Month: May 2022

Hey friends!

Here is what the ninth week of training looked like!

Monday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run w/ 6 X 30 second strides
Actual: 7.5 mile run (9:00 pace)

This week was a total washout on the weather front. Living on a dirt road during a rainy week is problematic in and of itself, never mind trying to run on the road! I spent some quality time on the treadmill at the beginning of the week. I got my miles and strides in on Monday afternoon during my lunch break while Ward napped. The run itself was a bit of a struggle. While I am so thankful to have the treadmill as an option when the weather is bad, I just really couldn’t get into this run. Running outside is so much more enjoyable. I didn’t specifically track the strides, but they definitely felt much, much harder on the treadmill than they do outside.

Tuesday –
Plan: 8.0 mile run w/ 2 X 1.5 mile tempo
Actual: 7.5 mile run (7:30 pace)

Given Monday’s blah-ish treadmill run, I was really hoping to be able to get outside for Tuesday’s workout. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. The workout was written as a two and a half mile warm up, a mile and a half tempo, a four minute recovery, a mile and a half tempo and a two and a half mile cool down. I had to get myself to a good place mentally to even attempt this one and having a good playlist definitely helped! I kept the same schedule as the day before and headed down to my “she shack” during a break from work while Ward napped.

Thankfully I was able to settle into a good rhythm early on during this run! For the warm up miles, I started at 10:00 pace (6.0 mph) and increased the speed by 0.2 mph every two minutes. This has been my standard treadmill warm up over the years and it really helps to make the time pass by quickly. From there I went straight into the tempo miles without giving it a second thought. I started those miles at 6:40 pace (9.0 mph). I played with the speed a little bit throughout the tempo as well, bumping it up by 0.1 mph every so often. I felt so good that I decided to skip the recovery altogether. I knew this wouldn’t change the intent of the workout and honestly, the thought of stopping and starting back sounded much harder than just running straight through! Ha. I ended up with splits of 6:30, 6:23 and 6:13! I was really surprised and very pleased with how this run went!

Wednesday –
Plan: 7.0 mile run 
Actual: 7.25 mile run (9:15 pace)

I paid the price for Tuesday’s hard session on Wednesday evening. I had to go in to the office Wednesday and I definitely didn’t have my ish together enough to get a run in beforehand. Morning schedules are so much trickier with a little one. Goodness gracious! Also, side note: how in the world did I go in to the office every day for over a decade?! I am so spoiled with that WFH life now. I’m sure many people can relate on that front! I was |thisclose| to skipping this run altogether. I was worn out from commuting, having to be “social” for much of the day and on top of that, it was supposed to rain again any minute. I was also pretty crabby and I knew that if I just got out even for a few miles that I would be a much more pleasant wife and mother. My legs were tired and heavy, but overall I am so glad that I sucked it up and ran (of course!). I did get sprinkled on a tiny bit, but that actually felt wonderful! You never regret a run, right?!

Thursday –
Plan: 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 2 X 30 minutes (5.5 miles)

It was back to monsooning on Thursday, but it was an elliptical day for me anyway. Thursday seemed to be one of those days where things just don’t quite go according to plan. I was only able to get 30 minutes in on my home elliptical before a work call, but then I found myself with another small window a couple hours later and I decided that I might as well go ahead and do the other 30 minutes. While perhaps not ideal, sometimes you just take what you can get!

Friday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run w/ 6 X 30 second strides
Actual: 7.5 mile run (8:45 pace)

By Friday the rain was done! Praise the Lord! I got out and got a sailboat loop in before the traffic got too out of hand. I got a few more strides in on Friday as well. There isn’t really much to these, but I think doing them throughout the week is helping my leg turnover on the harder days.

Saturday –
Plan: 11.0 mile run
Actual: 11.4 mile run (8:30 pace)

The weather for Saturday’s run was about as perfect as it possibly could be for the end of May. The dew point was in the fifties, which is unheard of for lower Alabama! I didn’t have any specific pace goals Saturday, so I kept it in my typical easy run range. I am so happy to be able to easily get in some double digit runs again!

Sunday –
Plan: 3.0 mile run
Actual: 4.0 mile run (8:30 pace)

This week was my first week of adding back in a sixth run. Woo! It’s so much fun to reach these little milestones along the way. Sunday’s run was extra special because I got to run with my friend Rebecca! We have run thousands of miles together over the years, but it’s harder to make that happen now that we both have kids. I really enjoyed catching up with her for a few miles.

Totals –
Running: 45.7 miles
Elliptical: 5.5 (60 minutes)
Walking: 8.0 miles

Thanks for following along. Catch you guys next week!

Hey friends!

Here is what the eighth week of training looked like. Ward turned 3 months old yesterday! I can’t believe it.

Monday –
Plan: 6.0 mile run 
Actual: 6.0 mile run (8:30 pace)

I went back to work Monday morning. 12 weeks absolutely FLEW by! I’m sure a lot of moms feel the same way, but I am so torn about going back to work. Perhaps a more accurate statement would be that I am so torn about sending Ward to daycare. While I definitely don’t want to be a full-time stay at home mom, I do sometimes feel like I could just stare at those adorable baby smiles all day long! Taking care of him felt like a full-time job most days of my maternity leave and I definitely don’t think it is possible for me to work full-time and take care of him at home. Our daycare is very close to the house and they are very flexible on drop off and pick up times, so I am planning to do somewhat of a part-time daycare situation (at least on the days when I don’t have to go in to the office).

I did go to the office Monday morning, so I got up early and got six miles in on the treadmill before work. I ran at 5:30 a.m., which is definitely the earliest I have run in quite some time! It was dark and had rained the night before, so the treadmill seemed to be my best option. I listened to an episode of “Fuel for the Sole” while I ran. I don’t even remember which episode it was at this point because I have binge listened to all the episodes to date in the last week or so. Breastfeeding while ramping back up training intensity has been very challenging on the nutrition front. I feel like I am eating so much and yet I also feel like I am hungry all the time, so I know that I am likely not getting enough. Their conversations about proper fueling for training have been super helpful!

Tuesday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run w/ 6 X 30 second strides
Actual: 7.5 mile run (8:35 pace)

Tuesday morning I did my standard two trips out and back from the house, with one extra mile on the paved portion of the road for the pickups. I averaged 5:25 pace for the strides. 

Wednesday –
Plan: 8.0 mile run w/ either 8 X 400 or 2 X 1.5 mile tempo
Actual: 8.0 mile run w/ 8 X 400

I went back and forth a few times trying to decide which workout I wanted to do. My coach told me that whichever one I didn’t choose would likely show up on the schedule next week anyway, so it was more just a matter of timing. I didn’t get to the track until Wednesday evening after work and it was hot, hot, hot! It was 86℉ w/ a feels like temperature of 92℉! Whoa. Given the temperature, I settled on the shorter interval workout. My splits were 86, 84, 86, 88, 83, 84, 82 and 83 (averages out to approximately 5:30 pace). I would love to say that the pace felt easy and comfortable, but it didn’t. I was working really hard! I felt like garbage on the last two repeats, but I gutted it out. I felt even worse on the cooldown! Yikes. That was the hardest workout I’ve done in quite some time.

Thursday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 60 minutes (10 miles)

Thursday’s elliptical session was very welcomed! My legs actually felt totally fine, but it was nice to have a break from running.

Friday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run 
Actual: 7.5 mile run (9:00 pace)

I ran from home again Friday morning. Nothing notable to report about this one!

Saturday –
Plan: 11.0 mile run w/ 4.0 mile progression
Actual: 11.0 mile run (7:55 pace)

Saturday’s workout called for a 5 mile warm up, a 4 mile progression and a 2 mile cool down. I ran with a friend for the first five miles and those miles absolutely flew by! I haven’t run with a buddy in quite some time. After that I went into the progression part of the run and ended up with splits of 7:03, 6:58, 6:49 and 6:32! The goal for the progression was 7:20s down to 6:40s, so I was actually a tad bit faster than expected. Considering that it was 77℉ w/ 100% humidity (not an exaggeration), I was elated with how this one went!

Sunday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 60 minutes (5.5 miles)

I ended the week with a very easy elliptical session at home Sunday evening.

Totals –
Running: 40.0 miles
Elliptical: 15.5 (120 minutes)
Walking: 11.1 miles

I am so thankful that everything is feeling good and that I was able to get in such a solid week of training during my first week back to work. Thanks for following along! See you guys next week!

Hey friends!

Here is what the seventh week of my “comeback” training looked like. I am dropping comeback from the title at this point, because I feel like I am truly back in the swing of things and it just feels like regular training at this point. Woo to the hoo!

Monday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run w/ 6 X 30 second strides
Actual: 7.5 mile run (8:30 pace)

I got my miles in Monday evening sans strides. In hindsight, I should’ve just done the strides even though I wasn’t feeling it, but in the moment I just couldn’t bring myself to pick up the pace in the slightest. This was just one of those get it done and move on kind of runs.

Tuesday –
Plan: 5.5 mile run
Actual: 5.5 mile run (9:40 pace)

Tuesday morning I ran with Ward in the stroller. Running with him was tougher than I expected! How is it so much harder than walking with him?! Mercy.

Wednesday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 60 minutes (10 miles)

I was not super thrilled to be on the elliptical Wednesday, but it worked out well to have a day off from running before attempting a workout on Thursday. I do at least get some good people watching in at the gym while I am on the elliptical!

Thursday –
Plan: 8.0 mile run w/ 2 X 800 + 4 X 400
Actual: 7.0 mile run (7:36 pace)

Thursday was my first track workout since February of 2021! I had forgotten how much I really enjoy being at the track. The workout was written as a two mile warm up, 2 X 800 w/ 400 recovery, 4 X 400 w/ 200 recovery and a two mile cool down. No specific paces were prescribed, so I ran completely by feel. I took it one rep at a time and was pleasantly surprised after the fact at what my body was able to do. My splits for the 800s were 2:57 and 2:55 (5:45 ish pace) and my splits for the 400s were 85, 83, 81, 81 (5:20 ish pace). There were a few kids playing at the track while I was running and they tried multiple times to convince me to attempt to jump over a hurdle. I explained (several times) that I was far too old for such a feat. They went to great lengths by blocking all lanes of the track with hurdles so that I would theoretically have to jump over one to continue running. I caught them off guard when I went under one and went along on my merry little way. I might be old, but at least I have some sense!

Friday –
Plan: 7.0 mile run 
Actual: 7.25 mile run (9:00 pace)

I finally got those six thirty second strides that I skipped out on earlier in the week in on Friday morning. I don’t know that it was really necessary at that point, but I also figured that it couldn’t hurt anything. I did my standard two trips out and back from the house, with one extra mile on the paved portion of the road for the pickups. I averaged 5:16 pace for the strides. Nothing to write home about I suppose (but clearly something to write on the blog about (ha!)), but I was happy that my legs felt good after doing a workout the previous day.

Saturday –
Plan: 10.0 – 11.0 mile run
Actual: 11.0 mile run (8:45 pace)

My long run got bumped up by one mile this week! It sounds like we will probably hang out in the 11 to 12 mile range for the long runs for a while now. That mileage ends up being about a 90 minute run for me and there isn’t any reason to do more than 90 minutes until I have a specific race on the calendar. It was already getting a tad warm when I was out there, but the run went by without incident. Again, I was just happy that my legs cooperated after several days in a row of running!

Sunday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 60 minutes (11 miles)

Sunday morning was back to the elliptical and I was actually happy to have a “rest” day from running! Maybe I can welcome the elliptical into my training plan after all.

Totals –
Running: 38.3 miles
Elliptical: 21 miles (120 minutes)
Walking: 13.1 miles

Thanks for following along! See you guys next week!

Hey friends!

Here is what the sixth week of my “comeback” training looked like. We were out of town for the beginning part of the week, so things were a bit different from the status quo. AND! I have fun pictures to share, which is definitely not the norm!

Monday –
Plan: 7.0 mile run w/ 6 X 30 second strides
Actual: 7.25 mile run (8:45 pace)

Monday’s run was pretty much an exact replica of the previous Monday’s run, except for the fact that it happened earlier in the day. We were planning to get on the road around 7 a.m., so I had to get up earlier than I have been recently to get this one in. In actuality, we didn’t leave until 9 a.m., as planning any sort of departure time is very difficult with a baby. It all depends on when we wakes up and wants to eat! I did two out and back stretches from the house, with one extra mile on the paved portion of the road for the pickups. The strides were a teensy bit faster than last week. My paces were 5:15, 5:17, 5:07, 5:13, 5:13 and 5:10. More progress!

Tuesday –
Plan: 7.5 mile run w/ 5 X 2:00 hard and 2:00 easy
Actual: 8.0 mile run (9:10 pace)

I was supposed to do a workout Tuesday morning, but instead opted for an easy run. It was late and basically dark by the time we got to our cabin Monday evening, which didn’t leave me any time to scope out a good place for a workout. I thought about moving the workout to another day, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed silly to even try to get this one in period. I don’t have any races on the calendar yet, so there aren’t really any reasons to stress about a workout. I mainly just wanted to get out there and explore the area around where we were staying. I took off towards the downtown area and ended up running into (pun intended!) the Gatlinburg Trail. I ran four miles on the trail before making my way back to our cabin. Running in the woods was good for my soul!

Later that day we did a 2.6 mile hike on the Laurel Falls Trail to get to, you guessed it, Laurel Falls. The falls are named after the mountain laurel, an evergreen shrub which blooms along the trail and near the falls in May. The waterfall had an upper and a lower section and there was a walkway across the stream at the base of the upper falls. It was really pretty!

We also went to the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park on Tuesday afternoon. The SkyLift is an open-air chairlift ride to the top of an 1,800 foot overlook with views of the Smoky Mountains. When you get up to the top, you can walk across the Gatlinburg SkyBridge, which is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America! This was definitely the most “touristy” activity that we did on our trip and it was totally worth it. The views were incredible!

Wednesday –
Plan: 7.0 mile run 
Actual: 5.0 miles (9:10 pace)

Since I enjoyed running in the woods so much on Tuesday, I decided to do it again on Wednesday! This time we drove in to the national park and found a spot where I could run and Richard could fish. Our hobbies are not the same, but apparently they can be done at the same places. Win, win! I ran 5 miles on the Little River Trail with views of Little River the entire way.

We also hiked to the top of Clingmans Dome on Wednesday afternoon. The hike was one mile round trip to the highest point both in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The dome is at an elevation of over 6,600 feet! The views were phenomenal.

Thursday –
Plan: 6.0 – 7.0 mile run
Actual: 5.0 miles (10:50 pace)

I got one last trail run in on Thursday morning before we headed back home. The Abrams Fall Trail trail was the most technical of the trails that I ran on, but I was rewarded at the end with a beautiful waterfall. I climbed 700 feet in 5 miles! We got an early start (mainly because we had a 9 hour drive ahead of us) and the other people that were there when we got there were hiking instead of running, so I was actually the only person at the waterfall when I got there. It was so peaceful!

Friday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical or go for a walk
Actual: 60 minutes (5.5 miles)

I did an hour on my home elliptical Friday morning. I hadn’t been on my home elliptical in several weeks, so this was a change of pace and a change of scenery for me (I typically go to the gym to do the elliptical). It was just nice to be home and to not have to go anywhere. A little vacation is nice sometimes, but home is always best.

Saturday –
Plan: 10.0 mile run w/ 6 X 400
Actual: 10.0 miles (7:30 pace)

Saturday’s run was a two mile warm up, six “quick” quarters at the start of miles 3 through 8 (so essentially quarter mile repeats with three quarters in between) and a two mile cool down. This wasn’t a typical 400 repeat workout by any means, as we are still easing back in to the speed side of things. I ended up with paces of 6:10, 5:55, 5:46, 5:47, 5:38 and 5:51 for the quarters and I kept the recoveries in the 7:30 range, which is definitely faster than a true recovery. I was definitely working to hit those paces, but I didn’t feel at all spent by the end of the run. It’s so nice to be able to do a “casual” double digit run again! I missed those guys.

Sunday –
Plan: 45 – 60 minute elliptical
Actual: 45 minutes elliptical (4 miles)

My mom and I got in a wonderful four mile walk on Mother’s Day! It was so special for the two of us to have that time together. I finished off the week with forty five minutes on the elliptical at home later in the day.

Totals –
Running: 35.3 miles
Elliptical: 9.5 miles (85 minutes)
Walking: 12.2 miles

This was a fun week for sure! Things will be back to normal next week. Thanks for following along!