Week 9 and 10

Okay so much for updating every week again.  Missed the week before but thankfully there wasn't much to share as I ended up only running 2 days.  I was unfortunately sidelined due to some pain in my hip that as of now has thankfully subsided.

Week 9 -
Blah, Blah, Blah, hip hurt.  Ran two days this week. One good and one not so good.  Didn't do my first run until Thursday which was a great 6 mile run.  Did it in 8:04 pace but was able to drop the last mile in 7:14 without much effort but I guess thats to be expected after 5 days off.  I tried to do another run on Saturday and struggled from the get go and ended up doing 6.6 miles at 8:09 pace but it just plain sucked.

While this week of training won't go into my hall of fame I feel that it was important one as it made me really start to analyze my training and reset my mind for what it takes to get through marathon training.  Also how I need to structure my runs and get more focused on going into my runs everyday.

Cue week 10.

Monday - 6 miles - 8:13 pace - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142830756
Felt good.  Kept it pretty easy.  Noticed i've been getting tired a mile or two in so i'm making a conscience effort to go out my first two miles a little slower. Trying to stay more focused

Tuesday - 8 miles - 8:04 pace - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142830752
This run I went in super focused since this was pretty much my longest run since the 10 mile long run disaster of a few weeks ago.  I think this might be a pivotal run in my training as I ran really well and consistent the whole way and felt strong.  Was a little nervous for this run since I haven't ran this far in about a week and a half but kept my goal of starting off the first 2 miles a little slower and felt good.  Was a little tired towards the end but was still able to finish strong

Wed - 6 miles - 8:09 pace - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142830747
Nice easy 6 miler.  With the workout coming up the next day I tried to hold back and keep it b/w 8:15-8:30 pace.

Thursday - 6 total miles - 3 miles at 6:53 pace - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143239208
Did 3 miles on the track so was flat and laps were pretty consistent.  Allowed some negative thoughts to creep in the 2nd mile which ended up being my slowest mile but went 6:51, 7:03, 6:44 so pretty happy with it.  7:05 is my hope for race pace so was ahead of that.

Friday - 4 total miles - 8:31 pace
Very easy run with the 12 mile long run coming up the next day.  Had to force myself to hold back on the pace which is a good thing.

Saturday - 12 total miles - 8:26 pace - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143426786
Was pretty nervous for this one especially being that it was 40 degrees, raining and I ran at Salem Lake so it was a bit muddy.  Had to fight some negative thoughts during the run which is something i'm really going to focus on in these long runs as i'm out there by myself for almost 2 hours it can be boring and I need to stay positive.  That is something I struggled with in my first two marathons in the later miles so really want to do well.  Miles were consistent.  Right around the 8:30 mark which is what I wanted to hit.  Was able to pick it up the last mile and finish in 7:41.  Legs were pretty tired and was a bit sore on Sunday but a good sore.

Total - 42 miles - 5 hour 48 minutes and 15 seconds of running for the week.  Got my first 6 day week and now it's pretty much non-stop until June 3rd.  Hopefully I can transition some of this confidence and momentum into the next couple of weeks as I continue to build my base up for the specific training beginning in March.  47 miles on the docket for this week.

Fundraising update:  Up to $3,325 now and well past my Team in Training goal.  Would like to thank Martha Wright, Darcy Kuykendall for your generous donations.  Still hoping to get to $4,000 as the momentum is starting to slow a bit.  I think i've reached out to everyone I know so far but need to keep at it.  Thank you all again for your support and please continue to share my page and help me reach my goal of $4,000.

Donation page is here:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/nc/rnr12/brandonhillisformybro

Have a great week.