I had the opportunity to finally go camping last week for the first time since moving to the Midwest, so I took it. That meant pushing my long run (a 14-miler) back to Week 9, but that’s OK with me! Week 8 of Chicago Marathon training was more fun than actual training, but I needed the break after a tough week of work. I wouldn’t normally suggest not running much on Week 8 of training, but then again, you prepare for a marathon in 16 weeks or longer in some cases because some weeks will be better than others.
Marathon Training Week 8 Workouts:
Monday: 1 mile run, 40 bicycle crunches, 15 squats, 32 hip raises, 1 minute plank. Work was insane but I fit this short workout into my day.
Tuesday: 1 mile run. 100 bicycle crunches, 100 hip raises, 30 squats. It was yet another busy day of work but I am glad I did this short workout.
Wednesday: 4 miles at group marathon training. We did mile repeats — oh joy! I did three mile repeats followed by a half-mile and then a half-mile recovery jog. It was brutal, I won’t lie. My first mile was 8:55 but then my second and third were 9:30 and 9:50 respectively. That means my first was probably too fast for me.
Thursday: Rest day on a busy workday.
Friday: Road trip and camping in Michigan. (Recap coming this week!)
Saturday: 4-mile hike in the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area. I normally do my long run on Saturdays, but I pushed my 14-miler back to Week 9 of marathon training.
Sunday: Rest and travel day back to Chicago.
Week’s Mileage: 6 miles of running and 4 miles of hiking.
Reflections
Though I didn’t run as much as I should at this point in training, I needed a break from running on the same lakefront path, and my brain needed a break from technology. It was nice being in a place where I had little to no cellphone service for the weekend. Graham and I don’t get much time off together, so when we get even just two or three days we jump at the chance to do something fun. This week we chose camping in Michigan, a state neither of us had ever visited. It was so worth it!
Previous marathon training recaps:
Sneak peek of my camping recap:
How was your weekend? Do you have any fitness goals? Tell me about them!
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.