Month in Review - April

I thought it would be a good idea to start a monthly training post where I can reflect on what I’ve done, lessons I can apply to future training, and what I hope to accomplish for the coming month. April was a low month for me as far as mileage goes. I ran my first half marathon and with the taper week, race week and the recovery week, I lost a lot of running time.

I have been trying to focus on running my easy runs easy lately, and I did well at that this month. I just started adding speed work back into my training after an almost year hiatus. Unlike most runners I have met, I am a speed junkie! I love running fast, so I am looking forward to the speed sessions coming up.

Total Miles: 83.6

Peak weekly mileage: 4/21-4/27 (27.4mi)

Longest Run: 13.1mi

Average Pace: 9:43/mi (including races, without races my guess would be about 10:05/mi)

Races: 2

Downtown River Run Half Marathon 4/13/2014 (1:59:48) Automatic PR!

Race to End Domestic Violence 4/19/2014 (26:16)

Lessons learned:

• Racing less than a week after my first half marathon was probably not the best idea. Legs felt great and recovered all week…until I started running.
• For next half marathon, I can run the first half a little less conservatively.
• Hydration really does affect performance.

Plans for May:

This month I just hope to keep increasing my weekly mileage. I am following a new training plan to help me increase safely. I also hope to run more hills this month. I am used to running on flat roads, but I have a hilly race in June that I need to be prepared for. I have one race that I am signed up for in May, the Mom’s on the Run 10k. I have previously only ran one 10k, and I would like to see if I have improved, but I am not putting too much pressure on this race.

How did your training go in April?