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Chicago Marathon Training, Week 4

Week 4 of Chicago Marathon training was busy, exhausting and fun! I mixed in four days of race training with plenty of entertainment. I was able to explore more of Chicago, work on my fitness goals and even learn how to improve my blog! 

Week 4’s marathon workouts:

Monday: Rest day.

 
Tuesday: 2.5 miles at Orangetheory, including some incline work. It was an endurance, strength and power day. The floor workout included:
  • High rows on the TRX strap.
  • Chest press on the TRX strap.
  • Bench step up with later raise (with dumbbells).
  • 1-minute all-out row.
  • Side V-ups.
  • Triple squat burpees.
  • Torso rotations with dumbbell.
Wednesday: 2.5 miles at group marathon training. We ran .5 mile between stations, where we did:
  • Jumps over small hurdles (1 minute, twice).
  • Walking side planks.
  • Side skiers.
  • Plank.
  • Squats.
  • Walking lunges (for a looong way).
  • Side shuffles around a small garden in the park.
  • Speed drill stepping in and out of a ladder.
Needless to say, we were exhausted. It was 70 percent humidity and warm, so I felt like I weighed 1,000 pounds during our short jogs between stations.

 
Thursday: Orangetheory. I originally wanted to take the day off but I didn’t want to waste classes in my monthly package. I ran 2.25 miles as part of a switch class in which we went back and forth from the treadmill to the floor in shorter blocks. The running blocks included 11, 9, 7 and 5 percent inclines. So much for my plans to take it easy during class!

Floor workout included:

  • High rows to low rows on the TRX straps.
  • Chest press.
  • Weighted situps.
  • Split lunges with bicep curls.
  • Weighted toe touches.
We also did an all-out row for distance. We had to row 250 meters as quickly as possible. I was slightly annoyed that someone had changed the distance measurement setting on the rower to miles instead of meters, so I rowed a ton more than necessary and didn’t accurately track my time. We never measure in miles in class, so why the setting was changed was beyond me!
 
Friday: 10 miles. My long runs are usually Saturdays, but I had a conference to attend that weekend, and I wouldn’t have enough time for it. It was a muggy day and I was tired. I ran/walked most of it.
Saturday: Rest day with a lot of walking around Chicago.
Sunday: Rest day with a decent amount of walking.
Week’s mileage: 17.25
Yoga: 10

Reflections:

It’s unusual for me to spend an entire weekend without a workout, but it was a nice change. I shifted my long run to Friday because I had plans to attend So Fab U On the Road on Saturday and an important appointment and a baseball game on Sunday. It was a fun yet exhausting weekend. I’m ready to get back at it this week! I increased my mileage in Week 4 in just four workouts, which I consider a win. Also, I’ve now been tracking my calories and macros daily for two weeks. I notice it holds me accountable, though it didn’t stop me from indulging at Taste of Chicago on Saturday night.

What are your current fitness goals? Have you tried any new workouts lately? Let me know in the comments!

Previous recaps:

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