5K Training: Week 5/12

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Lots of big changes this week.... first full week of work in six months, first week at a new school for my oldest kid, first week back at chorus after holiday break... I'm just trying to keep on top of it all.

Squad Goals

Monday

Scheduled: rest
Did: 10min of yoga
Took a few moments to just breathe this morning. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 6.3, hills

Did: 6.6mi @ 10:11/mi avg (4xhills), Big 2

Incorporated three repeats (4x up the hill total) of a monster hill just off our typical 10KTuesday route. No speedwork on it-- just getting up the hill running was enough of a workout for today. 

120' of gain in 0.34mi = beastly

Also went to chorus in the evening-- first rehearsal back after December's holiday break. SO nice to be there, but, man, did I crash HARD when I got home... Fortunately, my husband took the overnight wake-up with the baby. Unfortunately, my phone died overnight and my alarm didn't go off... 

Wednesday

Scheduled: XT

Did: 5min of HA yoga in the evening...
Today was, yet again, proof that, if I don't workout before my family wakes up, I don't work out. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 1.5mi WU, 6x200(0:44)/200m, 1.5mi CD

Did: as scheduled,  4.66mi total @ 9:23/mi avg, Big 5

Incredible night of sleep (thanks, littlest baby!) = up at 3am of my own volition for some personal email catch-up, and then off to the track for a workout. 

It was a little weird to have more than a mile of warm-up/cool-down, but I definitely needed it for this sprint workout. 

Splits:
0:42.0
0:44.8
0:42.4
0:43.6
0:42.4
0:42.5

All solidly in range (esp when you consider the lag in crossing the line and stopping my watch). I had mental trouble keeping my core engaged with such a hard speed effort, but thought this was a good workout. 

Friday

Scheduled: 4mi easy

Did:

Since I'm doing Friday runs on the comfort of my own treadmill, which is a great pace-regulator, I decided to switch this from a pure easy run to a little bit of a tempo. On Thursday, I had the following in mind:

What? You don't make Excel tables with unit conversions for your workouts?
Why not?

...but I didn't end up doing that. I was too tired to motivate myself to do anymore than just get ON the treadmill, so, instead, I did:

1mi @ 6mph
1mi @ 6.2mph
1mi @ 6.4mph
0.75mi @ 7mph
0.25mi @ 6.2mph

Saturday

Scheduled: 12mi fartlek

Did: 12.08mi (2mi WU, 8mi fartlek, 2mi CD) @ 9:23/mi avg, Big 5, 1K with kid

This run was mentally really hard. My training partner and I agreed to do this fartlek thing visual-style, with each of us calling out a landmark and pace so we had an idea of how far/long we'd do each interval. Due to a hillacious route, we decided to give ourselves 2mi warm-up , and then we began random sprint, tempo, slight-push, and easy intervals. 

After about 2mi of this, I 'felt like we'd gone muuuuuuuuuch further than we'd actually gone. So, maybe having the first fartlek in forever be part of a double digit run wasn't the brightest idea... 

We made it through a total of eight miles with the fartlek style, and then agreed that two miles of cool-down was appropriate. :)

Sunday

Scheduled: 4-5mi easy

Did: 4.35mi with double stroller @ 9:46/mi, Big 5

This run felt hard to start (t's been awhile since I've run with the double), but ended up feeling alright. Definitely glad to have had a shake out run after yesterday's fartlek.

Total Weekly Mileage: 31.69

Week-ending Thoughts:

I am so glad that I'm "just" training for a 5K. After my first week of full-time work + kids + training + chorus, I really feel like I'm at about the max that I can reasonably handle. I don't feel overwhelmed or overloaded on any front, and I'm glad to be able to keep it that way, while still feeling like I'm training. 

I think this year is going to be "the year of the short distance race" (though, TBH, that'll probably be every year until my kids are grown enough to not need me much on the weekends... lol). 

Game plan:

• February 1: Hearts and Soles 5K-- Time Trial
• March 1: Publix 5K- Goal 5K
• March 2-April 10: no real training
• April 11: Revive my six-week Miler Method training plan
• June 20: Atlanta Road Mile- Goal Mile
• July 4: Peachtree Road Race- Fun run
• July 9-11: USATF Masters Outdoor National Track and Field Championships
• August-October: focus on Sweet Adelines (international show chorus competition), keep up runs for run
• October 25: Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon, with baby in stroller- break 2:00
• November: Atlanta Lab Rescue 5K- competitive showing
• November 26: Thanksgiving Race of sorts- fun run
• December: maybe find a fast Christmas 5K 

Sizzler Training: Week 4/8

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Can't tell if my legs are injured or just sore/tired.... 

Monday

Scheduled: rest/yoga

Did: 1hr yoga

Yes. This was just what I needed this morning. Ran through two Yoga with Adriene videos, plus a Caroline Jordan calf stretch one. Feeling sore, but proud of taking care of myself and listening to my body.

Tuesday

Scheduled: 8mi easy, 2xstrength circuit

Did: 8.25mi @ 9:33/mi, 2xstrength, Big 5
Fit my two strength circuits in pre-run today. I think one of my goals for this training cycle is to actually DO all of the small strength workouts Coach prescribes along with my runs... heheh. 

Run felt fine enough. I've had what I'm dubbing "at-risk calves" for a little while-- basically that slightly tender sensation I've gotten before calf strains in the past. They're fine to run on, but I'm paying enough attention to my body to know I need to treat them gingerly. I ran with calf sleeves today (as protection? as a safeguard? as a placebo? who knows...) and was no worse for wear at the end of it. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 20min WU, 8x60s hill jogs, 20min CD

Did: 5.49mi @ 9:37/mi avg, Big 5
I really like having a Wednesday workout. I think making Mondays a "rest" (yoga) day, as scheduled, is going to work well for me in the future. I met some teammates early for the warm-up and, even though I did the workout by myself, it still helped to know they were/had been out there too. 

too bad Garmin doesn't understand appropriate y-axis scaling for elevation charts...

Thursday

Scheduled: 20min WU, 30min fartlek, 20min CD, 2x strength circuit

Did: 7.58mi @ 9:14/mi avg, 2xstrength, Big 5
Another day I'm grateful for my teammates. I woke up really hoping that it would be thunderstorming so I could bail on this workout and cuddle up in bed a little longer. Nope. Not even rain. 

We opted against the track today and decided to do a road run, which meant I'd be randomly speeding up and slowing down while the others ran straight. To help me not have to think, I programmed a "random" series of time-based intervals into my watch. Every few minutes, it would beep at me to let me know to change paces. Before it beeped, I would make a decision on whether my next "interval" would be recovery, moderate, or fast. I think it worked out well.

Got back to the house, absolutely drenched (it didn't rain, but we did have 100% humidity-- barf), stretched and finished up with my strength circuits.

Friday

Scheduled: 30min strength

Did: 30min weights, 1mi @ 9:30ish on treadmill, 2.5mi walk
Got some good lifting in this morning while traveling. Also did a mile on the treadmill because I wanted a little more of a HR boost before sitting around in meetings all day. Finished the day off with a nice walk home from the team dinner. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: 5.03mi @ 9:03/mi avg, Big 5
So, maybe running solo through a college campus where there were panther sightings (11 years ago, when I was in school there) the morning after discussing a colleague's experience with a mountain lion during a hike through Yosemite was NOT the brightest idea. I spent the first two miles thinking about how running solo in the dark was a stupid, stupid idea, and second-guessing every single sound in the woods. Then I made it to campus, and the sun started coming up, and it was awesome. That said, I literally only saw two other people (including cars with occupants) during my entire run, and both of them were other runners when I finally made it to the dike around 6:15am. 



Run was faster than planned, but felt good. Calves are feeling much better, though I'm still rocking the sleeves because they make me feel better. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 11mi easy

Did: 11.01mi @ 9:43/mi avg with the stroller, Big 5
Woke up with suuuuuuper sore shins? NO idea where that came from, but my best guess is due to booking it down the hills yesterday at Clemson. I was grateful to have had a plan and a couple accountability partners to keep me on track.

I had one of my running mamas start before dawn with me (and her kiddo). We used the opportunity to teach our munchkins about the importance of safety gear.

The run felt more or less good. I had a small bit of right hamstring soreness around mile 5, and a couple miles of struggling when we were running on a heavy cross-slope on the main road. It was nice to split the run up into two parts. After the first six, we took about a 5min break to drop lights at the cars and meet another mother runner (and her little one) for another outing. I finished off feeling like I could have done another three... even if my kiddo was definitely ready to be done. 

besties

Total Weekly Mileage: 38.4mi run, 1 strength session (in addition to the little 10min or less circuits Coach has me doing), ~4mi walking

Week-ending Thoughts:
Whelp, we're halfway through training, and I don't know that I'm really any stronger or faster? Like, I'm sure this training is doing something. Maybe I should give the fact that I just had an almost-40-mile-week (and traveled) and feel like it was an "easy mileage" week some credit? Certainly that says something about my training. :P

Next week, I'll be starting back as a Run Leader for the Atlanta Track Club's In-Training for the Thanksgiving Half program. I'm excited to be involved with that again (the last time I was a RL was Fall 2016), but it will require a bit of adjustment for my Saturday schedule. I'll probably end up doing my long runs Sunday and letting Saturdays be "easy mileage", depending on the training plan... which I hope to get today. 

Sizzler Training: Week 2/8

Week-beginning Thoughts:
I'm shocked that anyone else with a family, full-time job, and 5-day-a-week commute ever works out  at all. The lengths I go to to maintain my running are bonkers.

Monday

Scheduled: 20min WU, 8x60s up hill jog/jog down, 20min CD

Did: as scheduled, 5.74mi @ 9:50/mi avg, Big 5
This run was a struggle-fest. Having to start at 4:30am solo wasn't very fun, but that's what you gotta do to get the miles in sometimes. Unlike past hill workouts, today's wasn't about pace, just running up and down a hill for muscle training. I thought it would be easy since I could go as slowly as I wanted. Noooooope. 

By the second time up this monster, I felt like I was walking up stairs instead of running up a hill. Fortunately, my new commute is excellent prep for this (I climb about 6-8 flights of stairs to access mass transit). I felt like I was totally slogging reps 3-8, especially at the grade change, but actually kept all but one split under 10:03/mi. Guess it just felt slow because of the incline.

prescribed grade was 8-12%, so I did a little bonus...

Tueday

Scheduled: 8 easy

Did: 8.17mi @ 9:35/mi avg, Big 5

Oh, hey there, more normal-looking pace. This run was moist: #10KTuesday, 100% humidity edition. Blergh. I do enjoy how I feel during the day after running 8 before work, though. Started before 5am again to get all the miles in, and was grateful for the company. Had another bit of right high hamstring issues, more post-run than during, so I need to focus some time on that guy.

Wedneday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 10min weights, 10min walk, 13min circuit training, 10min hamstring PT

This was a "fit-it-in-when-you-can" kind of day. I wanted to capitalize on my rest-from-running day to get in some prehab-type stuff. Did some weight lifting while having breakfast with the kiddo, half a round of bootcamp (legs+core) while playing cars and trucks (holding a plank = making a bridge for my little one to crawl under), and then some serious hamstring lovin' before bed. There is definitely something going on with my right glute/hamstring/hip flexor area. It's not bad yet, but I can tell it's happening. Hoping to stave it off with PT and getting a standing desk. 

Bonus workout: taking the stairs on my commute
It's about 150 steps up from the train station to the sidewalk

Thursday

Scheduled: 20min WU, 20min fartlek, 20min CD

Did: as scheduled, 6.97mi total @ 8:37/mi avg, Big 5

Opted to do this workout on the track, since fartleks are a hard workout to do "together", and some teammates had various reasons they might need to stop early. Coach said the fartlek was a collection of easy/medium/hard bursts for 30s to 5min-- whatever we felt. I can't do "random", so I used the track markings to make my own intervals as I went along. It turned out pretty good. I felt a lot slower than I was too, so bonus there. 

I could definitely tell there's something funky with my hamstring today. I was fine running, but noticed a decided difference in my muscle sensation between sides on my faster intervals. Lots to stretch out. 

wee, farlek

Friday

Scheduled: rest

Did: rest

Considered yoga this morning, but opted for sleep and cuddles instead. Also, got my standing desk setup at work. Yay. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 7 easy

Did: 7.3mi @ 9:39/mi avg, Big 5

Great run with the trio back together again. Narrowly avoided a huge thunderstorm too, so that was a nice bonus. We were dry the entire run, until a little drizzle in the last half mile. Once we were all in our cars and exiting the parking lot, the sky opened up and the thunder erupted. Win. Hamstring felt fine enough during the run (and after), though I noticed my right glute was definitely dead/numb/asleep. Improvement. :)

Sunday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Did: 5.53mi @ 8:40/mi avg, Big 5

Zero hamstring/glute issues today-- SO glad that this was as quick/easy of a fix as it was. Just don't sit on my butt for 8+ hours a day, and I'm fine. I can work with that.

My husband and I got to run together this morning, which is a real rarity with my team's schedule and general life logistics (not to mention pace differential). He's a good 60-90s/mi faster than me on any given day, depending on what our workouts and weeks have been like. Every time we've run together in the past year, it's been a bit frustrating for him to slow down enough/me to run fast enough... and to just get used to running with someone "new", since I run with my teammates and he normally runs solo. Today, though, everything worked out swimmingly. 

My legs have felt super fresh with this five-days-a-week running, so I planned on running closer to 8:30s for him... but didn't say anything. I was so proud after the first few miles when he asked me if I was setting the pace or he was, because we were clocking 8:30s, and he wanted to make sure I could hold that pace for another four miles. Yep. Sure can. :) 

The run was awesome. Not only was the weather cooler (68 with a breeze!), but we also had a route that took us through sections we'd used as courses when we led the Peachtree training site together, three years ago when I was pregnant. It was fun to reminisce on the run about days past and ponder the future together. 

...and, of course, post-run brunch makes everything even better :)

Total Weekly Mileage: 33.73mi (another light mileage week, in my book)

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Super-relieved that my hamstring has gotten better, and that I'm now aware of what triggers that feeling and how to avoid it
• I'm not sure I like this training plan. Similar mileage, but having to cram in multiple runs over 6mi during the week is TOUGH since I do all my running before work. Also, I miss doing double-digit runs on the weekends... 
• I'm crushing this food prep thing. Clean eating just about all week long. :) It was much easier to fall back into this routine than it was to start it for the first time in January. Hooray, healthy habits

Another Recovery Week

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
After some weird left foot plantar fasciitis type stuff, I'm taking it easy this week to let everything rest up a bit. I'm still running, just with zero speedwork and a little less mileage. Next week, I'm hoping to start a little more training for whatever events I end up doing at national. 


Monday
Did: bootcamp
Forgot to take a picture of the boards today. Pretty sure we did 45s work/15s rest, 4x through:

1) ropes
2) box jumps (rounds 1&3) /step-ups (rounds 2&4)
3) 44lb KB deadlift to high-pull
4) suspended chest press/suspended tricep extension
5) jump rope
6) ladder drill/moving plank with hip slap
7) high/low cross sit-ups

The finisher was 3 fence runs. Wanting to take it easy, but incapable of letting a chance to run in 60 degrees pass me by, I just did one, and then headed out.


Tuesday
Did: 10KTuesday, 6.33 @ 9:10/mi (Whaaaat?), Big 5
Used KT tape on my foot as a sort of "security blanket", and enjoyed a surprisingly easy 10KT this morning with the crew. I was shocked at the pace when I we stopped; it had felt a lot slower/more comfortable than a 9:10. 

super-even splits too!
(after the warm-up mile)

Wednesday
Did: 2mi @ 9:10/mi, Big 5, bootcamp
Had a surprisingly fast two miles this morning (sub-9 for the second mile). Enjoyed a great day of kettlebell work at bootcamp.

1) 26lb, 2) 35lb, 3) 18lb, 4) n/a
5&6) 35lb row-18lb push, 7) 26lb, 8) 44lb

skipped the runs since we'd done 2 before

Thursday
Did: 1mi WU, 24min 1min/1min fartlek, 1mi CD
Total: 5.09mi @ 9:08/mi avg, Big 5, 15min abs, 1.5mi walk/run with stroller
No time for much commentary today. Followed B's workout, but took the fartlek super easy-- probably around an 8min/mi for the push part and 9min/mi for the recovery. 

Did some ab work over lunch to get some stress out (Thanks, YouTube!).

Then took advantage of the first gorgeous weather we've had in forever to enjoy the park with my kiddo this evening. I'd planned on just walking a lap and then going to the playground, but, as soon as the buckle was clipped, a little voice said, "Maybe we run a little first? Then go to playground?"

How can you turn that down? <3 So we ran a bit, and walked a bit. 


Friday
Did: bootcamp, 1.5mi lunch walk

Tempted by the beautiful sunshine and warmth, I enjoyed a fully unplugged lunch today. Instead of eating at my desk, half working and half clicking through news feeds, I left my phone in the office and brought my lunch to the park. Best choice ever. 


Saturday
Did: 11.14 @ 9:28/mi avg, Big 5
After having to start our long run at 5:30am one Saturday awhile back, we've all kind of realized it's freaking awesome to be done with double-digit miles before 8am, and have made it "the norm". While I miss running the river and the greenway (because we won't do those before dawn), it's been fun to explore well-lit roads on foot, and tie together a few familiar routes to get more miles. 

I was a bit nervous about the distance today. I've only really been "back" for six weeks. Couple that with these foot issues, and I wasn't sure how today was going to shake out. Fortunately, running with B&B pushed all of that stuff to the back of my mind. We went at a slow, comfortable pace. I didn't look at my watch once. I didn't even have mile autolaps turned on (that's wasn't intentional). I just chatted with friends and enjoyed the run. 

elevation profile

I had a little bit of soreness on my left arch to start, but nothing demoralizing. For all I know, it could've just been the feeling of my tape under my sock. Throughout the run, I had a few instances of tightness in my left IT band, right glute, and right hamstring; it all seemed pretty fluid thought, so I'm not concerned. We got through the run, and I loved feeling like I could have gone another four miles beyond that, as long as I still had my crew with me. While these long runs are certainly good training, they always just seem like an extended hangout with friends. :) 

Sunday
Did: 3.0mi @ 9:21/mi with stroller, 2.75mi run/walk @ 10:46/mi avg with stroller, Big 5 (delayed)
Double run morning with the running mamas today. Loved feeling NOTHING in my foot today, and enjoyed full morning of stroller miles with friends. 

Total Mileage for the Week: 31.16mi (so much for easy?)

Week-end Reflections:

• With Saturday's 11 miler leaving zero residual anything, my confidence is back. Endurance is back. Strength is back. Now, I just need to get my speed back.
• I'm thrilled to have had ZERO foot issues on Sunday and hope to be able to return to speedwork after giving myself one more week to recover. 
• My dietary changes have become "the norm". While I'm super proud to say I'm over halfway to my weight goal, I'm even happier that the clothes that had been fitting snugly are back to fitting well. I'm feeling better about myself, and am so glad I've stuck with it. I've broken so many bad habits, and feel no desire to return to them. 

Mile Training: Week 1/6

Monday
Scheduled: 2mi + 5 strides, strength
Did: strength

​

It's taken a couple weeks, but strength training finally feels "routine" again. This morning's workout was a good, hard bodyweight circuit with: v-ups with hip lift, squat jumps side to side, tuck jumps (these were fun!), Hindu pushups, extended planks, prisoner lunges, burpees, and runs. Lots of legs = burning quads, but a good workout. It's still amazing to me how differently this boot camp does the same exercises that the one we didn't like did... Ex: 2x10s of tuck jumps as part of a larger circuit instead of 2min of tuck jumps. :P

Jerry shared a RW article last week about how doing 30 burpees a day could improve running times and has been doing it himself. I made an attempt once, but decided it wasn't something I wanted to commit to. Doing Matthew's workouts twice a week is good enough for me right now.

Also, found out too late (at 10am, once I was at work) that my coach had scheduled a run for me today, so I've already missed a workout on my training calendar. Oops. >_< 

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10KTuesday PRO
Did: 10KTuesday, PRO (10:00/mi down to 7:21/mi)
I was kind of excited to see a progression run on my plan for #10KTuesday this week. It's been awhile since I've had any sort of plan/goal for my longer runs, and the idea of starting slow and getting faster was exciting.

...and then I clicked on the description:

My 5K race pace is a 7:20...  Uggggggggghhhhhh

...and then the forecast looked like this:

Blergh.

...and I've had a tight spot in my lower left calf for the past few days (thanks to stroller running hill repeats last Thursday without a good warm-up). It's not stingy or tender like a strain or tendinitis, so I'm 100% sure it's just a tight muscle. I've been diligent about rolling and heating it, but was still a little concerned.

^and all of that is the typical "mind games" I start playing with myself when I have a hard goal I'm training for. "Oh, what if I can't do it?" "What if it's hard?" "What if I fail?" " I need a reason excuse why I didn't do it." 

...but you won't succeed.

All of that was, of course, moot. I enjoyed a gradual warm-up and increase in pace for the first half of the run, took a short pause at the turnaround to wait for the rest of the crew (not ideal for a workout, but essential for #10KTuesday), and then jumped on it. The first mile back is where it started to get hard. I didn't want to run that fast, but knew I had to just hang on and stick with Blitz and C (~9:00) if I was going to have a shot at a <7:30 last mile.

Once we hit mile 5, I felt more confident (despite having to stop for a traffic light--errrggh). "Get through this mile at a low 8, and then crush the last one". I was well ahead of the rest of the group, and that gave me a little more mental resolve to keep pushing (since I'm usually the last one on 10KT). The last mile was definitely hard, but felt so freeing and soooooo good. I felt my quads engaging; I felt the strength of my legs; I felt the burn of going fast and pushing myself; and I liked it. 

elevation over pace

really proud of this run

Wednesday
Scheduled: rest
Did: rest, massage


Thursday
Scheduled: 2mi WU, 6x800m (3:35 start, increase speed progressively), 2mi CD
Did: 2mi WU, 6x2min/1min fartlek, 1.5mi CD
I've had calf issues since last week's stroller hills, and messaged my coach yesterday about today's workout. She'd wanted me to "see where I was" on speed, which meant I'd be pushing pretty hard. I didn't want to slack off on a workout, but I also didn't want to push and wind up injured. It's so nice to have someone to talk to when these things come up and feel confident trusting her judgement... instead of relying on a combination of Google and chatting with Jerry. 

The workout went well, and I got a pretty graph out of it.

Friday
Scheduled: strength
Did: 3.55 @ 9:32/mi avg
Out of town for chorus regional. I went on the most incredible solo run this morning through downtown Winston-Salem in torrential downpour. There's nothing like running through a total deluge with zero care for getting wet or running through puddles. Pure joy. 


Saturday
Scheduled: 9mi long run
Did: 10min yoga, 20min strength
Quick workout in the hotel gym before a day of competing with Song of Atlanta Show Chorus (and taking home first place) and performing with my quartet, Boss.

Boss.. Quartet

SOA Re-qualifies for International Contest!

Sunday
Scheduled: 3-4mi recovery run with stroller
Did: 9.01 @ 9:19/mi avg with Beth and SuperD
Pretty much every year after contest, my friend Beth and I meet up on Sunday morning for a run. We met singing in the Greenville Sweet Adelines chorus, and she was my biggest inspiration to become a long distance runner. During my first marathon training, she got up early with me after her chorus won the contest to run 18 miles with me. If that's not love, I don't know what is. 

Legs felt fine for the most part, but got a little tight at the end. I think whatever's in my calf is fine to run on, but is going to need a bit more attention to work out completely this week before I can push speed on it. 

running around Salem Lake brought back such great memories
it was our run last year, and the middle part of my 18 miler a few years ago

splits were pretty awesome :)
(and she was pushing an almost-two-year-old in a stroller)

<3 this place