Welcome back to the grind. Sort of. This week, my coach decided to still let me have some control over how or what I did on my runs, but he gave me (mostly) the mileage to log. Most of these did tell me to cover my watch or not wear it. So, while he gave me a distance range, this week, I kept it on the goal distance, rather than going one mile shorter or longer (which he always gives as an option).
I also got the chance to break in my new, gorgeous Newton Distance 8 shoes on my long run this weekend. I LOVE this shoe!! I probably should have broke them in a bit more before taking them for a long run, but I run so often in Newton’s that I figured it would be fine. It was. I could just tell they were new.
With under 90 days and counting to the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon…let’s dive into this week’s training.
Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN
I have just sort of made it a practice now to cover my watch and try to not cheat and look at the pace. It takes a lot of pressure and stress of the run when I’m not checking every mile what my pace was and then judging myself for it. Nope. Done with that. So…yes…the sweat band over the watch is the new norm. He upped my usual Monday run by 1 mile, and I was up for the challenge. I just ran easy, never pushing pace, save for one spot in the run where I apparently scared a man who was walking past a road I was coming down. He jumped and held out his hand to keep his distance and said, “You scared the shit out of me.” I was proud of how easy and good I felt on this run for the entire 7 miles. I could have gone the extra mile…but I knew I wanted to fit in my additional hip strengthener exercises that morning, and I needed enough time to do that in. I also met with Corey, who had this crazy full body-type workout for me.
Tuesday: SPEED WORK: MONA FARTLEKS
If you recall my runs from last week, I used Mona Fartleks as my “FUN RUN,” where Daniel told me to choose a workout that I enjoyed doing and run that. SO…when I saw it on tap this week, I was excited to put in the work for it. Originally, I had intended to go to the track in the evening and run with a group, however, there was a high chance of thunderstorms and it was 95 degrees at 6:30 when it started…so I opted to do it early and alone. I am going to get to that track one of these days! So, if you’re new to the blog or skipped over the explanation, Mona Fartleks run like this: 2 mile warm up, 2×90 sec, 4×60 sec, 4×30 sec, 4×15 sec (with equal recovery after each at a pace faster than base pace), 2 mile cool down. It works out to be about 21 minutes of hard running. And while it is challenging, the shorter segments make it really fun. Trust me. They do. Ever done these? You should. I finished off the morning with my 2nd round of additional hip strengtheners to the stretches and exercises I have been doing since physical therapy.
Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.
Same run as last week. Same instructions. Only difference was…this time I was told to go to spin class. It was on the schedule. Daniel said that if I enjoyed it so much and was missing it…do it again. So I repeated my run from last week, keeping that pace REALLY easy. Then…stretches and PT exercises before heading to my Wednesday morning spin class. Endurance ride. Over an hour on the bike, but Michelle always makes it fun, interesting, and gives us inspirational and good tunes. And I got to hang with some of my friends on the bikes. LOVE! It made me so happy.
Thursday: TEMPO RUN – AFTER WARMUP, GET AROUND 8 MILES IN AT TEMPO EFFORT (NOT PACE SPECIFIC). IF YOU NEED TO BREAK IT UP, FEEL FREE TO DO SO.
UGH. Tempo runs in the summer suck. THEY SUCK. I hate them. I don’t want to do them. I never can properly mentally prepare for them. I was determined this week not to let this one best me. While I was given the option to break it up…I wanted to fight through it. I stopped for traffic when I had to, and a couple of times due to humidity, but I mostly achieved the goal. I did 1 Miles WU; 8 Miles @ Tempo; 2 Miles CD. It was a total of 11 miles on a Thursday. Double-digit weekday miles are HARD to fit in, but I managed it. I did. And I may not have killed it, but I was very happy with my effort.
FRIDAY: Always a rest day. I usually sleep in…but I had a restless evening. I woke up around 1 am and never could get back to sleep. I got up before my 5 am alarm and showered. Stretched. And I was going to settle in to read a book (I am on a different one now), but time got away from me. It was also a half day at the office. I ate lunch at Core Life. I went to an eye doctor appointment, and now own new glasses and…CONTACTS. I love being able to see distance without glasses, but it took me FOREVER to get them out of my eyes. I was about to have a little panic cry…but I calmed myself down and got it done. After some mindless TV watching and Instagram scrolling…I went to bed. And slept really well. I was long running with friends the following morning, but not until much later than I usually run. Worth it. I love running with people so I will do whatever pace if it means I have company. Very glad for the good rest.
SATURDAY: 15-17 MILES WITH LAST 2-3 MILES FAST FINISH – GOAL 16 MILES
I met up with Christine and Ron at 7:30 am. I had eaten a small bite at home. Then used Maurten 160 (in hindsight, should have gone 320) before heading out. We were going out to keep an easy pace in the 9 minute mile range, and did that for most of it. Another good reason for me to long run with people…they are better and keeping an eye on pace than I am and tell me when to ease it back. I love that about the people I run with. Ron was going for 9 miles and Christine and I had 16. We ran the first 10 with Ron, dropping him off at Seneca Park before we headed into Cherokee Park, making it almost all the way up Dog Hill before we had to turn around. And while I did take off at Mile 13 for that “fast finish,” it wasn’t THAT fast when looking at my pace. Take into account though that this direction lies some CRAZY uphill that goes on for a long ass time. So, I put in the effort, even if the pace was affected by these climbs. There are a few. I finished up on the loop, which was slightly crowded and I was forced to stop as I was behind some ladies who were walking and had 2 double strollers coming the other way. It was fine. I grabbed some water and then started back up. Pace overall was right where it should have been. I was starving by the time I finished, so it was off to Wild Eggs for brunch. And it was perfection.
SUNDAY: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! RECOVERY RUN!
I chased the sunrise again this week. I head out just as the world was getting light around me and just enjoyed the miles, keeping pace easy and letting my legs just go with the flow. I ran the same route, stopping over halfway through to snap a photo of the sunrise over a lake in a park…and then finished it all back up. The weather felt amazing. Low 60s and a low dewpoint. Loved it. Felt so good. I covered my watch and never glanced at it. I run better without the pressure, it seems. My watch never stressed me out like this before, so not sure why I’m letting it have so much control over me and how I feel and react to each run. This has been a good change for me.
With a glimpse at this coming week’s schedule…it’s going to require a lot of work. Two long-ish runs coming up hot this weekend. Both with some paces to hit. Hopefully my body will let me put in the work and get it done. Crossing fingers. I’d really love to nail a workout at some point this training period. We shall see.
Have a great week!
The Celiathlete 