2 Months Til the Chicago Marathon!

Alright, so yesterday was the 2 months til the marathon mark.  I really haven't been getting in as high of mileage that I had wanted to over the past couple weeks, but I still have about 6-7 weeks left before I need to taper down.  And I have been happy with the long run mileage that I have done.

During my training for the Columbus Marathon in 2010, I did a 16 mile run actually on this very date.  Then, 2 weeks later I jumped up to a 19.5 mile run on the last weekend in August.  So as of now in this cycle of marathon training, I've already done 3 15 or 16 mile runs which I'm happy with.  And then can hopefully get in at least 3 of 18-20 before the end of September which I think should be doable.  I have also been doing at least a few more miles per week than I did that year and have gotten in some quality speed work already, which I never did while training for Columbus.

 

 I really don't like that picture of me, but it's the only one I have from the Columbus Marathon.  I'm jealous of people that look flawless during/after running.  I was number 217!!  I can explain that significance in another post I am planning.

In other news: One of my very best college friends and roommate and teammate and Columbus Marathon training partner, Alex, is ENGAGED!!  Alex is running the Columbus Marathon again this year and hopes to break 3 hours because she is that awesome!  We had a great time while we were training for the Columbus Marathon in 2010 as roommates - as I look back at my running log from that year, almost every entry starts with "ran with Alex today..."  I miss that!

In similar news: My cousin Jennifer has set her wedding date!!  Jennifer is the eldest Smith cousin and the first of us to get married.  We are all just a little excited for this!

Good looking family right there I tell ya.  Loads of fun, too.

This evening I ran 5.15 miles in 38 minutes - 7:23 pace.  I had no intention of running that fast.  I just went out for a what was supposed to be a normal pace run and when I got to where I knew was 2 miles away, I was at 14:55 so I knew I was going fast.  So I decided to just keep it up at that pace and finish the 5+ mile route I had planned.  I felt so strong, I think because I am still so sore from the weekend at the lake.  I could feel every muscle in my upper body working hard...and my legs too obviously, but those aren't quite as sore as my arms, shoulders, and back.


I also did the 7 minute workout again right before I ran tonight.  My cousin Joe told us about it over the weekend, and then a group of all the girls did it together (twice) on Monday morning to start our day of activity.  So  here's a link to the 7 minute workout timer, which tells you which exercise to do and counts down the time for each exercise and the transition time in between each.  And here's a link explaining the science behind it.  I think doing it just once was pretty easy, so doing it 2 or 3 times would probably be more worth it.  Or maybe increasing the time of each exercise from 30 to 45 seconds, or something like that to make it a little more intense.

And because my dad wants to be in more pictures on my blog, here are a few more from the lake with him:

(I like making faces when Mom takes my picture.)

(Boys table at dinner Saturday night)

(Mom and Dad on the dock - cloudy day :/ )

(Dad and Uncle Joe on the wave runner)

Do you have any good short/high intensity workouts that you like?

Do you like being in pictures? - I sure do, but I can do without the ones of me after running...