Hatfield-McCoy Double Half Marathon Training – Weeks 4 + 5: Rock ‘n’ Roll DC with dad and sister

Highlight of the week: crossing the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC 5k finish line with my dad and sister.

It was my dad’s first race, and it was just so awesome doing it with him and crossing the finish line together. He’s not a hard-core runner, but does workout regularly, so I was pretty confident he would be fine for a 5k — and he was. I asked if he wanted to do another race with me — maybe a 10k next time. He laughed and said that was a little too much, but he’d think about it.

I think he’ll do it. 🙂

I’ve never done the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC (5k, half or full marathon) — the main reason I’ve never done the half or full is because I don’t want to pay the race fees to run in a location that won’t count toward my 50 states challenge. So that means I’m not likely to pay for and run in a state I’ve already done. I’ll make exceptions, of course — I have a friend who lives in Virginia and wants to do a half together one day, so in that case, I will do one in the area again.

The course for the RnR DC 5k was an unexciting out-and-back. I’ve only done a few 5ks, but from what I’ve noticed so far is that 5k courses are typically not very exciting, nor scenic.  This is probably because the distance is too short to include much.

The course started and ended at RFK Stadium. It was pretty crowded — I was constantly weaving around people. There were two bands and one water station on the route. Despite the boring views and mobs of people though, we had a good race. My dad and sister were weaving in and out of masses of slow runners/walkers like a pro. I’m so proud. 😀

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Training these past two weeks has been ehh. Life has been busy, and I’ve been slacking.

But… I *did* add hill inclines into my workouts — usually just 1-2 miles of interval inclines after a regular run on the treadmill. I’ve noticed a difference in how my muscles feel afterward (they’re much more sore!). I’m also more tired on the days I do the hills. I think my body just needs time to adjust.

Week 4

Monday, Feb. 29 – nothing

Tuesday, March 1 – 5 miles – treadmill

Wednesday, March 2 – 5 miles – treadmill + 1 mile of hill inclines

Thursday, March 3 – 4 miles – treadmill + 2 miles of hill inclines

Friday, March 4 – nothing

Saturday, March 5 – 8 miles – C&O towpath

Sunday, March 6 – hatha yoga

Total for the week: 25 miles
Total for the year: 149 miles
Cross-training: yoga *ommmm*

Week 5

Monday, March 7 – nothing

Tuesday, March 8 – 6 miles – treadmill

Wednesday, March 9 – 6 miles treadmill + 2 miles of hill inclines

Thursday, March 10 – nothing

Friday, March 11 – nothing

Saturday, March 12 – DC Rock ’n Roll 5k (3.1 miles) + 8 miles – treadmill (went to the gym after the race to get my weekly long run in)

Sunday, March 13 – 3 miles – in the hood

Total miles for the week: 28.1 miles
Cross-training: none
Total miles for the year: 177.1

Goals for this week: Add arm and core workouts into the weekly mix, increase steepness on hill inclines.

We’re almost over the hump. Hope you’re having a great week!