Mile Training: Week 2/6

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
Uh... idk.


Monday
Scheduled: 3-6mi recovery
Did: 19min WU @ 9:40/mi, 4x30s hills + 4x45s hills (7:04-8:30/mi), 15min CD @ 9:51/mi = 4.84mi @ 9:46/mi avg, Big 5
Wanted an easy conversational run with my 10KT buddies, so I opted to take advantage of the Memorial Day holiday to sleep in and do hill repeats with B at 6am instead of our normal 5am or earlier. 

Hill repeats are HARD. Man, we haven't done these in like 8-9mo, and both of us were feeling it. Oof.

the "Home Depot" hill

Tuesday
Scheduled: 10-20min WU, 4x30s hills, 4x45s hills, 10-15min CD, core x2
Did: 6.3mi @ 9:37/mi avg, Big 5
Really glad today was a recovery run. Felt slow and heavy to start, but got into the groove by mile 5. Looking forward to not running tomorrow, but feeling strong. I've been consistently running 6 days a week for the past few months, strength training, eating right, and I love being able to draw on these accomplishments for strength when life chucks lemons. 


Wednesday
Scheduled: rest
Did: bootcamp
Kettlebellz FTW. 

 

Thursday
Scheduled: 10-20min WU, 10min tempo/5min rest, 4x200m/2min, 4x300m/2min, 10-15min CD
Did: 11min WU @ 9:46/mi, 10min tempo @ 7:18/mi, 4x200 (44,46,45,46), 4x300 (68,71,69,68),  10min CD @ 10:11/mi, Big 5
Thursdays are the HARDEST on this plan, but I love them so much... when they're done. :P

Tempo felt good, though I did hate remembering 3/4 of the way through that there was more to today's workout than "just the tempo minutes". 

200s felt GOOD. I focused on imagining myself as a strong runner, with kickass form, and found that my stride length got longer (cadence went down a bit), and I felt stronger. I didn't need to stop at the end of any of them. 

300s felt good, but harder. 300m seemed a LOT longer than the 200s. Probably because they're 50% longer. I found myself doing well for the first 100, then suffering from form on the second 100, and gritting through the last 100. That said, I wasn't absolutely dead on any of them and certainly could have forced more speed out of myself if I needed to.

My 200s were in-line with a 6min mile, but my 300s were more like a 6:10. Still, better than any of my mile times to date. It'll be interesting to see how this training cycle shakes out. 

blue = pace, grey - HR

Friday
Scheduled: 3-5min easy
Did: 3.06mi @ 9:18/mi, Big 5
Great stormy, rainy run with my husband. 


Saturday
Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 15min tempo, 10min CD, 2-3s strength
Did: 20min WU @ 9:30ish, 1.12mi with stroller @ 7:30/mi, 10min CD @ 9:30ish, Big 5... forgot strength
Today was the Braves 5K/1Mi race. SInce ATC was allowing strollers in the 1M this year, I opted to do that to show my support/gratitude. It wasn't quite the 15min tempo prescribed, but I ran for around half the duration at somewhere near tempo pace, pushing a stroller, up some sizeable hills.... so I"ll call it a workout, even if it wasn't what I was supposed to do. 

Race itself felt easy. Definitely not like tempo miles. To be fair, though, there was a significant downhill at the start of the race, which helped my speed. I didn't feel the hill nearly as much as I had last year, despite having a stroller this time. Finished strong, but not out of breath at all. 

Highlight of the day, though, was watching my little one in the 50m-- actually knew what to do, insisted on running "by self", listened to instructions, and ran the whole time! SO proud.

Finished the afternoon with a stretch session, focusing on glutes and calves, which both really needed the attention. 


Sunday
Scheduled: 7-11mi long run, 2xcore
Did: 13.1mi Peachtree Half Marathon @ 9:09/mi avg, Big 5, 2x strength, 2x core
I'd heard about a Peachtree course run meet-up through some friends and decided to join in. It'd be a nice change of scenery from my regular greenway/riverside runs, and a nice way to get double digit miles by doing an ONB on the one-way course. Definitely felt like an easy run throughout (I didn't even realize we'd climbed Cardiac until well after the summit). Pushed the pace at the very end to get a 2-hr half. 

Came home, recovered for a bit, and then did my 2x strength and 2x core sessions.

Total Weekly Mileage: 37.8

Week-ending Thoughts:

Everything I can control turns out great. I'm an incredibly effective planner and even better executor. Everything I can't control is absolutely sucking right now, and it's pretty rough. Grateful to be able to run through it all. 

Mile Training: Week 1/6

Week Beginning Thoughts: 
Running can be whatever you need it to be: an escape, a way of challenging yourself, a chore, a penance, a vacation, etc. 

I'm starting mile training again. I don't expect to come anywhere close to the times I was hitting last fall, but this will give me some speed, some endurance, and something to focus on, besides how things aren't going my way in other areas of my life right now. 

(last time I did this)

Monday
Scheduled: rest
Did: 2mi walk, stretching
Just stretching my legs over lunch.


Tuesday
Scheduled: 10-20min WU, 8x30s hills, 10-15min CD, core
Did: core, 25min WU @ 10:02/mi, 8x30s hills (paces from 7:10/mi to 6:52/mi), 25min CD @ 9:56/mi = 6.23mi @ 9:50/mi, Big 5 
I was ready to "get it" on this workout... until we started and my legs felt heavy. lol. The hills felt good... until the third one, then they got hard, but manageable-ly hard.  

Paces: 7:07, 7:02, 7:21, 7:27, 6:52, 7:10, 7:00, 6:57 (i.e. all over the place)
Who knows how accurate a GPS watch really is over such a short (30s) duration, though. I felt like I got something out of the workout, which is the important part. 

Got peer-pressured into an extended cool-down to hit our 10K, and was truly shocked to have taken over an hour to run the distance. Like, I know we jogged the downhills on the repeats, but, really? 


Wednesday
Scheduled: 3-6mi easy
Did: 3.77mi @ 9:08/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
I literally couldn't wait to end my work day, pickup my running buddy from daycare, and hit the greenway together. I'd planned on an easy 3, wanted an easy 4, but flooding on the greenway forced an early turnaround. Legs felt tired to start (9:49/mi), but was easily and comfortably clocking 8:34/mi by the end... totally unintentional progression run. 

Thursday
Scheduled: 10-20min WU, 10min tempo/5min rest, 8x200/2min, 10-15min CD
Did: as scheduled, 6.24mi @ 8:39/mi avg, Big 5
I didn't want to do this workout, but I wanted to have done this workout. The tempo felt strange to do on a track, but I just tried as best I could to replicate a race-day 5K effort... and ended up nailing it with a 7:04/mi avg on my watch (which, even with the weird extra distance my watch gives me on the track, is still easily under my 7:30ish race pace). Took a breather, and then began the eight 200m repeats. 

I'd thought these would be easy since they're "only" 200s, but there were eight of them, and I'm sorely out of practice. We didn't have track marks this morning, so my distances may have been a little off, but times shook out well:

0:41, 0:44, 0:43, 0:46, 0:43, 0:44, 0:44, 0:42

For comparison, last year's times for this workout were  8:14/mi tempo and ~0:42-0:43 for the 200s. I think I'm in a good place. 

Friday
Scheduled: 3-5mi easy
Did: 2.07mi @ 9:12/mi avg, Big 5, bootcamp
A bit faster than usual pace for a "recovery" run, but sometimes you just feel like running faster. Enjoyed bootcamp too. 





Saturday
Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 10min tempo, 10-15min CD, strength circuit
Did: 10.26mi @ 9:07/mi avg, Big 5
Swapped Sat and Sun. This was a good, necessary long run with B. Lots of climbs (almost 500' of elevation gain, which is more than we've been doing for sure), and lots of sub-9 miles along the way. 

Sunday
Scheduled: 5-8mi long, core circuit
Did: core circuit, 15min WU @ 9:10/mi, 10min tempo @ 8:09/mi, 10min CD @ 10:03/mi, strength circuit
Forgot about my core circuit yesterday, so did that first thing. I liked seeing my workout as a task to complete, an assignment, and did my best to focus on seeing it as an accomplishment after I was done. The warm-up was probably a bit too fast, especially for sunny, humid, and HOT conditions, but sometimes you just feel like running fast, right? Well, it bit me on the tempo. My legs felt heavy and I felt dead. It showed in my pace. I let myself walk up the huge hill at the beginning of my cooldown, and then jogged it home. 


Total Weekly Mileage: 32.70

Week-ending Thoughts: 
This was a really good week to begin a training program. I'm glad I have something to focus on, accomplish, and take pride in each day. 

Why I Run

A conversation with some friends recently reminded me why I run. I run because I crave control, and running provides that.  When I'm getting near daily reminders that I'm failing in one aspect of life due to circumstances outside of my control, running provides a daily opportunity for me to have complete control over my failure or success. Running provides me with a daily sense of accomplishment, of overcoming a challenge.  

When I'm on the track (or the road), I have everything I need to be able to succeed. I'm reliant on no one and nothing beyond myself and my mental grit. Each lap, I'm focused on achieving my goal, and every step along the way, I know I'm making definite progress towards it. There is nothing in my way. There is no "wait and see" if things will turn out how you want. There is no "these things take time". There is no wondering if I'm doing it right, because my watch will tell me, objectively and accurately, at any given moment, where I stand. I know where the finish line is. I know how to get there. I know I will achieve what I set out to do. 

A run provides a comfort like nothing else can, and that is why I run. 

Some Semblance of a Plan

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
How am I going to get any runs in with so many days of thunderstorms? Ughhhhhhhh

Monday
Planned: 2mi + bootcamp
Did: 2mi @ 9:54/mi avg, Big 5, bootcamp
Without having an accountability partner at bootcamp, I would totally have bailed today. I'm finding myself less and less interested in being gone from the house in the mornings, and more inclined to just get up and do my own thing at the house for strength training so that I can eliminate the 30min of driving and be home to wake the kiddo and have breakfast with my family. 

skipped the fence runs since we'd already run 2 before class
loved all the oblique challenges today

skipped the run on this too

I do really love the class, the instructor, and the workouts, but I really do think it's becoming like chorus was for me: one more thing to have to accommodate in my schedule, even though I love it when I'm there.


Tuesday
Planned: 1mi WU, 4mi tempo (8:30-8:50), 1mi+ CD, maybe some track meet stuff
Did: ^yep, 6.38mi @ 9:06/mi avg, Big 5
I want to train, but I hate the pressure of training. lol. I opted for what I dubbed a "half-assed tempo" workout. My actual tempo pace is more like an 8min/mi. I wasn't willing to commit to that, but also wanted more than our usual lazy 10KT pace. Took an easy first mile and then ran: 8:41, 8:37, 8:42, 8:51. 

Sidenote: doing a hard workout on a day where you can't eat from bedtime the day before until 9:30am due to a health screening is a BAD idea. OMG, I was so hangry all morning. But, good news is that all my numbers have improved from last year. Hooray, diet changes. 


Wednesday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: 3.11mi @ 9:22/mi avg on the treadmill
Slept in after a late night at the track meet, but got a 5K in on the 'mill between work and daycare pick-up. Nothing exciting here. 


Thursday
Planned: some sort of speedwork evaluation... indicator?
Did: WU, Indicator (13:38), CD = 4.78mi @ 8:42/mi avg, Big 3 (only did some of the stretches)
I was really excited by the idea of doing an indicator, until I realized that meant I would have to actually do one. I love the idea of being in-training again, but am struggling with the mental side of that. If I'm in-training, that means I actually have to exert effort, to try, etc. I haven't done that with running on any sort of regular basis since last year's failed mile training cycle. It's a weird shift to have to make again. 

The warm-up to the track involves a steeeeeeeep climb. During marathon training, it was no big deal. I even remember doing hill repeats up it at one point. Now, it's a struggle just to get up it, evident by the 10:43/mi pace. 

I chose to do the standard ATC 3K Indicator run to get a good idea of where I'm at fitness-wise for any interval goals. You could argue I don't need a 3K time to tell me that, but I like math, and numbers help me feel better connected to my training. 

A 3K is 7.5 laps on a standard track. I joked with my training partners that today's workout was 7.5 laps of misery (they had repeats or ladders), but it wasn't all that bad. During the first lap, though, I realized I had NO idea how to run an indicator. I didn't want to go out too fast and die after a mile, but I also didn't want to take it too easy. I half-remembered my old time as being around 14min, so I set a tentative goal to hit that... but didn't want to try to hit splits, because that would artificially alter my time. 

Instead, I just ran by feel, making sure to tap my watch each lap, but intentionally NOT looking at it. Here's how things shook out: 

isn't that just the prettiest little progression run you ever did see? 

solid negative splits- could not have planned that better if I'd planned it

The first 2-3 laps sucked. I hated how out of shape I felt. I wanted to stop. But I also wanted to keep going. A mile in, I congratulated myself on doing a "fast" mile and still feeling like I was fine, like I could have talked to someone if they'd been next to me... which meant I was too slow? I focused on my arms. I focused on my form. I played mind games with myself. And then I had two laps... one lap... a half lap to go. 

It felt good to be done. It felt good to have pushed myself. It felt GOOD to be on the track again. 

... and, hey, this was my fastest indicator to date: 13:38 (though, to be fair, all of the others I've done were during or just after pregnancy).

new goal times

Based on the 5K time, I'm a bit slower than I was a year ago, but not too much. These will be good splits to hit moving forward. 

Friday
Planned: easy 5.6mi to/from work volunteering thing... or 2mi+bootcamp if weather is crummy or maybe just a rest day
Did: 2.08mi @ 9:54/mi avg, Big 5, bootcamp
Slow and steady progression two mile, followed by a bootcamp workout that felt like it was designed just for me-- SO much oblique work! 

Saturday
Planned: 12mi with stroller
Did: 9.02mi @ 9:41/mi avg, immediately followed by 3.01mi on treadmill @ 9:21/mi avg, Big 5
Friday morning, there was 65%+ chance of rain or thunderstorms all evening/Saturday morning until around 3pm. I obviously couldn't run in thunderstorms, but even rain would limit my stroller miles (the max I'd do with rain would probably only be 5-6, and I'd need a guarantee of no t-storms to take my little one out). So, the girls and I opted for an early run (sans stroller) instead, which was forecast to be "only" pouring rain. 

...then we woke up.

No rain. Win.

I'm so grateful for my teammates. They got up at 3:XXam to run with me. We definitely did the whole "workout before you're awake and your body knows what's happening" thing today, though. Not much conversation, just a lot of getting through the miles, sharing random thoughts that popped into our heads. I had to be back at the house by 6am to takeover parenting duties while J when to coach, so I was grateful (again) to have a treadmill available. I literally ran right into the house, down the stairs, and hopped on the treadmill with less than a minute of "downtime" after finishing the outdoor 9. A baby monitor, water bottle, ipad, and fans helped me get through the last three miles of the 12 I'd planned for. 

...and it looks like we didn't even need to change things.
Starting at 7am with the stroller would have worked after all.

Super proud to have make this run happen despite the challenges (weather + parenting). And, hey, bonus: I ran 12 miles and was showered before my little one even woke up. 

Sunday
Planned: easy 4mi with stroller or rest
Did: 4.67mi @ 9:47/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
Had a lot of foot issues the last half of Saturday and some this morning. I've decided that it's certainly a muscle thing and that I shouldn't use a lacrosse ball on my foot, because I always have problems after doing that with this injury. Bleh. 

Did an easy mile solo before the girls arrived, just to have some one-on-one with my little one, and then enjoyed another 3.5ish with the gang.

Total Weekly Mileage: 35.08

Week-Ending Thoughts:
I'm sick of waiting for this phantom project to start and putting everything on hold. It's been a "no go" for the past three months, so I've decided to say "f-- it" and am starting the Miler Method plan again next week. I'll either get a fast mile time in six weeks, or I'll finally be working on said project. Both outcomes are acceptable, and by starting the mile plan I've put myself in a win-win situation instead of being angry/mopey/irritated waiting for the project to start. 

Also, it didn't rain on ANY of my runs this week. WTF, weather people... 

Foot Issues Continue, But Whatevs

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
Sure is difficult to plan when you don't know how your body is going to behave. Grumble, grumble.


Monday
Planned:2mi + bootcamp
Did: 60min Peloton Class
Wanted to rest my foot for Tuesday's track meet , but still get a solid calorie burn. Enjoyed pushing through a 60min Peloton power/endurance class pre-work. 


Tuesday
Planned: 
Did: 30min weights/abs, 2mi @ 9:20/mi avg, iced, 5x calf stretches, taped, 3.58mi WU @ 8:51/mi avg, 1mi @ 6:45/mi, 0.5mi @ 9:23/mi avg, Big 5
I got up and did some weights and abs (because I'd missed bootcamp yesterday). 



And then got a short 2mi in with the crew, assuming I'd do 1.5mi WU/1mi hard/1.5mi CD at the meet. This worked out well. 

Also, All-Comers: Grand Prix MIle

Wednesday
Planned: eh, I don't even know
Did: 0.88mi warm-up @ 8:24/mi, 4x800/400m, 1x400/400, 0.94mi cool-down @ 10:00/mi avg, Big 5
I didn't particularly want to do speedwork on a weeknight, in the sunshine, when it was 82 degrees out, but I did want to spend time with my husband, so I went to the ATC speed workout tonight. My legs were tired from yesterday's track meet. It was hot. I was still stressed from the workday. It was hot. MARTA was delayed on the way home, which irritated me. It was hot. Oh, and the schedule had 1200m repeats. 

As soon as I got to the park, though, I was happier. Despite it being really hot (have I mentioned that yet?), it felt nice to be back at the river on a Wednesday night. Before becoming parents, we used to come here all the time together for the ATC workouts. I talked with a few other participants before the workout (yay, social time!), and attempted to shake out my legs. 

another couple pic :)

I knew I would NOT be doing 1200s today, but wasn't really sure what a good workout would be. I ended up deciding to do 4-5 800m repeats. My goal time for these is usually 3:30ish, but, it was hot, so I figured I'd come in closer to 3:50. (spoiler alert: nooooooooooooope)

We did some dynamic warm-ups, and then I took off with Jerry for the 1mi-ish warm-up. The warm-up felt awful. Probably because, yet again, I was running WAY TOO FAST for a warm-up. Lesson learned: don't warm-up with people who are faster than you. :P Thought my warm-up average was an 8:24, the first half (that I ran with Jerry) was much faster, because I slowed to a low-9 after he left me at the half mile mark. 

The workout itself was H.A.R.D. 

1st 800: OK, this isn't so bad. Just keep moving. 3:41. Respectable... but you're probably gonna regret that in a bit.

2nd 800: Yep, already regretting that. Can't move. Ugh. Really? I'm gonna do this next one in 4:00? That's an 8min pace. For speedwork? Seriously? I can't even run half a mile 
slower than my 10K race pace? 3:53. Definitely walking a bit of the recovery.

3rd 800: Uggggghhh. Am I done yet? 0.21mi? Not even halfway? Uggggghhhhh.

4th 800: I checked my watch four times on this one, willing it to click up to 0.5 faster. It didn't work. This was a struggle-fest. 4:05. That's slower than an 8min pace. For speedwork. 

Walked a bit, then decided to do one last "hard" interval to get far enough away from the start for a decent cool-down.

400: Nope. Not happening. Just keep pushing. Your best effort varies from day to day, and pace doesn't matter. 2:00. Good thing pace doesn't matter.

So, it wasn't the speedwork session I wanted, but I didn't really have any ambition for an actual good, well-thought-out workout anyways. I pushed myself a bit, in uncomfortable weather the day after a hard mile, when I've done speedwork maaaaaaaaaaybe four times since September? Not too bad.

The worst part of running shirtless is that there's nothing for you to wipe the sweat off your face/body with. :P

Hung around, did a cool-down, STRETCHED, changed clothes, and then went out for some well-deserved tacos with my gazelle. 

TACOS!

Thursday
Planned: there was no plan for today
Did: 4.06mi @ 9:49/mi avg, Big 5
Recovery run FTW. Oooooof. 


Friday
Planned: 2mi + bootcamp
Did: yoga
Could've done the workout this morning, but decided that a rest day was in order after three pretty tough days. Plus, I wanted the morning with my family. 


Saturday
Planned: 10-12mi with stroller
Did: 10.14mi @ 9:30/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
Stroller runs are my fave, guys. I love spending 1.5-2 hours out on the paths with my friends and my munchkin. ZERO PF problems, and no real strain/bruise trouble either (finally got the foam support pad in the correct location!). Legs and everything were a bit tired from the week, but it didn't hit me too hard until mile 9. 

Sunday
Planned: 4-5mi with stroller
Did: 5.41mi @ 8:52/mi avg, 0.65mi @ 7:45/mi avg with stroller, 0.86mi @ 9:50/mi avg with stroller
It's been quite awhile since I've run with my husband, and I wasn't particularly happy about the fact that we have quite a large pace differential these days. Even using the stroller as an "equalizer", he's still a good bit faster than me. It took us a couple miles to get into the groove (in regards to both pace and running WITH each other again), but, once we did, it was great. 

Unfortunately, we arrived back a little late to meet up with the running mamas.  It took me a few minutes to clean off the stroller handlebar (Jerry had been pushing it), which meant I took off at a bit of a tempo pace to catch the other mamas. Not gonna lie, it was pretty awesome to see the faces of other riverwalk pedestrians, who had just seen me running alongside Jerry pushing the stroller,  as they saw me for a second time, pushing the stroller myself, and clocking some serious splits. Mother runner for realz. 

Had a good mile and a half with the other mamas, some walk, some run, and then met up with more mamas and babies back at the park for a picnic and fun with our kiddos. 


Total Weekly Mileage: 33.56 (run), 17ish (bike)


Week-ending Thoughts: 

• I really need to give myself more credit. I feel like I'm lazy, not training for anything, and just barely getting by with this injury stuff... and then I see another "over 30" weekly mileage total, and it's like, "wait, 30mi a week used to seem impossible to hit once, much less week after week"
• While my foot isn't quite what I want is to be, it's definitely getting better. I need to be super aware of walking around my yard, though, because, today (Sunday), I had another "mis-step" that agitated my right foot. It's fine enough, but, this thing can't possibly heal if I keep twisting it over random holes. 
• I didn't go to bootcamp at all last week, and kind of liked having more mornings at home. This may be a sign bootcamp is another thing like chorus, that I love doing when I'm there and can commit to it, but, otherwise, is another stressor to get to/from and schedule the rest of my life/day around.... 
• While it was TOUGH on my legs, and I know I shouldn't have gone from zero speedwork to back-to-back days of hard stuff, I did really love going fast again, and think I'm ready to try to train for something again. My foot injury is still there, but doesn't seem to be holding me back at all. 
• I'm considering doing another Miler Method camp. There's one that starts on 5/21, but I might just re-use the plan Coach Nick made for me last time around to save some $$$. 

All-Comers: Grand Prix Mile

Previous PR: 6:14
Goal: sub-7
Result: 6:45

It's track meet season! ATC's Grand Prix event tonight was the mile. I'd have liked to trained for this and see what I could really do on a track in a meet setting, but injuries have plagued me for the past eight months. 

Normally, I'd run my 10KT with the crew in the morning and just add extra miles at the track. Today, I decided to be smart, consider my foot issues, and not run a full 10K before sunrise. I taped up my left foot (PF) and used my foam insert from the podiatrist for my right one (bruise) as preventative measures, and hoped for the best. 

The meet was supposed to be a sort of "date night" for my husband and me. We've been kicking butt at the "divide and conquer" approach to parenting, while neglecting our own relationship a bit. So, when the grandparents asked to keep the kiddo for a few days, we took advantage by planning a date night at the track. It was really nice to be able to commute down and back together in a single car, spend the hour+ of sitting in traffic talking, hang out with friends together, and then be able to completely focus on our runs (which were past the kiddo's bedtime) instead of playing rock-paper-scissors to see who got to do the Grand Prix mile and who would be taking the little one back for bedtime. 

Look! We occasionally do things together! :)
Also, who wants to go sit and pay $$$$ for food as a date when you can run track for free?

I got a nice warm-up in with Jerry and Kathy (my masters T&F teammate) through the "rolling hills" of Emory University's campus. Neither foot hurt during the run, but I was definitely feeling the stress of the day during the warm-up....  it felt more like an actual run to me than a "get warm/get loose" jog. Probably because I was a sub-9 thanks to my teammates. :P 

I was in the first female heat of the night for the mile, which contained seed times of 5:30 to 7:30. I'd put in around 6:30 for mine, considering that's my body's "default" mile time as of the past couple years, but wasn't expecting anything better with all the foot stuff I've had lately. It was nice to chat a bit with some friends in my heat before the gun, and make some new acquaintances too. 

When we took off, my only goal was "don't do anything stupid". I knew I could easily go under 7, and just wanted to have a solid run, not embarrass myself, and not aggravate either foot injury. I felt good during the first lap (97s- on pace for a 6:28), and then started having foot issues.

...but not the type you're thinking of. Instead of a pain in either foot, I felt my sock (which I'd worn to help keep the KT tape ON) sliding off the back of my left heel, making me question if it was my sock falling off or my actual shoe. Ugh.

During Laps 2 (105s) and 3 (107s), I definitely started feeling something in my bruised foot (the right one), but couldn't decide if it was actually a pain or if it was just a weird sensation because I had the foam pad on my arch and was "stepping on" that with each stride. I slowed myself a little to be sure.

On Lap 4, I was ready to be done. I felt winded and tired, but not like a hard effort. Just a "yeah, you're stressed, not focused, and kind of out of mile shape" (I think this is only the third "speedwork" I've really done since Maryland) kind of feeling. Blergh. 

Tried to focus on using my arms, responding to the cheers from friends around the track, and do what Coach Bianca was yelling at me to do "eyes up, arms strong!", which helped me kick and pass another two women in the last 100m. Lap split: 97s.

final stretch

Did a short cool-down with Jerry around the track after his race, stretched, and preemptively iced up both feet when we got home.

Overall, it wasn't the race I wanted, but I'm content with how it went down for not having been healthy enough to train since September 2017.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Week-beginning Thoughts:
I really want to train for something. I want to have a plan. Nothing quite like a teammate crushing their lofty goal (of a BQ, too!) to inspire you to conquer your own challenge.

...but I'm scared that my body is too vulnerable right now and that, if I try to ramp up too quickly, I'll just get hurt and be out again. Ugh, mind games.


Monday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: DIY bootcamp, stretch
Kid woke up early, crying. Couuuuuld have probably tried to still go to bootcamp, but I would have certainly been late, or, at the very least, stressed. Not how I wanted to start my week. Used an old bootcamp routine that required zero equipment and got it done.

6: subbed out 15# dumbbell chest press
10/11: subbed monster bands on round 2

Finisher: 2x 2min jump rope, 10 burpees, 20 elbow-to-knee sit-ups

Also did 30min of stretching.

Tuesday

Planned: 10KTuesday

Did: 3.52mi run @ 9:46/mi avg, 3.15mi walk, Big 5, 1.05mi @ 8:51/mi avg on treadmill

Planned on running an easy 10KTuesday, but our newest BQ-er showed up to walk out her legs after Sunday's hard race. A couple of us ran early, and then walked miles with her to hear all about Eugene. Foot was not 100% normal, but felt fine to run. I'm looking forward to doing some longer stuff later in the week.

Went a little stir-crazy with work later in the day and got some stress out with a smooth mile on the treadmill. 


Wednesday
Planned: 60min Peloton class
Did: 4.07mi stroller run @ 9:04/mi avg, Big 5
I'd PLANNED on doing a 60min Peloton class around 11:30am, to get it done, shower, and return in time for my 1pm meeting. I had work stuff take a bit longer than planned, and didn't wrap up until 12, meaning I could either do a 30min workout or push it off until after my 1pm. I opted to delay. But then my 1pm didn't happen, and the 2pm I'd scheduled AROUND IT meant that I couldn't get a workout in until 3:30pm at the earliest. I'd been at work since 6:15, so I had two options:

A) hit a 3:30pm Peloton class at work gym, then sit through guaranteed 75+ min commute home in rush hour traffic to pick up the kid
B) jet home (~30min commute sans traffic), pick up kid, and go for a short stroller run

I opted for B, since the weather was great, I hate traffic, and I thought it would be nice to spend some time outside with my little one. 

Joke was on me, because, go figure, there was MAD traffic at 3:30pm. I didn't get home until 4:30, and didn't get over to the river until 5:15. UGH.

The run itself was great, though. I kept an easy pace (or so I thought), especially for my first sunlit, hot run in forever. Grateful to be healthy enough to move and to be able to spend some miles with my little one. 

Thursday
Planned: 4mi
Did: 4.07mi @ 9:49/mi avg, Big 5
It's REALLY nice to be back running with my training group again. I've missed these ladies so much. Today was an easy run with a bit of incline on the way back. Nothing out of the ordinary- just a normal awesome start to another day. 

Friday
Planned: 2mi + bootcamp
Did: 2mi @ 9:41/mi avg, Big 5, bootcamp

Saturday
Planned: easy 9
Did: 10.08mi @ 9:22/mi avg with the stroller, 2+ mi walking
With my husband leaving at 6am to coach Peachtree training, and my needing to be downtown by 8:45 for the kid's Peachtree Junior, I wasn't going to be able to do the mileage I wanted with my OTP girls this morning. Instead, I opted to go downtown early and stroller run solo. It's been a long time since I've run over an hour without a training partner to stay with me stride-for-stride, chatting away to keep our minds off the miles. I'm not gonna lie; I was really not looking forward to doing this run by myself. 

I had to make my own route, get myself out of the door (knowing that, if I were a few minutes later than planned, no one would be waiting on me, so it wouldn't really matter), and then keep myself going for multiple loops when I could easily stop at any point without acknowledging to anyone that I'd "cut off early". 

I was BEYOND grateful to have my little one with me this morning. Sometimes, having a toddler in tow is stressful. Today, though, it was just what I needed. We talked the whole way, and having a little voice chattering back made the miles fly by. I had a hard time up a few of the inclines and asked for some encouragement/cheers (and was turned down, "No, I don't want to cheer for you, Mommy."-- that was discouraging, lol). Overall, thoughit was a good run. Faster than planned, and WAY more enjoyable than I'd thought it would/could be. 

Miles 1, 6, and 10 = hills
Miles 8, 9 = feeling like a superhero

I"m going to be heartbroken when my little one outgrows the stroller. My favorite memories are the ones we've made running together.

bonus: after my/our run, the little one did Peachtree Junior

Sunday
Planned: easy 4
Did: 4.3 mi @ 9:43/mi avg with stroller, Big 5
Whelp. I spent Saturday evening walking around my uneven yard with my toddler, stepped in a soft patch, and think I've re-strained my bruised/strained right foot from the "I stepped on something" incident from two weeks ago. Lovely. Just. Lovely. I'm also feeling a bit of light PF in my LEFT (not the partially torn one from September) foot after yesterday's ten miler. Goody. Goody. Goody.  I don't think I've been healthy since my mile attempt eight months ago. Is this what it means to be in your thirties? 

I was able to run without much discomfort. Had thoughts of turning back in the first mile, but the discomfort subsided shortly (maybe due to adrenaline? maybe workign somethign out? maybe dulling the nerves? idk, but I kept running). Iced a bit when I got home. No residual anything, but I'm still irked about it. Really? Walking in my YARD is how I re-aggravate an injury? REALLY? WALKING? 

*sigh*

Total Weekly Mileage: 29.02 (run), 3.15mi (walk), 2 bootcamp

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I've literally had so many emotional highs and lows this week over running, work,a nd life that it's hard to summarize them all in a few bullets. Let's just stick with "I'm grateful to be running at all, in any capacity, albeit limited" and call it good
• Also, I suppose that if I'm to the point where I call a near-30mi week "blergh", I'm probably doing alright...