Hey friends!
After a few weeks of lackluster training, it seems that a fire got lit inside of me this week! I had a solid week of training.
Here is what my training looked like the week of 04.23.18 – 04.29.18:
Monday – Easy: 6 miles (8:53 pace)
I started the week off with an easy treadmill run. I listened to Sarah Seller’s interview on the I’ll Have Another Podcast. I had already listened to her interview on the Ali on the Run Show, but I found this one equally as interesting (even after already having heard her story).
I got a chance to meet and have coffee with one of my fellow Salty Running gals in Auburn Monday afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the connection and meaningful conversation!
Tuesday AM – Quality: 4 miles (9:14 pace) + PM – Easy: 5 miles (8:36 pace)
Tuesday morning the Daniels and I hit the track for a “fun” 5K workout. The workout was 8 X 400 with 200 “float” recoveries (which aren’t true recoveries). You run one extra 200 at the end of the workout in order to get in the actual 5K distance. We did a 2 mile warm up and then started the workout. We did the 400s at goal 5K pace and the 200s at 1 minute slower per mile than goal 5K pace. For example, my current “goal” 5K pace is right at 6:00 pace, so my 400s were run at that pace (1:30 per lap) and the 200s were supposed to be run at 7:00 pace (52-53 seconds per half lap). In a normal track workout you have a recovery after each hard interval (whether that is a standing recovery or a very slow jogging recovery), but with this workout, you never really get to take a break.
I was slightly under my goal pace for the 400s with a 1:29 average and slightly over my goal pace for the 200s with a 55 second average. I always find it harder to hit my paces on the 200s than the 400s in this workout and I think it’s because I am so used to slowing down dramatically after each hard interval. It’s hard to break that habit! The Daniels ran faster than I did, but it was nice to have them to chase the whole time. I actually ended up passing them because they miscalculated their laps and stopped one lap too soon (they realized it once I kept going and made it up, but it was funny at the time). My 5K time for the workout ended up being 19:20 and I was definitely happy with that time.
Wednesday AM – Easy: 5 miles (9:22 pace) + PM – Easy: 6 miles (9:04 pace)
Wednesday I taught my last class of the semester! I have lots of thoughts and things that I learned from teaching, but that’s likely better suited for another post, another day. I actually found a podcast with an episode on S Corporation Taxation, which was the topic I was teaching and I listened to that on my run Wednesday afternoon before class to help me get “in the zone.” Ha.
Thursday AM – Easy: 4 miles (10:08 pace) + PM – Easy: 8 miles (8:09 pace)
Thursday morning the Daniels and I did something a little different and took our run to the beach. I love running on the beach, but it can be a tad tricky on the bay with various piers to duck under and streams and logs to hurdle. It’s perfect for a change of scenery and a change of pace!
I checked the tides the day before and knew that low tide was around 6 a.m. The run would be nearly impossible at high tide (without some serious wading). We started out around 5:20 and Daniel carried a flashlight. At 5:20 it was still dark, but at least the tide was low. We ran two miles north before turning around to head back south. By the time we turned around, the sun had started to come up and we didn’t even need the flashlight anymore. It was fun to be on the beach at dawn and see the sun rising in the east.
Thursday evening we met up at the park for a group run! There were nine of us and we did a hilly out and back route. The Daniels did a workout during the middle stretch of the run, but for the most part, everyone else took it easy (as easy as seven males running in a group are capable of at least :)). This run included a very philosophical conversation about the various reasons that we all run. It’s amazing and cool how different those reasons can be for different runners.
Friday AM – Quality: 11 miles (7:32 pace) + PM – Easy: 5 miles (9:17 pace)
Friday morning I did a 6 X 1 mile progression workout. The workout was supposed to be run by effort using the following paces as a guide: 6:40, 6:30, 6:20, 6:20, 6:15, 6:15. I got a little carried away and likely overran the workout a tad, but it felt really good to get in a solid effort and to want to get in a solid effort, so I just went with it. My actual paces were: 6:41, 6:31, 6:19, 6:11, 6:08, 6:03.
Friday afternoon Jessica and I did an easy loop and Brooks and Olivia had a little “play date.” It was the cutest thing!
Saturday – Easy: 6 miles (9:24 pace)
My legs were definitely fatigued from Friday’s workout and double. Um, hello. That was likely a bit much, but whatever … I like to run all the miles for a week or two once I am free from taxes.
Sunday AM – Easy: 10 miles (8:35 pace) + PM – Easy: 5 miles (9:22 pace)
Sunday was supposed to be long run day, but all of my friends ran long on Saturday. I had plans to do 15 or 16 miles Sunday morning by running some at home before meeting up with the rest of the group for 10 miles, but once I realized that meant a 4:00 a.m. alarm, I opted out. I then had plans to run home from the group run, but once I realized that meant skipping coffee and breakfast, I opted out. I did, however, get all of my miles in for the day. Splitting the long run into two runs isn’t ideal, but it also doesn’t really even matter at this point. I was just happy to get the miles in. It was a great week of running!
Total – 79.5 miles
That’s it for now! Have a great week!