Training for Big Cottonwood is up and running! I am back up to the high mileage again and excited to see what I can do at the Big Cottonwood Marathon.
Here’s how my training went this past week:
Monday: The same workout as last week at the cabin, but this time I did it in Minneapolis before work- much easier on flat roads! 2 mile warm-up, 6x1200m at a 7:30 pace with 1 minute recovery, 2 mile cool down. It was incredibly humid and I was bummed when my hair tie broke mid-run! I tried to tie it together but it didn’t work very well…Bit of a failed fit!
Several people on instagram said they always carry a spare and I definitely will too now! 9 miles total. [solidcore] after work.
Tuesday: 5.25 miles easy with Matilda and my friend Christie.
Wednesday: Endless Summer Trail Series: The Lebanon 7 mile trail race. 1 mile warmup, 7 miles of trails, 1 mile cool down. 9 miles total. I didn’t tell my coach I was doing this race, so I didn’t race it, just ran it relatively easy, though its tough not to get a little caught up in the race vibe. However, this is such a laid back event, I just love it. Trails, sweat, friends, pizza, beer–> I love summer!
There is one more race in this series if you are interested- the Hyland 7 mile on August 10. See you there!
Thursday: Short speed workout: 2 mile warm-up, 4x400m repeats with 90 second recovery, 2 mile cool down. 5.75 miles total. Pokemon chasing after work 🙂
Friday: I took the day off of work as we were heading to the cabin for a long weekend with my in-laws. I have done long runs at the cabin, but it is quite tough (hot, no shade, no water.) I opted to get up early to do mine in Minneapolis. I had company for the first 7 miles and only had 7 on my own. 14 miles total. Done by 8 am!
Saturday: 6 miles with Dustin and Matilda at an 8:30 pace. Right at the end of the run, Matilda started acting really funny. She seemed really out of it. She waded into the lake, threw up multiple times and just stayed there, looking strange. We realized that she had been stung by ground hornets on her belly and she was having an allergic reaction. She was in the water trying to cool down the stings. We called our vet in Minneapolis and they were concerned about the throwing up- it sounded like a very intense allergic reaction and they recommended that we find a vet to take her in.
I quickly googled the nearest vet, which was the Spooner Vet. They were so fantastic- so friendly, so caring towards Matilda. They had an urgent care on Saturdays open until noon, and we got there just in time. By the time we arrived, Matilda seemed to be recovering a bit, but they still gave her antihistamines and steroids to help with the swelling. They told us that there had been two other dogs there already that day with ground hornet sting reactions!
Tilda definitely was a bit more low key for the rest of the day, but she recovered well and was back to her normal happy self by the end of the day.
She had really scared us! We already lost our two cats this month, we couldn’t lose her too. Fortunately she’s just fine now.
I still had a double run on the schedule. It was really hard to get back out there again in the heat of the day, during my vacation, when everyone else was hanging out on the lake having a good time, but I did it….the same 6 mile route at 1 min/mile slower than earlier in the day. That heat though…12 miles total on the day.
Sunday: 7 miles easy at the cabin.
Total: 62 miles, 1 solidcore class, lots of lake swimming, Stand Up paddle boarding, tubing, etc.
We had an awesome time at the cabin with Dustin’s family. We probably won’t be back up to the cabin for awhile now so it was lovely to have five nights here of good old fashioned cabin fun!
I hope you had a strong week of training or racing!
*Ever heard of ground hornets? I didn’t even know they were a thing!
Oh my gosh I had the same thing happen to me before with the hair band! I tried what you did too- tying it together but it was too tight for me to use it as a hair tie! Now I always have two on my wrists for spare every time I go running. My wild hair will not be cooperative if I ran with my hair down. I’m so sorry to hear about the dog- glad she’s recovering!!!! And your high weekly mileage- wow. I’m just impressed at how much you’re running! I wanna know how do you enjoy… Read more »
Eri I can tell you’re a strong runner from your recaps- as for the long runs, my advice would be to not overthink them. If I let myself think too much about the mileage beforehand, it can be overwhelming. For this week, I was able to split it up with 7 with friends (which meant starting super early) and then only 7 on my own, which isn’t too intimidating. I hope that helps! A lot of it just comes with practice. The more frequently you cover a longer distance, the easier it becomes mentally.
Good luck!
Thank you!! I needed that advice. I hope with time and practice I’ll be able to laugh about this later 🙂
All you ladies conquering these marathons are such an inspiration.
Good luck with your cottonwood marathon training too!
Yes! Just stick with it 🙂
Great week of training, Jessie! Nice work getting in your double run at the cabin! It’s SO hard to do when everyone else is out relaxing, right?! Been there many times, too.
I’m so glad Matilda is ok!
SO hard! Much easier to do a double run during a regular workday then when on “vacation.” But it will pay off, right?
Thanks for the kind words on Matilda. She’s our little baby.
So, so glad Matilda is OK! That must have been very stressful for you guys. The first time Harvey got bit by a rattlesnake, the vet told us we could give him a small amount of Benadryl right away to help counter the reaction if it happened again. Something to keep in mind if she does have another reaction sometime! Just glad she’s back to her happy self!!!
Good tip- thank you! The vet gave us extra meds this time, in case she encounters more ground hornets (but hoping she doesn’t!)
Last cabin trip was woodticks…now its hornets! I hope that rattlesnakes are not next, that is so much scarier!