All the little details

Another great week of recovering and training with only 6 weeks until the big day. Time is flying now! I remember talking about my race schedule back in the early spring, noting that the Vancouver Half would be my last, significant race until Worlds. And here we are.
I'm glad Natasha Y. and I asked Coach for another recovery day before our weekly track intervals. My brother and his family were here to visit, and my body wasn't quite ready for speed work until Thursday anyway. One of the best recovery activities for me is the pool and I was able to get in it four times this week; there is just something about the benefit of the water.
On Tuesday, I did my usual treadmill tempo but a little slower at 3:43/km for 16 km. I think my fastest this season is 3:33/km for 20 km within a 28 km run at a total of 3:39/km. I'll have my most difficult tempos in the week (s) to come. Honestly, I think they make me the fastest and strongest; they are so key in my training.
On Thursday, I did 16 x 400m and averaged 74.0 with a 60 second rest between. Rick informed me that I did the same workout on May 29 in which I averaged 74.9 with a 75 second rest between. Not too bad considering it's a dirt track, which sometimes requires dodging puddles and highschool students!
The rest of the week was steady running and cross training for a total of 160 km (11 hrs) of running and 4 hours of cross training. Most of my long runs have been on the country roads with my friends, James and Clayton. Those two have been key in keeping a steady pace with enjoyable conversation about kids, food, and our day to day lives.
The next 3-4 weeks will be intense. I have two more 40 + km runs within 165-170 km weeks, which will also include my weekly track and tempo runs. My training may look a bit different from week to week due to schedule changes at the gym and vacation but I will get it done with the help of Team DuChene!
Another key to my recovery will be maintaining my regular weekly massages. After my 36 km long run at 4:16/km Saturday, Cynthia really did a great job at relieving a bit of soreness and fatigue. Simply walking into Therapeutic Massage Counsel and seeing Cynthia puts my body into a state of relaxation. I often ask her if I can just stay on the table, with her turning the lights out before she moves on to massage someone else! It's amazing how she can find the areas that need the most work without me saying anything. She really is incredible and I am so grateful that they support me.
I continue to go to physio weekly as well. Sherri is off for a while so I am now seeing Paul. I started with the usual reformer routine then he did a re-assessment, which was good so that he could see things from his perspective for optimal treatment.
In other areas of recovery, I aim to remain consistent in proper sleep, rest, hydration, and nutrition. It's paying attention to all the little details like: making sure my Emend is in my gym bag for immediate consumption after training (I usually drink about 5-6 cups), ensuring my Saucony shoes are rotated properly to avoid injury, and doing my stretches and exercises at home even if it means beside the bed in my pj's at night before calling it a day.
I continue to get requests for speaking engagements and the like, and am honoured.  But I am going to defer any decisions until I return home in August. I must remain focused and it can just get to be too much at times. Adam from Atomic Spark came to the house last week and filmed me talking about life as a Registered Dietitian and Marathon Mom. He's going to create a short 10 minute video that can be used when I am not able to attend events or speak to groups.

Ice cream on the back deck with my brother and family. So glad we were able to spend time together at the park, swimming, visiting, and eating!