Miler Method #4: Week 5/6

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Blergh. Sick kids = sick mom. This is gonna be a rough week.

Monday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 3x3x30s hills (easy, med, hard) , 10-15min CD

Did: nope

I slept about 15 hours between noon yesterday and 6am today. Might try to push this workout to later in the week, might just skip it completely. 

I felt a little blergh in the morning, but back to 100% by bedtime. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy + 2-3xCore

Did: 10KTuesday @ 10:12/mi avg

Wasn't sure I was going to run today, so I told my training partners not to count on me and do their own thing. I decided to not set an alarm and just let my body wake me up when it had had enough sleep. If that was early enough to run, and I felt good, I'd run. If not, well, I'd be "listening to my body".

I woke up on my own at 4:21, felt pretty good, and decided to head out for an easy run. Before my watch hit 1.0, I was already doubting if this was a good decision. I was going much slower than usual (close to an 11min pace), but felt alright. I decided to let myself go a mile out, and then, if I was still feeling icky, to turn around. 

At the 1mi mark, I felt better, so I decided to go another half mile, and then repeated this pattern a few times, giving myself ample chances to turn around, cut the run short, etc. I ended up doing the full 10K, but, even now, I'm not sure if that was the right call. Guess we'll see how I feel this afternoon... 

Also, didn't do more core workout today. Oops.

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 35min weight lifting + 3.23mi @ 10:25/mi avg
I'd really planned on resting today, but some life stress sent me into full-on workout mode. I did the strength/lifting-only components of two of my favorite Beachbody LIIFT4 workouts back-to-back (chest/back/triceps/biceps) and then went out for an easy run in the afternoon with my kiddos. It was really nice to be able to push the little one in the double, while the older one rode a bike. While my pace varied widely with the older one's biking, it was really empowering to be able to take both kids to the greenway solo and get a good workout in with them.

 

Thursday

Scheduled: 10-20min WU, 10min tempo, 5-10min rest, 4x300@MP (45s recovery), 4min rest, 4x200m @ 43-44s with 90s recovery, 15min CD, 1 set strength

Did: as scheduled...well, minus the strength set :P

OMG, this workout felt SOOOOOOO good. 

WU: 1.53mi @ 9:49ish/mi

Tempo: 1.43mi (per Garmin) @ 7:00/mi

This felt really good this morning. 

300s: 63.3, 65, 65.7, 67.3 (Goal: 67.5)

I felt really good and strong on each of these. The last one is a few seconds slow because I didn't quite make it back to the start line before my watch beeped (stopped to re-ponytail my hair), so there's a little extra distance. Considering the 67.5 goal is for a 6:00 flat pace, I feel like I'm in really good shape for a fast mile. 

The past few times I've done Miler Method, my Week 5 speedworkout has been 4x400m @ MP, and I've done those all with a 6:00 goal pace... and varying levels of success.

200s: 40.3, 41.5 (Goal: 42-43s)

These felt GREAT. 

CD: 1.35 @ 10:00ish/mi avg

So.... yeah. I feel pretty awesome this morning.

Friday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy

Did: 4.01mi @ 9:40/mi avg 

I kind of felt like running an extra mile here to hit the minimum scheduled mileage... but didn't let myself fall into the trap of "making up miles". Besides, I'm already planning on going longer than I "should" for my long run this weekend. :P  

Saturday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy

Did: 10.22mi @ 9:30/mi avg, plus a few walks with the kiddos

Training plan had 5-7mi "in preparation for this weekend's harder workouts". Considering I already did the harder workouts (I've swapped days around from the prescribed order to fit my schedule better), and my training partner and I were both kinda wanting double digits, we opted for 10. It was really nice to run in the rain, and even better to get it all done before 6:30am :D  

Sunday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 15min tempo, 10min CD, 1 set core

Did: 1.25mi walk, run as scheduled (5.14mi @ 8:59/mi avg), 0.5mi walk, 1 set core

With my husband sidelined from running for a bit, I opted for a later run to still spend the morning together with our munchkins. We did a nice walk around the city center to see the scarecrow displays in the drizzle, without anyone else around. It felt absolutely magical to get out and about with my family, somewhere that wasn't the greenway or riverside path. 

After we got home, I headed out for my run. The weather was perfect: low 60s, slight drizzle, and full overcast. Beautiful. Tempo was a bit slower than I wanted, but I was also going uphill for the first bit.

First bit of tempo (uphill): 8:01/mi avg :P

Second bit of tempo (flat/downhill): 7:01/mi avg

Total distance = 1.96-- not quite the 2.0mi I'm normally gunning for on these, but I'll let it slide since I had so much elevation. 

Even managed to do my core workout after a shower and some homemade Larabars. ;) (diet has been much better this week, and I feel the effects of fueling better, too) 

Total Weekly Mileage: 35.4

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I feel so much better when I put better food into my body. 
• Homemade Larabars are like crack to me. I need to instantly put them in the freezer and bury them below lots of stuff.... otherwise, I eat them... like, ALL. 
• It's crazy how easily I get derailed from my strength training/core training. 
• I've got what could be a personally/professionally stressful week coming up. That could be a good thing to have accompanying taper week... or I might go crazier without running/working out. 
• Also, just realized my Thursday workout was actually 4x200m after the 300s, not 2. Crap. I guess I had 2 in my head since they were 200s... I feel pretty bad about screwing up a workout and slacking. Ugh. Oh well. 
• Mile trial is next week, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. :D If 6:00 doesn't happen this time, I have zero doubts I'm capable of it, right now. Just gotta make it happen. What an amazing feeling to have. 
• Also, bought a fun glittery workout outfit with some birthday money... It makes me feel happy :)