Sizzler 5K: Week 3/4

Week-beginning Thoughts:

I really like this having only four weeks of training thing. It's a really manageable, bite-size way to come back into the game. 

Monday
Scheduled: LIIFT Circuit

Did: LIIFT4 Circuit Week 6
Yassss, I woke up and worked out before work today! 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, solid middle, 1mi CD

Did: as scheduled, mas o menos= 6.53mi @ 9:18/mi avg
So moist. Uggggh, Georgia in August. Can't wait for Run-tober. 
I didn't really pick up the pace until the third mile, 'cause we were having great group conversation, but then I did :)

10:17

9:41

9:09

9:14

8:58

8:42

closed at 8:17/mi avg

Feeling good about these "solid-y" runs, especially after struggling so much with Sunday's "tempo". 

Wednesday

Scheduled:  LIIFT4 Circuit, easy 5K

Did: LIIFT4 Circuit and Shoulders, 3.12mi @ 9:20/mi avg

Got up, did the lifting (minus the HIIT part, because I figured that would be taken care of my run later), walked a mile before PT, PT, and then an easy 5K. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 15min WU, 10min tempo, 8x200/200m, CD
Did: as scheduled = 6.01mi @ 8:42/mi avg

I wasn't feeling very fast this morning. It's been a miserable week of weather, with overnight "lows" in the high, humid 70s. The tempo on here was pretty great once I got there, though. Depending on which watch I believe for distance, it was either a 7:18/mi or 7:45/mi pace, both of which are good. 

The 200s were mentally tough. I always run intervals based on track markings, but, for some reason, I programmed my watch workout to go off distance. I have no idea if the track we run on it actually 400m, can't see clear marks, etc. but normally go off of landmarks when I'm doing a workout. Today, I was "waiting for the beep", and it wasn't a consistent distance visually. I hated it. 

No idea what I actually ran. Garmin had me at 200m with paces between 5:40-6:18/mi-- probably a too fast estimate. Polar had me around 6:30/mi, which means I didn't actually run 200m, but did it at a respectable pace. Either way, this was a worthwhile workout that left me feeling stronger than before. 

Friday

Scheduled: LIIFT shoulders
Did: nada... well, I did PT and some push-ups, but nothing real.

Saturday

Scheduled: 11-13mi
Did: 13.13mi @ 9:58/mi avg plus 2.2mi stroller walking

Felt great on this one. Started off not feeling like running a half, but knowing I needed to do for my training (after all, it's week 3/4), and telling myself it didn't matter how slow, but I was going to get the distance. TP and I had a great 10mi together, and then I finished up. By the time I was solo, I felt good. 

Sunday

Scheduled: LIIFT4 Legs, 1mi WU, 15min tempo, 1mi CD
Did: only the run, as scheduled, = 4.23mi @ 9:39/mi avg, PT

Didn't LIIFT today, but go my stroller tempo run in-- 8:31/mi avg, and felt much stronger on it than last week. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 33.0

Week-ending Thoughts:

Really happy with how this short cycle is shaping up. 

Sizzler 5K: Week 2/4

Week-beginning Thoughts:

I'm looking at this week like I look at lap 2 of a 1mi race. This should be the fun week. :) 

Monday
Scheduled: LIIFT 50/50

Did: hot 3.15mi @ 9:29/mi avg

Another Monday morning where I didn't get up to workout before work. I really should reconsider making that part of my plan, eh? Fortunately, I was motivated enough to go for a run during kiddo's sports practice that evening. It was hella hot, but I was so proud for getting it done. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 2mi WU, 6xhill, CD to 10K

Did: 6.31mi @ 9:52/mi avg
Husband's sick and I felt tired, so I bailed on the hill repeats and just ran easy instead today. Solid decision. 

Wednesday

Scheduled:  LIIFT4 Circuit, easy 5K

Did: LIIFT4 Week 5 Back/Biceps & Chest/Triceps, 45min walk
Didn't do the 5K, but have "caught up" on workouts for the week. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 15min WU, 4x800/400m, 15mi CD
Did: as scheduled = 5.63mi @ 8:50/mi avg

Still don't feel 100%, but man am I grateful to have an illness in the house that I can run through and doesn't take me down. I thought about trying for the 3:44 I remembered seeing on my Indicator sheet today, but that seemed hella fast... especially when my first two-lap closed in at 3:54. That said, after seeing my fourth, I probably could've/should've been pushing a bit more throughout.. 

3:54

3:53

3:47

3:34

Friday

Scheduled: LIIFT shoulders
Did: LIIFT4 Week 5 Shoulders and Legs, PT 

Right arch is sore after yesterday's speedwork, so I did my PT (really need to be better about proactively maintaining that) and got the rest of my lifting workouts done for the week.... then ate half a pizza and ice cream from the container. Some nights are like this. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 11-13mi
Did: 13.19mi @ 9:54/mi avg

Really proud of this one. Got up and met TP for miles at 4:30am, then continued after she stopped at 10mi, and even sped up and felt GREAT. My last mile was a sub-9 :D 

Sunday

Scheduled: WU, 15-20min tempo, CD, LIIFT4 Legs
Did: as scheduled = 5.03mi with stroller @ 9:40/mi avg

Started today with sleeping in, watching the World Cup, eating an omelet, and then made it out to the river for a stroller run closer to 10am. I was NOT feeling it today, but wanted to get something done. The warm-up was hot and I had tired legs, and the tempo never really felt like I got into gear, but it got done. 

Tempo segment: 1.73mi @ 8:40ish/mi avg.... pretty pitiful for a "tempo" push, but maybe that's just where I'm at these days

Total Weekly Mileage: 33.3

Week-ending Thoughts:
Good long mileage, solid lifting, and maybe starting to get a handle on this year's "normal schedule". 

Sizzler 5K: Week 1/4

 Week-beginning Thoughts:
I've been kinda thinking about signing for for a 5K for awhile, just to have something to train towards and see where I'm at. I was hoping for a smaller charity 5K, but also wanted it to be on Labor Day weekend, since that's the only weekend I know I'm free for the foreseeable future. Atlanta has a pretty popular 5K/10K on Labor Day, but I was hoping to not pay $50+ for a 5K. Unfortunately, the other courses I found on Labor Day were either geographically inconvenient, hilly, or not USATF certified. If I'm going to pay money for a race, I want to at least have the potential to use it for my Peachtree qual time next year.

So, I bit the bullet this week and paid over $50 for a 5K, telling myself the money is going to a good cause and recording that contribution on our family's "donations" wall, even though you could argue this isn't a completely altruistic and selfless donation of funds. 

I spent part of my weekend half-assing a training plan for the next four weeks. I was surprised at how "low" my weekly mileage remained when I thought I was putting in a good bit of work. It's hard to get 30mpw for me these days, and that makes my eternity of 40-50 seem absolutely incredible when I look back on it. There's a lot of things I look back on now and think, "Man, I was a rock star". 

The plan I wrote gives me 5 days a week of running, stays around 30mpw, and incorporates LIIFT4 strength training. Tuesdays are 10KTuesday (obviously), but always have some other work component so I'm not just out there putting some easy 9:40 miles in. Thursdays are track days, with a variety of intervals that I pulled from random training plans, which may or may not be the right duration/quantity/effort for a 5K. Saturdays remain long runs of 8-13mi. Sundays are stroller runs, sometimes with a bit of tempo. And then I'm trying to add at least one short/easy run day between MWF.

I literally have no idea what I might be capable of these days in terms of a goal. I think that if I can sub-25 the 5K, I'll be thrilled. 

Monday
Scheduled: LIIFT 50/50

Did: LIIFT 50/50
I meant to get up and do this before school/work, but it didn't happen. I am super proud, though, that I got home and committed to doing this myself before dinner.

Tuesday

Scheduled: 2x2mi "solid" (8:45-9:15/mi) with 1/2mi recovery between during 10KT

Did: as scheduled (9:14/8:29, 9:00/8:42) = 6.33mi @ 9:14/mi avg

This guy felt SO GOOD. I was expecting to have to work to keep myself under 9:15, but something clicked and I was quite happy and not working too hard to hit the paces I did. In fact, I had to slow myself a little on the back half to not get down to that 8:30 I did in mile 2. All in all, a great first workout "back". 

Wednesday

Scheduled:  LIIFT4 Circuit, easy 5K

Did: PT, 3.14mi @ 9:23/mi avg, LIIFT4 shoulder lifting

Schedule miscommunication with my partner --> didn't run before dropoff. Instead, hit up PT where we focused on my wrist (from the fall/sprain in '22) instead of my foot because my foot is IMPROVING A LOT. After that, the weather was cool enough, so I opted for a short run around the suburb. I struggled to get myself pumped enough to do a whole LIIFT workout afterwards, so just did the lifting instead. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 15min WU, ladder down 5/4/3/2/1 min with 1min recovery around the track @ 90% effort, CD to 5-6mi 
Did: yaaaaaaas, as scheduled 5.46mi @ 8:34/mi avg

This workout felt SO FLIPPING GOOD. I didn't have anything in mind for my ladder pace, just wanted to keep it hard. The one minute recoveries were tough and a different vibe for me, but I'm so proud of this execution. 

Friday

Scheduled: LIIFT shoulders
Did: LIIFT4 Legs

Felt a scratchy throat in the morning, like I'd had popcorn stuck in my throat. A few coughs, and the fact that a friend (who I haven't seen in a month) let me know her kid came down with COVID, and I was right back to my anxiety-filled PTSD-ish feelings of 2022. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi
Did: 2mi walk

Didn't have much hope for this happening as planned. I had chorus rehearsal until 10pm Friday, chorus rehearsal at 9am today, and was going to be at a kids sports thing after. All the tiredness. I texted my TP Friday night to let her know I was going to move the long run to Sunday, but did get a 2mi walk in over chorus rehearsal's lunch. 

Sunday

Scheduled: WU, 15-20min tempo, CD
Did: 10.08mi @ 9:38/mi avg

Within the first mile, I felt normal. Grateful for my health. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 25.0

Week-ending Thoughts:
Not a bad week. Low mileage, but solid runs for the ones I did. 

Training... kinda

 Week-beginning Thoughts:

Monday

Did: 2.11mi @ 9:21/mi avg on 'mill, LIIFT 4 Week 3 Shoulders

Tuesday

Did: 10KTuesday @ 9:25/mi avg

Wednesday

Did: nada

Thursday

Did: 1.5ish mi WU, 5x400/400m, CD = 5.22mi @ 9:14/mi avg, LIIFT4 Week 3 Legs

Friday

Did: nada

Saturday

Did:11.1mi @ 9:48/mi avg + 2.2mi run/walk with stroller

Sunday

Did: 5.64mi with stroller @ 9:42/mi avg, plus lifting from LIFT4 Week 1 Chest/tTriceps, PT

Total Weekly Mileage: 30.4

Week-ending Thoughts:

Back to school next week. Maybe back to normal routine? LOL. I say that every week....