Week 2 of Chicago Marathon training is incomplete!
Total mileage: 46
Monday: SRD
Tuesday: 7 miles tempo run from heaven. Running is a different animal when the temps cool a bit. Pace goal was 8:46, actual pace: 8:25. Boo ya!
Wednesday: Crossfit class. Buttular fatigue code orange.
Thursday: 6 miles. 800m intervals. Very tired legs compliments of yesterday’s Crossfit. Commenced baking/construction of Thing 1’s cake for her party on Saturday. Somewhere I’ve gotten myself into a “they dream it, I build it” cake tradition. This year I sustained an immediate Layer 1 Brownie emergency. Need to start over.
Friday: Plyometric Intervals. Included 3 miles of interval-running at inclines between 6% and 10%. Fatigue code yellow.
Cake progress: Managed to complete layers 1 (brownie) 2 (cookies n cream ice cream), and 3 (yellow cake) and was preparing to pat myself on the back and march thru the neighborhood showing off my masterpiece when Modern Caveman proclaimed the cake was “not big enough.” Back to the drawing board.
Saturday: 25 mile bike ride. Oh so glad our heat and humidity is back. Not.
Cake progress. Baked a huge and final chocolate layer for the birthday behemoth. Whipped up not 2, not 3 but 4, yes 4 batches of whipped cream to smother it, hold it together, all while returning it to the freezer every 5 minutes to keep the damn ice cream layer intact. Really worried what we’re gonna find when I actually cut into the thing. Maybe I should send the Caveman to the grocery store for a back-up cake? I decide to live on the edge and wing it. Can you stand the suspense? Up late with party festivities, fireworks, you name it.
Sunday: 5 miles easy. No time for a long run because we need to be at a parade bright and early. Plus it’s simmering hot as usual so I’m pushing the LR to Monday. Up late with more party/fireworks.
Notes: I didn’t realize how much I’d miss not racing this weekend. It’s the first year since I’ve been running “seriously” that I haven’t raced in some capacity. But with the Caveman’s birthday and Thing 1’s birthday party on Saturday I was overloaded with stuff to do. Excuses, excuses.
As for the cake: It was enormous and I think just lifting it in and out of the freezer so many times should count as upper body work. I’ll be the first to admit my decorating skills leave everything much to be desired. But thank heavens, when I cut into the behemoth I’d slaved over for 3 days, all was in order. Our guests oohed and aahed, Thing 1 was thrilled and best of all it was delicious!
I’ll leave you with some pics from the holiday weekend:
