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!