#TeamLovie26: Weeks Three, Four + Five

As of Saturday, week five of half marathon training is complete, making this the official halfway point! I can't believe it. The Summer humidity is finally behind us (hopefully), which has made for some great running weather the past few weeks. With Mark and I both running, it's nice to not have to worry about us both getting our runs in early in the day to beat the heat. It's always nice to get a run done first thing in the morning, but I just seem to have better runs when I run at 4 or 5pm. 

Here's a training recap in numbers:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total
1	3 miles (3.22 miles, 9:54)	Rest	3 miles (3.28 miles, 9:38	Rest	3 miles (4.00 miles, 9:38)	Rest	4 miles (3.26 miles, 9:36)	13.76
2	3 miles (3.23 miles, 9:57)	Rest	4 miles (4.17 miles, 9:49)	Rest	3 miles (3.11 miles, 9:08)	5 miles (5.02 miles, 9:04)	Rest	15.53
3	3 miles (rest-sick day)	3. 12 miles (9:34)	4 miles (5.27 miles, 9:35)	Rest	3 miles (3.26 miles, 9:28)	6 miles (6.26 miles, 9:48)	Rest	17.91
4	3 miles (3.29 miles, 9:32)	Rest	5 miles (5.15 miles, 9:41)	3 miles (3.07 miles, 9:46)	Rest	7 miles (7.15 miles, 10:00)	Rest	18.66
5	3 miles (3.25 miles, 9:20)	Rest	5 miles (5.24 miles, 9:35)	Rest	3 miles (3.10 miles, 9:24)	8 miles (8.18 miles, 9:53)		19.77

Week three started with a little bit of a cold, so I took Monday off to rest. Thankfully, it was a quick case of the sniffles and I was back at it on Tuesday and didn't have to skip a day on my training schedule. My six mile run that week was my toughest run to date. My legs felt fine, my breathing was great, but I got terrible side cramps within the first two miles and had to stop a few minutes to walk. Honestly, the only thing that kept me from stopping that run entirely was knowing that the last time I ran six miles, I was SEVENTEEN WEEKS PREGNANT. Yes. I wasn't about to let myself give up and when I found a good groove and tightened my abs as I ran, the pain wasn't as bad. I was glad to get that run behind me! 

Week four was overall a great week that ended with a seven mile run which might have been the best run of my life! My sister and I have been running together on the weekends and we took a new route, which I think helped a lot. It was the first crisp, fall-like morning here, the sun was shining and we kept a comfy pace the entire seven miles. During this week, I also ran Thursday instead of Friday. I think that giving my legs a day off before my longer run definitely worked to my advantage. I dug my shuffle out of my desk drawer which made for a great change in playlists, too. The best gem that appeared? The Full House theme song. 

Week five proved to be another that I was easily cruising through, until I hit Saturday's long run. Natalie was out of town and we were off on our eight miles by our lonesome. Running is just more fun with a friend. The cramps hit hard during this run and I was kicking myself for not drinking more water on Friday to prepare better. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous on Saturday morning and I just kept powering through. I stopped to walk for a few minutes and still finished in under a ten minute mile, which I was pretty proud of. This was also my longest run in my entire life, which was definitely something to celebrate!

I'm trying to really increase my water intake! I drink a ton throughout the day, but I still don't think it's enough. I need to chug, chug, chug on Fridays especially so that my long runs aren't even longer when I'm keeled over with a side cramp. 

Overall, I'm feeling great! Every time I lace up my shoes and head out on a run, I like knowing that I'm working towards a bigger goal. When I think running a few months ago, I'm amazed at how my mind has already shifted so much in terms of what I think is a long or hard run. A three- four mile run used to be my normal, but now I look forward to those runs as the quick and easy ones to get done! 

As for shoes, I am absolutely LOVING my Saucony Ride 7 shoes. These shoes have seriously changed my running life! I was running in Nike Free Runs for the past two years and besides being cute, they really didn't do much else for my feet running-wise. Greasing my feet up with vaseline or Aquaphor has worked wonders for the occasional blister. Another great tip from my California sister. 

Five weeks down, five more to go!