Guys…it has been a week. A crazy, unpredictable week. And here I am, trying to plan how to work training in while I am gone over my birthday weekend and it’s just a little overwhelming and stressful.
I went into this week with a little bit of trepidation. Not over what I needed to do during the week. Nope. The weekend. The weekend was what was truly weighing on my mind. Why? Because it is the series of workouts that I have yet to actually execute perfectly or near perfectly. The heat/humidity has killed me the past three…yes THREE…times I have attempted this. And this weekend was shaping up to be…you guessed it…both hot and humid.
So…let the slog being!
Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN
Covering my watch has definitely become my new normal. So if you know of anywhere where I can buy cute/fun wristbands to go over my Garmin…clue me in. I want to stock up. Since this was an easy run, I decided to try out the Aftershokz Bone Conducting Headphones out. What I do love about these is that they don’t go into the ears…so you can still be fully aware of the world around you. That’s perfect for me. I’m not going to make a habit out of running with music…but I might pull these out for my speed work on Sunday…just to see if it gets me out of my head. My recovery miles were definitely a little faster than they needed to be, but I felt really relaxed and good the entire run. Later that day I met with Corey for my personal training session. And he kicked my butt with some dynamic exercises to activate the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core. I love/hate core exercises. I love a good strong core…the exercises just aren’t always fun. I went ahead today and did my bonus hip strengthener exercises with my usual stretches as well. Busy day.
Tuesday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN
I woke up early this morning. I was having trouble sleeping. It was speed work day…and I always have a little bit of anxiety going into speed work morning. But, I put in my contacts, got dressed, and was in the kitchen, eating something to give me some energy, while I hydrated a little and filled up my hydration pack when my Weather Channel app pinged and said thunderstorms with strong winds were coming my way. I gave it a quick moment of thought and decided that I could beat it. I rushed out the door and quickly started my watch. And only 0.15 miles into the planned 8 for that morning, the sky started to light up with lightning. Frustrated, I ran back to the apartment and decided to see if it passed over while I did my stretches and additional hip strengtheners again. It thundered while I was doing that, so I decided I was just going to have to switch my speed work day with my Thursday easy run. I wasn’t happy about it…but it was how it had to go this time. I thought about waiting and running on the track that night…but it was going to be in the mid-90s and there were more chances for storms. Not going to take chances, I went to the gym…despite there being no rain, thunder, or lightning happening when I went to my car. I hopped on a treadmill, once again using my Aftershokz to get the tunes going (I can’t do a treadmill without music. EVER! I can run outside (and prefer to) without music and go forever). And I did easy miles on the treadmill for just over an hour. Total of 7 miles, just like Monday. The same workout, two days in a row. One on pavement. One on a treadmill. I knew I would feel that treadmill on Wednesday…so I was thankful it was another easy day. Was I stacking this week against me or what?
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. Third week in a row. Spin wasn’t given as an option, but I went anyway. It really makes me so happy…helps me with endurance…and I get in a mentally tough place fighting for sprints and on climbs. I like to think it carries over to running when it gets tough. So, kept a VERY easy pace on my run, then hopped in the car to head to the gym again…this time for the Endurance Ride Spin Class. One hour and a lot of sweat later, my legs felt really good. Spin class always seems to take the heaviness out of my legs. Another reason I love going so much.
Thursday: SPEED WORK – MONA FARTLEKS W/ 1 MILE HARD EFFORT
I woke up so many times the night leading into this rescheduled speed work. I really, really was wishing this was done earlier in the week and I could just run easy today. But…nope. Speed work HAS to happen. And I needed to give it my best. I just didn’t WANT to. Typical. So…this week I did the usual Mona Fartlek workout. The difference was, right after the 15 second round, I was to go immediately into a hard effort mile before my cool down. I was toast in the mile. It was tough. I did my best to tough it out, but the humidity was weighing me down. I hate when it’s humid enough to make it hard to breathe. UGH. But…I did it. I got it done. My workout was simple: 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), 1 mile hard effort, 2 mile cool down. They were hard this morning. And this is really the only speed work I actually enjoy doing. I didn’t hate this…but I was very happy to be done with it.
Friday: Per the usual…complete rest day. Sleep in. Shower. Stretch. Read. Drink coffee. Head into work. The usual. I was also having a checkup with my eye doctor just to see how the contacts were working. Guess what…LOVE THEM! I have a busy weekend planned, so tried to do as much prep work in advance as I could the night before. So, insanity…but hopefully these legs will appreciate the extra TLC, foam rolling, stretches and rest because I really NEED the weekend runs to go well.
Saturday: INSTRUCTIONS: 9 – 12 MILES WITH 2 MILE FAST FINISH – EASY DOES IT UNTIL FAST FINISH AT THE END
Fast finishes are one of my least favorite things. While I am usually very good about keeping my regular pace during the run easy, I still somehow struggle more than I should with fast finishes. With one of my running buddies opting to sleep in, I met up with Ron on my side of the river where we ran the Greenway early to try to beat some of the summer morning heat. Once that sun comes up…struggle bus. But we actually kept a pretty steady, regular pace to our turnaround and then barely slowed down on the return. Then, my fast finish was done running to the local coffee shop 2 miles away. My roommate was meeting me there for iced coffee and Ron joined us for some rest and relaxation while we drank coffee and discussed races in states and why to do or not do certain ones. After that, I headed home to shower and change because Cathy and I were meeting our friend Michelle and heading to Turtle Run Winery for a girls day out. I was the designated driver due to my workout on Sunday morning, so I basically had half of a glass of wine total over the 3+ hours we were hanging there. It was a really fun day. After a stop off for dinner for Cathy & Michelle at a local favorite spot (nothing there I can really eat), we went to let Amanda & Richie’s pitt bull puppies out to play before taking Michelle home, calling in my order for magical sushi (it’s becoming a pre-long run favorite) for a VERY late dinner. I ate at 8:30 pm. REALLY late for me. And then I went to get ready for bed…because I had an early wakeup the following morning.
SUNDAY: INSTRUCTIONS: 1 MILE WU; 3X4 MILES MP; 1 MILE CD – TAKE 2-4 MINUTES BASE PACE/RECOVERY BETWEEN SETS AT MARATHON PACE
Honestly, this is the workout I dread. Anytime it pops up on my training plan it makes me die a little inside. Why? Because I have NEVER been able to actually do it properly. AND…on top of that, one of my best friends was doing her first triathlon and wanted me to come spectate and cheer. This meant an early morning so I could start with enough time to hopefully make it from Indiana to Kentucky and not miss her finish. I knew I wouldn’t make her start…I probably could have seen her bike to run transition, but I didn’t know where she was when I got down there. But my run…it was the best attempt I have had yet. While it wasn’t perfect, especially in the last 2 miles, which were a HUGE struggle bus because it was hotter and the sun was up, and there was no shade to be had. But…I executed this run better than I have in the past. I even got a high five from a biker as I was on the greenway, heading from Indiana into Kentucky. Amazing. My marathon paces were pretty accurate, even with hills. My biggest problem today was the extra fuel I carry to take at Mile 8…leaked. And it was halfway gone by the time I hit Mile 5. So, it became a use it or lose it decision so I took it 3 miles early. I don’t think it made too much of a difference, but I was really ready to be done once that sun got higher. It heated up really quickly today. But, I did manage to hit the paces with few to little stops. And, I was at the finish line to cheer in my friend, give her a hug, and hang out for a bit before heading out to do all the grocery shopping we still had left to do. It worked out to 15.6 miles when all was said and done.
Let me tell you…I’m tired. And my schedule for next week isn’t playing around. So…rest is going to be key for me this coming week. Wish me luck on that. Also…my coach and his wife just welcomed their third child. Exciting times. He warned all of us he coaches that he might not get schedules posted by Sunday night, but he actually had them to me before 3 pm. Amazing. And also…trying not to panic over the speed work that he assigned this time around.
Killer.
For now, I keep hoping for this heat to let up…just a little.
OH…AND WE ARE 12 WEEKS OUT.
No wonder I’m tired…
The Celiathlete 