This week, I ran 43 miles.

Strength training x 1

Spin Class x 1

Core Routine x 3

5 Runs

1 Rest Day

The goal this week was to be realistic, put in the work, and be patient. (And know that the fitness will come!)

Monday:

6 recovery miles, 8:12 average. + Bodypump class

Planned on working a half-day on the holiday but spent a large portion of the morning at the gym (and it was surprisingly busy!) I ran 6 easy treadmill miles as recovery to get back into the week while watching the Today show. My legs seemed to have more pep today than they usually do on recovery days. Good sign!

And thennnnnn…I went to my first Bodypump class. Let me just say that I’m typically not into this kind of group fitness class. I’m not sure why but I’d rather get the work done on my own. But I’m glad I went! My upper body was in sufficient shock by the end and there were tons of squats and lunges to strengthen these grandma hips (although they’re feeling less and less creaky each week.) I’m thinking about going back to Bodypump through this cycle to work on overall strength.

Tuesday:

[4 mile tempo] 7 miles, 7:34 average.

Today, I decided to dominate the treadmill instead of letting it get the best of me like it did last week. It worked! 2 miles up, 4 mile tempo, and 1 down. Splits: 7:08, 7:03, 7:03, 6:58. I’m still working my way back into fighting shape and tempos are always the hardest part of that, it seems (especially on the treadmill). But for some reason, I was able to find my groove today. And despite some pretty tired post-Bodypump legs, they still had some kick. Happy happy joy joy!

Wednesday:

1 Hour impromptu DJ Spin Class + Core Routine x 2

BEST.SPIN.CLASS.EVER! Not kidding. I went to the gym looking forward to a solo, easy spin just to flush the legs and apparently I read the schedule wrong because I showed up just in time for a live DJ spin class. Yep, spin instructor AND live DJ. I was a bit skeptical at first but I’m definitely going back now. Awesome music and the instructor was the best I’ve had at my gym (and I’ve tried 4-5 by now). So much for an easy spin! Plenty of springs, progressive hills, and jumps. I haven’t sweat that much in one spin class…ever. I had a puddle underneath my bike by the end. 🙂

+ core routine x 2

Thursday:

[5 x 1000m repeats] 8 miles, 7:55 average.

Booyah! This one felt good! For some reason I’ve been able to find my groove on the treadmill lately. I still don’t love it but you gotta do what you gotta do in the winter. I ran 2 mi w/up, 5 x 1k with 400m recovery, and 2 mi c/down. Splits: 3:50, 3:54, 3:54, 3:53, 3:50.

I was really happy with how this went. The goal was just to run smooth and controlled through all 5. Mission accomplished–now I have a baseline for future 1k repeats. Oh! And I received a few weird looks at the gym when I did a shoe switcharoo between warmup-workout-cooldown. Side note: I felt like I was flying in my racing flats. I’m happy to transition back into them for speed workouts after a long hiatus.

And then….I drank beer and cooked dinner with a recipe from the Craft Beer Cookbook. Because, I can drink my beer and cook with it too.

Friday:

Full rest day. Highlights include copious amounts of pizza and beer.

Saturday:

6 recovery miles, 8:15 average + Core Routine x 1

After a big brunch, a mid-afternoon nap sounded blissful but I knew I’d feel good after running easy. I was looking forward to a super early bed time to make up for it but that didn’t happen for some reason.

Sunday:

15.28 miles, 7:35 average pace.

I shifted my long run today to avoid yesterday’s 25-30 mph winds and I’m pretty glad I did. The wind today was strong at times, but not like last week (probably because it from the W). I started around 11 am after a full night’s sleep, some coffee, and a Picky bar–smooth caffeinator ftw! I wore my neck gaiter and sunglasses (which I almost never wear) to block the wind. The first half was a big slushy mess and my legs were pretty fatigued halfway through. I saw Chanthana around mile 4 when she was 9 miles in and was jealous that she’d be inside and warm sooner than I. 🙂 She helped me get out of the house this morning when she told me to put my Boston jacket on and get it done. By mile 8, I just wanted to be done with this one, but once I turned around to run back south, conditions improved. I really need to befriend the dude that drives that little John Deere plow on the lakefront –he made the second half of this one SO much more enjoyable than the second. Kind of shocked at my pace. Still aerobic and didn’t feel like I was running outside of a comfortable zone. Keeping an eye on my right foot, felt a bit sore by the end.

14 degrees, real feel 4 degrees
20 mph wind gusts, 4 mph constant

Total Miles: 43 miles, 5 runs

Thoughts:

Some nice progress this week, I think! The treadmill was nice to me and I was shocked at how smooth and comfortable the 1k repeats went on Thursday. And fighting through the mental battle of tempo-ing on the treadmill on Tuesday makes me think that training is going well. I decided to go to ART every 10 days again, so things started to feel a bit creaky by week’s end, so it will be nice to work some things out in a few days.

TWELVE WEEKS TO GO!

-J