Hey there! It’s been a while since we’ve talked about day-to-day life shenanigans around here, and I believe I owe you guys THREE weeks of marathon training updates. After Tahoe last weekend, I used this week to catch up on errands, recharge at home, and spend lots of quality time with my girlfriends which was a real treat. By the time the weekend came around I was eager to fill it with fun things so let’s dive right in.
Saturday: Rainy long run + crystals fair + drinks with Ben and Anna
My weekend started with a 15-miler. Overall, I felt strong and it boosted my confidence after my disastrous half marathon two weeks ago. The only downside, from start to finish, it was POURING rain. All my runs this week have been in rain and to be honest, I’m over it. I remember thinking for the first time since moving here: I MISS NEW YORK. I miss sun and snow versus the non-stop rain in SF! By the end of the run I legit looked like I jumped into a pool. The bright side is that running in these sub-optimal conditions will toughen me up for whatever happens on race day.
My hair after a rainy run = a bird’s nest.
After being on my feet all morning, I went straight to deep cleaning my entire apartment while cooking myself lunch. The moment I finally sat down with my cup of coffee was the biggest “ahhh” moment of the week. It felt SO good to finally rest my legs.
I didn’t rest for long as I wanted to check out a healing crystal fair going on in Golden Gate Park. Vendors from all over the world came to show and sell their collections of beautiful crystals. There were also spiritual workshops, taro card readings, and more.
Crystals have been a recent hobby of mine. I’ve always loved looking them and find them so beautiful. I’m less into reading about how crystals have different healing “powers”, but I definitely believe that crystals have individual mineral and magnetic energies that can help you find your center, making people drawn to different crystals. In the end, we’re all a small part of this earth and the earth is a part of us ❤
I bought this beautiful piece of amethyst and Peruvian water opal for my room.
Afterwards, I spent a few hours at Kava Lounge. A few of my kava friends were chilling there too so we caught up as I showed off my new crystals. I also spent time booking some upcoming travel over a cup of kava. Relaxing and productive.
Later at night, I headed back down to NoPa for drinks with Ben and Anna. It had been forever since the three of us got together and boy did I miss our quality time! Anna and I spent a lot of time together this week which was a real treat. The three of us caught up over cocktails and even planned some fun events over the next few weeks which I’m pretty stoked for.
Sunday: Relaxing morning + Guam party
I eased into Sunday morning with some coffee + oatmeal and reruns of American’s Next Top Model. After gaining energy, I took a leisurely stroll by my usual running path along the Marina waterfront. It’s funny how this place I run along almost every morning still draws me in on non-running days. I had some thoughts to sort out so I really treasured this “me” time alongside the ocean.
In the afternoon, I headed down to Harmonic Brewery in the Dogpatch to meet up with Rene and her friends from Guam. SF has a ton of micro breweries that I’ve been meaning to explore so I was excited to finally cross one off my list. Rene’s friends from Guam are pretty crazy and hilarious and super inclusive, and I always love tagging along these Guamy events.
Lastly, I watched two amazing documentaries recently: 1) Transformer. It’s about the journey of an ex-world-class power lifter who transitions to a woman. So touching I cried several times! It really opened my eyes to the struggles of trans people, and whatever your views are on the subject, it never hurts to hear someone’s story.
2) Dawn Wall – An incredible documentary on two rock climbers who tackle a 3000-foot granite wall in Yosemite. So inspiring and the scenery is just so beautiful to look at. I will definitely be watching more movies about athletes for motivation leading up to my race.
Last piece of randomness (I have lots stored in my brain from the past few weeks), I recently transitioned from whey protein to plant-based protein, and my stomach has been MUCH happier (thank you lactose intolerance). Orgain Organic plant-based protein has been my jam. It has a very specific plant-y taste that takes some getting use to, but I’ve grown to love it. The chocolate flavor reminds me of black sesame – highly recommend!
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Weeks 8-10 of marathon training
These last 3 weeks of training have been quite the roller coaster. Between the hot mess half marathon, to relaxing in a lower-milage recovery week, to pushing through some intense rainy runs last week…my confidence has gone up and down like a yo-yo.
I’m currently on a positive high after the strong 15-miler, but one thing I couldn’t get out of my mind was “Oh my god, I’m so tired after these 15 miles. How am I going to run that PLUS 11 more miles in only 7 weeks?!” Despite these thoughts, I told myself to not think too far ahead and just stay in this run. After 5 marathons, I realized how important it is to TRUST YOUR TRAINING. A lot can happy in 7 weeks, and all we can do is focus on the run we have today. Week by week I’ll get stronger and ready for 26.2.
Overall, I feel really excited about these last 7 weeks of the cycle. To me, after the half marathon point is the heart of the training cycle and when I’m most inspired – I know I will need to dig deep to get through some of these really long runs.
Week 8
Monday: 4 miles first thing (10:50 pace). Pretty painful. I just could not pick up my legs to move fast. At one point I took out my AirPods and ran on the beach which felt nourishing. Felt blessed to start the day with this run.
Tuesday: 75-minute yoga class at Grace Cathedral. It was more restorative-style which was just what I needed.
Wednesday: 7 miles (11:00 pace). I was SHOCKED by my pace since I really felt like I was moving along. Run wasn’t too easy but my energy and legs felt fresh finally.
Thursday: REST
Friday: REST
Saturday: Victory Half Marathon!
Sunday: REST
Week 9
Monday: REST
Tuesday: 4 miles on the treadmill. I was dreading this run after my half marathon, but I’m really happy with how it turned out. Felt good to push my speed for once and gave me confidence.
Wednesday: 5 miles outside. I needed to think through tough things so this run felt refreshing emotionally.
Thursday:
Friday: 7 miles (11:00 pace). Whole run was a struggle since I didn’t get much sleep last night. I woke up and was so close to skipping it but figured one extra hour of sleep was worth losing for a run before the ski weekend.
Saturday: Skiing in Squaw!
Sunday: Skiing in Squaw!
Week 10
Monday: 4 miles (no garmin). Legs felt sore from skiing but it actually felt nice to run through the soreness.
Tuesday: 8 miles (10:54 pace) in the pouring rain! My energy was great and even caught a mild running high. Feeling confident this week.
Wednesday: REST
Thursday: 5 miles (10:37 pace).
Friday: REST
Saturday: 15 miles (10:35 pace). First 5 miles were miserable as heavy rain + headwinds handicapped me. Next 7 miles were fantastic as I caught tailwinds and a running high. Last 3 miles were a grind but aren’t they always. Feeling confident from my longest run yet.
Sunday: REST
I Run Like A Girl 