Another week of training for the Goofy Challenge is in the books!
Um…how is it already December? That means that the Goofy Challenge is officially next month. It sounds so close!
Even the countdown on My Disney Experience is telling me that my plans are not too far away. Gulp!
My friends have been asking me if I feel ready for the race and my response is a mixture of:
- No way! The race is still so far away!
- I won’t truly feel ready until I knock out a 20 miler.
Now that we’ve established that the race is not really that far away (now less than 5 weeks away) it should come as no surprise that my long runs are getting longer. This past weekend I had 3.5 hours to tackle on Saturday, then another 1.5 hours on Sunday. A few weeks ago I ran 16 miles in a little over 3 hours so I was anticipating that I’d probably make it about 18.5 miles on Saturday. The pathways were still a little slushy and gross from our recent snowfall so I figured the poor footing would tire my legs out more quickly.
I had plans to meet my friend Tara for part of my run so I started off early to get some time in before we met up. I was nice and warmed up by the time I met my Boston Qualifying and Ironman rocking friend!
Tara was only able to join me for a part of my run but I really appreciated the company. The conversation was great and a nice distraction from the long day ahead of me. That part of the run flew by and all of a sudden we were parting ways. I made a quick detour at home were I filled up my Camelbak bladder. Since I was feeling damp and sweaty I also did a bit of a costume change so I wouldn’t be too chilled when I headed back out into the cold wind.
I popped my yurbuds back in and turned up the tunes. I was missing the company and I was struggling a little bit. Luckily meeting Tara part way through my run helped to break my long run up into chunks so rather than focusing on running 3.5 hours I was focusing on the remaining time I had left.
Imagine my surprise when I wound up running 19 miles in my 3.5 hours. So close to my 20 miles that I need to complete to feel ready for a marathon! Despite a few struggles it wound up being a pretty strong run as I picked up the pace in the final few miles of my long run.
As soon as I got home I drank some chocolate milk, pulled on some some compression socks and started to focus on recovery. I had another 90 minutes to run on Sunday morning after all. Luckily my friend Tara was in for another run and I was so excited for the company! The weather was just a bit warmer in the morning so I was able to run in capris instead.
We immediately started gabbing on our run and I never looked at my watch except when it was time for us to turn around. I expected that my legs would be tired and I’d feel sluggish on the run. Surprisingly my legs felt really good though! So many thanks to Tara for all of her company this weekend and for running my pace! It really helped to make these runs fly by.
So wow…19 miles on Saturday followed by another 8 miles on Sunday. My legs handled all of the running really well. With all of the mileage under my belt I’m starting to feel just a little bit more prepared for the Goofy Challenge.
Tell me about your training victory this weekend!
It’s been a real learning for me how much having a buddy on a tough run can help. I started one thinking that if I did 5-10 K I’d be really happy, and I did nearly 14 because I didn’t notice my feet. The chatchatchat makes the time and Km fly!
Great runs! I really need to get back into running as I have a marathon I should probably be trained for!!
Awesome weekend! Isn’t it great how much having company makes the run feel easier (and fly by)?! I just finished all my long runs for a marathon this weekend and felt so happy to have company on some (and for parts of) them!
Wow, you’re a machine!! You are totally going to kill it next month! I am run streaking, for the month of December, so I’m keeping my mileage fairly low (about 15-20 miles/week.) I will start half-marathon training after Christmas.
That’s awesome. You’re doing great! You’re going to rock it at Goofy 🙂
Awesome runs this past weekend! Sounds like you’re going to be ready for Goofy!
My most successful training moment was getting my long run in on Friday evening after work. I knew I wouldn’t have time later in the weekend but still managed to squeeze it in!