Miler Method #4: Week 4/6

Week-beginning Thoughts:

How is it almost October? So many of the default events I use to mark the passage of time (USATF Nationals, Peachtree, summer vacation, etc) haven't happened, and it's really throwing my mind for a loop. 

Monday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 4x5min tempo/90s recovery, 10-15min CD

Did: as scheduled = 5.57mi @ 9:09/mi avg

Man, I need to stretch more. As soon as I started running this morning, I had a tightness in both upper glutes that was almost debilitating. Eek. I was able to push through, though.

Tempo was hard. I think that's probably indicative that I shouldn't have swapped prescribed days around the way I did (i.e. in such a way that I ended up having back to back tempo days). Oh well. Even if I didn't hit the paces I wanted, I definitely exerted the right amount of effort for the day. 

Tuesday

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

Did: 2x Core, 10KTuesday @ 9:40/mi avg

Weee, did my core before the run today. Having someone else in the training FB group as a pseudo accountability partner is definitely helping with this. :)

My glutes still hurt a lot during 10KT. I think I've realized this is because I was trying to work on my forward lean during the weekend's runs (I tend to lean back when I run... a lot). However, instead of doing it properly, I was leaning forward at the waist, wreaking havoc on my upper glutes. Soooo, lesson learned. Don't do that. :P 

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: yoga

I set a stretching alarm a few times throughout the day to work on my hips/glutes, and indulged in some runners' yoga before bed. Here's to a better tomorrow!

Thursday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 4x70m pickup strides (faster than MP), catch breath, 2x200m @ goal 800m pace (0:40s with 2:30min recovery), 5-10min rest, then 800m (2:40=1:20/400m = 0:40/200m = 0:20/100m), 10min CD, 2-3x Strength

Did: mostly as scheduled, 4.48mi @ 9:13/mi avg (2:51.3 TT), plus 2x Strength

MM#4: 800m Time Trial

Friday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy

Did: 5.05 @ 9:53/mi avg

Mmm. Today felt really nice. 49 degrees, light breeze, and absolutely no repeats, pace requirements, hills, or anything "extra" assigned-- just run. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-12mi long, 2-3xCore

Did: 6.13mi @ 9:50/mi avg, plus 3.74mi stroller walk

Swapped Sunday/Saturday because we'd planned on getting up and out early to go apple picking. The original plan was to do this as a family run, but I was wide awake at 4:30am and really itching to just get it done. That was SUCH a good plan. The kids ended up being sick and throwing all plans out the door :P I'm glad I got my run done ahead of all that chaos.

The five easy felt good. I ran a new route as a "special treat" (lol) and then finished out with the strides. I'm still certain I'm not doing these "right", despite watching videos and such... 

Also did nearly 4mi of stroller walking in the afternoon to help the the littlest calm down and sleep a bit. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy + 6x100m strides (easy, med, med, med-fast, fast, med)

Did: 10.09mi @ 9:32/mi avg, 2x Core

Pretty sure I'm about to get sick with how my kiddos have been this weekend... Blergh. Glad today was an easy run day. Felt great during the entirety of our family ten miler, and even picked up the pace at the end. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 37.7

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm going to run a 6:00 mile. If it doesn't happen in two weeks at my trial, it will definitely happen soon. I feel so confident and so strong right now. 
• That said, my diet has sucked this and last week. Definitely need to get back on the veggie bandwagon and stop snacking on taco shells/banana bread. 
• Also, I really hope I don't get whatever my kids have. All the congestion.... :P 

Miler Method #4: 800m Time Trial

MM#4: 800m Time Trial

Scheduled: 

• 15-20min WU
• 4x70m pickup strides (faster than MP), catch breath
• 2x200m @ goal 800m pace (0:40s with 2:30min recovery)
• 5-10min rest, then 800m (2:40=1:20/400m = 0:40/200m = 0:20/100m)
• 10min CD
• 2-3x Strength

Did: mostly as scheduled, 4.48mi @ 9:13/mi avg, plus 2x Strength

I had a very fitful night of sleep, waking up a handful of times in the night, anxious about the trial. Blergh.

The last time, when I saw 3:45am on my clock, I figured it was close enough to my 4:05 alarm that I might as well get up. My legs were not awake, but my glutes felt much better than they have the past few days. Hooray, yoga/stretching. 

Warm-up

It was chillier than usual today (53), so I actually had to look at my "what to wear" spreadsheet to figure out what would be comfortable. I opted for shorts, calf sleeves/socks, and a singlet, with a light long sleeve for the warm-up/cool-down, and an earband. This was a good call. 

I could tell when I drove up that the lights were already on at the track. This was NOT a good sign. The track is usually pitch black. Now we had to worry about being kicked off by the school. :/ 

My training partner and I opted to warm-up on the roads instead today. If there was a chance we'd only have 5min of time on the track, we wanted that to be used for our 800m time trials, not for warm-up. 

The warm-up was hilly, but nice. My legs still didn't feel totally warmed up as we headed to the track for the workout, but I reassured myself by remembering I never feel completely warmed up. 

Strides

I hate being on the track when the lights are on. I feel so... exposed, like a fish in bowl. Plus, there's always the fear that football practice is going to start, people will show up, and we'll be asked to leave. 

Seriously, why are the lights on at 4:45am?!?!

I did my strides, trying to let my legs remember how to turn over, thinking about "greasing the wheels" instead of "using up fuel". I don't know what pace I did them at, or exactly how far I went, but attempted to do about 3/4 between the track's 100m marks, slowly making my way around the oval, with little recoveries in-between. 

2x200m

I knew these were supposed to be at 0:40, and I also knew I could do that. I did the first in 39, and it felt HARD. That's okay, though, it's supposed to hurt. 

I was supposed to take 2:30 recovery, but didn't remember that and only took 90s. 

The second one was exactly 40s. OK, cool. Now, just do that four times.

After the 200s, I was supposed to take 5-10min rest. Between worries of getting kicked off the track and neither my training partner nor I remembering this step (we recalled the "catch your breath" instruction, which was supposed to separate the strides from the 200s, instead), I only ended up taking three minutes to recover before the time trial. 

800m

My coaches advised me to try to hit the first lap in 85s, aiming for 2:48 (much more comfortable of a stretch goal than the original, rough estimate of "800m @ MP, subtract 20s").

When I started off, though, I had the original 2:40 "goal" in my head. I didn't think it was a realistic goal for me, but I also wanted something to strive for that would make me push as hard as I could. 

Let's start with the positives:

• No injuries.
• I ended up running the fastest 800m I've ever run. (wooo, PR)
• My splits were consistent/I was able to hone in on a pace and keep it
• I had a little left in the tank to kick.
• We did NOT get asked to leave the track.
• I learned what NOT to do. 

So, what went wrong? In a word, self-sabotage. In addition to not letting myself recover enough from the strides/200s, I did a really silly thing that I'm so embarrassed to admit:

I thought it was a good idea to lap my watch every 100m so that, "after the trial", I could see how my pace changed over the 800m.

My husband's reaction, when I told him after the fact, was a facial expression I cannot even begin to describe, and an incredulous: "YOU LAPPED YOUR WATCH EVERY 20 SECONDS?!?!?"

Erm... uh... yes. 

When you put it that way, it sounds just as ludicrous as it was/is. That meant every 20s, I was thinking about reaching across my body, then interrupting my stride/form to find and push a button, before returning to form. While it's not like I stopped to press the button, I'm certain this impacted my time by at least 2-3s because I was thinking about lapping my watch and going through those motions for a good portion of the very short time I was running... instead of, y'know, just running fast.

...but I have data?

(totally NOT worth it)

I could have had my partner record my splits, or only lapped at the 400m... or just realized there was no actual reason I needed this data whatsoever and NOT WASTED ANYTIME. :P

The run itself was tough. It hurt a bit at times, but I think I was more concerned about:

1) trying to listen for noises of people coming to use the track/tell us to leave

2) when my next stupid lap button press had to happen

3) "saving some" for the next lap, next 200m, whatever

than running as fast as I could. 

It was far more challenging mentally than physically for me, which I think is true every time I run a hard mile. I felt the same sort of "concrete block" feeling that I had during the West End Mile in 2017, where I knew I could go faster, but my body wasn't doing it.  My legs also felt like jell-o at times. Lots of feelings, and lots of mental distractions. 

That said, I still had something "in the tank" to kick a bit on my last 100m, which was a nice feeling. 

Actual Time: 2:51.3 (i.e. I totally could've/should've hit 2:48...)

Reflections

Despite PR-ing today, I'm not nearly as satisfied as I should be. I had a lot of distractions and poor choices that contributed to not running my best. Still, I think I've learned a lot from today's exercise that'll help me on the mile in two weeks. 

Oh, and I got my strength circuits done post-run, too. (sidenote: the planks were much harder than usual)

Miler Method #4: Week 3/6

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• I need to plan better this week. I'm going to identify all my target paces the night before my runs and determine when/how/where I'll get my core/strength circuits in. 

Monday

Scheduled:  5mi easy

Did: 5.04mi @ 9:30/mi avg
Oooh, I got over seven hours of sleep and woke up to beautifully crisp, fall air. It felt a little strange to put on a shirt to run (not even a singlet, like, a real short-sleeved tech shirt), but the wind was howling. Felt good, and was even showered before the rest of the family got up. Win.

..of course, I also started feeling sick again halfway through my work day. Blergh. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 2 sets of Core pre-run, 5-7mi easy, 6x100m strides,

Did: 5.59mi @ 9:31/mi avg, , 6x100m-ish strides, 2x Core
Had a 2am-3am wakeup with baby, but was able to get back to sleep afterwards (hooray, that's a rarity)... though my 4:10am alarm wasn't welcome. I'm used to sleeping in my running clothes, because it's one less barricade to getting out the door in the morning, but didn't do that last night since it was chilly. 

That was the wrong call. I struggled for another ten minutes to get out of my nice, warm bed, and probably would have delayed too long had I not been meeting my 10KTuesday crew at 4:50am. Lesson learned: always wear your running clothes to bed, and just throw sweats over them if it's too cold to sleep in shorts and a singlet. 

Pacing was consistent for most of the early miles. I planned on doing 5mi easy and then using the rest of the 10KTuesday route for strides, but we got to talking and I ended up delaying my start a bit. Still got in the strides, of varying lengths and paces, since I didn't have a track, but they felt good. Oddly enough, my recoveries were about as long as the strides, and not very slow (relatively). 

I wasn't really feeling like doing my core workout when I got back in, but, with my family still asleep, it was hard to justify NOT doing it... so I did. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 3.12mi easy @ 9:36/mi avg

Couldn't pass up 62 degrees and no wind... While I didn't have time for a full 5mi (my shortest prescribed "optional/easy run"), I figured something was better than nothing. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 10min tempo, 5min rest, 800m (2:56 = 1:28/lap = 44s/200m), 2x300m @ 67.5s, then 600m all-out.... then 10-15min CD, 

Did: as scheduled = 5.83mi @ 8:52/mi avg, 2x strength circuit

Today was a good day. I knew today was going to be a really hard workout, especially when I did the math on Sunday (weee, planning ahead) for what my splits needed to be. It was also going to be a really awesome day, though, because days are always great when you do something hard first thing in the morning. 

I cut the warm-up a little bit shorter than prescribed (because it lined up well with where I happened to be on the track/where I wanted to start intervals), and was about to set out for my 800 when my training partner said, "Don't you have tempo today?"

Oooh, yeah, I do.... Whoops. 

Tempo felt sluggish today. Normally, I feel pretty free on these, but today, I just didn't. Still, Garmin had me at 1.38mi (Garmin overestimates distance, but, for consistency, I'm comparing this value week-to-week), and I was only about 20-30m short of my usual distance. I chalked it up to poor eating and a stressful yesterday (two deadlines and a webinar presentation for 130 people during my 10+ hours at work), and mentally moved on. 

Previously, I've been taking the 5min "rest" as actual rest, jogging over to the start/finish line and just hanging out until my workout began. After reading a FB Q&A post with our coaches, though, I opted to turn it into an easy jog today. 

Soon, it was time for the 800. I knew my goal splits, and was ready to go. I was a little nervous about today. I mean, I haven't run a fast 800 since my last miler camp, and that was for a Time Trial. Today, I was supposed to run an 800m four seconds faster than what my mile pace would be... and it wasn't even Time Trial week (that's next week, btw). 

I took off, repeating the splits I had to hit in my head (44, 1:28, 2:12, 2:56) like a mantra. Oddly enough, I never actually checked these splits during the entire 800m. I felt like I was definitely working. My breathing changed to my race breath about 400m in, and I felt it. God, I have a "whole 'nother lap" to go... 

Having a goal time in my head, though, helped motivate me to push on. I did a 3:00 in my last time trial. Today, I was going for faster than that. 

800m:  2:53.9

HELL. YES. I didn't know it at the time, but, after looking over old race records, I'm pretty sure that's an 800m PR. Weeeeeee. Now I've gotta break that next week. 

I forgot to ask Nick and Sierra what my rest between intervals was supposed to be (it wasn't specified), so I opted to take between 90 and 120s, in line with other workouts. 

I was not feeling pumped for the 300s. These were at mile pace, which was fast... and I'd just run a really fast 800m. Oh well, gotta get 'em done... 

I didn't know what my splits were until I reviewed my watch output a few hours later, but was thrilled to see:

300m #1:  65

300 #2:  64.7

After the second 300, I was beyond glad to not have a "goal time" for my 600. It was just an "All You Got". I wasn't sure what I had to give after the first leg(s) of the workout, but I'd give what I had.

600m: 2:20.7 

This was so hard. I could tell my training partner knew I was struggling by the words she chose to cheer me on with. I felt slow. I felt tired, but I had a small kick on the last 100m... and was SO glad to be done. I'll be honest, though, this was not all I had physically. I could have gone faster, but I let the mental fatigue win by using the "eh, there's no time goal, it's just whatever you have... and maybe this is all you have, and that's okay". 

I could've gone faster. 

While my teammate finished up her workout, I did my strength circuits (check it out-- that makes two days this week where I've done the non-run components of my plan!). 

What a great start to the day. :D

Friday

Scheduled: 5-7mi optional

Did: some light lifting and yoga, but nothing significant

I didn't plan on running this morning. Instead, I used my morning time to tackle a deadline at work. Hopefully the 3mi I did on Wednesday makes up for not running today. It does in my mind, at least :) 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-12mi long, Core x 2

Did: 12mi @ 9:23/mi avg

I had so many various feelings and thoughts during this run. At 0.6mi in, I remember thinking, "How can we not even be at ONE mile yet?". As we approached the halfway point for our normal ten miler, my husband told the kids, "Mommy's got 12 on the schedule, so we're going past the tunnel today."

Oh, I guess we are doing 12 then....

Around 8mi, I started feeling pretty good. That was about the time my husband slowed down due to some heel pain, leaving me solo for the last four. I remembered my training plan had said something about picking up the pace if we felt good... so I did.

...and then walked another 1.5mi with the fam :) 

Sunday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 15min tempo, 10min CD

Did: Core x2, 15min WU, 15min tempo, 15min CD... and then more CD = 6.58mi total @ 9:09:/mi avg

Well, core didn't happen yesterday, but I did a couple rounds today before hitting the pavement for tempo. 

WU: 1.47mi @ 10ish/mi avg

Tempo: 2.04mi @ 7:21/mi avg

CD: whatever's left over... I keep trying to write this blog, but get through, like, half a sentence before the baby starts crying "mamá, mamá"... 

I ended up running a bit further on the cooldown than I'd planned. I wanted to close out with a mile walk post-run, but it started raining, so we had to get the kiddos back to the car. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 39.1

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I ate better this week, and felt better
• Sleep was also a bit better (yay, lower stress and more baby sleeping through the night)
• Still feeling like a near-40mpw is NBD
• I can't believe we're already halfway through this training cycle! I'm loving the workouts and feeling both intimidated and excited by the upcoming time trial. According to my plan, I'm supposed to go thirteen seconds FASTER than this week's 800m PR... Eek. 

Miler Method #4: Week 2/6

 Week-beginning Thoughts:

Um ,well, it's Thursday, so.... ? 

Monday

Scheduled: 10-15min WU, 3x3x30s hills (E, M, H), 10-15min CD

Did: as scheduled, 4.36mi @ 9:43/mi avg

Oh, what a morning. Up at 2am with the baby, and just kind of stayed up... Ooof. 

It was my first time varying the intensity of hill repeats, and I appreciated having something to make nine of them in a row more interesting. I did an easy jog up to one of the larger hills on a typical route, and was happy to find it long enough to do even 30s of hard effort up (in past training cycles, I've struggled to find hills long enough for my time period). 

Paces:

7:33

8:02

7:19

8:07

7:37

6:54

8:17

7:09

6:45

...and now it's off to work!

4:20am vs 6:20am 

Tuesday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy, Core x2

Did: 10KTuesday @ 10:15/mi avg, Core x 1

Today was a struggle of a run, and I was grateful to not have a workout on the schedule-- just a nice, easy 10KTuesday. 

Finished up with one round of core in my driveway... I really need to make better plans for executing these core/strength circuits. :P

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Did: 6.0mi easy @ 9:16/mi avg

With 65 degree weather this morning and a hurricane forecast for tomorrow, I couldn't pass up the chance to get out for some recovery miles this morning. I'll be honest and say I was really disappointed throughout most of the run to see how slow my pace was. I kind of thought that, since all my friends are running a ton faster "with no extra effort" thanks to the cooler weather, that the same would be true for me. Instead, I kept seeing 9:45/mi on my watch when I thought "surely, I'm going fast NOW". My last mile ended up being the only one in the 8s, and that was because I needed to get done and get to work. :P 

found a new pond to run around

Thursday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 10min tempo, 5min rest, 3x600 (@5K pace)/200 (@800m pace)/3min jog, 10-15min CD, Circuits x2

Did: 30min yoga/stretching

Hello, Hurricane Sally. Training partner and I opted to push track work to tomorrow and stay indoors with the 15mph winds and and torrential downpour happening at 4am...

Got in some yoga and stretching instead. Man, my hamstrings are not flexible....

Friday

Scheduled: 4-6mi optional

Did: yesterday's track workout

My legs and body were tired this morning, and I really wanted to stay in bed. Thank goodness for training partners! 

Warm-up was sloooooow (10:31/mi avg), but probably warranted. 

Tempo: 1.44mi by Garmin (always overestimates my track distance, but I'm trying to at least record consistently if not accurately) 

Based on my splits, I think I was going around a 7:00 mile, which felt really felt good this morning. It was another day of cool weather, which always helps. Finally, we're getting the sort of fall temps that I was hoping to capitalize on for a fast mile this camp!

So, yet again, I failed to properly prepare for this workout: I didn't know what my splits should be before I set foot on the track. In fact, I didn't even have an IDEA. I knew the 600s should be "at 5K pace" and the 200s were "at 800m pace". I attempted to figure this out on the tempo part of the run, which went something like this:

What's my 5K pace these days? Um... I PRed in February with 22-something, right? OK, so 7:30ish maybe? A 7:30/mi 800 is 3:30+ 1/2(30) = 3:45, so a 7:30/mi 400 would be half that.... 1:30 + 22.5 = 1:52.5 + 1/2 of that same time = 1:52.5 + 1/2 (60+52) = 1:52.5 + 1/2 (112) = 1:52 + 56 = 2:00 + 48 = 2:48. OK, 2:48 for my 600. 

How about the 200? Um, I don't know what my 800m should be, but let's say a little faster than a 6min pace. A 6min pace 200 is ~45s (I know these by heart after training for a 6min mile SO many times), sooo maybe I try for 40s?. 

Set 1

600: 2:19.3

Oh, s--t. That's way too fast. I could kind of tell when the first 200m of this guy felt hard that I might have been running fast... but my mind didn't really process what the goal of this workout was. Out of habit, I thought, "track = fast". This workout was different, though, and it was about building stamina on the 600s, but exhausting myself just a bit before digging down for the 200s... which needed to be faster than MP (mile pace). 

200: 0:45.5

Well, this isn't going well... but what did I expect after blowing it on the first 600?

Set 2

600: 2:35

This felt SO slow. I struggled a lot with keeping my pace "easy", and it was still faster than prescribed. 

200: 0:42.6

Well, nailed this one. OK, so this is what this workout is supposed to feel like.

Set 3

600: 2:39

I'm starting to get the hang of this now...

200: 0:47.6

...but then didn't shift my mindset for the 200s and realized I was NOT pushing at all on the last 100m and probably needed to, 'cause, y'know, this was the LAST push of the workout. 

I liked this workout a lot. I always struggle with mental stamina on long runs, so the 600s were a good challenge. It was something I've never done before (tempo + moderate interval/hard interval) and feels like something I need more of in my life. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 9-11mi easy

Did:10mi @ 9:28/mi avg, 2x Core

SO MUCH LIFE STRESS, OMG. I've only gotten like six hours of sleep most nights this week and just been emotionally exhausted. Of course, that meant there was nothing I needed more than a good long run with my training partner. I'm normally in charge of our courses, but met her this morning to tagalong on her typical route due to scheduling. It was so nice to just run, talk, and not even pay attention to when/where we were turning. Such a perfect start to a weekend. 

Got in a mile walk with the family, and some core work during the Clemson game, too, but felt kind of "blergh" in the evening and went to bed at 7:30. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 15min tempo, 10min CD

Did: 15min WU, 15min tempo, 28min CD = 6.46mi @9:02/mi avg

I woke up after almost twelve hours of sleep feeling better, but not quite 100%. I wasn't really sure if I should do tempo this morning, but figured I'd get out and just see how it went. I didn't have a pace goal in mind, and if I ended up doing a 9:00 during my "push" phase, so be it. 

It was 55 degrees this morning- our first morning in the 50s this season, which was nice.. but also made me second-guess my wardrobe. I ended up in shorts, calf sleeves, a singlet, earband, and a long-sleeve boatneck on top (that I planned on shedding into the stroller, which my husband was pushing). In hindsight, I shouldn't've bothered with the extra shirt and just used my arm sleeves. 

The warm-up felt nice: 15:00 at a little under a 10:00/mi pace. Then tempo began. I always have a loose idea in my head that  "good" 15min tempo for me will cover 2mi of distance (7:30/mi). Today, though, I didn't bothered looking at pace during the tempo, just ran "by feel". About five minutes in, I passed another runner who called out, "Great pace!", which was so encouraging. Thanks, random stranger! 

I ended up covering 2.02mi (7:37, 7:12 splits) and felt really good with that. 

Might go out later and get some extra miles of a walk/jog in while my kiddo bikes, but also wanted to get this entry up and posted and off my "to-do list". 

Total Weekly Mileage: 39.9 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• Nutrition has sucked this week. I've been SO carb heavy due to period-related hormones and emotional stress. Sigh. 
• It's a good week when you can run 40mi and not even feel like it was that much.
• Pretty sure I missed a few strength/core workouts this week. Obviously those aren't a priority for me... Might revisit that next week, but I think it's more important for me to get my nutrition back on track since that affects how I feel throughout the day more. 
• Running continues to be such a great coping mechanism for so much in life. I'm always grateful for the ability to keep doing what I love. 

21 Day Fix: Week 3/3 AND Miler Method #4: Week 1/6

Week-beginning Thoughts:

So, this week is going to be a bit interesting. I'm finishing up 21 Day Fix Extreme Real Time from Beachbody on Demand while also starting my fourth time through Miler Method. After my 6:08 PR mile earlier this summer, my training partner and I thought it would be fun to give the program another go in early fall, to take advantage of the cooler temps, and opted to actually sign up for the full program with Coaches Nick and Sierra Willis (instead of just repeating the plan I'd done with their training group back in 2016). 

Miler Method Histories: 

Roll the Tapes (a summary of #1 and #2)

6:08 (#3)

Since finishing our 10 days of 10 miles (10x10 Challenge) a couple weeks ago, I've had some knots in my lower calves, so I'm not really sure how this training cycle will go. I don't feel nearly as strong or healthy as I did going into MM#3 in June, but the weather's also better, and I've been doing a lot more strength/cross-training, so maybe it'll be good? 

Just like last time(s), I modified the Miler Method plan a bit to suit my schedule.As written, the plan was:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: hills/strides

Wed: easy

Thurs: tempo

Fri: optional easy

Sat: track workout

Sun: long run

I'm modifying it to:

Monday: easy

Tuesday: hills/strides

Wed: rest

Thurs: track

Friday: optional easy

Sat: long run

Sun: tempo (probably with the stroller?)

Monday

Scheduled: 5-7mi easy

Did: 5.35mi easy run @ 9:07/mi avg, 0.17mi cool-down walk, 21 DFX: Day 15- Upper Fix, 3mi bike ride with kid

I was a little nervous about my calves this morning, and wore my compression sleeves as a "security blanket" for the run. I'd planned on doing an easy 3 and, if I f felt great, I'd continue for another 2 to get to the lower end of my scheduled workout. I ended up feeling GREAT and did a little over 5, before cooling down with a walk. Hooray, awesome weather.

When I got home, I knocked out my 21DFX workout while my kiddo played outside with caterpillars. SO nice that it was cool enough to get a workout done outside. 

...then finished the day out with an easy 5.6mph bike ride with my potato. That was awesome. 

Tuesday

Did: 21 DFX Day 16- Plyo, Core Circuit, 6.29mi @ 9:58/mi avg (3x60s hills + 4x30s hills) 

Got up at 4am, which left me precious spare time to get through:

1) brushing my teeth and pulling my hair back

2) prepping my water bottle (shoulda done that the night before)

3) a 30min 21 DFX workout

4) the core circuit

and be out the door to meet my training buddies for a 4:50am 10KTuesday. 

...and then I forgot I hadn't input my workout into my watch.

...and then I realized I didn't know how to do that with my new (Polar) watch.

...so I wore both the Polar and my old Garmin (which got the workout programmed into it). :P

I didn't feel super confident in my calves today, so I kept the effort easy, especially since we hit the big hill in the neighborhood near the park. 

60s repeats:

1) 0.12 @ 8:34/mi

2) 0.11 @ 8:45/mi

3) 0.11 @ 8:44/mi

30s repeats:

1) 0.06 @ 8:32/mi

2) 0.05 @ 9:21/mi (thought I felt something in my calf)

3) 0.06 @ 9:05/mi (did feel something in my calf, but it moved downward as I ran, so I felt better)

4) 0.06 @ 8:06/mi (had training partner next to me as we did our last 30s one together)

Nutrition wasn't the greatest. I struggle with food every time I have to go into the office. I never bring enough :P 

Breakfast: Larabar

Post-run: Greek yogurt smoothie, protein mix + coffee

Morning: coffee w/whole milk, overnight oats (greek yogurt, strawberries, oats)

Snack: KIND protein bar

Lunch: spinach salad with roma tomato, carrots, celery, corn, and pork shoulder plus apple

Snack: roasted veggies (cauliflower, zucchini, celery, squash)

Dinner: roasted veggies with pork shoulder, chardonnay

Evening: a couple taco shells, peanut butter oat bar, deli meat, and some wheat thins  :P 

Wednesday

Scheduled: Rest

Did: 21 DFX: Dirty 30, 2mi walk

Got up and got my 30min workout in, and then enjoyed a morning walk on the phone with a friend before work. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 10-15min WU, 10min tempo, 5min rest, 200/300/400/600/2x200 (with 2min rest between), 10-15min CD

Did: as written (6.51mi @ 9:01/mi avg), 21 DFX Pilates, Strength Circuit

I love track days. I wasn't really sure how today was going to go, but was still looking forward to getting back into workouts. Today was a ladder at mile pace (6:00 goal)

Tempo: 1.38mi in 10min

200 0:39.8 (way too fast-- should've been 0:45)

300 1:05.4 (too fast- should've been 1:07.5)

400 1:29.4 (good- should've been 1:30)

600 2:30 (I took the "Do this all at mile pace (you can go slower on the 600 if you're feeling tired)" direction from my coahes a little too liberally)

200 0:46.6 heh... yeah, this was slow

200 0:43.0 stronger finish = yay

It felt nice to be back on the track, and I liked the variety in the ladder (though the 600 was definitely hard). Considering it's been a couple months since I've done any speedwork (with a focus on distance, via the 10x10 challenge, and a couple weeks off from running for my calves), I felt good about where I was at today. Plus, it's always great to go into a hard day of work already having accomplished something hard before 6am. ;)

The evening was a bit of a struggle for me. Miler Method workouts + my actual WORK mean I'm struggling to fit in the 30min workouts from 21 Day Fix. I'll be glad when this week is over and I'm "only" doing Miler Method for my workouts. I got the Pilates done after the kids went to bed, knocked out my Strength Circuit (from Miler Method) and then headed to bed.

Friday

Scheduled: 4-6mi recovery run

Did: 4.05mi @ 10:05/mi avg, 21DFX Lower

Uggggghhhh. Here's how my morning went:

2:15am start hearing baby noises

2:35am decide baby is definitely awake; get up, feed/change/put baby back to sleep

2:50am opt to go to the basement in an attempt to sleep without sleeping cat/husband noises

3:15am hear baby crying, but know my husband's on call for that

3:15-3:59am continue to hear baby crying, be unable to sleep or even relax

3:59am baby stops crying and appears to be back asleep

4:00am my alarm goes off

I'd planed on knocking out my 21 DFX workout, then heading out for a ~4mi run. That meant I'd need to get up at 4:00 if I was going to be done, showered, and ready by 6am when my family is up. 

...but SO TIRED.

I reset my alarm for 4:30 and decided I'd skip the 21DFX workout this morning (which meant I'd have to do it in the evening, UGH), and then, within 5 minutes, the baby was making more noises. 

I had two options:

1) continue attempting to sleep, which guaranteed the workout wouldn't happen, but I might function better at work... if I actually got to sleep

2) accept defeat on the sleep front and go workout, something I could control completely

I opted for #2, and enjoyed a nice recovery run, going super easy. 

Did lower fix after dinner, and was very grateful to go to bed knowing I only have two more of these workouts. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8-10mi easy, 21 DFX: Day 20, core circuit

Did: 10mi easy @ 9:57/mi avg, 1mi walk, 21 DFX: Cardio, core circuit

I've had a pretty good track record this year of 10mi (or more) runs every weekend, but took the last two off due to calf issues. It felt nice to be back on the greenway with my husband pushing the kids in the double stroller for what's become our Saturday morning ritual. I had a few times where my calves felt a little tight, but nothing that lingered long enough for concern. 

Used the baby's second nap of the day to knock out the 20th 21DFX workout (cardio), and finished off with the MM core circuit before watching the first quarter of the Clemson football game.... and promptly falling asleep. 

Sunday

Scheduled: 15-20min WU, 10min tempo, 10min CD, 21 DFX: Day 21, 

Did: 21 DFX Yoga, workout as scheduled + 1mi walk with stroller 

Baby woke up at a normal hour today (4:30), which meant I had an easy feed/change cycle before having about an hour to myself (before everyone woke up for the actual start to the day). While I enjoyed finishing off 21 DFX with yoga, I'll also be grateful for the extra time next week to do other things, like knock my run out early, sleep, enjoy some coffee and a book in my reading nook, or, more likely, pack my lunch for work. :P 

I wasn't sure what to expect out of my tempo run. I'm normally around a 7:30 pace, but had two "other" factors today:

1) I was pushing a stroller, albeit "just" the single with the baby

and

2) after a sneak peak of fall, the humidity is back in full swing. I hadn't even left my driveway before the weight of it felt heavy all over my body. Ugh. 

I ended up doing slightly more than 10min of tempo due to a missed lap button press on my watch, but was around a 7:47. Not bad. I probably should have run faster, though, since I definitely felt like I could've kept going at that pace for awhile... Oh well. Lesson learned for next week! 

gorgeous morning at the river

Total Weekly Mileage: 36.6

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm proud of myself for sticking it out for all 21 days of 21 Day Fix Extreme. It's a nice program, and I think I'll come back and repeat it again when I'm not also in the middle of a running training cycle. 
• It's nice to have an online training community again. 
• I think the Atlanta humidity is worse now than it ever was earlier this summer. :P
• I'm not excited about having to go back into the office full-time this coming week, and worry a bit about how the extra stress and time spent showering/doing my hair/getting dressed/packing ALL THE FOOD (no, seriously, my biggest concern to going back in-office is just figuring out how to prep/pack all the food I need to get through a day and how many reusable containers I'm going to have to wash each night) will impact life and training... but "I've had worse".