Chicago Spring Half Marathon Training – Week 10 Recap

Week 10 is done. Our last peak week before taper is in the books, and I am still a little in disbelief that we actually made it through. Thirty-one miles, four runs, a vet scare that shook us at the very start of the week, a speed workout that genuinely surprised me, a nighttime run through what felt like a horror movie set, and a 14-mile long run that became the longest I have ever run. It was a lot. In the best and hardest ways.

I want to be real about the fact that this week was not just hard physically. It started with Scout, our German Shepherd, having a health scare. She is okay right now, and we are really hoping things continue to improve so we do not have to keep worrying, but walking into a high-mileage peak week already emotionally wrung out is its own kind of challenge. Running became both an outlet and something I had to push myself toward even when I did not have much left. I think that is worth acknowledging.

Sometimes a hard week calls for cookies.🍪

Chicago Half Marathon Training Week 10: The Runs

Tuesday: 6 Miles Easy

Tuesday felt good. I kept the pace slow and deliberate, finished strong, and honestly needed that run after the emotional start to the week. The trail was a different story. We have had some brutal wind storms lately and the damage was visible everywhere. Trees down, branches across the path, the kind of scenery that makes you feel like you are running through the aftermath of something crazy. It was wild to see, but it also made the run feel a little more interesting than a typical easy Tuesday.

Even with the storm damage, the trail still had moments like this. 🌿

The wind storms were no joke. Trees down everywhere on the trail. 🌬️

Thursday: Speed Work

I was genuinely nervous for this one going in. The structure was 15 minutes easy, then 3 times 1 mile at interval pace with 2 minutes of walking in between each, and 10 minutes easy to finish. That is the longest distance I have run my intervals back to back in any speed workout so far, and I did not know how my legs would feel carrying that into peak week.

But it went surprisingly well. I hit my paces for every single interval and felt strong doing it. There is something really satisfying about going into a workout scared and coming out the other side with a check mark next to every goal. That feeling carried me through the rest of the week more than I expected it to.

Friday: 6 Miles Easy (In a Horror Movie)

We moved this run from Saturday to give ourselves a rest day before the long run, which was the right call. The run itself was fine — legs felt okay, effort stayed easy. The problem was timing. We started too late. Way too late. By the time we were an hour in, I was essentially running through a dark forest with nothing but my phones flashlight and a spooky podcast in my ears.

I will say this: listening to something genuinely creepy while running alone in the dark through the woods is a choice I will not be making again. Every snapped branch, every rustle in the trees, it did not matter that I knew where I was. My brain was fully convinced I was in the opening scene of something I did not want to be in. I felt fine physically the whole time, but the mental energy I spent just staying calm probably rivaled the effort of a tempo run. Lesson learned: set a start time and stick to it, no matter what.

Chicago Half Marathon Training Week 10: The Long Run

Sunday was the one I had been most nervous about all week. The plan was 13 miles: 8 easy, 4 at half marathon pace, 1 easy. The thing that scared me most was not the distance, it was whether I would have anything left for those 4 pace miles after fatiguing through 8. That has felt like such a mental barrier.

But something clicked this time. I took those first 8 miles truly easy, averaging around a 12:40 pace and it made all the difference. Part of our usual trail is closed for maintenance right now, so I went down a different route. Not knowing the mile markers mentally actually helped me stay present instead of counting down, and the miles felt like they went by faster.

When the 4-mile pace pickups came, I actually still felt good. I managed to speed up and hit every pace, actually running about a minute faster than I was supposed to on each one. By the time I finished those and transitioned into what was supposed to be my slow final mile, I still had about 2 miles out from my car, so I just went for it. Fourteen miles. My longest run ever. And the wild part? I felt good at the end.

Recovery: What I Did After 14 Miles

I made sure to prioritize recovery today. Right after finishing, I used my massage gun on my legs, drew a magnesium bath and soaked, and then rolled out the bottoms of my feet with massage balls. That last part was very much needed as I did have some foot pain post-run, which makes sense after that kind of distance. The massage balls are something I keep coming back to and they are worth every penny.

Honest Check-In

This week had everything. A scary start with Scout, wind storms, a run I genuinely did not know if I would finish emotionally intact, a workout that made me feel like I actually belong in this training block, a horror movie moment I will be laughing about for a while, and a long run that reminded me why I do this. Thirty-one miles. Peak week, done.

Next week is taper. And then the half marathon. It does not feel real yet — but the miles are there. I put them in. Whatever happens on race day, I know that much.

You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.