Week 9 of the training plan for Glass City marathon is in the books. It had some ups and downs for sure. Blister on the left foot is heeling, but blister on the right foot is in full-on angry huge mode! I ran 42 miles this week but most importantly I had a great mini road trip with my family! It’s wonderful to get out of town, if only for just a night.
Mon – 6 miles easy. I thought this was an uneventful run, but later realized the cause of my blisters (I think)…. my newly modified running form!! My original toe blister has finally flattened (after poking it and it was refilling many times), but now I have one on my other foot. !!!!!!! The goal was to get my shoulders back, chest forward, and raising my heels higher when I run. Which positions me farther up on my toes I think. OMG, blisters?? Not cool. But running pain free is especially cool so hopefully this is just a phase.
The evening workout was interesting. I was quickly scrolling through my video selections and thought the title said “Arms and core with dumbbells”, when it really said “Abs and core with dumbbells”. Oops. So after 10 mins of that torture we did a triceps workout too, and finished with my group’s weekly challenge – 15 pushups!
Tues – Track night! 5 miles. Another Fartlek workout. Not my favorite on the track, but we all ran speedy paces. I have no idea what the actual paces were because I accidentally had my GPS on so I got this crap instead of something even close to what we ran!
Weds – 6 miles easy. I know I was smack talking Spring recently, but wow, hearing the birds chirping in the morning is wonderful! I delayed my run until after work so I could 1) recover and 2) run with my friend. Excellent choices all around! It was 52 degrees and we busted out the pale white legs in shorts. Woot! I think we got a bit carried away though because our overall pace was faster than last week’s “speedwork” together. ooops.
Thurs – rest day! Due to a trip out of town my workout days were switched up a bit. Good thing too because I was feeling sore. Hammies and glutes were barking at me. I really did overdo it on Weds.
Fri – 15 miles long run. This run was crap. The first 10 miles were just fine and then I was on the struggle bus. I had glute pain and just no energy. I had to stop more than a few times just for a rest. If someone was around, I faked looking at my phone or taking a drink. We’ve all done that, right? Ha! By the time I got back to my neighborhood I still had a mile to go and I called it quits. Nothing good was going to come out of dragging it out for another mile! Was my pace too fast? It seemed like an achievable, easy pace when I started. Was I dressed incorrectly? I was cold, but I was also a bit warm with the vest. I don’t know. Oh well. Bad runs make us appreciate the good runs! At least I looked happy during the first half of this run!
Originally we were going to go skiing this weekend, but thought the snow might be questionable so we went south instead! Our first stop was a cool interactive art museum, Otherworld. The best way to describe this place was “trippy”. Neon dayglow lights and sounds. There were many rooms connecting to each other and each had a different design. A lot of the “art exhibits” were interactive. There were cool images projected on walls that would change when you touched the walls. A record player that would change the theme of the room with lighting and sounds. Just a whole bunch of really cool stuff!
Sat – rest day! We checked out downtown Columbus in the morning. We used to live in Columbus pre-kids and it was amazing the amount of growth in the downtown area. I can’t wait to go back there when they have concerts or events going on. We saw the Arnold Schwarzenegger statue and the world’s largest gavel! 🙂
Then we toured the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. Huge. Creepy! It was very interesting. If I ever had thoughts of criminal activity, this would for sure erase those from my mind 😉
They filmed scenes from several movies and music videos here including the Shawshank Redemption. You might recognize this scene of the warden’s office.
Sun – 10 miles. Redemption! Running good feels great. After the bad run on Friday I was ready to take another try at it. My plan called for a 9 mile run with the mid 6 miles alternating between MP (9:00) and threshold pace (8:30). These runs are challenging but they really allow you to get a good feel for a particular pace. I gotta say, my pacing was stellar on this one. And, I was feeling so good I ran an extra mile to make up for the lost one on Friday. Woohoo!!!
My new Endorphin Speeds are a game changer. In fact, my husband is in love with his pair too! I’m not a brand ambassador for Saucony, but I sure wish I was. I’m a true fan of their product line.
Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!
Q: Have you ever toured a prison?
We’ve been to Alcatraz too. So interesting!
Q: Do you go to the “big city” for a change of pace, or need to getaway from the big city?
Big city life is a change for us. The traffic drives me crazy though!!!!
Wow, 9 weeks already? I can’t believe it’s already been a little over 2 months!
Sorry to hear about the 15 mile long run 🙁 It’s hard when those long runs are rough, but that definitely do build character!
I guess it’s a good thing the “bad run” is out of the way now! there’s always at least one, right?
Sorry your long run was a struggle, but it sounds like you made up for it on Sunday! I toured Alcatraz when I was in college. After living in the city for a few years, and now living in the suburbs,I don’t really have the desire to go back very often.
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i really don’t miss the traffic and busyness of the city, but it’s fun to go visit! Alcatraz was very interesting. It does make you wonder if those people who escaped ever made it! I think it’s highly unlikely.
The Otherworld looks like a place I’d be in love with. Bummer on the tough run, but YAY for the redemption run! Those tough runs, where things just feel “off,” are so frustrating. But…they usually give way to a great run a couple days later 😉
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Otherworld was really cool! I’m not sure how my daughter heard about it, but someone from my running group went there too based on my recommendation. Fun stuff!
I’m so sorry you had such a bad run! Haven’t we all been there before! Ugh! Great that you got some redemption at the end of the week!! I had to laugh at the mistake of “arms” and “abs”. haha!
Your trip looks like you had some great fun! I have been to the prison in Philadelphia (the Eastern State Penitentiary) and I’ve been to Alcatraz. Oh and I’ve also been to the former prison here in Arnhem! It’s currently (or, before covid) used for bootcamps!
That abs class was hard! I just know I’ll be hurting for days when there are weights involved with the abs exercises. Ouch.
I love an alternating tempo and marathon pace…it is an effective workout, but generally manageable! Great work! The visit to the Reformatory looks really interesting. That’s right up my alley…
Those workouts are a good one for sure! It makes the marathon pace see much easier.
I’ve never toured a prison, but saw Shawshank Redemption several times- looks like a cool place to visit.
Sounds like you had a good week of running in spite of the hard 15 miler. Yeah, they can’t all be easy! You still got it done.
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I learned afterwards that there was a driving tour of the town where several movie filming sites were marked. We’ll have to go back and see those sometime.
That museum looks really cool. Yes, we have also been to Alcatraz which is always super fun to tour. I bet it felt great to get out and do something different. Ah, blisters are the worst! Hope that your feet are feeling better this week.Whenever I have tried to change my running form, something else then hurts!
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Not sure how it’s possible, but the blisters on one foot seems to be worse. yikes. Enough already stupid feet.
Ah big city life! We usually go to Chicago over spring break and it’s always a fun change. The first time we went we witnessed an altercation between a car and a pedestrian and the pedestrian made our day by shouting HEY I’M WALKIN HERE. My stepsons still love telling that story. I can’t wait until we start doing trips like that again.
It’s so strange that changing your form is causing blisters but I believe it. I hope this phase clears up soon – yay on no pain though!
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The blisters are crazy. Someone mentioned toe socks. Maybe I’ll need to try those until I can get these suckers under control!
Your side trip looks like a lot of fun! I had a laugh about your comment regarding ‘the big city’; I live outside of Chicago and go there quite a bit! The traffic is not for the timid, that is for sure. But I love the city so much!
Nice work this week. Bad runs, I never have those. LOLOLOLOL
I’m so glad we have apps like Waze to tell us what’s going on with traffic! We got stuck in a big traffic jam due to an accident and it’s less stressful to know where it happened and how the traffic was flowing.
Ugh on those blisters. They’re just horrible. Bummer about the run but yep we’ve all had those. I’ve toured Alcatraz once or twice. Interesting place. I live in the city and hate the traffic too. However, where I live isn’t as bad as downtown or the north side of the city.
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I did get immune to the stress of the city driving when I lived there, but going back it was a bit overwhelming! I do have to drive on the expressway to work but luckily it’s not as heavy as big city traffic.
I have actually toured a prison before- in college I was a criminal justice major and we went on a tour of Starke in Florida, which is where they house Death Row prisoners! It was definitely creepy especially because it had people in it! We had to wear baggy clothes, no makeup and not make eye contact. The girls got yelled at obscenities and stuff. But it was definitely interesting to see how things operate and we got to see Old Sparky (the old electric chair that’s no longer in use)
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Oh wow, what a trip you had! The building we toured did have an old electric chair in it along with all sorts of information about it’s use. They did not have any executions at this prison, it was just for their museum. I thought it was interesting that we were told not to take any pictures of the building next door because it’s their current working prison. I didn’t realize the ban on photos was a thing.
Oooh, sorry about the blisters! I’ve only ever had one (from running) once and it was very painful (just the day it emerged). It did take a while to go away and I last a toenail (my only one!).
How fun to road trip! I am a HUGE Shawshank fan. Never toured a prison, but did go to a concentration camp when we were in Prague. There are no words.
My run Sunday sounds like your bad run, only 1/3 the distance, LOL! And yes, dragging yourself through a mile doesn’t help. I extend walk breaks (like I did on Sunday) instead of just stopping.
I really should have just done walk breaks instead of stopping – but of course I start to think that people will see my Strava data and judge me 🙁 It’s really such a silly thought because I can do whatever the heck I want to do on my run, but when I’m tired these thoughts start to creep in!
Boo on your blisters and Friday’s run, but yay for redemption on yesterday’s run! And it looks like you had a good workout week as well. That’s so funny about your GPS map. Once while out running, I stopped to talk to a friend and Bill could see my map and called to make sure I was okay because even though I was standing still the map looked like yours and he thought I might be fighting off a bad guy!
We toured Alcatraz when the kids were in middle school. It was both interesting and creepy.
Even though we live about 30 miles northwest of DC, we rarely go down there. We used to go for long runs and races, but I haven’t been there since Bike DC in May 2019.
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That’s funny about your GPS data – and also very reassuring that someone is watching out for you 🙂
That’s a fun week and you did great with your runs, even if they were hard.
That Otherworld museum looks really really cool. I’ve been to Alcatraz, and I think I did a tour of the local jail when I was in elementary school, if that counts LOL.
Oh wow, a school trip to the prison? That would be interesting! I remember going to a factory that made cereal when I was a kid. The smell was amazing!!!
I agree about bad runs. Glad you did have a good one. Blisters are no fun. I randomly get them too.
What an interesting trip.
I love the big city.
The blister situation has been just so odd. I really think it has to do with changed form. But soon I’ll have super calluses and won’t need to worry about that (I hope!)
Otherworld, Count Me In And Trippy Is The Ideal Description – Excellent Capture Of That Tree Of Life – Then The Reformatory, Floppy Way Creepy – Really Fond Of The Family Photo From Inside – Do We See A Holiday 2021 Card With That Shot In Mind – Defiantly A Bummer On The Blister – Hang In There – Travel On
Cheers
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Those pictures on a Christmas card would be funny!! I didn’t think of that 🙂