The month of September is just around the corner. I can’t believe the marathon is this close! There are moments when I’m excited and then there are other moments when my fear of failure replaces all the positive emotions. Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows that last year’s marathon went less than stellar. My first, NYC in 2010 was incredible. My 3rd, 2012 Philadelphia Marathon, was so much fun even after the Sandy craziness. So, since I seem to have an every other year trend going with marathons enjoyment and performance, this year, number 5, is meant to be great.

Right now, I’m spending time planning our trip to Berlin instead of stressing over the marathon. We’re looking at the river cruises as a Saturday activity since it will be SEATED and I refuse to kill my legs touring Berlin the day before the marathon. Did you know Berlin has more than 900 bridges?

So, let’s take a look back at last week’s training, shall we?

Monday: I woke up unexpectedly sore EVERYWHERE so I took an unplanned rest day other than my 5 minute workout.

Tuesday: I didn’t expect evening speed intervals to go well but this workout surprised me! In fact, the repeats felt a bit too easy so I know I need to increase the pace this week! 1 mile warm-up, 3×1000 meter repeat with 200 m jog/walk between, 1 mile cool down.

Wednesday: In my effort to focus on my cross training, especially my arms and abs, I did my 30 minute arms & abs workout again at the office during lunch. I increased the weights this week on the hammer curls to 15 pounds which is proof the weekly workout is helping!

Thursday: The 6 miles I had on my schedule didn’t come easy but the early morning views were worth it!

Friday: A complete rest day which included working from home, soaking my feet in a tub of Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salt foot soak, lots of foam rolling, my favorite 20 minute yoga sequence, and sporting compression socks all day.

Saturday: As mentioned in Sunday’s post my 20 mile long run was a tale of two cities. I felt incredible for the first half but then basically hit a wall at mile 15. It was a great reminder of just how crucial pacing is and it gives me a great focus for these next few long runs. As people pointed out, I am blessed to have gorgeous scenery to take my mind off the struggle miles.

Sunday:  My legs were feeling tight but the gorgeous weather was to nice to not enjoy. I hopped on my bike for a relaxed, 1 hour ride around the lake. My normal path was a bit crowded for my liking but it still felt great to enjoy fresh air and shake out my legs. I also spent some time on the foam roller Sunday evening while we watched Friends.

How about you? How’s training going? What did you learn from training this week?