It was a step down week! Every 3rd week in my plan is a step down week, which is really most evident in the long run category.
Monday, July 25
Plan: Rest or Cross Train
Actual: 2.7 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
We cooked a nice dinner and went out once it got "cooler". It felt good to get out and move after resting on Sunday and then eating a relatively heavy meal tonight. I'm liking that our Mondays are time for us to cook and spend time together and I'm going to try and keep this time for us as much as the schedule will allow.
I feel like sometimes Matt becomes a marathon widower and I do feel kind of guilty about it at times. I try not to let training take over my life and outside of long runs, the time commitment probably isn't that much more than one would normally spend at the gym. However, it's the other lifestyle issues that creep in along the way (i.e. "can't eat here tonight I'm running long tomorrow and it might upset my stomach", "got to go to bed early so I can get up for xyz workout", "sorry I'm not getting home until almost 8pm...I had to work late and then go put in an hour + of training") And the thing is, he RARELY complains...he supports me, asks questions, cooks 90% of our meals, I could go on and on. I am so incredibly LUCKY to be with someone so unconditionally supportive and it's so very important not to take this for granted and to make sure that I am there for him too.
Tuesday, July 26
Plan: 3 miles + boot camp
Actual: 2.4 miles + boot camp
The instructor seriously kicked our asses tonight at bootcamp. Burpees and lunges and pushups, oh my! I was REALLY aware of my quads on the run back to my car tonight.
Wednesday, July 27
Plan: 5 miles
Actual: 4 x 800
When I got in my car after work and saw this, I just DID NOT have it in me. It was steamy and gross and I was hot just walking the .15 miles to my car. (Still working on my attitude!) So...since we know training is all about flexibility I decided to head to the gym to do my speed work that was on tap for Thursday. (5 min warmup, 4 x 800 with 400 recovery jogs and 5 min cool down)
This actually turned out to be a really great plan in the end because I had barely started the second set of 800 when the skies opened. I thought I had noticed a couple flashes of lightning but I was really zero-ed in to Sports Center and wasn't sure if it was just a glare off the window. Nope; rain, thunder, lightning...the whole nine yards. The storm ended up knocking down some huge limbs in our yard and later, our power went out. I would have been stuck in the middle of trail in this storm which would have not only NOT been fun, but would have been mildly dangerous as well.
The workout went really well. I felt like I worked hard but not at all like I was dying by the end. In my attempt at Yassos last year I remember feeling like death so that's got to count for something. I really do think speed sessions (again, speed is all relative) are my favorite workout. I feel accomplished at the end and love breaking up the workout into chunks...helps so much mentally.
Thursday, July 28
Plan: 4 x 800 + yoga
Actual: 3 mile walk w/Matt and dogs
I had everything packed and ready to go to yoga. My hips and legs were screaming at me all day and I could not wait to get out there and practice. Of course, around 4:30 it started raining heavily but quickly cleared up. I was obsessively refreshing the RR park website and there was no mention of yoga cancellation. I stayed late at work and just before I headed out the door to change, I refreshed one final time: "Yoga in RR park is cancelled tonight b/c of the threat of inclement weather" DAMN!! Again!!
I didn't have any running clothes in my bag so I was forced to head home. Once I got home, I was tempted by the yummy salad Matt had made for us and then opted for a walk instead of run since my hips were still angry with me. While we were out I got a text from Amy saying that she was heading to the trail last minute and wanted to know if I wanted to join her. THAT would have been enough to motivate me into running (or at least run/walking) so I texted her that I would love to hit the trail this weekend if she is in town.
Friday, July 29
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
Even though my schedule had been "running lite" this week with the absence of my medium-long run, my legs were still happy for a rest. Not to mention that for some reason rush hour traffic was even more of a nightmare than usual and it took me 90 minutes(!!!) to get home. Started developing a major headache during this time too.
Amy texted to see if I wanted to run the next morning and I was thrilled to have company on my run. We agreed to meet at 9 which is later than I would usually get started but I knew I could squeeze in a couple miles beforehand and get in the 6 I had scheduled. My new shoes came in the mail today too but I knew I was not going to break them in on a muddy trail so it will wait til week #4!
Saturday, July 30
Plan: 6 miles
Actual: 6 miles
I had planned to hit the trail early to get in 2 or so miles before meeting up with Amy at 9. (I knew we would probably do 4 together.) My boss started texting me right around the time I wanted to get out the door and I ended up being delayed trying to solve a small problem. I ended up at the trail only 15 minutes early instead of the 25-30 that I had wanted and decided to zoom for a 7 min 30 sec out and back to see how far I could get.
1.5 miles later I was back at my car just as Amy was pulling into the parking lot. We ended up employing a 5 min run/2 min walk strategy which kept my legs pretty fresh. I have not been able to connect with A. over the past couple weeks and had such a great time chatting it up. I will almost always accomodate my running schedule if it means being able to connect with my friends while getting in the miles and I didn't care that we were finishing just before 10am. So much better than running alone! We finished at 5.5 miles and I wanted to head out to finish the .5 but there were 2 guys standing around staring so I started home. The .5 was nagging me, so I stopped at the lake in my neighborhood (which has a .4 loop) and finished the .5 there...felt good to round it off and not have that hanging over my head.
For the record:
Pre-run fuel: honey wheat bagel with butter and cinnamon sugar. Been hearing ShutUpandRun talk about this combo and had to try it out for myself. YUM! Will still be keeping my nutella for longer run "staying power" but this is another yummy option when pure carbs are more important. Also, 12oz of water
During the run: 20oz water/G2 mix (lemon-lime)
Wore: Nike running skirt, Nike dry fit tank, Experia socks (powered with Thorlo pads), pink Mizuno Wave Nirvana 6s, UnderArmour headband
Accessories: Garmin, Nathan handheld
Sunday, July 31
Plan: Cross Train (choice)
Actual: P's core routine
All of the following completed with the "aid" of a stability ball in my "new" workout room:
--25 traditional crunches
--25 oblique twists
--25 push ups
--25 trunk raises (reverse crunch)
--25 one-legged squats (each side)
--30 second bridge
--25 bridge curls
--6 Apollo "Oh No"s (working up to 10-15)
--25 tricep dips
P. does a great job of spelling out how to do each of these exercises, so go check out her post if you are interested in learning more! I really like this workout and have now written it down and tacked it to our "gym" bulletin board so that Matt and I can both reference this and incorporate it into our regular routine. If I could do this twice a week, I would be happy.
Overall thoughts:
I missed the medium-long run mileage this week which (obviously) cannot become a habit. Grateful for the other "time on my feet" in the forms of unscheduled walks which does make me feel a little bit better. My legs were grateful for the stepdown and I took advantage of the extra time to pamper myself (details in an upcoming post).
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