I have one more long run left until the Cleveland half marathon, and to be honest? I’m ready. I’ve been feeling tired lately, and fitting in my long runs has been harder this training cycle than usual.

I have typically liked doing my long runs on Saturdays, but FW has track meets Saturdays now. B is also training for the half marathon, and he does his long runs on Sundays, so I need to be home to watch the kids. I’ve been fitting all of them in so far on weekdays, which means a lot of EARLY mornings (meaning waking up at 3:30 a.m. this week), but also not the ideal conditions. Almost all of my runs have been done before sunrise, with 30-40 degree temps. Race day, I imagine will be sunny and a lot warmer, and I’m in no way prepared for that!

That’s a long way of saying, I’m looking forward to taking a few days off and not waking up before 4 a.m. Here’s to hoping for an uneventful, injury-free rest of training!

Here’s what this week looked like:

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While it is technically spring, this week’s weather was once again wonky. Most of my runs are in the morning, and they were in the 30s or even upper 20s one day! But Sunday was nearly 80 degrees. Oh well, just another week in half marathon training for a spring race right? (I can’t believe the Cleveland half marathon is less than a month away!!) Here’s what this week’s training looked like:

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We’re ONE MONTH until Cleveland half marathon race day! Ahh! The weeks are going by so fast, and it hardly feels like we’re less than 30 days away from the race weekend.

That is probably partially because earlier this week it felt – and looked – like winter. Sunday and Monday I ran outside in 30 degree temps. Tuesday I woke up to rain/ice overnight that had turned into snow so I hit up the treadmill. It hardly feels like it should be almost May and halfway through spring!

Here’s what the week looked like for training:

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And just like that, I’m back at double digits this week! I can’t remember the last time I ran 10 miles at once, but it’s been some time, and it feels good to be back. With a little over a month until Cleveland half marathon trace day, I’m just hoping to keep it up, and stay healthy and uninjured. Is that so hard? (Don’t answer that, it is!)

This week threw some wrenches into plans, but also included some positives. GM was exposed to COVID at daycare, and had to stay home while the class was closed for the week (he tested negative thankfully). On a positive note, FW was on spring break, which meant I could sleep a little later because there was no early school bus to catch. Even just sleeping in 40 more minutes has made such a difference. It gives me hope for summertime!

Here’s what the week looked like – all outdoor runs!

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Running is just like life is – some weeks are GREAT and others are not. But this week, I felt back! After a week of not feeling well, I felt like I really this week’s Cleveland half marathon training. I got in a few treadmill runs, a speed run, and even some outdoor runs. I even got in a 7 miler before work one day!

The only thing not great was my energy levels this week. The time change and some busy (but fun) days at my job didn’t help. But with the weather being great nearly all week, it was hard to complain!Here’s what the week looked like:

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Two weeks ago I kicked off Cleveland half marathon training with a bang. I ran every day, including getting outside for G’s first run in the big-kid running stroller, and was feeling great!

Then this week, the wheels fell off. I started feeling under the weather on Sunday night, and felt sick through Friday. It wasn’t anything major – mostly tired, slightly nauseas and achy (and yes, I took a COVID test – it was negative!). And even though it lasted only a few days, it put me out of commission and I wasn’t able to keep on track of training.

I didn’t try for speed, mileage, etc. this week. Instead, I still tried to run/walk when I could, knowing how exercise does wonders for my mood, so here’s a look at what this week looked like. It’s better than nothing, and If finally started to feel like myself almost on Saturday. Hopefully I’m back at it next week!

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It’s training season! That means I’m actually going to be following a schedule, not just waking up and running whatever I feel like. That’s right, Cleveland half marathon training is here!

The last half marathon I ran was in 2020, and it was virtual. Thanks to the pandemic, and then being pregnant, and then giving birth and having a newborn, it has been quite a long time since I last ran anything of distance. But I’ve been keeping up running and have a solid base, and ready to start training again.

My goal in the past has been to run a sub-2 hour race. And I’ve done it a few times. But these days, I’m starting much slower. So, my goal now is to get a little faster, and complete a full training cycle. I plan on following something similar to Hal Higdon’s plans, which have worked for me in the past. This means each week will contain:

• One rest day
• One speed training day
• One long run
• A few easy runs

Each week, I’ll share my training – how it went, what I actually ran, etc. My goals are to do the full training program and run my best. Between not being as in shape as last training cycle, my lack of sleep is real (see: 3 kids plus a 7 month old) and I have been having a hard time finding enough time to run every morning (again, 3 young kids). But enough excuses – it’s training season! And here we go!

With that, here’s how this week went:

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Happy Easter! I’ll be sharing a weekend update post after I finish this sugar rush. But in the meantime, here’s an update on my week 8 of Cleveland half marathon training. This week had highs and lows. I guess that is how it is when you’re training for something, right? Not every week will be great?

Here’s a look at week 8 of my Cleveland half marathon training. On paper/screen, looks good, right?

Mileage-wise, it was a good week. I got in 30+ miles for my total, including a 10 miler (which was done before work on Thursday). But overall, I didn’t feel great/strong/fast during most of these runs. My tempo run was done much slower than the runs of the previous weeks. My 10 miler had some of my slowest miles in some time. And I was due for a 5 mile pace run, and I only made it 4.5 mi very much NOT at pace (confession – I did stop early due to a screaming baby, but she had no effect on my pace).

I’m not 100% sure why the heavy legs. I’ve been working late and going to bed late, which hasn’t helped, and LM has been waking up throughout the night so I’m not getting a full night’s sleep. I know I need to sleep more, drink more water and eat healthier … so perhaps this week I’ll be able to do just that?

Starting a run before 5 a.m. is ROUGH

Hopefully next week I’ll be feeling more myself again.

Next week is the Cleveland 10 miler! It will be my longest race since 2017 and I’m a little nervous with how I’ll fare. It’s also the first time I’ve run this race solo – B is going to be watching the kids, so it will be a long and lonely run for me!

Some questions for you:

• Do you ever have off weeks? How do you get back on track?
• Did you have a ton of candy today?

Note: I am a Cleveland marathon ambassador! That means I get free race entry for me, and a free race entry to giveaway. Wanna run CLE with me? Don’t forget, I have a 10% discount for you!

Today, I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.