The Road to 26.2: Week 5

Mother Nature did her best to wreak havoc on week 5 of my marathon training schedule.  Bitterly cold temperatures swept through the country, enveloping us in temperatures that barely reached double digits and windchills that hovered around 0*.  Not to be derailed by a little cold, I braved two frigid runs at the beginning of the week but decided that the treadmill was a safer option for the late-week runs, including my long run.  To recap, my training week looked like this:

Monday (1/5):  3 mile run and strength work.
A windy, cold neighborhood run with Emily.  The wind made my eyes water, which quickly turned to ice.  In case you wondered, frozen eyelashes are an odd sensation, especially while running.  Post-run, I did some strength work focusing on core and legs with a few ceremonial push-ups.
Tuesday (1/6):  6 mile run.
Still trying to settle on a good 6 mile loop, I headed to a park that's about 2 miles away.  It was not the most scenic route, but it was a good change of pace.  My legs felt heavy throughout the run from the cold and from Monday's strength work.

My iPhone's message after Tuesday's cold run.
I'm sure it was out of it's acceptable temperature range,
though most likely on the other end of the spectrum, at least if my
frozen fingers get a vote...

Wednesday (1/7):  yoga.
Yoga during naptime was the perfect choice on this blustery cold day.  Just 30 minutes, but I felt renewed and invigorated when I was finished.
Thursday (1/8):  3 mile run and strength work.
My first treadmill run of the week.  I began listening to the Serial podcast on the recommendation of several other mother runners and was instantly hooked.  I followed up the run with some squats, lunges, planks, and glute exercises.
Friday (1/9):  neighborhood power walk.
A 4:00 explosion from all three kids (yes, simultaneous tears on all fronts!) made me want to tear out my hair.  Instead, I headed out for a quick pre-dinner walk as soon as my husband got home from work.  The crisp air was refreshing, clearing my head and restoring my sanity - at least temporarily.
Saturday (1/10):  12 mile run.
On the treadmill.  Ugh.  Long.  Mentally exhausting.  Not something I care to repeat any time soon.
Sunday (1/11):  REST.
We spent my rest day celebrating Mr. D's 7th birthday!  How I can possibly be the mother of a 7-year-old is a subject for another post ;)

While yoga only shows up once on this list, I snuck in mini yoga moments throughout the week whenever I could.  Just a pose or two here and there to help work out some kinks.  Though this was a tougher week of training, both in terms of mileage and circumstances, I feel satisfied with how it went.  Not ideal conditions and my performance was far from perfect, but I persevered and garnered some serious mental toughness.  

(No picture of the tree this week.  Since I did my long run inside, I didn't think to go out to snap the weekly pic.  And I guarantee you don't want to see photo evidence of the view from my treadmill!)