Can you say your ABC'S?

Sunday RUNDAY!
WEEK 4 of Glass City Marathon Training.
Lacey had the brilliant idea to run at Indian Springs and dodge the mudfest on the back roads.
This was an even better idea when I had to put my truck in 4wheel drive to get to her house. My truck looks like a massive TURD.

Indian Springs was busy busy. I purchased my yearly pass, 35$ to add to my State park pass. I will get my moneys worth between the two. All the trails make running way more exciting then the backroads and sidewalks.

I was not feeling good all day. My belly felt like I was 6 months pregnant and my head was throbbing. The long run is not the run to skip. No matter what you just pull up your big girl pants and get your groove on.

THE GOAL:
Because Lacey and I are trying to qualify for Boston, together we are very serious about out longs runs.
Todays long run was 14 miles. That is 3 loops at the back of the park compared to 2.
We wanted to maintain a 9:15-9:30 pace.

THE RUN: Longs runs require you to run LSD..LONG SLOW DISTANCE.
Both of us have Garmins that help to manage our pace.
One of the ways you will know if you are running at a good pace is being able to carry on a conversation.
Lacey and I really don't have a problem talking.
UNTIL, Lacey started talking about BOSTON. She reminded me what we needed to be doing. Lacey started spitting with excitement. Saying words like faster runs, intentional runs, pacing, leg work, Lacey even reminded me of my race times at Bayshore, Boston and Cleveland.
Next thing I knew, I was picking up the pace, my heart was racing and my belly was hurting more.
We had to keep each other in check with our pace. As we chatted about our goals our legs were turning over faster.

It was a eerie run. All the snow had melted. The fog hung throughout the woods. The trees were naked but hardly afraid. They stood looming over the swamp. You could see all the trees that had fallen down, strong beastly trunks upside down with roots heavy and thick.
The moisture was so heavy both Lacey and I had beads of dew in our hair and eyebrows.

Running in capris and light layers was a refreshing gift for mid January.

When Lacey and I finished our Garmins were not matching. As meticulous as we were, I knew mine was more accurate.

We really NAILED our goal today. I was very happy to see the results when we finished. This really is the result of intentional training and holding each other accountable.
The last mile was uphill. We were getting quiet. Finishing up that last mile uphill I suggested we say our ABC'S and make sure we were still at a conversational pace in the middle of dread.
Together, like 5 year olds we sang ABCDEFG-THIS SUCKS HIJKLMNOP-YOUR PANTS-QRSTUVWXY AND Z!

 This afternoon was my second run in my new shoes:
New Balance 880. They did great.

RUNDOWN:
Distance: 12 miles
Avg Pace: 9:01

Splits were a little fast. But we were very consistent. Finishing with a negative split. PERFECT.

Whatever you are training. If you are truly TRAINING, it is very important to not willy nilly your training. If you never push yourself you never know what you are capable of.

Being disciplined  and intentional will bear fruit.

Runner accountability is a added bonus. Having that running partner that believes in you, encourages you and shares similar goals helps to keep you motivated and inspired.

I am very blessed in this department. I look forward to my partners calling during the week to keep me on track.

If you want to be great, surround yourself with greatness. You are what you hang with. Be inspired!

Anita~