4, 3, 2, 1 + why I do this + feelings towards these?

(Shorts, crop top, shoes, hat ((it’s an old one but this is the most similar one I can find)).

We have officially covered every type of weather during our training block except for the heat.  Yesterday it was pouring for 95% of our run.  It was also pretty cold and windy, but I will gladly take yesterday’s weather over heat at Boston.

I can officially retire this pair of vaporflys, they were already starting to tear at the bottom, and I could have rung the water out of them at the end of the run… The foam turned into a sponge and absorbed every drop of water possible.

In the beginning, I did my best to avoid puddles, but it was no longer possible towards the middle of the run, so I just splashed into every puddle I encountered.

The workout was 4 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, and 1 mile.  The first 4 miles were rolling and flat, and I averaged 6:14 for that portion.  We jogged for about half a mile and then went into the second interval that was flat and then downhill, and I averaged 6:02 for those 3 miles.  We jogged another half mile, and then the 2-mile interval was straight up for 1.5 miles (500 ft of climbing) and then down for the last .3 miles, and I averaged 7:57 for those 2 miles.  Another .5 mile recovery jog, and the last 1 mile was our downhill MTC mile, and I hit 5:30 for that one.  Our warm-up was about 3 miles, and our cool-down was about 5.5 miles.

Overall, 20 miles @ 7:02 average with 1100 ft of climbing.  I followed my 20-mile fueling protocol and had a very happy stomach.

I was solo for the majority of the intervals, besides three of the miles when Emilee and Lauren would jump in with me for parts of different sections.  That saved me, but other than that, I was chasing after the men in our group for everything else.

I wore a rain jacket, but it wasn’t raining for the first .5 miles, so I tied it around my waist.  A few minutes later, it was pouring rain (and it did for the rest), but my fingers were too cold to get the double knot out of my jacket to put it back on.  I was soaked to the bone.

We survived and are ready for whatever Boston has for us.

**The other day, Megan said, “I notice in your recaps that you do one weekly speed workout, then a workout during your long run on the weekend.  Do you feel like this works better for you vs. two-speed workouts during the week plus a weekend-long run?  I’ve read different opinions as far as recovery is usually better with 1 workout during the week vs. 2 and wanted to get your opinion!”

I thought today would be a great time to talk about this!

I love this method of training.  1) It’s what my group does, and I’m not sure I will ever be able to do a speed workout without them, and 2) I don’t think I could do two-speed workouts a week on weekdays.  For some reason, mid-week speed feels so much harder for me than weekend speed workouts.  I’m unsure if it is because there are so many things I need to do during the week for the kids and their activities, which leaves me more tired than on the weekend.  But on my Saturday runs, I usually feel like I have more time to prepare for them.  We typically start later in the morning on Saturdays, a huge perk of doing a speed workout on Saturdays.

When Brooke was young, I had a coach that had me do more of a Tuesday/Thursday speed workout routine with a Saturday long run, and that worked great at that point of life for me, but the weekdays feel so much busier now.  Maybe when all my kids are in school, I’ll try it again because it interests me.  Oh, and I also love having one of my big workouts on Saturday because I always take Sunday off, which is great for recovery.  Once the trails clear up, I want to return to doing ‘challenge days’ (a trail run with a lot of climbing) the day after a speed workout.  I feel like my body responds well to that combo, but it is sure hard!

Let’s move on to the rest of the day.

The most amazing cookies that Andrew made.

My mom came over to read with Skye, and they used the closed captioning on Bluey as a reward at the end.

Beck did his thing.

I caught up with Knox:)

So much foam rolling my dead legs.

Matching with Skye…

We go through many Sam’s Club pizza crusts each month.

Our neighbor brought this over for Andrew’s birthday… the kids are jealous because they love peeps.


What combo have you found to work best for your training with speed workouts and long runs?  Has it changed over the years?

What are your thoughts on peeps?

Have a cookie recipe that you swear by?  One you make often?

How do you feel about running in the rain?

-I love it when it isn’t too cold, and I’m not running 20 miles;)

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19 comments

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Good morning! The core power code you shared isn’t working for me. Is anyone else getting it to work? Thanks!

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Oh bummer! I’ll reach out to core power and let them know! I haven’t heard of this happening before with this code! Have a great day, Wendy! I’ll get back to you soon.❤️

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I love running in the rain, as long as it isn’t pouring. It always makes me feel hard core!
Peeps Pepsi??? I would definitely pass on that. I do not like peeps.
Lately I have been doing interval/speed work on Tuesdays and Thursdays since those are the days I’m at the gym for the Barre strength class. I have found that doing speed on the treadmill is better for me. Plus, with the Peloton app it’s so much fun!
Awesome job on your rainy run! And have a great day!

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I did feel pretty hard core, you are so right. Yeah, I have no desire to test the soda either… peeps and pepsi hahah (I’m all about Coke over Pepsi)! I LOVE doing speed on the treadmill, it makes the time fly by and those Peloton classes are NO JOKE! Thanks friend, you too!

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Peeps are not my thing. I like marshmallows, but can’t do those at all!

I love running in the rain, with 2 requirements: 1-no wind. Windy & rainy runs do me in fast, I can’t make it more than 30 minutes.
and 2- a hot shower must be waiting for me immediately afterwards. HOT shower. Like your skin is red afterwards, hot.
Today is a mid distance run, tomorrow is 100% rain, so only a few miles, and Saturday is back to the marathon buildup with 14 or 15. I feel like I may be a bit behind on my long runs, but I have 5 1/2 weeks and I did just run a really good half a week ago, so trying not to let the mental game get too crazy.

Have a great day!

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I wish I liked peeps, they are really cute ha. I fully agree with you on both requirements. Sadly, the second requirement was the only one that I met. My skin afterward was bright red. Marathon buildup wahoo… excited for you! I really think you are right on track. My short training cycle for Boston last year gave me my best marathon yet. Thanks friend, you too!

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I do not like Peeps.

A side note for marshmallows, one of friends opened the first Marshmallow cafe in Chicago XO Marshmallow. You can order their marshmallows online too. They make their own Easter Marshmallows and they are 1000x better than Peeps. At Christmas I get their marshmallow advent calendar because it’s a different flavor marshmallow each day and fun to be surprised.

one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes is Pinch of Yum The Best Soft Chocolate Chip cookies
https://pinchofyum.com/the-best-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies

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Do you have a link for the marshmallows, I would love to order them and want to make sure I am getting the right one. My kids will LOVE this. Pinch of yum truly has the best recipes! Hope your day is off to a great start, Alicia!

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Hi Janae! I used to do Monday and Wednesdays as my speed workout days, and those days I’d strength train my upper body in the evening. Then Tuesdays and Thursdays and Fridays were easy runs and then one long run on Saturday. Sunday was off.
That worked really well for me until I started running with a group on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. I started chasing the faster people and didn’t take it easy enough and got injured :(. Easy days easy!!

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That really is the hardest part about running with people… keeping the easy days easy! I’m glad you figured out what caused the injury! Hope your day is off to a great start, Amy!

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Sorry, Peeps Pepsi just does not do it for me.

I make an awesome chocolate chip…it’s basically the toll house recipe with some minor tweaks.

I don’t mind the rain for shorter runs and as long as it’s not cold. Although I’ll admit I’ve used it as an excuse to not get out of bed on occasion :)

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I need to come over for some of your cookies. Hahaha I think we have all used that excuse too! Hope your day is a beautiful one, Deirdre!

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First, 20 miles on a Wednesday? That is just mind blowing to me!!

I haven’t done any speed workouts or long runs in a few years. I’ll be 60 next year and I’m happy to leave those things in the past. Half marathons are my max distance now.

I really use to love peeps when they only came out at Easter time. Then they were available year round and I realized that I don’t actually like them!

I’m super lazy when it comes to cookies – I just buy the Betty Crocker mixes, add egg(s) and butter and I’m good to go. I made chocolate chip this week. The only thing that is a must – butter, not margarine, I can definitely taste the difference.

I don’t mind running in the rain in Hawaii but I’m a wimp when it rains in California!

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Just curious how many miles you got out of the Vaporflys?

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Great question! I think around 250! I usually get 200-250 out of them. Have a great day!

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I don’t mind if it starts raining mid-run, but there’s something about starting a run in the rain that is rough. Way to do a huge workout in those conditions!

Favorite easy cookies are little PB bites – 1 C peanut butter, 1 egg, 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C chocolate chips. And Women’s Running Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies made with almond flour and coconut oil. Both are great pre-run fuel too for shorter runs. https://www.womensrunning.com/health/paleo-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/

And your Mom and Skye are so cute! Skye is going to be so ready for school next year and such fun bonding time for them.

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I’m currently doing a combo of speed Tues/Thurs/Long Run Sat. but I only do two of these days, so if I do Tues/Thurs, Sat. is easy or I do speed Thurs/Sat in my long run, or some combination thereof.

I really like peeps when they have been toasted. The sugar crystallizes, and it’s delicious.

Those cookies look delish! My favorite chocolate chip recipe has a ton of butter and I love when they are slightly undercooked.

I don’t mind light-ish rain, but definitely not when it’s cold or when it’s 20 miles! A hat is definitely a must in the rain.

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I’m so happy Megan asked that question and that you took the time to answer it here. I too have been curious about the comparison. I feel like workouts built into long runs is for more advanced runners-who have spent years of training building to that. I used to do 2 “speed” days plus a long run each week but now that I’m in my forties I think that’s too much for me! I need more recovery. So I only do 2 “hard” days a week now and usually one of those is just a plain old long run. I LOVE following your training even though it is soooo beyond anything I will ever do.

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I’ve been following you on and off for a long time , and as a distance runner, I love to follow your training … do you have any training tips or guidance toward plans for getting faster that are not so high mileage ? I get discouraged because as a teacher and mom, I already wake up before five to get a run in, and it’s just 5-6 miles tops during the week. I don’t have the family support or flexibility to run any longer with the exception of a Saturday long run maybe . I hit a big PR recently but now I am not sure how to not be stuck there because I truly can’t add in any more time to training … suggestions ?

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