Weekly Training Update

This winter has not been making it easy on me. When it isn't snowing, it has been extremely cold and windy which doesn't make for the best training outside. Somehow I've managed to fit in all of my training even when the conditions have not been the best.

Last Saturday I had a 4 mile pace run and despite the cold temperatures and windy conditions, I was able to average a 9:31 min/mi pace.

4 Mile Pace Run

It is amazing how quickly things can change in a single day. After my pace run on Saturday I woke up early on Sunday to put in 9 miles before heading to church. As I headed out just after 5:00, it was not snowing but by the time I was finished there was 3 fresh inches of snow on the ground. I was happy to get inside to warm up and dry off.

On Wednesday morning I was out of bed at 4:30 am and headed downtown for my weekly swim at the Wellmark YMCA. If you ever have the chance to check out the Olympic size pool at the Wellmark YMCA downtown, don't pass up the opportunity. It is a pretty spectacular sight and a great place to train. On Wednesday I did one of my hardest pool workouts with a main set that included 10 X 100 yards. 

Building distance in the swim

I'm slowly beginning to build my distance in the pool and on the bike but with my half marathon 4 weeks from Saturday, my primary focus is still on running. Things have been going well, but I'm planning to increase my focus these last 4 weeks leading up to the race. I'm also hoping for some warmer weather to melt all of the snow and ice off of the sidewalks and bike trails.