Marathon Training – Week 4 – Easy peasy

26/02	XT	60 min pilates class & walk home from school
27/02	6 miles	Easy run: avg 10:34 min/mile
28/02	XT	60 min pilates class & walk home from school
01/03	6.5 miles	Easy run: avg 9:56 min/mile
02/03	-	Rest day
03/03	6 miles	Easy run: avg 10:26 min/mile
04/03	-	Rest day, spent 4 hours cleaning entire apartment
Total	18.5 miles	YTD: 158 miles

Every fourth week in my marathon training program is a step back week. These are easy weeks with no tempo or speedwork session and no significant long run. The purpose is to give my mind and body a rest from the stresses of training. I was cooked after last week’s 12 miler so it was nice to have an easy week this week. I did three 6 miles runs on three different courses. That explains why Thursday’s run ended up being more like 6.5 miles. On Saturday I decided to do something different and take the bus to school and then run home along a very non-direct route. Part of the route I chose was along the Interlaken section of the Seattle marathon course. I think this area must have been hit quite hard during the “Hanukkah Eve” windstorm (that’s what we’re calling it) because I don’t remember being able to see out through the woods before.

This week I returned to the practice of taping my arches before every run. I taped my arches for most of last year but stopped after the Seattle half marathon. I had hoped that since I’d found a shoe that fit me well I wouldn’t need to do the taping anymore. However, earlier this week I had a bit of soreness in my feet. I wouldn’t call it pain but it was definitely there. I’ve been icing my feet (a great excuse to have to lie on the couch for a half hour with my feet up) and I’ve gone back to taping my arches. Since then my runs have been fine so I’m not really worried. I have to wonder if the taping has more of a psychological effect than a physical one. In any case, a few rolls of athletic tape are a small price to pay for happy feet! Now if I could just keep my feet dry in the Seattle rain!