what should have been Mile Training: Week 3/6

With the Little Kings Mile scrapped, I'm just kind of getting along these next few weeks. Goals are getting back to consistent strength training. My goal of 2x30min sessions a week has been hit or miss. I've done 23 sessions so far this year in 14 weeks, five less than I ought to have. I probably would have stopped all together if I didn't have Brandi and our awesome bootcamp keeping me going. Now, I just need to be as consistent with stretching and other "prehab" work. 


Monday
Did: 2.5mi @ 9:26/mi, bootcamp, walk to massage
Nice easy warm-up run with B, plus back to bootcamp. Today's workout was full of lots of equipment, which was a little intimidating, but good. We did four rounds through:

1. rollouts/flat palm sit-ups
2.  weighted vest walking lunges
3. kimura sit-ups/leg raises with hip lift
4. bar burpees/box jumps (I did 20" this time!)
5. suspended row
6. wall balls/jump rope

and finished off with two times through:

1. 30 deep, elbow-to-knee squats
2. 15 burpees
3. fence run

Definitely felt good. By the end, my calf felt completely loose, so maybe I need to emphasize that dynamic warm-up thing we do at ATC a bit more. :P 

Tuesday
Did: 6.33 @ 9:16/mi, yoga
Another day where the hashtag got me out the door. I took the run really easy, staying at the back of the pack and even lagging far behind the rest of the crew towards the end. I felt like I was probably around a 9:40 pace with how I was feeling, but splits were actually a good bit faster. Kind of cool to have easy paces down around a 9-flat. 

Took part of my lunch break to work on some stretching with Adriene. Love this set of awesome, free YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kOCY0KNByw&t=1721s


Wednesday
Did: rest day
...in the form of 10,000+ steps at a project site visit.


Thursday
Did:5.04 @ 9:30/mi avg
Nice and easy run with a couple good hills.


Friday
Did: bootcamp and cyclebar
Had the day off work, so I doubled up on workouts :) Started the day off with bootcamp, and loved being able to knock out a strength workout at 5:30am, and enjoy some downtime and breakfast before joining Courtney for a free Cyclebar class at 8:45. 

I've been to one Cyclebar class before (see Saturday's blurb in this entry). The music and the camaraderie help make stationary cycling less monotonous, but I can't say that I'd ever consider including spinning in my regular training. I prefer being outdoors. :)

I decided to this class because:
1) Courtney was doing it, and it's always fun to spend time being active with friends
2) It was free (new location opening = free promotional classes)
3) I wanted to spend my day off work doing things I couldn't normally do, and attending an 8:45am fitness class is definitely something work impede

It paid off. We burned about 400 calories, enjoyed some team challenges (even bike numbers vs odd bike numbers), did a little arm work (lifting a weighted bar while lightly spinning), and had fun together. Next time, though, I need to remember that bike shorts are important, even for a 45-ish minute ride. My seat was sore for the next two days :P  

...and we saw another RL going to the class after ours--- bonus!

Saturday
Did: 5K warm-up @ 9:43/mi, run/walk 5K race with Jody @ 10:32/mi, walked another 2+ miles around Warrior Dash, then did 5K Warrior Dash (obstacle/mud run light) with work peeps in a little under an hour... otherwise known as "Beast Day Returns"? 
ATC had a low-key community 5K/10K race this morning. Of course, I was going to run it... just to spend time with our ATC friends. I knew I wouldn't be racing (due to my calf, not training, and this being an awful, hilly course). I also knew that I wanted a long-ish run, but had no desire to do the 10K distance (which is two loops of the 5K). 

Brandi and I met up early with plans for a two mile warm-up, 5K easy race, and one mile "cool-down" (if you can call it that since we weren't planning on racing the 5K). However, with a quarter mile to go in our warm-up, we found Courtney heading out for her warm-up, and ended up turning around to run with her for a total of ~3mi pre-race. 

For the actual race, we ended up deciding to join Jody, who was going to run/walk it due an injury. When you've got a race you don't have any goals for, what better way to get through it than spending the distance with a friend you don't get to see very often? Plus, Jody and Brandi had kept me company during the 10 Miler a few years ago when I was run/walking (due to being 8mo pregnant). It was fun to trade positions and be one of the support crew members for a change. 

my bump support crew <3 

The race started off a bit rough. We'd planning on running the flats/downhills (probably between a 9-9:15/mi pace, which is comfortable for all of us) and walking the inclines. The first mile was primarily run, but we got stuck at a very uncomfortable pace (10:30-11:30/mi) because WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE self-seed incorrectly at these things (GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!). The crowd never really thinned out, but we were able to eventually get to a place where we could run (or walk) at a comfortable pace. 

lots of climbs... the best part of the day was knowing we didn't have to go back for a second loop :) 

This course is full of out-and-back "fingers", which means you get to see and cheer for so many people as you pass by each other. Between that and each other's company, we had a fun, social 3.1 miles. 

#10KTuesday representing :)

After Singleton, Jerry and I darted home so that I could shower and change for my second race of the day: the Warrior Dash, with my company. I'd been asked to organize another company team-building fitness event, like I did for Tough Mudder (at 10 weeks pregnant). I knew I wanted to do a mud run (because it's much easier to get people to do something "cool" like that than just a normal run). There are three main mud events I'm aware of in the Atlanta Area: Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, and Spartan Sprint. 

TM is a half marathon length course, billed as a team event (obstacles generally require some level of teamwork or assistance), full of mud, and definitely requires training. 

Spartan comes in varying lengths, but the sprint is a 5K distance. It's more of an individual event, though many people do choose to do it in a group. If you can't complete an obstacle, you do 30 burpees before moving on. Training is required to complete obstacles.

Warrior Dash is, IMO, a light version of a mud run. It's incredibly welcoming and encouraging. Obstacles are built more for fun than challenge. I chose this race because of the date it was on, but it ended up being a pretty good one to accommodate different fitness levels. 

While we had one new employee sign up for this one, he didn't end up being able to come. Two of our previous runners weren't available this weekend for various reasons, so it was just four repeat runners and a fiancee. We would all run (or walk) at whatever pace we wanted, and then wait for the rest of the team before going through the obstacle to keep the team atmosphere. 

Structural Engineers "Driven by the Challenge"

While I had a good time being the coach/motivator for our team, I think I would enjoy racing the course hard myself sometime. We finished in a little under an hour, and I think I could easily do the course in under 30min since none of the obstacles would really hinder my time much. Maybe something for next year? 

Sunday
Did: relaxed
Baby boy is with his grandparents this weekend, which meant I got to catch up on sleep, housework, and enjoy a morning where I had zero obligations to anyone. So nice!