Training Week 8: Putting In The Work

Top o' the week to ya! Today I'm joining up once again with the Fit Dish and Faith & Fitness crews.

Over the weekend, I made a spontaneous decision to run a local half marathon. Many small-towns have 5k's and 10k's but it's not often they throw together their own half marathon. Instead of doing my 1:45 long run solo, it sounded much more appealing to actually run with other people!

The weekly Faith & Fitness Bible verse is Proverbs 14:23.
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. PROVERBS 14:23
As I dug into the application in this verse, I found that the "profit" mentioned isn't exclusive to financial gain.

According to the Merriam-Webster, profit is a valuable return; a gain. A gain is something that is wanted or valued that is gotten through some activity or process - a.k.a. work!

Applying this verse to Saturday's half marathon...

The WORK: 8 weeks of training (for a different race but it still counts!)
The PROFIT: Physical fitness, endurance and preparation to run the best race I can on that day.

If I had just talked about running a half marathon for the past 8 weeks instead of putting in the work, I would have lacked readiness and fitness to run the race. That's exactly what poverty means - the lack of something! Mere talk just doesn't get the job done. 

The truth in Proverbs 14:23 applies to everything we pursue; especially our spiritual growth.

If we want to grow in our relationship with the Lord and knowledge of God's Word, we need to put in the work of spending time with Him.

Put your work into what matters. It is worth the gain!


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Run Roll Ride Half Marathon Results:

Finish Time - 01:45:00
Average Pace - 8:01/mile
Placing - 4th Overall out of ??

Summary:

Leaving the house by 6:45 am with both of the boys felt like an accomplishment in itself! We had to meet my husband on the road to drop off his forgotten wallet and then left on our way to the race.

We made it by 7:30, just in time to meet Grandma, register and make a potty break for E before starting time.


The morning was cool and a little breezy with 88% humidity and thick fog. The half marathon runners set off at 8:00 am, followed by the rollerbladers and then the bikers. The 10k and 5k runners had their own starting lines at different points on the course. This was a point-to-point race, starting in one town and ending in the neighboring town.


When we took off, E told Grandma, "I miss mom." (Grandma informed me of this after the race) It felt good to know he actually misses me sometimes!

For the first 3 miles, I hung with the front group of runners, which was perfect because the course was unmarked and I had no idea where I was going! The group of half marathoners spread out after that point and the thick fog made it feel like I was running alone again for quite a few more miles.

Mile 1 - 7:27
Mile 2 - 7:48
Mile 3 - 7:42
Mile 4 - 7:48
Mile 5 - 7:48

At around the 45-minute mark, I came to my first water station where they were handing out full water bottles. I was thankful they had water available for us but wasn't sure how to handle running with a water bottle in-hand. I carried it for a while, took GU #2, drank some water and then left it on the side of the road. I had intentions of picking it up on our drive back...

During training runs, I start slower and speed up at the end of the run (negative splits) but my races always work backwards. I knew I started out too fast with that lead group and payback time would come.

By mile 8, I felt like my energy was tanking. Bikers and rollerbladers were zooming by and they were very encouraging. That helped me to keep trucking through the headwind!

Mile 6 - 7:53
Mile 7 - 7:56
Mile 8 - 8:07
Mile 9 - 8:04
Mile 10 - 8:13

When I hit mile 10, I kept telling myself, "Just a 5k left. One mile at a time!" I was SO hungry! Eating one GU before starting and then one at 45 minutes just wasn't cutting it. I wanted a cheeseburger... bad!

Taking a walk break was tempting and my mind was offering up excuses - hey, you had a baby 3 months ago, just take it easy! - but I kept pushing. Walking meant it would take longer to get more food!

Mile 11 - 8:25
Mile 12 - 8:41
Mile 13.1 - 8:04

I followed another group of bikers into town, which was perfect because I didn't know where the finish line was. Sounds like I prepared well, right?! Finally, we made it and, WOW, did it feel wonderful to cross the finish and stop running.


Racing long distance is a lot like childbirth. There are times when I ask myself, "Wait, why did I decide to do this again?" but the feeling of being able to push through that mental barrier is worth it. After crossing the finish line, I think, "When can I do that again!?" (Don't read into that too much - we are currently NOT expecting baby #3!)

I changed into non-sweaty clothes during the car ride back to the starting line (no, I wasn't the one driving!). We stopped in to the local cafe for a "second breakfast" and some time to visit.

The food was awesome - breakfast is always awesome - and I was thankful to have that special time with some of my favorite people. THANK YOU, GRANDMA, for watching the boys and hanging out with us :)

.....

Wild Hog 1/2 Training Week 8


8/24 M - Easy: 3 treadmill miles, 27:00 @ 8:58/mile + Strength Training.

8/25 T - Speed Intervals: 5 miles, 42:00 @ 8:20/mile. 3 x 1600m - 8:20, 7:37, 7:25,  Finished with a little extra time to spare before everyone woke up so I ran an extra mile before going inside.
.
8/26 W - Strength Training.

8/27 H - Tempo Run: 5.56 miles, 45:00 @ 8:05/mile. 9:02, 8:20, 8:04, 7:37, 7:40, 7:38 (.56 mile)

8/28 F - Rest.

8/29 Sa - Surprise weekend race instead of solo long run! 13.1 miles, 1:45:00 @ 8:01/mile. 7:27, 7:48, 7:42, 7:48, 7:48, 7:53, 7:56, 8:07, 8:04, 8:13, 8:25, 8:41, 8:31, 8:04 (last .08 mile)

8/30 Su - Off. Race recovery day.

Total Mileage: 26.66 miles

What are you putting work into this week?

Linking up with the Fit Switch, Jill Conyers and Faith & Fitness Friday. #dishthefit  #FridayFaithFitness

Comments

  1. I love this, Amy!! And I love that definition of profit. Looks like you had a fantastic week of training!

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    1. Thank you, Rachel! Digging into the meaning of key words in this Bible verse helped so much to apply it to my life. When reading through Proverbs, I had overlooked this verse in the past!

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  2. I love that you equated racing with child birth! There are definitely times when I am struggling through a workout that I think the same thing. Congrats on the half marathon!

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  3. I love that proverbs verse! Thanks for the great reminder, I have put many miles and time into my half marathon training and although the last couple weeks have not been stellar, I will see a payout! Great time on the half, amazing!

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    Replies
    1. You will see the payout, MB! Just get that foot of yours some rest and you will be right back at it :)

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  4. What a superstar! Wow, that's so awesome. And, I always love spontaneous races - I have done a few, and they were my faves. No pressure, just enjoyment (mostly) haha. Also, that quote is great. Thanks for sharing. : ) #fitfamlove

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    Replies
    1. Doing something spontaneous felt so good! Shaking up the weekend a bit, and getting a little "crazy" (more so, crazy sweaty). No pressure for sure - and enjoyable minus a few miles near the end!

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  5. Wow great job on that half marathon! My PR is currently around 2:14. You're so inspiring, having just had a baby and all!

    This week I've realy been hearing God tell me to spend more time with him. I started a new bible reading plan and I'm going to put it into action in next week's link-up!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Raechel! Way to listen to God's guidance and start a new Bible reading plan! I can't wait to hear about it in next week's link-up :)

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  6. Mrs. Speedy, you're definitely putting in the work! Nice half finish. Way to inspire. #fitfamlove

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