw up.  After than, the struggle bus arrived.  I was able to get through 5 miles of cool down, with multiple stops.  At one point I had to put my hands on my knees and bend over a bit.  Between this weird feeling, hot humid weather, maybe getting a bit dehydrated, I made it to 17 miles and then said NOPE and went to the car.  I felt so deflated.  There was also a weird raccoon incident where an injured raccoon was blocking my trail for a bit.  That resolved itself after about 15 minutes (and I was glad for the break!)
• Sunday, I stuck to the Lakefront Path because I wanted to make it to yoga.  The run was mediocre, but I didn’t haven any pain or gassy bubbly in my chest so I was relieved!  Then I spent the afternoon with my dad and Jon at brunch and the Cubs game to celebrate dad’s 69th birthday.

That wraps up ECS Wisconsin Training Weeks 10-11!  Less than a month until race day! I am in my final build week before three weeks of taper.  My goal is to run 30 miles and then move this Saturday… we’ll see how that goes.  And then my future goal is to not have a taper tantrum.

Don’t forget to redeem your discount and enter my Karma nuts giveaway!  No idea what I’m talking about?  Read this blog post for a yummy recipe and discount code, and visit this Instagram Post to enter the contest!   You could win some free product!

What are you training for? Leave a comment below so I can give you some training Tuesday love! 

Happy Running,

Becca