15 weeks until the marathon

Training marches on.

My schedule was rather screwy this week, mostly due to the weather, but I managed to get all my workouts in.

Sunday was supposed to be my day off, but the forecast said rain for both Monday and Tuesday during commute times, making the idea of a bike commute on either day less than appealing. So, I went for a bike ride on Sunday, saying to myself that I'd take either Monday or Tuesday off, instead.

On Monday morning, it was not raining, but it was supposed to rain Tuesday morning. So, I went out and ran 3 miles on Monday. (It did not rain during either leg of my commute, so biking would have been fine, but... well, no matter.)

I did not run on Tuesday morning, but by the afternoon they were predicting storms for Wednesday evening, so, with a curse to the fleeting weather patterns, I decided to put my rest day off one more day. The training plan said 4-5 hills, so I ran a mile and a half to a sledding hill near Soldier Field and ran up it 5 times. Then ran home and promptly went in the pool -- it was a hot day.

I ended up being glad for moving all my workouts, because it actually DID storm on Wednesday, with tornado sirens going off and winds that swayed the building enough to make my doors creak.

Thursday I bike commuted. I was a little afraid the path would be impassable in spots because of the storm, but there were only a few puddles.

I took Friday off work, and did my long run. (I knew I would not have time on Saturday.) I knew I only HAD to do 10 miles, but tried to prepare myself for 12. I used an energy gel for the first time (a CLIF shot), which I took after 6 miles. I also stopped every mile or so to take a drink at a drinking fountain, trying to simulate what the marathon conditions would be like. The gel actually worked really well for me. I was able to complete the 12 miles without much struggle, and I did not finish feeling completely drained or ravenous.

Yesterday I went out in the morning and did my last workout of the week -- a four-mile run.

Still no major shin problems. Some smarting today, but I have high hopes that it will be gone by Tuesday when I have to run next.

It's a pretty easy week, actually:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work (or 3-4 long hills, if I do it on my own)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 5 miles

That's right! The long run is only 5 miles this week! Hooray!