The training pace has to be maintained. Marathons take persistence and carefully monitored plans.

sportsgold 100x100By Ashley Worobec

August 13th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

 

I had another great week of training this week, capped off by my weekend long run this morning.

Heart zone ratesIt was a drop-back week for me, meaning that the distance on my long run decreased slightly- this allows the body to recover a bit while still gaining fitness, and is a big component of proper training. Periodization of training helps to avoid injuries and helps to improve performance and fitness gains- in fact, your body repairs itself with rest and that is where improvement lies. Do the work, rest, repeat. That meant this weekend was a 16km long run, whereas next weekend I’ll jump up to 24km.

Dundurn stairs

Dundurn stairs (326 stairs)

The long run today incorporated 4 of the 5 sets of escarpment stairs in Hamilton; if your readers want a unique fitness challenge and have never tried the Hamilton stairs, they should definitely check out this local gem.

Ashley Worobec - hair flying H&S

It’s fun in the summer – wait until late October.

All year round, people flock to these stairs to perform their workouts- there are 5 sets along the escarpment, and today we did the Wentworth stairs (498 stairs), James Street stairs (227 stairs), Dundurn stairs (326 stairs), and Chedoke stairs (289 stairs). Altogether, that equals 1340 stairs, or 101 flights, mixed in amongst that 16km run!

Another thing that I wanted to mention was the importance of planning ahead. This week had a few wrenches thrown into my regular routine, but I made sure to schedule in my runs and my workouts like a non-negotiable appointment.

My family had a 2-day/1-night getaway early in the week, so I ran early in the morning before we left home instead of missing my run altogether. Additionally, our dog got sprayed by a skunk in our backyard late one evening, which could’ve easily derailed my run plans the next morning, as I had to help my husband and deal with the cleanup of that.

Distance Aug 12Time Aug 12But, the runs were in my calendar, and I’m nothing if not committed to my goals. I still ran, and then I dealt with the dog situation more fully when I got home! I’m proud of my consistency through the first part of this marathon training cycle, and my activity tracker tells me that I ran 186kms in the month of July, which was all 17 of my 17 scheduled runs. You’ll see as this training plan progresses, that that’s not always going to be the case- life happens, and sometimes circumstances can’t be worked around, but I’m proving to myself and hopefully to others, that big goals like this are attainable if you stick with it. Consistency, not perfection.

Mornings are getting darker for my 5:30am starts, but the sun is always up by the time I get home, and I’m still appreciative that I can head out the door in a pair of shorts and a tank top rather than the layers that winter running brings. I’m looking forward to Fall and challenging myself with some bigger distances.

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