Monday, April 13, 2015

S2S - Week 6


I was tired of seeing snow in my usual training report photo, but I haven't had a chance to take a new photo. So please enjoy this photo from my 5k in Hawaii! I finished in 24:23 which was good enough for 2nd in my age group (yep, small race!). I'll just be sitting here day dreaming about my next trip to Hawaii...

Monday
Warm up: 1 mile walk with the middle half mile at an easy jog
Strength: Core strength, push ups and tricep dips, squats, lunges, step ups
Cool down: 15 minutes of stretching

Tuesday
5.11 miles at 9:45 average pace.

I still wasn't quite feeling 100%, so my plan was to take it nice and easy. I even took a couple walking breaks so I could evaluate how I was feeling. I also tested a new running route and spent half the time wondering if I had taken a wrong turn (amazingly I did not!). I now have two completely different 5 mile routes I can run right from my house. Win!

Wednesday
5.02 miles at 9:29 average pace

Still fighting some lingering congestion and coughing, but feeling pretty good. Once again I took a couple of short breaks to evaluate how I was feeling. I felt like I needed to keep reminding myself to take it easy so I could keep my legs fresh for Thursday's intervals.

Thursday
4 x 4:00 at 5k effort with 3:00 recovery
6.88 miles total

For this workout I planned to run 0.60 miles in 4:05-4:10 (pace range of 6:48-6:57). I ended up running 4:03, 4:11, 4:09, and 4:14. The two intervals that were slightly over my goal pace both included a slightly uphill section, so I am not too bothered. Average pace for my intervals was 6:55. I'm not going to lie, this workout was really freaking hard! Running at these faster paces once a week is so new to me and it absolutely kicks my butt every time.

I keep hoping that these workouts will start to feel easy, but I don't think that is going to happen. Maybe it isn't supposed to happen. Reminder to self: That is okay! My body is still learning! (thanks again, Hanna)

Friday
Rest day! Foam rolled my calves (so tight) and did a few pushups (so lacking in upper body strength).

Saturday
9.7 miles at 9:21 average pace.

I had 7-8 hilly miles on my schedule for Sunday, but decided to meet up with a couple friends from my running club for a long run on Saturday. I decided having company on my run was more important than sticking exactly to my training plan. I didn't choose the route, but, as luck would have it, we managed to find plenty of hills during this run.

My friend Mack also offered up the following hill advice: The sooner you get to the top of the hill the sooner you are done with the hill. Letting him take the lead on our run might not have been the best choice, but it definitely made for a great workout.

Sunday
4.7 miles at 9:25 average pace.

I started off pretty slow on this run since I could tell I was a bit sore from the hills on Saturday. I initially thought that I might take a few walking breaks like I did on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that ended up not being necessary.

Total miles: 31.41

8 comments:

  1. Great week! With all of those hills and the new speed workouts, no wonder you're feeling tired.

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  2. Really great week of running!

    I love that photo of you in Hawaii. I bet running there was an incredible experience - even more so because you placed in your AG. What an awesome memory!

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  3. that picture of Hawaii looks amazing..take me there when you go back!! Sounds like a tough week of workouts, especially that speed work. Great job hitting those paces!

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    1. I'll just pack you into my suitcase when I head back someday :)

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  4. Oh Hawaii!! *drool* I've always wanted to go!

    Great week this week! Glad to see you are feeling better and returning to your normal strength again. Your friend's advice about hills sounds like trouble for me. Going up hills as quickly as possible is a ticket to Crash City, population: me. I've adopted the mantra "respect the hill." Like people always say "respect the heat" or "respect the wind". As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, I am not stronger than gravity. Focusing on my form and repeating something like "steady" or "strong" helps me power up hills!

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    1. Yeah it was pretty rough for the first 7ish miles...and then I just let him slowly pull ahead of me. I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up, but since this was a replacement run for hill repeats I think it was good to power up at least some of the hills.

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