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!